25-04-2025
East Ayrshire planning partnership inspection receives positive report
An inspection of services in the East Ayrshire planning partnership has found strengths in ensuring that children and young people at risk of harm are safe. However, some areas for improvement were also identified. The joint inspection included teams from the Care Inspectorate, Healthcare Improvement Scotland, His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland and Education Scotland. Teams also included young inspection volunteers, who are young people with direct experience of care services. They receive training and support and contribute to joint inspections using their knowledge and experience to help evaluate the quality and impact of partners' work. The inspection took place between September 16, 2024 and March 6, 2025. The inspectors met with and observed six babies and listened to the views and experiences of 84 children and young people as well as 27 parents and carers. They also met with six elected officials and 3631 staff, including senior leaders and those who worked directly with children, young people and families. Inspectors found that staff were confident in their abilities to recognise and report signs of child abuse, neglect and exploitation. Children were safer because of effective recognition and initial response to risk. The effective implementation of the Scottish Child Interview Model ensured that children were able to give quality evidence, whilst being protected from further trauma. Multi-agency assessments, planning and reviews were undertaken for children and young people at risk of harm. The majority of assessments were of good quality, but the quality of plans to support children and their families were more variable. Staff across agencies were deemed to have worked well together to ensure that appropriate support was provided to keep children and young people safe and to help them recover from their experiences. Children and young people were also said to be respected and supported to give their views. Staff listened to children and young people and understood what was important to them. However, the partnership was taking steps to improve the way it captured data to better evidence outcomes. Inspectors also noted that it was difficult for the partnership to know the value of some services and how to target resources most effectively. Jackie Irvine, Chief Executive of the Care Inspectorate, said: 'The inspection found a number of important strengths, and that the work of partners was making a positive difference to the lives of children and young people at risk of harm. 'The Care inspectorate and its scrutiny partners are confident that the partnership in East Ayrshire have the capacity to make changes to service delivery in the areas that require improvement. 'We have requested a joint action plan that clearly details how they will make improvements in the key areas identified. We will continue to offer support for improvement and we will monitor progress.' Don't miss the latest Ayrshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter
