Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Delyn Committee Room, County Hall, Mold CH7 6NA

Contact: Maureen Potter 01352 702322  Email: maureen.potter@flintshire.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

19.

Declarations of Interest (Including Whipping Declarations)

To receive any Declarations and advise Members accordingly.

Decision:

There were no declarations of interest.

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

20.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 161 KB

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 18 July 2019 and the minutes of the Joint meeting of Education & Youth and Social & Health Care Overview & Scrutiny meeting held on 25 July 2019.

 

Additional documents:

Decision:

That the minutes be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

Minutes:

(i)         The minutes of the meeting held on 18 July 2019 were submitted.

(ii)        The minutes of the Joint meeting of Education & Youth and Social & Health Care Overview & Scrutiny meeting held on 25 July 2019 were submitted

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the minutes be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

21.

Forward Work Programme and Action Tracking pdf icon PDF 97 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

(a)       That the draft Forward Work programme as submitted be approved;

 

(b)       That the Facilitator, in consultation with the Chair of the Committee be authorised to vary the forward Work Programme between meetings, as the need arises; and

 

(c)        That the progress made in completing the outstanding actions be noted.

Minutes:

The Facilitator presented the Forward Work Programme and drew attention to the items to be considered at the next meeting of the Committee on 14 November.  Referring to a presentation on the North East Wales Community Equipment Store (NEWCES) to be provided at the meeting to be held on 30 January 2020, she said it was suggested that the meeting be held at NEWCES.  This was agreed by the Committee.

 

The Overview & Scrutiny Facilitator presented the progress report on actions arising from previous meetings.  She explained that actions still to be determined would remain on the action tracking report until resolved and be reported back to the next meeting.  She asked the Senior Manager, Children and Workforce, to give an update on progress on the actions arising from the meeting of the Joint Education & Youth and Social & Health Overview & Scrutiny Committee concerning the Committee’s concerns around the need for adequate resources to meet the challenges of Out of County placements; and the question raised by Shaun Hingston regarding the consultation data relating to young people. 

 

RESOLVED:

 

(a)       That the draft Forward Work programme as submitted be approved;

 

(b)       That the Facilitator, in consultation with the Chair of the Committee be authorised to vary the forward Work Programme between meetings, as the need arises; and

 

(c)        That the progress made in completing the outstanding actions be noted.

22.

Progress for Providers Update pdf icon PDF 156 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

(a)       That the Committee welcomed the actions and innovations being undertaken to drive the Project forward; and

 

(b)       That a letter be sent on behalf of the Committee to the Senior Manager – Safeguarding and Commissioning and her team, for their work and achievements.

Minutes:

The Senior Manager – Safeguarding and Commissioning, introduced a report to provide an update on the ‘Progress for Providers – Creating a Place Called Home … Delivering What Matters’ programme, including the roll-out of the Programme to domiciliary care providers.

 

The Senior Manager provided background information and outlined the main considerations, as detailed in the report.  She advised that to recognise the progress care homes were achieving in implementing person centred care practices, the Authority developed its own ‘Progress for Providers’ self-assessment toolkit.  The toolkit clearly sets out the Authority’s expectations around the delivery of individualised care and supports responsible individuals and managers and leaders within homes by providing a range of person centred tools which help staff teams change the way they support people and how they engage with family and friends.  The ‘Progress for Providers’ toolkit also helps providers promote greater choice and control for those who receive care which allows providers to focus on what matters most to each person.

 

The Senior Manager explained that to show progression the Authority introduced 3 levels of accreditation which are validated by the Flintshire Contract and Commissioning Team in partnership with the care home managers.  The Bronze, Silver, and Gold accreditation help managers check their own development and demonstrate publicly that they are making continued progress to truly person centred care.  In September 2018 the project won the Social Care Wales Accolades Award for ‘Excellent outcomes for people of all ages by investing in the learning and development of staff’.  The project was also a finalist in the Association for Public Service Excellence (APSE) Awards – ‘Celebrating outstanding achievement and innovation within UK local government service delivery’.

 

The Senior Manager reported on progress to date and the next steps, as detailed in the report.

 

In response to the comments from Councillor Andy Dunbobbin around involvement of the Armed Forces charities, the Senior Manager explained that a number of celebrations were held in care homes to commemorate past events which were driven by the Armed Forces.

 

Councillor Dave Mackie expressed his congratulations to the Chief Officer, and the Senior Manager – Safeguarding and Commissioning and her team, for their work and achievements.  He proposed that a letter be sent from the Committee to express its acknowledgement and appreciation for the work undertaken.

 

The Chair also expressed congratulations on the success achieved and asked if more publicity could be given in recognition of the care homes which had gained Bronze, Silver, or Gold accreditation.  She felt this would also encourage other care homes to join the Programme.

 

RESOLVED: 

 

(a)       That the Committee welcomed the actions and innovations being undertaken to drive the Project forward; and

 

(b)       That a letter be sent on behalf of the Committee to the Senior Manager – Safeguarding and Commissioning and her team, for their work and achievements.

23.

Childcare Offer for Wales, Flintshire pdf icon PDF 259 KB

Decision:

(a)       That the report be received; and

 

(b)       That a letter be sent from the Committee to the Early Year and Family

Support Manger and her team, to express the Committee’s appreciation of the work being undertaken to support families to access the Offer.

Minutes:

The Chief Officer (Social Services) introduced a report outline how more families could be supported to access the 30 hours Childcare Offer and the proposals for capital investment to support this work.  He provided background information and explained that the aim of the Offer was to support families with quality, flexible, and affordable care.  It also supported economic regeneration and reduced pressures on family income helping parents to participate in work and reducing the risk of poverty. 

 

The Chief Officer reported that the Childcare Offer had been successful in Flintshire, benefitting families, the childcare sector, and communities.  Due to the success of the uptake additional funding had been requested from the Welsh Government and this had recently been approved.  He reported on the main considerations, as detailed in the report, and referred to the progress in developing and delivering the Childcare Offer for Wales in Flintshire, Information and Engagement Communication Plan, capital grants funding, Flintshire Childcare Offer software licence agreement, national system, and Early Entitlement pilot of £4.50 per hour.  

 

Councillor Dave Mackie congratulated the Chief Officer and his team on the success of the Childcare Offer in Flintshire and asked that thanks also be passed to all involved for their hard work.  He proposed that a letter be sent from the Chair to Officers and staff to express the Committee’s appreciation of the work being undertaken to support families to access the Offer.  

 

RESOLVED:

 

(a)       That the report be received; and

 

(b)       That a letter be sent from the Committee to the Early Year and Family

Support Manger and her team, to express the Committee’s appreciation of the work being undertaken to support families to access the Offer.  

24.

Arosfa Refurbishment: Update pdf icon PDF 103 KB

Decision:

That the plans to refurbish Arosfa be supported.

Minutes:

The Senior Manager, Children and Workforce, introduced a report on an additional service to provide increased accommodation for young people with complex needs. He provided background information and explained that there are plans to refurbish an unused wing of the building to provide two additional bed spaces at Arosfa which will accommodate two permanent long-term residents and provide a quality local service as an alternative to out of county placements.  He advised that funding from the Integrated Care Fund (ICF) had been identified for the additional revenue costs for the extended service.

 

                        Officers responded to the comments raised around car parking and the local community.  The Senior Officer explained that work would be undertaken to ensure the local community was informed of the plans but it was not expected that there would be any additional demands on local amenities or car parking arrangements.

 

                        Councillor Dave Mackie expressed his congratulations to the Chief Officer, Senior Manager and his team, for their work to reduce reliance on out of county placements and to support children, young people, and their families, within County.

 

RESOLUTION:

 

That the plans to refurbish Arosfa be supported.

25.

Regional Learning Disability Service Report on Progress pdf icon PDF 194 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

(a)       That the Committee note the report; and

 

(b)       That the Committee supports the initiatives within the programme and welcomes the progress made.

Minutes:

The Chief Officer (Social Services) introduced a report to provide an update to the Regional Project Board in relation to the “North Wales Together: Seamless Services for People with Learning Disabilities” Programme funded by the Welsh Government.  He introduced Kathryn Whitfield, Programme Manager, Seamless Services for people with Learning Disabilities, to the meeting. 

 

The Chief Officer provided background information and referred to the five work streams identified in the Learning Disabilities Strategy, as identified in the report.  He advised that Flintshire lead on the Community and Culture change work stream and are involved, amongst other things, in projects around the opportunity to think differently about the use of direct payments, project search, relationships and dating, and the ‘stay up late’ campaign.  The Chief Officer invited the Programme Manager to give an overview of the ‘Seamless Services for People with Learning Disabilities’ programme. 

 

In response to a question from the Chair, the Programme Manager said she would provide further information on the provision of sex education for young people following the meeting.

 

The Chair thanked the Programme Manager, and the Chief Officer and his team, for their hard work.  She said the actions and initiatives being taken to support individuals with a learning disability and their families were to be applauded. 

 

RESOLVED:

 

(a)       That the Committee note the report; and

 

(b)       That the Committee supports the initiatives within the programme and welcomes the progress made.

26.

Year-end Council Plan Monitoring Report 2018/19 pdf icon PDF 380 KB

Additional documents:

Decision:

That the report be noted.

Minutes:

The Social & Health Care Overview & Scrutiny Facilitator presented the 2018/19 year-end progress report on the Council Plan for 2018/23 providing analysis on the priority ‘Supportive Council’ which was relevant to the Committee. 

 

The Facilitator advised that the monitoring report for the 2018/19 Council Plan was a positive report, with 92% of activities being assessed as having made good progress and 89% on track to achieve the desired outcome.  Performance indicators showed good progress with 70% on target, 20% being monitored and 10% off track.  Risks were also being successfully managed with the majority being assessed as moderate (64%), minor (14%) or significant (11%). 

 

The Facilitator drew attention to the performance indicators which showed a red status for current performance against target relevant to the Committee.  She referred to page 154 of the report, IP1.5.2.1 on the number of people kept in hospital while waiting for social care age 75+, and reported that the Corporate Resources Overview & Scrutiny Committee had referred the performance indicator on Delayed Transfer of Care which demonstrated   a negative trend to the Committee for further consideration.  The Senior Manager, Integrated Services Lead Adults, commented on the challenges and the significant work carried out by a dedicated team of staff to ensure people did not stay in hospital any longer than necessary and could return to a safe and environment where care was continued if necessary.  She also referred to the support provided to make sure people avoided being admitted into hospital if possible.   

 

Councillor Dave Mackie drew attention to pages 151 (IP 1.4.1.3) and 153 (IP 1.4.3.3.) of the report.  Officers provided clarification around the analysis presented.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the report be noted.

 

27.

Rota Visits

To receive a verbal report from Members of the Committee.

 

Decision:

That the information be noted.

Minutes:

Councillors Gladys Healey and Mike Allport reported on their visit to Arosfa.  They said the visit had been positive and enjoyable and they had been impressed by the professionalism of staff and the high standard of care provided.

 

RESOLVED:

 

That the information be noted.

28.

Members of the Press and Public in Attendance

Minutes:

There were no members of the press or public in attendance.