Social Services Inspectorate


Social Services Inspectorate

A body set up in England (there are separate inspectorates in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland) in 1985 as a professional division of the Department of Health, which undertakes reviews of social service departments.
The SSI inspects and reviews programmes in lock-step with other inspectorates; monitors councils’ implementation of new policy and legislative mandates; collects and analyses evidence about performance to form a robust judgement; works with relevant stakeholders (e.g., auditors and Strategic Health Authorities), and links to other systems such as comprehensive performance assessment, local public service agreements and local delivery plans; and meets with senior managers and other council leaders to discuss their key performance challenges, and strategies for improvement.