Issue - meetings

That the Committee welcomes the progress made within the Key Partnership Project. 

The Senior Manager Integrated Services introduced a report to update Members on the progress made with key partnerships and locality developments. 

                        She detailed the background to the report and explained that it was imperative that there were ongoing improvements in the way that the partners worked together.  On the merging of Locality Leadership Teams and GP Cluster Meetings, the Senior Manager Integrated Services explained that the proposals were progressing but there was currently a vacancy for a Locality Lead within North East Flintshire.  It was hoped that once the vacancy had been filled, joint working could be progressed.  In the meantime, a new approach was to be trialled to bring together the work of the existing GP cluster and previous Locality Leadership Teams and a meeting to agree a way forward had been arranged.  She commented on the ongoing work around enhanced care, Single Point of Access (SPoA) and Co-location of Health and Social Care Locality Teams. 

On the issue of care homes, the Senior Manager Integrated Services highlighted the risks posed by the lack of capacity for nursing input into Care Homes in North Wales which had been raised with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB).  Work was to take place to trial a new model in South Flintshire for Social Prescribing and the Third Sector was working with Social Services about SPoA.  She advised that a new Early Years and Family Support Manager (Gail Bennett) was in post.  The report detailed the progress that had been made to date particularly on the Flying Start Programme and work with the Elfed Consortia and the ‘Incredible Years’ parenting programme.  Other key projects included the new approach to parent engagement that had been developed at Ysgol Merllyn in Bagillt and the £143k that had been awarded by Welsh Government to modernise the former Youth Club on the site of Sandycroft Primary School.     

In welcoming the report, Councillor Hilary Isherwood commented on the success of the programme to increase school attendance.  However, she raised concern that families were being left without help following comments from the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS).  She queried whether the funding for vulnerable families would continue. 

The Cabinet Member for Social Services commented on the excellent work of the Flying Start project in her ward and she explained that every child in the community was entitled to attend, not just those with difficulties.  She detailed some of the activities undertaken as part of the project and commented on additional funding which had been announced recently by Welsh Government (WG).  Councillor Isherwood indicated that her ward had not been designated as a Communities First area but that some residents in the area were in poverty.  The Chief Officer (Social Services) advised that the Flying Start Programme was for particular areas that were designated by WG based on criteria and Councils could not apply any discretion to the areas that received the funding for the project.  He added that it was important for the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 56