Update: Information on Charging for Services in your Home

www.fifedirect.org.uk/socialworkcharging

The Social Work Service has provided additional information in relation to the amended charges for services in your home. We have listened to what the people who use our services have had to say and taken into account the telephone calls to the Helpline. Included in this information is the most frequently asked questions which have been raised by people who use Social Work services.

This further information is intended to make it clearer about what services can be charged for and how these charges are arrived at.

News:

• New edition of guide to care homes published (30/08/2007)
  The latest edition of Fife Council's 'Guide to Care Homes in Fife' has just been published.  It contains information about 81 residential homes in the Kingdom.  Each year 600 people are admitted into a care home.

• Criteria for Social Work services updated (29/08/2007)
  Fife Council's Health and Social Work Committee has approved the introduction of a new category - urgent priority - to its eligibility criteria for a social work service.  This brings the total number of categories to four - urgent, high, medium and low.

Our purpose in the Social Work service is to strike the right balance between protecting children, young people, adults and older people who need support, and enabling them to enjoy ordinary living. We contribute to building an inclusive society that supports individuals, families and children so that they can lead fulfilled lives with the help of their community.

Within the current Council committee structure, strategic decisions about Social Work are made by the:

• Social Work & Health Committee,
• Education & Children's Services Committee, and the
• Police, Fire & Safety Committee

The Social Work Service with over 5,000 employees and a spend of over £200m, is responsible for arranging social care for people and communities in Fife. Every day, the Service makes a real difference to people's lives at times of personal or family need. Users of services are of all ages and from all parts of the community. The Service seeks to provide the necessary support for people to remain in their own home and community; it protects and supports children, older people and adults; and helps offenders to change their offending behaviour.

If you have any concerns about anyone living in your community please do not hesitate to contact the Executive Director for Social Work, or any of the Senior Managers.

• Contacting us

For further advice and support and a more detailed list of our services please see the Care & Support pages on fifedirect.

Our Partners

Some of the services arranged for people are provided by staff from within Social Work, but we also commission and purchase services (often called packages of care) from other organisations where this is the best way to meet someone's needs. We work closely with the NHS, other Council services, voluntary organisations and providers of care in the private and voluntary sector to ensure a wide range of needs are met. Much of the work we do is governed by legislation, including the:

• Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968
• NHS and Community Care Act 1990
• Children (Scotland) Act 1995
• Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003
• Direct Payments Act 1996
• Sexual Offences Act 2003
• Human Rights Act 1998 and many others.

How the Social Work Service is Organised

Social Work is a large and complex organisation carrying out a variety of duties and tasks. Overall responsibility for all aspects of the Service lies with the Executive Director for Social Work who is also the Council's Chief Social Work Officer.

The Service is made up of Adult Services, Older People's Services and Children and Families/Criminal Justice Services, supported by the Resources Service in managing the budget effectively; planning, training and developing the workforce; and providing advice on information management, health and safety, administrative systems and asset management.

The Service is managed by a Senior Management Team. Each Senior Manager is responsible for the delivery of services and for strategy and planning in their specialist area.

Useful contact numbers

Kirkcaldy 01592 583322 
Cowdenbeath 01383 602201 
Glenrothes01592 583321 
Leven 01334 659323 
Rosyth 01383 602203
Dunf. New City 01383 609111
Cupar 01334 659322
St Andrews (St David's) 01334 659358
Out of Hours Emergencies 08451 55 00 99

Would you like to work with us?

Whatever your area of expertise or interest, we can offer you a range of opportunities. Vacancies exist throughout Fife in Children & Families, Criminal Justice, Adult and Older People's Services.

Have a look at our recruitment pages for more information:
www.fifedirect.org.uk/careersinsocialwork

There are many different types of jobs in social services, requiring a range of skills. You can choose to qualify in any of the following:

• social work
• social care
• early education and child care.

For further information about careers, look at the website of the Scottish Social Services Council.