Social Work Counselling Service - Proposal to Disband Service - Equality Impact assessments
Title
Social Work Counselling Service - Proposal to Disband Service
Council Resource
Social Work
Service Area
Planning and Performance
Aims and Objectives
Budget cost pressures for Social Work Children and Family Services has resulted in the Resource adopting a Sustainability and Value Option Appraisal Screening Tool.
The Sustainability and Value Option Appraisal approach is summarised as follows:
1 Benchmarking and Efficiencies
2 Service Redesign or Reduction with no/limited impact on outcomes
3 Service Redesign or Reduction with impact on outcomes
4 Legislative and Registration Requirements
5 Public Protection
Intervention offered by the Social Work Counselling Service is not a statutory function that needs to be delivered by Social Work. The current budget for the Social Work Counselling Service is £0.270 million per year. One of the posts is funded by the Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund. If the service is disbanded, approximately £0.050 million would need to be returned to the fund for future use. Therefore, the total saving per annum would be £0.220 million
South Lanarkshire Council is the only area in Scotland which offers an in-house Social Work Counselling Service as an intervention offered by Social Work.
Staff and Service Users have been involved in the consultation process, along with Personnel Services. Survey work was undertaken as part of this consultation process with wider staff groupings.
The proposal is to cease providing an in-house Counselling Services will have an impact on the 32 children and young people supported by the service. Trauma Informed Practice is integral to social workers practice. It is not a statutory requirement of Social Work Resources, Child and Family Services to provide a Counselling Service, no other local authorities do so. A number of other services have developed within Schools in
terms of community mental health and wellbeing, and overarching mental health services for children and young people.
Conclusion
The proposal to disband the in house Counselling Service will initially target the 32 children and young people supported by the service, with the existing staff group assisting in this process, the staff will then be matched to existing vacancies within Social Work Resources. Children and Justice Management Meetings will retain oversight as required.
Counselling is not a statutory requirement of social work resources, there are a number of other therapeutic services in place, no other local authority provide Counselling within their social work service. By introducing this proposal some alignment of Child and Family budgets will be released. The current budget for the Social Work Counselling Service is £0.270 million per year. One of the posts is funded by the Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund. If the service is disbanded, approximately £0.050 million would need to be returned to the fund for future use. Therefore, the total saving per annum would be £0.220 million
