AN Inverclyde councillor has blamed the failure to tackle poverty for forcing children into care and placing ever increasing demands on under pressure social services.

Colin Jackson, who represents the poorest ward in the country, hit out at a social work and social care panel meeting during the debate on a 'critical' inspection report on fostering, adoption and continued care.

The Care Inspectorate's report on the Inverclyde health and social care partnership's fostering service graded it 'adequate' for its support for people's wellbeing, its leadership, and its care support planning, with bosses ordered to make improvements by strict deadlines.

He warned that nearly two decades of funding cuts from both the Scottish and UK government has resulted in more deprivation, families living in crisis, poor health outcomes and young people on the streets.

Councillor Jackson told the panel that unless action was taken to lift families out of deprivation, the problems facing these services would persist.

He said: "We have to remember the reason social work is under pressure is demand, and that demand is being driven from years of austerity.

"The golden thread that runs through everything in Inverclyde is poverty. When you cut budgets you create poverty, you put families into deprivation.

"Austerity doesn't work. Cuts don't work."

Inverclyde has one of the worst records in Scotland for deprivation, and four years ago Greenock Central and East, represented by Cllr Jackson, was named as the poorest in the country.

He said that 17 years of cuts from the Scottish Government, driven by 13 years of cuts from Westminister were to blame for increasing levels of poverty.

Councillor Jackson added: "We can look at operational matters, and sit back and admire the work of officers and the hard work of foster carers. 

"But if you don't financially support these organisations and carers, the demand is going to grow.

"We need to tackle poverty and deprivation.

"I know I am taking a high-end approach to this but we can't sit here and criticise when we know demand is growing.

"We know poverty is rife in Inverclyde, we know what happens and what poverty produces.

"We know the outcome for young people and families. We know it causes despair, it has poor health outcomes, it drags families into chaotic lifestyles, it puts children in to foster care and drives them out into the streets, and leads to a lot of teenagers bed surfing."

Health and social care bosses highlighted the shortage of social workers and the high numbers leaving the profession for compounding demand.

Head of children services Jonathan Hinds said that staff were coming in to the service at the age of 25 and leaving at 28.

Councillor Jackson said: "If you want the best out of these services you have to invest in them instead of constantly fire-fighting.

"I absolutely appreciate we need to do things differently. but we are doing things differently because we are not supported financially.

"Unless we try to drive out the poverty in Inverclyde, this is going to go on and on and on."

Convenor Francesca Brennan told the meeting that the panel will be monitoring the improvements demanded by the watchdog.

An action plan on improvements will come to a future meeting of the panel.