Agenda item

The Committee received an update report on the Council’s current and future provision for Information, Advice & Assistance (IAA) Services in relation to statutory duties under the Social Services & Wellbeing Act (Wales) 2014.

Members were advised of the current position statement in relation to progress of development of Carmarthenshire’s IAA service. Specifically the provision of a single point of access to Social Services for Adults and Children and Housing Services. Officers highlighted that there were numerous access points for Social Services and it had been considered how best to pull them all together into a single access point. It was highlighted that this would assist with the early intervention agenda.

It was noted that Carmarthenshire had a long standing Careline service that dealt with a lot of vulnerable people, 24 hours per day and seven days per week. Consultation had taken place with staff across Social Services and Housing on how to develop the Careline service into the IAA Service. It had been important to ensure sustainability and that the Welsh Language Standards were met. It was highlighted that 85% of employees in the Service were now Welsh speaking (at least level 3). A more structured training scheme had been developed for the Team that allowed them to qualify up to NVQ Level 4 in Information and Advice. There was also one to one training and peer support to allow staff to upskill quickly and there were multidisciplinary practitioners in the room with the team to provide advice. There was now career progression for team members, which had been well received. It was highlighted that Service had been relocated to new premises in Eastgate in Llanelli, which had made a significant difference to its development.

The Service had commenced the proof of concept stage to ensure that it could meet people’s needs and it was building on the learning from this stage to provide a robust front door for all Social Services enquiries for Carmarthenshire. It was noted that the IAA Service would be part of the new 111 contact number trial being undertaken by Hywel Dda Health Board. The Executive Board Member for Social Care & Health highlighted to the Committee the amount of work that had been undertaken to develop this service.

Members who had previously used the Careline Service commented that it had always been a good service and it was positive that it was being developed further. The Committee highlighted that it was sometimes beneficial to undertake a mystery shopper exercise to ensure that the information being provided to service users was correct and that there were clear pathways to accessing the information required. Officers took these comments on board and noted that at this stage they were ensuring the Service was robust before it was marketed. Members pointed out that the operational target date was March 2017 and queried if the Service was on track to meet this target. Officers explained that the Service was already broadly compliant with the requirements of the Act and they would continue to develop to ensure it was far more than that. The Committee thanked the team for the progress being made.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report be received.