Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest made by Members.

There were no members of the public present.

The minutes of the meeting of Adults Select Committee held on 8^th December 2015 were approved and signed by the Chairman.

Context:

Members received a report in order to brief the Adult Select Committee on the Social

Services and Well-Being (Wales) Act 2014, which provides the legislative basis for social services in Wales from April 2016. The report also set out the implementation actions required at a regional and local level.

The Chair advised that in terms of scrutiny it was important for the Committee to fully understand the implications of the Council and to derive assurance that the Council were ready for the requirements of the Act.

Member Scrutiny:

Following presentation of the report Members were invited to comment, during which time the following points were noted:

In response to a Member query regarding which areas would be chargeable we were informed by the Head of Adult Services that there was scoping work to be done surrounding preventative services.  Officers would scrutinise the code of practice and identify areas where a charge could be added, which would then be discussed further with Adults Select.

We heard that MCC had been given a real opportunity to shape the Act and officers were very positive about what the Act would bring.

In response to a question surrounding the burden on staff with regards to training it was explained that the training had been put together with a mix of procured providers, along with staff who trained as trainers from local authorities.  4 staff from MCC had been to the ‘train as trainers’ and had been provided with fantastic training material.  It had been decided not to send staff on the assessment and meeting needs training as MCC were so far progressed in this area.

A Member questioned if there was a timeline in mind with regards to regular reporting to the Committee.  It was considered to be worthwhile to update the Committee in 12 months to note any changes and to identify any challenges that had arisen, noting that any problems could be brought forward sooner.  It was agreed that the timing would also fit well with the Population Needs Assessment.

The Chair raised a question regarding the charging and financial assessment and whether it would have an impact on our capacity, or would we need to change the ways we do business.  In response the Head of Adult Services advised that one of the aspects of the Act brings in another duty to assess people at home.  Officers were not certain what the resource implications or demand would be, but would be considered when assessing the charging responsibility.  It could be an extra resource burden depending on the demand it creates.  The Chair noted that effort should be made to ensure the appropriate resources were in place, and should any problems arise from the implementation of the Act the Committee should be advised.

The Head of Adult Services wished to inform the Committee of the responsibility for the secure prisoner state, a new responsibility for officers.  A number of staff based in the Monmouth team were currently being vetted to be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Members received a powerpoint presentation from the Head of Adult Services in order to update Members on training regarding the Raglan Project.

Following the presentation Members were invited to comment.

A Member commented that, in relation the new Social Services Act, it seems that Monmouthshire were already ahead of where expected.  The Head of Adult Services agreed but noted that we were never complacent and always acknowledged that there was always more to be done.

When questioned about the roll-out of the project we were informed that the roll-out would be across the whole of Monmouthshire.  There were 15 clusters of Raglan type approach and the in-house services.  It was intended that to be across Monmouthshire by the end of the year, in terms of supporting people with dementia.

Following a request for clarification it was explained that the care competency framework is an internal framework constructed around this specific training and the specific shift we are trying to make.  It focused on the emotional and relationship aspects in order to demonstrate that you operate in that way.  People had to provide their own evidence to where they are in the framework, and the manager would provide observations as would service users.  Potential weaknesses could be identified and worked upon. 

The Chair asked if it was appropriate for Members of the Committee to access the training sessions.  It was confirmed that Members would be welcomed and it was seen as a great opportunity.  

To conclude the item the Chair thanked the Officer for the presentation and would welcome any further updates.

Context:

We received a report from the Lead Commissioner QA & Supporting People in order to make members aware of the conclusions and recommendations made by Welsh Government following their audit of Monmouthshire’s (MCC) Supporting People (SP) provision, and to provide assurance that appropriate actions are in hand to address issues as appropriate.

Key Issues:

Welsh Government conducted an audit of MCC’s SP programme in November, 2016.  This was based on the Supporting People Programme Grant (SPPG) as delivered in 2014/15. 

The audit’s overall conclusion was that it could only be partially concluded that MCC’s SPPG was being spent for the purposes for which it is intended. There were concerns that insufficient resources were being applied to the management and commissioning of SP services.  The audit also concluded that the SP services were being adequately managed given the resources available.

The draft report was forwarded to MCC on 23^rd December 2015, with a requirement to respond by 8^th January, 2016. 

Member Scrutiny:

The Chair advised the Committee that a more comprehensive item on Supporting People had been scheduled but it had not been possible to provide the report.  Therefore, the report today was to be considered as an interim report, and a fuller report would be received at a future date.

Following the presentation of the report Members were invited to comment.

A Member questioned if meetings had been held with providers since the issuing of the report.  In response we heard the report had only recently been received and a meeting would be planned.  On the Social; Care and Health side a self-assessment document was being developed in oorder to provide a quick picture.  SP processes were to be brought in line with Social Care and Health.

Members asked for further information regarding the information given surrounding the lack of funding for admin staff.  We were informed that we were given around £2 million SP grant and were not allowed to use any of that for administration purposes.  This must come from our own budget.

A Member referred to paragraph 2.4 stating ‘The Review Team found the information viewed was of an acceptable standard, however, intelligence and monitoring relating to services was not saved centrally. This could impact should there be an issue with staff due to sickness. Overall the Review Team were able to conclude the Supporting People services are being adequately managed given the team resources available.’  Clarification was sought regarding the number of FTE staff.  It was confirmed that the staff had reduced from 3.5 FTE to 1.5 FTE.

To clarify further the Head of Adult Services explained that with regards to the issue of resources, it could be considered that there was a mismatch across all areas and could always argue for more resources.  It was important to identify what we could develop differently and what resources are required, within the constrictions of the budget.

In response to a request for information we heard that the total grant received for Supporting People was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

We received the future work programme for Adults Select Committee.  The Scrutiny Manager advised the Committee of a special meeting to be held in February, the date to be confirmed.

Members discussed the future joint scrutiny of the Gwent Frailty Programme with all 5 authorities.  In principle, the Committee agreed to actively engage in the joint scrutiny process with provisions.

We noted that the next ordinary meeting of Adults Select Committee would be held on Tuesday 8^th March 2016 and 10.00am.