Care Inspectorate Wales concludes improvement check of Ceredigion County Council adult social services

We have recently completed an improvement check of Ceredigion County Council’s adult social services, following the Performance Evaluation Inspection (PEI) in March 2023.

Key strengths identified

• There is a strong foundation and a clear trajectory for improvement in the local authority with recognition of the need for continued focus on embedding good practice consistently across services.
• Leadership within social services is both visible and responsive, fostering a culture of well-being and professional growth.
• The local authority is putting the principles of voice, choice, and control into practice. The use of frameworks such as Signs of Safety (SoS) reflects a structured approach to capturing individual voices and tailoring services to what matters most to people.
• There is a clear strategic focus on helping people avoid needing long term statutory care and promoting resilience in local communities

Areas requiring further development

• The local authority must ensure people receive the same standard of service, regardless of where they live, to ensure fairness and equality for those in need of care and support.
• The annual director report has been significantly delayed again for 2024-25
• The local authority should work with the local health board to better understand and address how reduced co-location and changes to multi-disciplinary working are affecting the quality and coordination of care and support for people.

Next steps

We expect the local authority to consider the areas identified for improvement and take appropriate action to address and improve these areas. We will monitor progress through our ongoing performance review activity with the local authority. Where relevant, we expect the local authority to share the positive practice identified with other local authorities, to disseminate learning and help drive continuous improvement in statutory services throughout Wales.

The Improvement Check follows the statutory responsibilities outlined in the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 and helps determine how effectively local authorities support and sustain improvements for people and services.