Comhairle Welcomes Jason Leitch Statement

National Clinical Director of The Scottish Government Jason Leitch thanked Social Workers (Opens in a new window or downloads a file) for their exceptional levels of service yesterday. The Comhairle welcomes his statement and recognises the efforts of Western Isles Social Workers to protect and care for vulnerable people throughout this crisis.

Chief Social Work Officer David Gibson said: “Jason Leitch has thanked the 11,000 social workers who are working throughout Scotland. I want to echo his sentiments and thank our teams of social workers in Children’s Services, Adult Assessment & Care Management and Justice Social Work. These staff are based across the length of the Western Isles and continue to demonstrate considerable commitment to the people we serve despite the challenges of the current public health crisis. Social work staff continue their efforts to offer support, guidance and protection to our most vulnerable people and their families.

Regular contact is being maintained with our clients and while much of it, due to these extraordinary times, is through phone calls, video conferencing, social media and messaging apps, home visits will still take place when required. We continue to work closely with colleagues in health, education, police and third sector to offer co-ordinated responses. The emergency out of hours social work service is unaffected by the current circumstances. We encourage everyone in the Western Isles to stay vigilant to the needs of children, young people and adults in our communities and if you have concerns about the care and protection of anybody please contact us on the numbers below. Moran taing a-rithist.”

If you require to contact a social worker or are concerned about the care or protection of someone please phone:

Adult Assessment & Care Management – 01851 822708
Criminal Justice – 01851 822710
Children’s Services (Lewis & Harris) – 01851 822749
Children’s Services (Uist & Barra) - 01870 604 880
Emergency Out of Hours Service – 01851 701702