Interim National Care Service Advisory Board: Advice to Scottish Ministers and Council Leaders - Scope of the final NCS Advisory Board

Introduction

The interim National Care Service Advisory Board was invited by Scottish Ministers and Council Leaders to provide advice on the scope of the final Advisory Board.

The interim Board recognises the importance of ensuring the final Board’s scope is sufficiently comprehensive. The functions and services on which the Board can provide recommendations for improvement, or a change of approach must allow for an holistic, person-led approach.

The interim Board notes the many dependencies and interconnections between different services. It is clear that people accessing, or in need of services should not have to navigate these dependencies, but should be able to receive the support they need in a seamless and joined up way.

Equally, the interim Board recognises that there are a large number of existing governance arrangements and improvement bodies with specialist expertise already working on areas such as justice social work services, homelessness services and children’s health, social care and social work services. It has no wish to duplicate or undermine those existing efforts. Instead, interim Board discussions on scope have focussed on what is needed to ensure that the final Board adds value and ensures that the interfaces between different services are given due consideration.