§ 33. Mr. Sedgemoreasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has rescinded the circular recommending 12 home helps per thousand of elderly population; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WhitneyThis guideline figure for home helps was suggested in a circular issued in 1972 in connection with the preparation of local authority 10-year development plans, which have now been discontinued. Simple single indicators for the provision of individual services are no longer recognised as useful. It is for each social services authority to decide on the level and nature of the home help service to be provided, taking into account local need and other factors including the availability of voluntary, private and informal care.
§ 54. Ms. Richardsonasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what instructions about home helps he proposes to give to the social services inspectorate on its monitoring of social services department.
§ Mr. WhitneyLocal authorities are responsible for providing home help services and for monitoring their performance. The social services inspectorate's role is to help local authorities secure the most effective use of professional and other resources, normally by comparing provision in a range of authorities and by identifying good494W practice and spreading knowledge about it. These are the purposes of the inspection of home help services which is in the inspectorate's work programme for 1986.