Standards of social services care provided to adults by local councils have shown an overall improvement for the fifth successive year. Performance ratings published today by the Commission for Social Care Inspection show a third of councils have been awarded three stars and for the second year running there are no authorities failing to gain at least a single star.

The Commission says those councils that have improved this year had demonstrated a greater focus on outcomes for people, including good intermediate care, avoiding the need for hospital admissions, as well as improving support for carers, and homecare services.

“Performance Ratings for Adult Social Services in England 2007” shows 24 councils improved their star ratings but 15 saw their rating slip. Nine authorities have improved to achieve the top three-star rating but five that were in that bracket last year have dropped to two stars. Overall, 28 councils have a single star, 74 have two stars and 48 – 32 per cent of the total – are in the highest category.

CSCI Chief Inspector Paul Snell said, “The councils serving people well aren’t just providing good social care services, they are constantly raising their game and aiming high to continually improve, and provide the best possible services for local people.”

The report shows the biggest improvements in the movement of councils from one to two star status. Of the 15 authorities that achieved that, nine had last year been deemed by the CSCI to be ‘priority for improvement councils’. The Commission says the nine had improved their service provision, demonstrated a focused commitment of resources to areas of concern, improved their financial management, strengthened leadership and partnership working and had improved their planning, commissioning and management processes.

Paul Snell said, “CSCI will focus particular attention on the remaining twelve ‘priority for improvement’ councils in the next year, all of which will need to urgently consider how they can better serve local people.”

Read more on INSPECTORS FIND ADULT CARE SERVICES CONTINUING TO IMPROVE…

Local authorities have defended their role in providing services to tackle domestic violence after calls from the new Equality and Human Rights Commission for a huge increase in help for victims. The Local Government Association called, though, for specialist courts to tackle the offences.

Trevor Phillips, the chairman of the Commission said there was a burgeoning crisis of domestic violence against women that needed to be addressed. The Commission found three million women a year were assualted by husbands, boyfriends or partners.

Responding to the Commission’s calls for more and better support for the women involved, Ann Lucas, the domestic violence spokesperson at the LGA, said councils took their role in reducing domestic violence seriously and were leading the way in putting an end to it. “Everybody has an important part to play if councils, the police, health services and central government are to eradicate the most cowardly of crimes,” Councillor Lucas said.

Read more on COUNCILS ‘PLAYING LEADING ROLE IN ENDING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE’…

The survey of income trends for human resources professionals from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development shows that for the first time in ten years, training professionals earn higher than the average HR salary. The survey also found that one of the main reasons HR professionals working in the public sector experience low levels of engagement is due to bad management.

Read more on INCOME BOOST FOR TRAINING PROFESSIONALS…