Agenda item

(a)       That the report be noted; and

(b)       That the comments on the ‘red’ risk areas be referred to the Corporate Resources Overview & Scrutiny who are responsible for the overview and monitoring of performance.

The Facilitator introduced the regular update report to consider progress towards the delivery of the impacts set out in the 2015/16 Improvement Plan, focussing on the areas of under-performance relevant to the Committee during the second quarter.  The only red risk area was where performance on the average number of calendar days taken to deliver a Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) for children had slightly exceeded the target.

Councillor Hilary McGuill referred to changing needs over time and felt that a better approach was for more cost-effective responsive intervention by Occupational Therapists to help families with a disabled child.  The Chief Officer agreed and said that alternative proportionate options were explored, as opposed to traditional approaches, to respond to the needs of individuals.  On the performance outturn, he reported that there had been some improvement despite the number of complex cases.

The Senior Practitioner added that Occupational Therapists tended to adopt a more creative approach as part of their everyday work and shared information with peer groups.

In response to questions from Councillor McGuill, the Senior Manager: Integrated Services, Lead Adults explained that the red risk had not met its target due to legal aspects on property ownership rather than the assessment process.  She was aware of a list of DFG adaptations for adults but would check if a similar list was kept for children.

Councillor Dave Mackie asked if future reports could include reasons for where the target had not been met.  The Chief Officer agreed to relay this to colleagues.  On family support, Councillor Mackie reiterated concerns raised by schools on the need for parents to ensure their children were toilet trained before attending nursery, and the impact this had on school resources.  Councillor Jones said that the support available from Flying Start worked well in those particular areas and the Senior Manager pointed out the role of health visitors in supporting parents.  In response to further queries, explanation was provided on progress with the integration of teams and availability of confidential working areas in the Flint office.

On safeguarding, Councillor McGuill welcomed the integration of adults and children’s services but questioned whether effective communication channels were in place, following an email recently circulated.  She stressed the importance of preparing children in care for adulthood to ensure they were equipped with the life skills needed for that transition period so that they were able to cope when support was later withdrawn.

As a kinship carer, the Chairman commended the different elements of support given to him and his family.

The Chief Officer said that the Safeguarding Unit was highly regarded as had been recognised during the recent inspection of Children’s Services.  He explained that services for adults and children were co-located in the Flint office which enabled easier communication.  On Children’s Services, he said that the Authority was doing as much as any other to seek improvements and share learning, and that there was a balance of support for children in care to prepare them for the wider world.

The Senior Manager said that pathway planning involved looking at the individual and developing their ability to cope, and that more work on individual resilience would be done as required by the new Act.

On the Dementia Respect Empathy and Dignity (RED) project, Councillor Veronica Gay expressed concern that only two GP surgeries had signed up from Flintshire.  The Senior Managers gave assurance that Flintshire GPs were supporting people with Dementia and that the project would need time to achieve its aim of building up a network of volunteers.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the report be noted; and

(b)       That the comments on the ‘red’ risk areas be referred to the Corporate Resources Overview & Scrutiny who are responsible for the overview and monitoring of performance.