Social Work

Overview

Social Work Services department provides support to over 11,000 people within the Borders.  Our core responsibility is the assessment of client needs and the organisation of services to meet those needs.
The department is divided into three main service areas.

Social Care and Health

A full range of care and support needs for adults aiming to enable and empower service users to remain in their own homes, their own communities, or where appropriate provide support and accommodation.  Specialist services aim to meet the diverse range of needs and to ensure services are responsive and person-centred.

Integrated Children's Services

Integrated Children's Services have an emphasis on providing support at the earliest possible opportunity, and minimising bureaucracy in order to maximise the amount of time staff spend in direct contact with children, young people and their families.

This includes inter-agency collaboration within a system of assessment and intervention, including the implementation of the concept of forming a 'team round the child' as set out in the Scottish Government key foundation document Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC)

Housing and Community Justice

This is a diverse service which has a significant responsibility for the development and delivery of the Local Housing Strategy and a statutory duty to prevent and alleviate homelessness through the development and implementation of the Homelessness Strategy including the provision of housing information and advice.  We also provide a Welfare Benefits and Debt Advice Service whose role is to maximize the take-up of social security benefits and tax credits by the citizens of the Scottish Borders and to support people affected by financial issues.

The Criminal Justice service provides a range of statutory services to the District, Sheriff and High Courts and the Scottish Parole Division providing community and prison based assessment, and management and supervision of adult offenders designed to protect the community and reduce re-offending.

The Performance and Improvement group provides a range of business support functions for the department, including Administration, Contracts Management, and Business and Performance Management.

What we can do for you?

Social Work offers a wide range of services including:

Adults

• care at home
• short breaks
• support services
• housing with care
• residential care
• advice and information

Children

• child protection
• family support service
• support for children affected by disabilities
• specialist education
• programmes to reduce offending
• adoption
• short and long-term fostering
• residential care

Housing Strategy and Services

• finding a home
• homelessness service
• housing research
• private landlords and tenants
• support in your home
• welfare benefits

Criminal Justice

• court liaison and services
• social enquiry reports
• diversion from prosecution
• throughcare services
• supervised attendance
• community service
• probation supervision
• drug treatment and testing orders

Facts and figures

Social Work has a budget of over £77 million and employs over 1,000 staff members providing services to more than 11,000 people throughout the Scottish Borders.