FOI Request - Children Assessments
Request 101003919210
1. The total number of social work assessments awaiting completion as at the most recent reporting date.
2. Of these, how many were:
a) unallocated to a social worker
b) allocated but not completed
3. The number of assessments outstanding beyond statutory timescales at that date.
4. If available, a breakdown of the above figures by service area or team.
5. Monthly backlog figures for the previous 12 months (or the longest period readily available).
Response 19-02-2026
There are in excess of 500 cases we would have to take into consideration.
We undertake Social Work assessments in the following areas:
Area Teams
Disability Team
Throughcare
Aftercare
Youth Justice
Access Team
To ensure that we are representing the LA accurately in respect of assessment completion, we would need to examine all of these cases and consider the following:
- Identify statutory timescales
- Identify the assessment in question
- Is the assessment allocated?
- Is the assessment allocated but not completed?
- Has the case gone beyond the statutory timescale?
- Log the findings by team
- Try to break this down to a monthly back log.
As this information is not recorded, we would need to build a service standard/data collection strategy to answer this FOI. This would need to be done manually.
At approximately 500 cases, it would take an estimated 6 minutes per case (factoring in the strategy time, creating the parameters, moderating findings, preparing findings for publication), this task would take us approximately 3000 minutes or 50 hours and therefore be in excess of the 40 hours allowed - information therefore exempt under S
There are in excess of 500 cases we would have to take into consideration.
We undertake SW assessments in the following areas:
Area Teams
Disability Team
Throughcare
Aftercare
Youth Justice
Access Team
To ensure that we are representing the LA accurately in respect of assessment completion, we would need to examine all of these cases and consider the following:
- Identify statutory timescales
- Identify the assessment in question
- Is the assessment allocated?
- Is the assessment allocated but not completed?
- Has the case gone beyond the statutory timescale?
- Log the findings by team
- Try to break this down to a monthly back log.
As this information is not kept, we would need to build a service standard/data collection strategy to answer this FOI. This would need to be done manually.
At approximately 500 cases, it would take an estimated 6 minutes per case (factoring in the strategy time, creating the parameters, moderating findings, preparing findings for publication), this task would take us approximately 3000 minutes or 50 hours and therefore be in excess of the 40 hours allowed - information therefore exempt under Section 12 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - excessive cost