Capacity pressure results in kids’ ‘unregulated care’

Kieran Downey, Executive Director of Social Work, also pointed out that during 2012/13 “many social services staff worked in very difficult situations.”

A Trust minute reveals that: “Mr Downey advised that there are a number of children under 16 years placed in unregulated placements.

“He said this was a result of staff being unable to complete kinship assessments in a timely manner due to capacity issues within the Trust’s Family Intervention Service and Fostering.”

He also said that “throughout the year the Adult Safeguarding service had been under pressure to deal with the significant increase in the number of Vulnerable Adult referrals received.”

Back in March the Sentinel reported how a standing army of local children were classified as being ‘in need’ at the end of last September.

Over 6,000 children were deemed ‘children in need’ according to the Western Trust’s Corporate Parenting Report for April to September 2012.

Last September the Western Trust appointed Mr Downey as its new Executive Director of Social Work and Director of Women and Children’s Services.