Section: Best Practices & Standards
LA Stars
Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council
An Audit Commission report issued in March finds that the £6.7 million Supporting People programme under which Sefton Council funds housing-related support to vulnerable people is a zero-star poor service with uncertain prospects for improvement.
The inspection report notes:
- Service users are not consistently engaged and have very limited opportunities to influence strategic decisions.
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Services have not been significantly re-configured and remain largely as inherited at the commencement of the Supporting People programme.
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Access to housing support is difficult and inconsistent across the borough.
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The Council continue to contract with twenty-three services that do not meet minimum standards.
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Governance structures have failed to drive the delivery of the key priorities of the programme.
To help the service improve inspectors made a number of recommendations, including:
- Improving the engagement of service users - and their advocates - at all levels of the programme and focusing on improved outcomes for them.
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Improving the delivery of key strategic priorities.
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Ensuring that those who need housing support find it easy to access and that the quality of services is consistently high.
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Delivering improved value for money.
Westminster City Council
The Supporting People programme delivered by Westminster City Council is 'excellent' and has 'excellent prospects for improvement' according to an inspection report issued by the Audit Commission. Inspectors, in partnership with inspectors from the Commission for Social Care Inspection and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation gave the programme three-stars.
The inspection team found Westminster City Council has a very strong approach to ensuring services best meet priority needs through developing new services, reconfiguring existing services and developing links between services. The Council was also praised for working effectively with providers to improve the quality of services. This has increased choice and quality for service users.
Strengths inspectors found also included:
- A wide range of opportunities for user participation and with clear outcomes from this involvement.
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Access and referral arrangements were comprehensive, transparent, delivered in partnership and focused on ensuring services meet those most in need.
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Significant efficiencies had been delivered in services through negotiations on cost, reconfiguration and procurement activities.
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There was a good range of information produced on the programme and the services available.
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There had been a focus on improving providers' approach to diversity.
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There were very strong and inclusive contract monitoring arrangements while improvement planning with providers was very well developed resulting in improved performance.
The report also highlights a small number of issues which need to be addressed, including weaknesses in some aspects of performance reporting and action planning.
Other LA Reports
Other local authority inspection reports issued by the Audit Commission during March 2008 included:
- Blackpool Coastal Housing (Blackpool Council ALMO): Two-star good service with excellent prospects for improvement.
- Camden London Borough Council (Supporting People): Two-star good service with excellent prospects for improvement.
- East Lindsey District Council (Regeneration): One-star fair service with promising prospects for improvement.
- Sutton Housing Partnership (Sutton London Borough Council ALMO): One-star fair service with promising prospects for improvement.
RSL Performers
Registered social landlord inspection reports issued by the Audit Commission during March 2008 included:
- Shoreline Housing Partnership (Housing Management Services): One-star fair service with uncertain prospects for improvement.
