HEALTH chiefs in Argyll and Bute have been told to apologise to a grandparent whose complaint about the care of their grandchild was upheld.
The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) has published its findings into the report by the grandparent in an undisclosed location in the area.
The grandparent, known as C in the report’s findings, complained that their grandchild (A) was not being provided with a stable home environment by a parent (B).
But a decision has been made that their concerns were not taken seriously enough by the Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), who have been asked to apologise.
The HSCP has also been recommended to ensure that where they are involved in concerns about a child’s welfare, documentation is completed and monitored to a reasonable standard.
The SPSO said on its website: “C was concerned about the condition of B’s home and whether A and their siblings were being adequately supervised and kept safe. C also expressed concerns over other adults in B’s home.
“C said that the partnership did not take their concerns seriously and had failed to ensure A’s health and wellbeing. This included whether sufficient home visits took place, and the decision not to initiate child protection proceedings, or make a referral to the Scottish Children’s Reporter (SCRA).
“C also raised concerns about social work documentation and processes relating to Interagency Referral Discussions (IRD) and Child’s Plans.
“We took independent advice from a social worker. We found that the partnership’s explanations and assurances to C, with respect to the number and nature of home visits, did not match the available records and that there had been a failure to carry out robust and timely assessments of B’s home.=
“Where home visits did take place, there was a lack of evidence that key concerns related to the condition of specific areas of the home were addressed.”
The report added: “Regarding the referral to the SCRA, we found that while the IRD stated that ongoing assessment would determine if a SCRA referral was required, there was no indication of the parameters of the ongoing assessment or what timescales were in place.
“Furthermore, the IRD did not state by whom, or by when, actions should be completed and lacked clarity regarding roles and responsibilities. Similarly, the child’s plan lacked clarity and contained significant omissions. Therefore, we upheld C’s complaints.”
The SPSO added that they have asked the HSCP to provide them with evidence that they have implemented their recommendations within a set deadline.
A spokesperson for Argyll and Bute HSCP said: “Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership accepts the findings in this SPSO report. We have written to the family to apologise and advise what we are doing in terms of the recommendations made.”
