Agenda item

That the Committee support the draft Flintshire Well-being Assessment as presented.

The Chief Executive and Strategic Executive Officer jointly presented the draft Flintshire Well-being Assessment 2022.  The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 requires specific public bodies to work together under a Public Services Board (PSB) to improve local economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being.  Responsibilities of PSBs include periodically preparing and publishing an assessment of local well-being and prior to publishing its Local Well-being Assessment the PSB is required to consult a number of statutory consultees, including the Local Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committee.  The draft Flintshire Well-being Assessment 2022 was attached at Appendix A of the report for consideration and feedback.

            The draft Well-being Assessment had been produced in accordance with statutory guidance and as such, looked to assess and analyse the state of local well-being across four pillars and the assessment also:-

·         Drew on a number of other reviews and assessments, such as the Population Needs Assessment;

·         Assessed and analysed the state of well-being within specific communities and for the area of Flintshire as a whole;

·         Considered the well-being of local people/groups;

·         Reflected on predictions of future trends; and

·         Aimed to identify interconnections and root causes affecting local well-being.

The Strategic Executive Officer reported that an on-line survey was available on the Council’s website in order to capture any additional views before the final Well-being Assessment was published before 5^th May, 2022.

Councillor Paul Shotton welcomed the report and commented on the well-being assessment being wide ranging.  He commented on his role as a Member of the North Wales Fire Authority and outlined the work undertaken to provide assistance to the elderly population and the prevention work to support the student population.  He said that he had recently read a report from the Commissioner for Children which outlined concerns around Adverse Childhood Experiences and asked how the number of children with adverse experiences were identified in Flintshire. 

The Strategic Executive Officer responded Adverse Childhood Experiences statistics were provided within the report but they were on an all Wales basis as opposed to localised data.  There were a broad range of factors that could impact a child’s development and the well-being assessment takes these into account alongside community impacts, such as, poverty, discrimination and quality of housing.  She agreed to liaise with colleagues and provide details of the number of children in Flintshire with Adverse Childhood Experiences to the Committee following the meeting.

The Leader of the Council commented that everybody would have experienced an Adverse Childhood Experience, such as, the loss of a parent and parental divorce.  The term Adverse Childhood Experiences relates to a child who has had a number of adverse experiences and the impact it has on them.  The Deputy Leader of the Council (Partnerships) and Cabinet Member for Social Services reported on the Early Help Hub which had been set up in Flintshire a number of years ago to assist children and families dealing with Adverse Childhood Experiences.  This hub had made a significant difference to those families over the years.    

            Councillor Arnold Woolley sought clarification on the impact assessment and risk management paragraph of the report where he felt there was a typo.  He commented on the use of ‘Flintshire as a village of 100 people’ concept which he felt was an adequate starting point but feared it had its limitations.  He also commented on housing issues and whether people owned their own home, lived in Council housing or rented accommodation had a significant impact to their lives and commented on the problems faced within the rented sector around finance and evictions.  He also commented on the significant issue of drugs which affected communities and had an impact on children and welcomed North Wales Police visiting schools to discuss this issue with children.  He said that he had a number of comments to make on the Well-being Assessment document and would send these to the Strategic Executive Officer following the meeting. 

            A number of Members spoke in support of the use of ‘Flintshire as a village of 100 people’ concept and how easily readable the Well-being Assessment was.  Councillor Paul Johnson said that he hoped the Well-being Assessment would be widely circulated and referred to often in the future as it was the core of what the Council does.  

The Facilitator drew the Committees attention to the recommendation of the report which asked the Committee to provide feedback.  She suggested that the Committee may want to consider amending the recommendation to reflect comments made by Members that it supports the draft Flintshire Well-being Assessment, as presented at Appendix A.

The recommendation, which was amended to reflect the debate, was moved and seconded by Councillors Paul Shotton and Richard Lloyd.

RESOLVED:

That the Committee support the draft Flintshire Well-being Assessment as presented.