AN AUDIT Commission report has branded as 'poor' a county council programme intended to help vulnerable people live independently.
The £23m a year service aims to plan and provide housing-related support services for people with special needs, drug and alcohol dependencies, mental health issues, the homeless and frail older residents.
But the inspection team gave the Supporting People service no stars out of a possible three because the council failed to provide enough staff and resources to deliver and develop the programme.
The commission criticised the lack of direction and effective partnership with other agencies. It also felt there were 'uncertain prospects for improvement'.
Nick Atkin, the Audit Commission's head of housing for the North, said: 'Vulnerable people receiving housing related services are not able to make their voices heard and some groups are not receiving services.'
The inspectors found:
Information for the public on housingrelated support services in Cheshire is difficult to find.
The independence of service users, in relation to access and their rights as tenants are not being honoured.
There is no consistent approach to the engagement of service users, advocates and carers.
There is little active involvement of district and county council elected members and primary care trust members.
The service review programme has not begun, therefore the opportunity for the council to challenge the eligibility, quality and value for money presented by existing services has not started.
The Audit Commission says the Supporting People team has been under-resourced in the past and new posts have taken a long time to fill. A number of recommendations have been made.
County Councillor Lynn Hardwick, executive member for social services and health said: 'Responsibility for the administration of a county-wide, highly complex scheme - involving 12 partners - was designated by the Government to hard-pressed local authorities less than two years ago.
'Just over one year later, the Audit Commission insisted on carrying out an inspection, despite requests to delay until a more meaningful examination could be carried out.'
Copies of the report are available from Cheshire County Council or at www.audit-commission.gov.uk.
