Dedication of staff shines through as Social Services face growing demand
Ymroddiad staff yn amlwg wrth i'r Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol wynebu galw cynyddol
The increasing demands on the Social Services department of Pembrokeshire County Council and the dedication of the workforce has been set out in an annual report.
The Annual Report of the Statutory Director of Social Services 2023-24, details how Social Services is working to enhance the well-being of those who have accessed PCC services.
The report was presented to Cabinet on Monday and Cabinet Members paid tribute to the staff who have been dealing with increased demand and unprecedented financial pressures.
Cabinet Members also stressed the importance of continuing focus on prevention and ensuring vulnerable people are safe.
The report states that significant extra resource has been put in the child care assessment team to deal with cases that appear at the front door, often with complex safeguarding situations.
The report notes that the number of young people looked after by the Authority has increased from 127 in March 2017 to 257 in March 2024. This has also led to a major increase in the cost of out of county placements.
A Pembrokeshire property has been bought to provide a more cost effective solution to meet care needs and enable children and young people to remain close to their home community and further in-house accommodation based solutions are being explored.
The total number of people contacting adult services in 2023/24 was up by 9% on the previous year, including 4,395 new contacts.
Mr Gray said: “Service demand is generally growing and people approaching us for care and support increasingly have a range of needs that require a response from both ourselves and our colleagues in the NHS.
“We are committed to bolstering our early intervention and prevention approach. This is however increasingly difficult when faced with significant financial challenges and a workforce under significant pressure.”
The report states that more effective and efficient ways of working have been progressed, while striving to improve outcomes for people by supporting them to live the lives they want.
Mr Gray added: “I would like to thank everyone working within the social services departments and the partners that support us for the massive commitment they have shown to those residents that we support.”
The report can be read here (opens in new window).