Praise for Rotherham Council's social services performance

The findings were presented to councillors at the council’s Health Select Commission meeting, where members discussed the service’s readiness for the upcoming CQC assurance process.

Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Joanna Baker-Rodgers, the council’s cabinet member for adult social care and health, said the report reflected both the progress and the challenges facing the service.

“It was acknowledged that there does need to be more of a focus on articulating the outcomes and experience of people, reducing the use of agency staff, and ensuring that the voice of people with lived experience is fully embedded,” she said.

“The message was clear that our workforce is committed and proud to work in our town, and we should celebrate the good work that is happening within adult social care.”

A team of senior professionals from across Yorkshire and the Humber visited the council in January to assess its readiness for the new CQC assurance process, which all local authorities are now subject to. The review was commissioned by Rotherham’s Strategic Director of Adult Care, Housing and Public Health to get an external view of how services are performing.

The peer team, made up of directors, councillors and senior social care specialists, spent three days on site, reviewing case files and speaking to more than 150 people including frontline staff, senior leaders, partners, carers and people receiving care.

They found strong political and corporate support for adult social care, confidence in the leadership team, and well-established working relationships with health services, the voluntary sector and safeguarding partners.

Inspectors praised the council’s person-centred approach, highlighting progress made in embedding a strengths-based model across assessments and support planning. There was also recognition for the council’s efforts to reduce waiting times, with some services now achieving “zero waits” for home care.

The review noted “robust quality and risk management,” and highlighted initiatives such as the supporting independence team, community connectors, and targeted support for unpaid carers.

However, the report also set out areas for improvement. These include ensuring greater consistency in applying eligibility thresholds, improving access to direct payments, and making services more accessible for people who don’t use digital channels.

The peer team found that while carers and people with lived experience were being increasingly engaged in service design, more could be done to embed co-production and reflect their voices in day-to-day practice.

Recruitment and retention remained a challenge, with high agency use in some teams. Although frontline staff spoke highly of their roles, there were concerns about the pace of change and the need to let new processes fully embed.

Leadership across the council was described as stable and supportive, with strong governance and a learning culture emerging across the service. Managers were commended for their open-door approach, and staff described Rotherham as a positive place to work.

A full Care Quality Commission assessment of Rotherham’s adult social care services is expected in the near future.