Somerset care failings flagged in two watchdog reports

Somerset Council has been told to improve services for both children and adults after two separate watchdog reports raised concerns about support for some of the county's most vulnerable residents.

The findings affect children needing help and protection, children in care, care leavers, unpaid carers, older people and disabled adults across Somerset. The reports were published within weeks of each other and cover separate parts of the council's responsibilities.

Ofsted inspected Somerset Council's children's services between Monday, 27 April, and Friday, 1 May, with its report published on Wednesday, 17 June. The Care Quality Commission published its local authority assessment of Somerset Council's adult social care services on Friday, 5 June.

Ofsted judged three out of four areas in children's services as "requires improvement to be good". These were leadership and social work practice, children who need help and protection, and children in care, while care leavers were rated good.

Inspectors said the quality of some services for very vulnerable children had deteriorated since Somerset's previous inspection in 2022, when children's services were judged good. The report said many children still benefit from strong practice, but raised concerns about delayed action, inconsistent management oversight and a lack of enough suitable homes for children in care.

The Ofsted report said some assessments of children's needs were not completed quickly enough, and management oversight explaining delays was not always clear on children's records. Inspectors also said the council could not assure itself that timely and effective action was being taken for children missing education.

For children in care, Ofsted said there continued to be a shortage of children's homes and foster homes in Somerset. The report said some children had lived in unlawful unregistered provision and that some younger children were living in children's homes because there were not enough foster families to meet their needs.

There were positive findings too. Ofsted highlighted early help services, support for young carers, work with care leavers, adoption services, the strengthened virtual school, and the way leaders listen to children and young people.

Somerset Council said it was already taking action after the Ofsted report, including expanding foster carer recruitment and support, strengthening partnership working and investing in workforce development and management oversight. The council said inspectors had also recognised strong practice and positive outcomes in parts of the service.

Cllr Heather Shearer, Somerset Council's lead member for children, families and education, said: "The overall rating is disappointing, and we will of course address those areas highlighted for improvement.

"But there is so much positivity in this assessment that we can be rightly proud of too, including the dedication and positive impact of our teams, especially for our care leavers and young carers.

"Expanding foster carer recruitment and support is key, as the report rightly indicates. Every child deserves to feel safe, loved and part of a family."

The second watchdog report came from the CQC, which rated Somerset Council as "requires improvement" in how well it meets its responsibilities to ensure people have access to adult social care and support under the Care Act.

The CQC looked at nine quality areas across four themes. Eight areas scored two out of four, while only "partnerships and communities" scored three.

The adult social care report raised concerns about waits for assessments and reviews, support for unpaid carers, safeguarding, advocacy, complaints and delays in Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. The CQC said leaders and staff wanted to improve services, but financial and structural challenges were affecting people's experiences.

Chris Badger, CQC's chief inspector of adult social care and integrated care, said Somerset Council was still unsettled after becoming a unitary authority in 2023. He said changes to the adult social care team structure were still affecting people's experience of accessing care and support.

The CQC also said feedback from carers showed concerns that conversations often focused on the person receiving care, rather than the carer's own wellbeing and needs. It said some carers were not clear that they had a right to a carers' assessment and review.

The watchdog said some people felt they had to fit into existing services rather than being given proper choice over their care and support. It also raised concerns that some case reviews did not clearly show whether people had been offered the right advocacy support.

The CQC report included the case of a person living with dementia who had been permanently moved into a care home without anyone involved to advocate on their behalf about whether it was what they wanted or the right decision. It also said one person with dementia had waited nearly seven years for a Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards assessment.

There were strengths in the adult social care report too. The CQC highlighted Somerset's use of village and community agents as trusted local contacts, micro-providers supporting people in rural areas, and the use of direct payments.

Somerset Council said it was already acting on the CQC findings. It said improvements included commissioning a 24-hour self-service tool to help carers find local support, setting up an oversight group to review assessment and review times, and using data to track trends and target resources.

Cllr Sarah Wakefield, Somerset Council's lead member for adult services, housing and homelessness, said: "We are disappointed by the findings of the CQC's assessment, but we want to reassure the people who use our services, their families and carers that our focus remains on ensuring people receive safe, high-quality support.

"Despite the overall rating, we are encouraged that the report recognises areas of good practice and the dedication of our workforce.

"We are fully committed to addressing the areas identified for improvement and are building on the progress we have already made since our assessment in September."

The reports are separate inspections by separate watchdogs and are not a single combined judgement on Somerset Council's care services. But together they put renewed pressure on the council over how it supports children, families, unpaid carers and adults who rely on care and support.

Somerset Council said it is already taking action in response to both reports. That work includes strengthening children's services, improving management oversight, recruiting more foster carers, reducing assessment delays and improving support for unpaid carers.