§ Mr. HindTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he will take to improve the management of social services departments prior to implementation of care in the community.
§ Mrs. Virginia BottomleyIt is predominantly, of course, for local authorities themselves to determine the management skills and approaches they need to develop in order to implement care in the community policy. The Department is supporting management development through a joint project between the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and the Association of Directors of Social Services (ADSS) on financial management training and also a joint project between ADSS and Price Waterhouse looking at the organisational response needed successfully to implement the policy.