INSPECTORS have praised Blackburn with Darwen Council's social services staff in a national report.
The report, called People Need People, was produced by the Audit Commission and the Government's Social Services Inspectorate.
The council is praised for its investment in staff training which encouraged the development of "a service-led culture."
The national "pat on the back" follows the department achieving the Investors in People skills award earlier this year.
Ken Foote, director of social services, said: "This is further national confirmation that we are building a first class department. We said in 1998 that it would take four years to achieve our ambition and this is strong evidence that we are on the right lines."
Sue Reid, executive member for social services, welcomed the recognition. "It is vital that we are able to attract, recruit and retain quality staff in an increasingly competitive labour market.
"We can now point to independent evidence that our investment in staff development pays dividends, not only to the staff themselves but to all those vulnerable people who rely on the quality of our services."
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