Social services slip backwards

Nov 27 2008 by Neil Atkinson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

SOCIAL services in Kirklees have got worse over the past 12 months.

An official report out today shows that the council has slipped from a three-star authority to a two-star one - next to the worst rating.

The services are still rated as “good”, compared with the excellent rating of last year.

That move bucks the national trend which shows that people who qualify for council-arranged or council-funded social care for adults have seen services improve for the sixth year running.

However, an earlier report by the Commission for Social Care Inspection published in October, 2008, highlighted problems with how people qualify for council-funded help. Those excluded by the system are often left to struggle on with little or no help at all, or find a way to pay for care services privately.

Adult services provides help for thousands of people in Huddersfield and the rest of Kirklees. The service covers items such as day care, benefits advice, community care, disability equipment and home adaptations.