In a county designated as one of the poorest in Europe, you would think Cornwall's social services would be stretched to breaking point. But the county council has won top rating for its support for children, the elderly and vulnerable people. Equally surprising to discover that while other councils have been making swingeing cuts, Cornwall has been trailblazing a number of groundbreaking schemes and keeping within the government's recommended spending limits.
The physical challenges for the county are enormous. Just under half a million people live in the area, a sprawling, isolated, largely rural peninsular almost 100 miles long with a fragile economic infrastructure. Compared to similar authorities more people than average are pensioners and live alone, and a higher proportion of the population is unemployed, on low wages, or in poor health.
Faced with such challenges, the three stars it received in the government's first social services league table - along with only eight others - is a sign of real achievement.
The ratings, which are intended to improve public information about the current state of services, are based on a number of performance indicators measuring the abilities of social services to care and support families in difficulty, and protect children at risk of harm. The local authority is also judged on its success in getting older people to live as independently as possible, and in supporting people with disabilities.
A letter sent to Nigel Druce, Cornwall's director of social services, by inspectors highlights key strengths including the high proportion of home care staff gaining national vocational qualifications. The council is also praised for its sound budget management in the face of pressures on children's services and its close working relationships with other agencies, including primary care trusts.
According to councillors, this has been achieved through innovation and the huge efforts of the workforce. "We have a tremendously committed and hard-working staff. People perform far beyond any reasonable expectation. They go out out their way and often do things in their own time," says Nigel Walker, Liberal Democrat executive member responsible for children's services.
In childcare, the council has placed the emphasis on early intervention. One example of this is a unique inter-agency project, Scallywags, targeting children aged three to eight with behavioural and emotional problems. The project, devised by social services, is about to be expanded countywide after being piloted in three areas. Indeed it has been so successful that the Department of Health and the Home Office are holding it up as an example of best practice.
Scallywags aims to overcome difficulties through an intensive six month programme working with both children and their parents, who are often under severe stress. Children are accepted on the scheme following two referrals: one from a parent, and the other from a health visitor, teacher or pre-school leader. According to psychologist and project leader, Moira Broadhead, the support of social services has been crucial in getting Scallywags off the ground. "We're very excited about the project which is unique in targeting children at such a young age. I'm not at all surprised that social services have been awarded three stars. They have been extremely supportive with the managerial aspects and helped us with personnel and recruitment."
Walker believes there is still a huge number of children whose needs are not being met across the county, but he faces an uphill battle to increase funding. Cornwall's "hung" council - which has the set the second lowest council tax in England - voted by just two votes to increase this year's social services budget by 8% to £85.5m.
In adult services, Cornwall is achieving considerable success at enabling elderly people to stay in their own homes. Its approach involves working closely with doctors' practices. Instead of spending money on a lengthy assessment process involving social workers and other professionals, case coordinators ask elderly people what they think they need to remain independent and the name of their doctor. An assessor comes round on a visit with equipment such as stair rails. The elderly person is told to contact their GP if it is felt the equipment is inappropriate or more is needed. This unorthodox approach means the council can carry out 1,000 assessments every week and equip elderly people with aids within days of being seen. Around 30 other social services departments have visited the county to see how it works in practice.
Other areas of good practice include a home care service which trains all carers to NVQ level 2, and a high number of rehabilitation care assistants who work under the supervision of physios, speech therapists and occupational therapists to help people recover in their own home.
Mike Nicholls, Lib Dem executive member for health and social care, believes all these initiatives have contributed to Cornwall's three star rating which is the sort of good news one would expect the head of social services to shout about. Far from it. Nigel Druce, the director, was not prepared to talk to the Guardian or allow any of his officers to speak on his behalf.
It is possible he does not see the performance ranking as particularly helpful. There are hummings of discontent from staff, who claim the ranking is entirely down to their dedication and hard work, against great odds and personal cost.
According to Marion Thomas, Cornwall branch secretary of public services union, Unison, turnover is high among staff, who suffer from low morale and high sickness rates.
"Cornwall operates social services on minimum staffing levels on the lowest possible pay, often using temporary contracts. Already we are cutting back on preventative work. The investment in the service is not enough and problems are being stored for the future," she says.
As inspectors noted in their letter to Druce, Cornwall's biggest challenge over the next 12 months will be sustaining its performance.
Walker says it won't be easy on a limited budget. "It's been an uphill battle convincing county councillors to spend money on social services rather than the fire service or schools - which are much more visible. The dedication of staff is there. What we want now is more flexibility on how we use the resources."
