Dumfries and Galloway child care progress 'significant'

A new report claims "significant progress" has been made in tackling major weaknesses identified in child care services in Dumfries and Galloway.

Last year the Care Inspectorate said it was "not confident" vulnerable children and young people were being kept safe.

However, it has since recognised the issues raised had been tackled "quickly and constructively".

The council's head of children's services Colin Grant has now also found that key issues are being addressed.

In April last year the Care Inspectorate called for urgent action to ensure that children in the region were protected and their needs met.

In nine categories, it found services to be "unsatisfactory" in one area, "weak" in three others and "adequate" in the remainder.

'Very encouraging'

Earlier this year it reported that "very encouraging progress" had been made on five priorities for improvement.

A new 18-month plan for children's services in Dumfries and Galloway was agreed by the local authority in March.

It was the first phase of a longer-term strategy, and is focused on addressing recommendations from the critical inspection report.

In a six-month update report to the council, Mr Grant has outlined new training introduced for staff to help identify children at risk, as well as improvements made to the way health, social services and police work together on initial referrals.

As well as child protection, he said there had also been steps forward made across all other areas of children's services.