Children's Social Services - Surrey Falling Short

10.00.00am GMT Thu 6th Nov 2003

Cllr David Timms studying the Report of the Joint Review of social services

At Surrey County Council's meeting on 21st October, Lib Dem Councillor David Timms challenged a statement made by the Conservative administration strongly suggesting that Surrey's Children's Services were a model to be emulated nationally. He asked why the Tories had not awaited publication of the results of a joint review of Surrey's social service department by the Social Services Inspectorate and the Audit Commission, before making this kind of boast.

When the reviews were published, the findings were that services provided for children are much worse than those provided for adults. Particularly, there were concerns regarding services to support families, and about what happens to children looked after by the County Council.

Commenting, Cllr David Timms said: "The findings of the joint review, and of a separate annual review by the Social Services Inspectorate also made public on 28th October, paint a grim picture of the actual state of Surrey's Children's Services. The Executive presumably had some idea in advance of what these reviews were going to say about those services. Yet there they were, only a week before publication, suggesting that Surrey's Children's Services set a good example for the rest of the country. How arrogant and complacent can these people get?"