Agenda and minutes

It was UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED to appoint Councillor D. Price as Chair for the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors L. Bowen, B. Jones, D. Jones, A. McPherson, S. Najmi and G. Thomas as well as Mrs. E. Heyes (Parent Governor Member Llanelli Area), Mrs. K. Hill (Parent Governor Member Dinefwr Area), Mrs A. Pickles (Parent Governor Member Carmarthen Area) and Mrs J. Voyle Williams (Church in Wales Representative).

There were no declarations of prohibited party whips.

The Chair advised that no public questions had been received.

[NOTE:  Councillors K. Madge, E. Morgan and B.A.L. Roberts and Mrs. V. Kenny had earlier declared interests in this item.]

The Committee considered the draft Annual Report of the Statutory Director of Social Services on the Effectiveness of Social Care Services in Carmarthenshire 2016/17. Members were informed that there was a statutory requirement for the Director of Social Services to report annually on delivery and performance, as well as plans for the improvement of the whole range of Social Services. The Annual Report examined each Service area within Social Care and showed how service strategies, actions, targets and service risks would be addressed and delivered operationally by the Service this year based on the approved budget. The Report linked closely with the Business Plans for Community Services and Education & Children’s Services.

Officers noted that it was a positive report overall and that throughout the report quotes had been included to represent the views of services users and organisations about the services provided. It was highlighted that there were some areas for improvement and the Committee may wish to take them into consideration when setting their respective forward work programmes.

It was noted that the Department had managed services within budget over the last 2 years, which was partly achieved through delivering more sustainable packages of care. This included not oversubscribing support as it could have a detrimental impact on the capability of an individual. There were also better and more robust systems for preventative work with families based on the signs of safety model. It was highlighted that there had been improved performance last year in regards to stability of placements for looked after children and continued improvement would be a priority for the Service. Other areas for improvement included Learning Disability and Mental Health placements in communities.

Officers highlighted that the Department had been developing their approach to the ‘More Than Just Words’ Welsh Government Strategy to provide an active offer of delivering services through the medium of Welsh. The Service was aiming to go further than just meeting the statutory duty and the importance of offering language choice was recognised, especially with regards to such services as dementia care.

Officers highlighted that there were increasing demand for services for people over the age of 85 years old and demand in this area would continue to grow. There would inevitably have to be an increase in spending on Adult Social Care to accommodate this demand in the coming years. Members highlighted that there should be greater emphasis in the growth in demand for this demographic in the report, as it had a big impact on the services delivered. Officers agreed that the report could include further information on the profiling of the demographics of the population. It was noted that the Carers’ Service was a good service that assisted with managing demand and allowed people to remain in the community. It was recognised that carers had to be supported and it was noted that reviews of care packages within  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.