Archived decisions

Name of Service

Statutory basis

Current performance

Any Inspection results

Budget / cost

Proposed Improvement

Road Safety Service

Delivers statutory responsibilities under S39 Road Traffic Act 1998

The service currently offers value for money. Proposed improvements take advantage of new technology and focus on good communication arrangements and learning from others to deliver an excellent service in future

Desktop inspection in May 2001, stated:

"the County Council appears to provide a good road safety service to the public, that is well respected both internally and externally" and the Improvement Plan "should result in steady improvement".

Budget allocation for 2000/01 £941,000

· Improve awareness of road safety through improved communication

· Increase use of computer-based geographic information systems (GIS)

· More effective promotion of the County Council's highway safety auditing services to all relevant bodies

Public Transport

The County Council has a duty under Section 63 of the Transport Act 1985 to secure appropriate public transport services to provide for public transport requirements not met by other services.

The current service performs well compared to those authorities with whom it was possible to compare. There is evidence of its importance to the community.

A full inspection report was received in October 2001, making the judgements that this is a good service, and likely to improve.

Estimated cost of service £7.2m, incl operational and staff costs. Some of the service is grant funded by government.

· There should be a fundamental assessment of travel needs and priorities

· To identify additional sources of income to allow expansion of bus services and increases use of public transport

· To build more effective partnerships

· To be more innovative, flexible and efficient in meeting public transport needs

· Review approach to public transport information and publicity

· Review approach to the maintenance of public transport infrastructure and find a way forward through partnerships

· Improve the quality of supported services by raising standards and improving performance monitoring

· That there is a need to develop an equitable community transport sector across the county

Day and Resource Centres for Physically Disabled People

With the staged introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, a role of Resource Centres is to enable the opening up of general public facilities for disabled people rather than replicate services in a protected accessible environment.

The current Day Services provide a useful and valued component in supporting disabled people within the community. A majority of service users were satisfied with the provision. The costs are comparable to other authorities.

Social Services Inspectorate -informal feedback:

· Recommendations made to ensure the process is sufficiently challenging and rigorous

· Noted that many users were happy with the service because they perceived any change as a threat, and because of the lack of information on alternatives

· Reviews did not present Members with a range of real alternative options to enable them to make high level decisions about the future direction of services

The net cost in 1998/99 was £1.77 million

· To implement an overall strategy to provide community support for physically disabled people

· To re-define the SS role in respect of employment of disabled people and concentrate on work preparation and partnership with employment specialists

· To enable more flexible support for carers

· To promote Direct Payments as an option to maximise user control

Day Activities (Learning Disabilities)

Day activities are

provided to respond to the following legislation and government guidance:

· National assistance Act 1948

· White Paper "Better Services for the Mentally Handicapped" 1971

· Local Authority Circulars 13/74 and 19/74

· NHS and Community Care Act 1990

· Community Care (Carers Act) 1995

Generally, services are at a similar stage of development to the rest of the country with much of the service tied into larger services provided by SS. There is a clear need to develop services to meet the challenge of being more flexible, responsive and individualised

As above

Budget 2000/01

Net In house budget = £5.735m.

Net Independent Sector budget = £1.508m

· To make £15,000 available in 01/02 for Direct Payments to increase the number of people with learning difficulties on the scheme

· To prepare costed plans for the redevelopment of day activities by the end of March 2003

· To establish links with employment and leisure agencies to give people with learning difficulties greater access to work and leisure

Mental Health Day Services

The provision of social care services for people with mental illness is covered by the following legislation:

· National Assistance Act 1948 Section 29

· Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970

· Section 2 NHS Act 1977 Section 21 HASSASA

· Section 17 (Charging) The Disabled Persons Act 1986

· Sections 4 and 8 NHS and Community Care Act 1990

· Section 47 Mental Health Act 1983

The majority of service users and mental health professionals are satisfied with current services, however, there are examples where the current practice needs to be improved

As above

Estimated cost of the service - £3,7m

· Processes will be agreed to ensure services are regularly monitored and reviewed to an agreed standard

· Gaps in services will be filled as and when resources become available

· The single Day Service Centre which gave low satisfaction will be considered for a competitive tendering process in order to regularise the terms and conditions of this group of workers.

· Management actions will ensure that good information is collected

· Where communication is inadequate, steps will be taken to only accept referrals with adequate information about a person's needs and any risks involved

Employment Services

· Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944

· National Assistance Act 1948, Section 29 - (4) (c)

· Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1958

· Disability Discrimination Act - 1995.

The Review Team concluded that SS does have a role to play in supporting employment for people with LD and PD. There are many variations in performance data for individual services and thus it is difficult to compare. However, from the information available it suggests that user involvement and participation was a very positive experience valued by users

Estimated cost of the service - £1.13m

· To agree SSD responsibility and role for Employment Services as that of `Supported Employment'

· To establish a Joint Planning Forum

· To ensure the CC fully uses its role as a major employer for people with disabilities

· To ensure all contracted services meet all requirements and that all organisations providing services to the CC use the same measures

· To develop a cost for the provision for each `unit' of service

· To increase the number of people who move through the organisations into employment

· To ensure all users are regularly consulted

Occupational Therapy, Equipment and Technician Services

Together the Occupational Therapy, Technician Service and the Equipment Service are part of the local authority's response to its duties under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 (Section 2), NHS Community Care Act 1990 and Carers Recognition of Services Act 1995.

Consultation with users and stakeholders showed generally a high degree of satisfaction with all three of the services. The services compare favourably with top performing services of similar size

£551,000

· Waiting times will be reduced to agreed levels by 2005

· A number of measures will be put in place to provide better information to service users and the choice of self-assessment.

· To work in partnership with agencies to enable self-assessment

· Consideration will be given to charging for the service

· Greater potential may be possible by exploring the possibility of becoming a business unit

· Opportunities to provide equipment and services in one visit will be exploited

Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services

· Children Act 1989

· Mental Health Act 1983

The Service is valued by users - 91% users stated the service made a difference to their family. However, this has been achieved despite poorly defined aims and limited leadership to focus the service on core departmental objectives.

Cost of the service in 1999/2000 - £342,874

· Improve leadership and management and increase user involvement

· Clarify expectations between Health and Social Services

· Provide support and development to staff

· Develop an identity for the service and staff

· Make the resourcing and model of service delivery more equitable

· Develop and monitor performance data

Older Persons Day Care

· National Assistance Act 1948

· Community Care Act 1993

Currently the service is highly valued by users and carers and particularly effective at preventing social isolation. Accurate information about the service, in terms of activity, cost, need and demand was not easily available

2000/01 est budget £3.44 m. £3.1m income also received but day care and domiciliary care income cannot be disaggregated at this time.

· Improve the availability of relevant information

· Develop better measures of performance, particularly to compare day care with other forms of service and to enable targets to be set

Social Services Transport

Section 2 (1) of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 places a duty on Local Authorities to provide facilities for assistance to and from home to participate in any service provided by the local authority under Section 29 of the National Assistance Act 1948

There is considerable local variation in service delivery across the county, however satisfaction is high amongst users

Estimated cost of the service - £2.6 million

· That the service is regularly reviewed against agreed quality standards

· To ensure that all service users received entitled transport

· That the most appropriate organisational arrangements exist across the county for future transport provision

· That the transport is provided in the most cost-effective manner

Disabled Persons Parking Permits (DPPP)

SI 2000/682 The Disabled Persons (Parking Badges for Motor Vehicles) (England) Regulations

There is considerable inconsistency in the process administrated by issuing offices particularly in their eligibility criteria used. Badges are generally issued within the times stipulated with most applicants being very satisfied according to the customer survey

Estimated cost of the service - £100,000

The 4 improved outcomes are:

· Applicants can be confident of consistency about the process of decision making - options were generated for centralising the process

· Criteria for a badge are equitably and appropriately applied

· Customers continue to be satisfied with the speed of the department's response to applications

· Customers continue to be satisfied with the quality of customer care

Receivership Unit

The duties and powers of the Unit are derived from Part VII (Sections 93 to 113) Mental Health Act 1983. There is no statutory duty for the Social Services Department to act as Receiver, however, most Local Authorities consider it essential to carry out this role in a limited number of cases.

The Unit is highly regarded by users and professionals and is good value. In comparison to other authorities, Hampshire provides services to a higher proportion of residents and staff carry relatively higher caseloads

Estimated cost of the service - £16,000

· The development of computerised systems to enable the business to be managed more efficiently

· Improved publicity to the public and staff through leaflets and electronically available information

Information Analysis Service

There is no direct statutory requirement for the service, however the service provides information to Central Government for planning and scrutiny purposes which are statutorily required

Demand greatly exceeds capacity to supply, however internal customers think quite highly of the service. There are a number of problems such as difficulties in keeping in step with information needs and maintaining accurate computerised information. Although, in comparison to other authorities the service is under-resourced the service offers very good value for money compared with commercial suppliers

Estimated cost of the service - £158,000

The revised budget plan includes a bid for £136,000 to enable a number of performance targets will be met such as meeting deadlines and providing accurate high quality information

Social Service Complaints Service

The requirement for a complaints department is specified in:

· Children's Act 1989

· National Health and Community Care Act 1990

From a survey conducted during the review it was found that a third of service users were completely satisfied but also found that a third were totally dissatisfied. Most complaints are dealt with in the required time-scale and only a very small number of requests for formal investigation are received (3%)

Estimated cost of the service - £110,000

· To set clear objectives for the service

· To increase support given to staff locally

· There needs to be a clearer link between `what went wrong' and the improvements to the departments performance

· That the name of the department be changed to `Customer Care' Service to reflect the emphasis that the views of people who use the department are listened to and acted upon

Library Service

The Public Library Service is a statutory requirement under the provision of the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 and local authorities are required to provide "a comprehensive and efficient service".

A traditional service with high levels of user satisfaction and evidence of a high quality bookstock.

Recommendations made by the BV Inspectorate point to a need to exploit existing good practice and to focus on opportunities for change at the strategic level.

The Inspection Report of October 2001 concluded that the service provided a `good 2 star service that is unlikely to improve'.

Estimated cost of service - £15.9 million

· Access - a number of measure are recommended to improve equality of access, particularly for those with disabilities or are isolated

· Improved communication with staff through preparation for Investors in People

· Introduction of IT training for all staff through the People's Network Initiative

Legal Services

Section 5 of the Local Govt and Housing Act 1989 requires some form of legal administration to be provided, however there is no specific statutory provision requiring a legal service

With high satisfaction levels (over 90%) and one of the first 100 organisations to achieve the LEXCEL accreditation, the unit provides a high quality and value for money service

According to the desk-top BV Inspection of August 2001 the service `appears to provide a legal service that is linked to achieving its corporate aims'

Estimated cost of the service - £1.08m

· Benchmarking has enabled the service to implement a range of improvements or efficiencies at no extra cost

· A number of significant operational improvements have been identified with staff and will be implemented over a two-year period

School Crossing Patrols

The statutory basis for the service comes from the School Crossing Patrol Act 1953.

Section 26 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 gives the statutory provision of the service to appropriate authorities, defined as the County Council

in Hampshire's case.

The service is currently not managed effectively with Hampshire having more Patrols than comparator authorities, lower support staff ratio and a high vacancy rate although the service maintains high satisfaction rates amongst patrol officers

Estimated cost of the service - £839,000

· Transfer responsibility for the Patrols to the Road Safety Team

· Establish new Patrol Supervisors in the Road Safety Team

· Evaluate Patrol provision in Hampshire - the target is to carry out a site assessment at each of the 487 sites by 1 April 2002

Specialist Teacher Advisory Service

The basis of the service is enshrined in the recent Disability Discrimination Act. Under Section 162 of the Education Act 1993, LEAs may provide special educational needs support services to schools. There is a statutory duty under the Education Act, 1986 to ensure that a core service is delivered to pupils statemented for HI, VI or PD.

The Service is well regarded and costs seem to compare well with similar authorities

Estimated cost of the service - £950,000

· Teacher advisors will improve arrangements for handing information over once they leave the classroom

· A Head of Service and Head of Section will be established in order to guarantee the same quality of service geographically

· Better use will be made of computer assisted learning

School Admissions

School Standards and Framework Act 1998

The Service has low staffing levels, high workloads and inadequate IT support, however it does maintain high satisfaction levels from parents

The LEA Ofsted Inspection found that the review had been conducted with rigour and imagination. It found clear indications that the review had heightened awareness of the client perspective and this alone should help an already good service get better. The Inspection suggested that there was good capacity for continued improvement

Estimated cost of the service - £409,000

· Improve the information to parents

· To produce a single volume of guidance and provide admissions training for new head teachers

· To improve quality of internal and external performance data

· To implement policies concerning Equalities, E-Government, Crime and Disorder and Sustainability

· To make better use of specialist IT

· Implementing a revised staff structure, recruiting and retaining suitable staff and effectively monitoring workloads

Strategic Management of Education

No direct statutory basis for the service

The responsibility for strategic management lies with the County Education Officer and the 4 Assistant County Education Officers. In comparison with other Local Education Authorities their cost (£575,000) which includes support staff is relatively low. The review also looked at the planning and communications function

Estimated cost of the service - £575,000

· To test use of management techniques to identify areas of service provision that could be assessed for their suitability for market testing

· Take advantage of internet technologies to link plans and CC activity

· Develop a suite of performance indicators and consider the use of the balanced scorecard

· Develop the European funding role

· Consider strengthening the monitoring and evaluation detail for individual plans within the Ed. Dept. Strategy

· Review processes and systems for communications with staff

· Review the CC consultation processes with schools

· Review consultation processes and frequency and quality of all communications with schools

· Review resourcing and planning of the committee support function and develop the circulation of draft committee reports electronically

Bi-Lingual Support Service

Race Relations Act 1976

Sex Discrimination Act 1975

Disability Discrimination Act 1995

Children's Act 1989

Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994

Protection from Harassment Act 1997

OFSTED

Hampshire has very few ethnic minorities in comparison to other authorities. Parents appreciate the service provided, however the service is unable to meet its two aims of meeting the needs of newly arrived pupils and working with schools in order to develop training.

Estimated cost of the service - £357,000

· To increase funding so that the service can meet its objectives

· Once a decision has been made about funding to set achievement targets

Home-to-School Transport

Sections 509 and 509a of the 1996 Education Act provide the statutory authority for a Local Education Authority (LEAs) to make the arrangements they consider necessary, or as the Secretary of State directs, to provide free transport

Schools and parents are generally very satisfied with the service but have identified a number of areas for improvement. Hampshire spends slightly less per-pupil than comparator authorities

Estimated cost of the service - £16.5 million, which includes operational and staff costs. (£450,000 staff costs included in Passenger Transport service.)

A large number of improvements have been recognised including:

· A review of possible charging for service users

· Better co-ordination of transport policy and potential of externalising all CC transport across the county

· Review possibilities of utilising different transport assets such as encouraging parents to provide transport and acquiring a fleet of coaches

· Improve the management of the service by improving the speed of dealing with problems and provide more information to parents

Outdoor Education

A number of important statutes cover the Units work:

· The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

· Education Act 1988

The Unit is seen as at the forefront of Local Education Authority Provision, particularly on the advice of risk management. High satisfaction from users and the Unit is responsible for a very large amount of training and ventures involving a large number of pupils, teachers, leaders and partners

Estimated cost of the service - £99,000

· Take full advantage of partnerships with other agencies

· Improve support and training systems

· Improve internal systems