Issue - meetings

(a)       That the positive feedback received from CIW be noted, following the Assurance Check in April 2021; and

(b)       That the Committee’s thanks be extended to Social Services’ teams for their work relating to the inspection and during the pandemic.

The Chief Officer (Social Services) introduced a report to share the findings of the Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) assurance check of the Council’s performance during 2020/21.  The report had also been considered by the Social & Health Care Overview & Scrutiny Committee and Cabinet in line with the regulatory reporting protocol.

The report detailed the wide scope of the inspection which had identified strengths in a number of areas including the Council’s effectiveness in discharging its statutory duties relating to the safety and well-being of carers and those receiving care during the pandemic, as well as support for children in care.  The findings also reflected the quality of staff and partnership working along with evidence of ‘very good practice’ across all areas of Social Services.  Whilst the headlines for both Adult and Children’s Services were positive, the Chief Officer provided a detailed update on progress with a range of actions to address three areas for improvement, including recruitment challenges in Adult Services that were replicated across the UK.

The Senior Manager for Safeguarding and Commissioning explained that the Council’s Social Services structure enabled a greater degree of independent monitoring of services.  She also pointed out the strong political support for Adult and Children’s Services in Flintshire referenced in the CIW report.

In response to questions from Allan Rainford, the Chief Officer confirmed that progress on the action plan would be subject to the reporting protocol.  He said that Flintshire’s performance generally compared well against that of other authorities and that the service was committed to identifying opportunities for improvement and building upon its strengths.

The findings of the inspection were welcomed by Councillor Christine Jones, in particular the positive feedback on partnership working and distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic.

The Chief Officer responded to questions from Reverend Brian Harvey on maintaining good engagement with the local Health Board and third sector organisations throughout the pandemic and the development of residential care provision in Flintshire.

In response to a query by Councillor Andrew Parkhurst, it was explained that actions would be closely monitored including addressing recruitment pressures which remained an area of concern.  Following comments by the Chair on the performance reporting mechanism within the Council, the Chief Officer said that indicators for Social Services were available upon request.

During the item, the Chair and Committee Members commended the findings of the report and progress on the action plan.Councillor Glyn Banks asked that the Committee’s thanks be conveyed to the teams for their efforts during the pandemic.

The recommendation in the report was supported.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the positive feedback received from CIW be noted, following the Assurance Check in April 2021; and

(b)       That the Committee’s thanks be extended to Social Services’ teams for their work relating to the inspection and during the pandemic.