Inspectors have praised Aberdeenshire’s services for children and young people for making a “positive difference”.
The Care Inspectorate has rated the service as very good, highlighting in particular those that make young people “safer”.
During an inspection between July and November last year, inspectors said staff were “confident in their ability to recognise, report and respond” to safety concerns, and felt well supported themselves. and staff said they felt well supported.
The report states: “Staff evidenced clear commitment to their roles, and we heard some very good examples from staff, children and family members of how they jointly helped children and young people to have positive outcomes.”
Vision to make Aberdeenshire the best place in Scotland to grow up
Children, young people and families said they felt service users were supported to stay safe and also become safer. This was through effective identification and action to concerns and support offered.
Young people and children being also said they felt listened to and had a trusted staff member they could turn to.
The report adds: “Staff believed that children and young people at risk of
harm were thriving as a result of nurturing and enduring relationships with the people
involved with them. ”
Partners involved with providing the services include Aberdeenshire Council, NHS Grampian, Police Scotland North-east, Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
Chairman of the executive group for public protection, Jim Savege, said: “As a partnership we have an agreed, shared and ambitious vision to make Aberdeenshire the best place in Scotland to grow up.
“We do this by providing children, young people and families with the right support, in the right place at the right time to help them reach individual potential and goals.”
The report sets a ‘a benchmark for continuous improvement’
Inspectors noted that staff had access to information and were able to talk across services about protective responses.
Chief Superintendent Graeme Mackie said the joint work of the different partners help to enable quicker responses.
He said: “Police Scotland recognises that we are only one part in the partnership chain which must provide support to our children and young people, and we work closely with other organisations both locally and nationally to respond to their needs.
“Those needs must be shared with the right person, as early as possible and we are committed to playing our part in keeping youngsters safe.
“I am delighted by the outcome of the inspection, which sets a benchmark for continuous improvement.”
Inspectors did however some areas for improvement, including the need for the service to have a consistent recognition and joint response when young people were at risk of harm in communities or were displaying signs of trauma through their behaviours.
NHS Grampian chief executive, Professor Caroline Hiscox, said: “I welcome publication of this report, which notes the hard work of teams such as health visitors and family nurse partnerships in building positive relationships with families.
“The impact of positive partnership working is evident in this report. Getting it right for our children and young people is a key priority and NHS Grampian is committed to working closely with all partners to achieve this.”