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The committee approved its forward work plan and received a progress report on the Social Care and Education Service Development Programme. Members noted the progress made and asked for a further report in early 2026.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Louise Emery and Bernice McLoughlin.
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Decision as recorded
RESOLVED- That the minutes of the previous meeting of the Social Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 27 November, 2024 be approved and signed as a correct record, subject to the amendment above.
The minutes of the previous meeting of the Social Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 27 November, 2024 were submitted for approval. It was noted that Councillor Kay Redhead was in attendance virtually. RESOLVED- That the minutes of the previous meeting of the Social Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 27 November, 2024 be approved and signed as a correct record, subject to the amendment above.
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Decision as recorded
RESOLVED- That the Social Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee Forward Work Plan be approved.
The Scrutiny and Committee Services Officer presented the Social Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee Forward Work Plan. Members were advised that a report on a Placement Commissioning Strategy had been scheduled for the next meeting on 2 April, 2025; the aims of the Strategy were to ensure that the Authority developed sufficient services within the County to provide Children Looked After with safe homes through to adulthood. In addition, Members were reminded that an informal joint scrutiny committee with Denbighshire County Council had been organised for 18 March, 2025, in order to receive an update on the actions from the inspection of the Conwy and Denbighshire Youth Justice Service. RESOLVED- That the Social Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee Forward Work Plan be approved.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: (a) That the progress made by the Social Care and Education Service Development Programme be noted. (b) That a further progress report be presented to the Social Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee in early 2026.
The Cabinet Member for Integrated Adult and Community Services introduced the report and the Programme Manager, together with colleagues provided Members with a comprehensive update on the progress made by the Social Care and Education Service Development Programme. In scrutinising the report Members made reference to the following: · Members acknowledged that the development programme was an innovative and significant programme of work. · The transition to Bwthyn Y Ddol and the benefits already gained. · Responding to legislative changes, the need for rigorous workforce planning and continued focus on controlling spend. · In respect of the Welsh Government approach regarding not for profit and managing the exemption process, Members were assured that Conwy was very aware of the risks associated with the proposed approach and as a consequence, in-house provision had been driven forward, together with engagement with independent providers. · Building current foster care provision, assessment matching, decreasing dependence on costly independent out of County placements and comparisons with independent foster agencies. Members were advised that as part of the transformation programme, work was being undertaken in relation to enhanced placement sufficiency, together with a review of an enhanced foster care fee structure. In addition, having a dedicated recruitment officer in place had significantly helped in increasing foster carer recruitment and retention levels. · The role and funding of the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hubs (MASH) – Members were informed that the service structure was continually developing, in collaboration with other statutory agencies (police, health, social care and probation). Members were assured that MASH continued to share and provide vital intelligence and information in order to build up a picture of communities, the circumstances of case referrals and the associated risks. In addition, reference was made to the Police CID 16 referrals (an electronic referral form that Police officers completed after attending domestic abuse, child abuse and vulnerable adult incidents) and the benefits. · The need to be robust in respect of finance and commissioning for both residential and domiciliary care was highlighted. Members were informed that processes had been reviewed and streamlined with the assistance of Internal Audit and IT. Whilst the number of packages unable to broker had reduced significantly, spend had increased as a result. RESOLVED: (a) That the progress made by the Social Care and Education Service Development Programme be noted. (b) That a further progress report be presented to the Social Care and Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee in early 2026.
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The minutes record no declarations of interest.
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