SOCIAL services staff in East Lancashire have been warned to prepare themselves for a major organisational shake up, it was revealed today.

Lancashire Social Services boss Pauline Oliver has written to workers across the county in the run up to a re-structuring of the department on April 1.

The news comes as she also prepares to present a government Joint Review inspection report to Lancashire County Council's social services committee on February 7.

The report, which is similar to an Ofsted report for schools, was originally expected to be published this month but is now to be made public on February 8.

Mrs Oliver, who received a first draft of the Joint Review in October, has written to staff with an outline plan of the new structure, created following discussions with the senior management team.

The letter, leaked to the Lancashire Evening Telegraph today, says: "As you might expect, there are varying views about the most appropriate structure. No clear consensus has emerged.

"However, all the discussions that have taken place, together with individual exchanges of views and ideas, have helped 'crystalise' thinking in enough key areas for me to come to some conclusions.

"You may not agree with them and I may not be 'right' in my thinking but we must now make decisive progress with a clear focus on demonstrating and enhancing our ability to provide an efficient service to Lancashire people."

A chart illustrating the proposed structure includes new district managers, team leaders and local teams who will cover a 'patch' within the social services team. Mrs Oliver said she hopes the changes will remedy areas of difficulty in the current structure and encourage a sense of new purpose among staff.

She goes on: "I hope you will all be able to get behind these plans for the future, even if they are not exactly as you would wish for yourself.

"Structural changes are intended to assist us in delivering the national modernisation agenda for Social Services."

Principles behind the new proposals include developing a broad, flexible structure, helping partnerships and joint working with other agencies and improving accessibility to the public.

A spokesman for Lancashire County Council said plans for the restructure dated back to 1998.

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