The deepening financial crisis facing Fife Council’s social work service has been spelled out in a report which confirms that the service is facing an overspend of more than £10 million by 2014 over £3 million more than was predicted just five months ago.
Rising costs, increasing demands and an aging population are being blamed for the spiralling bill.
Now Fife councillors are to discuss how to deal with the crisis which comes at a time when the local authority is battling to plug a £100 million budget shortfall overall.
A report to next week’s executive committee outlines how the service is working to cope with a projected overspend of over £10 million next year.
The service has a number of actions in place including savings and contract reviews, and the recruitment of more foster carers, to try to tackle the overspend.
But according to Fife Council leader Alex Rowley, “radical change” is needed with a full priority-based budget review being carried out in social work.
The council spends £188 million on providing social work services 26% of its total budget.
Now, says Mr Rowley, it’s time to look at the way services are delivered due to the constant struggle to keep costs under control and keep up with demand.
He said: “We have more people than ever needing a service because of our rapidly growing elderly population, increasing numbers of children at risk of harm, and people with long-term conditions or disabilities.
“It is important that we understand the pressures and challenges on these services and examine the options for meeting these challenges, particularly in this very difficult financial climate.
“We need to make sure that the more vulnerable people in our communities continue to receive the highest levels of care possible.
“Social work and health have a direct impact on many lives in Fife but it often feels like we are fire-fighting and we therefore need to move some of the focus on to a preventative agenda.”
Executive spokesperson for social work and health, Councillor Judy Hamilton said: “The increasing numbers of elderly people needing specialist care at home plus the support needed by vulnerable children who need to be looked after outwith the family home mean our costs are continuing to rise.
“Unfortunately this situation reflects a national picture across Scotland with many younger children being neglected due to parental substance misuse and domestic violence.”
The council is investing in early intervention measures to help give youngsters a better start in life by reducing inequalities and making sure all children have the same opportunities to reach their full potential.
According to the Christie report published in 2011, it’s estimated that up to 40% of Scottish public spending goes on remedying problems that early intervention could have prevented.
Ms Hamilton added: “One in five of our children live in poverty and there are far too many children on the “at risk” register in Fife.
“We are working to break this cycle of deprivation and target our resources at these areas to help prevent problems before they start.
“It’s also crucial that we help those people who want to live independently in their own homes as they get older.
“As the elderly population continues to grow, the cost of home care packages continues to rise. Again the challenge for us as a council is how we continue to invest in these vital services with our partners in the NHS.”
“Working with our partners is key to success,” she added.