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Pre-scrutiny means Members examine a report before the decision-maker considers it. Members questioned officers on each report and agreed to send their comments to Cabinet, which will consider the reports in September. The minutes record no final decision on the strategies themselves.
The committee questioned the Cabinet Members for Social Care on their areas, and reviewed a draft libraries strategy and an update on bereavement services. It also heard an update on the community meals service. Each item ended with a resolution to note the report, scrutinise it further, or give feedback to the consultation.
The Community Services Scrutiny Committee at Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council considered two children's services strategies on 26 January 2026. Members scrutinised progress on the Residential Transformation Strategy, which aims to move children's care away from for-profit providers, and reviewed the Children Looked After Prevention Strategy 2021–2025, which has now ended. The minutes record that Members considered and reviewed the reports, with no further formal decisions.
The Community Services Scrutiny Committee met on 8 December 2025. It endorsed a working group's report on publicly accessible defibrillators in schools and sent it to Cabinet, which considers it on 15 December 2025. It also pre-scrutinised progress on the Cwm Taf Youth Justice Service inspection, and minutes for the other items have not yet been published.
The Community Services Scrutiny Committee, a group of councillors that checks the council's services, received an update on the home care contract that started on 1 October 2024. The Director of Adult Services reported rising demand, improved waiting lists and continuing staff turnover. The minute records no decision on this item.
The Community Services Scrutiny Committee pre-scrutinised the proposed model of support for unpaid carers before Cabinet considers it in December. Members broadly welcomed the three-level model but asked for staffing to be confirmed, outcomes to be measured and a follow-up survey of carers about twelve months after implementation. The Public Toilets Strategy interim update was also on the agenda, but no minute has been published for it.
On 29 September 2025 the Community Services Scrutiny Committee considered three substantive items. Pre-scrutiny means councillors examine a proposal before the Cabinet, the group of councillors who run the Council, decides on it. The Committee scrutinised an annual report on social services complaints, passed its comments on a proposed respite model for people with a learning disability to Cabinet, which considers it in October, and scrutinised the Director of Social Services Annual Report 2024/25, which Cabinet will consider in November.
The Community Services Scrutiny Committee met on 21 July 2025.
The Community Services Scrutiny Committee met on 28 April 2025 to consider two items. On the draft Sustainable Food Strategy, it agreed to comment on the public consultation before Cabinet, which makes the final decision, considers the strategy. On defibrillators in schools, it scrutinised a report on coverage and improvement actions and asked for a further working group meeting on public access. Scrutiny means councillors examining the Council's work and advising Cabinet.
It resolved to scrutinise the Cabinet Member, to note the meals service changes and ask for a further update on user feedback, and to ask for a further report on the children's strategy.
The committee considered the Welsh Public Library Standards annual assessment for 2023-2024, including two standards the library service did not meet, and pressures on hospital discharge and the Pathways of Care Delays (POCD) data. Members noted the library assessment and agreed to scrutinise its contents in more depth. They also asked for a further report on how Welsh Government funding linked to the Care Action Committee's 50-day challenge will be used and what impact it will have.
The Community Services Scrutiny Committee, a council committee that examines council services, met on 2 December 2024 to consider two reports on children's services. Members considered the Children's Residential Strategy, which covers the council's plans for children's homes and the Welsh Government aim to remove profit from care for looked after children, and an update on the Children's Services Workforce Strategy. For both reports, the minute records that Members resolved to note the information.
The committee considered the final evaluation of the Early Years Transformation Programme, which now provides Flying Start support based on need, and a draft of the Director of Social Services Annual Report for 2023/24 before it goes to Cabinet. It also reviewed the annual report on social services complaints. Members resolved to note the evaluation findings, to send their comments on the Director's report to Cabinet, and to note the work of the complaints team.
Members noted progress on the Sport and Physical Activity Strategy 2022-27. They agreed to send comments to Cabinet on two items they examined before Cabinet decides them: the draft Adult Social Care Strategy 2024-2030 and the Estyn inspection of the Adult Community Learning Partnership. They also asked for a further progress report on the Estyn recommendations.
The committee held a question session with the Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care on social care complaints, staffing, care transitions and day services, and resolved to scrutinise the Cabinet's matters further. It also considered Welsh Government's annual assessment of the library service against the Welsh Public Library Standards for 2022-23, and resolved to scrutinise the report in greater depth. No declarations of interest were made.
At its meeting on 15 January 2024, the Community Services Scrutiny Committee questioned the Cabinet Member for Public Health and Communities on community safety, public toilets and houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). It pre-scrutinised the revised Contaminated Land Inspection Strategy and asked the flood risk team for more information. It also scrutinised a report on delays in discharging patients from hospital and asked for further data after the winter.
The Community Services Scrutiny Committee examined two reports before they go to Cabinet for decision. Pre-scrutiny means a committee looks at a report first and passes on its views. The reports covered a proposed new licensing scheme for houses in multiple occupation from April 2024, and proposals for the future of the Council's day services for older people. On both, Members authorised the Committee's comments to be passed to Cabinet.
Members noted the draft Director of Social Services annual report, the annual report on social services complaints and the update on the Children's Services Strategy. They asked for further information on complaints made to the Ombudsman and on data sharing and the urgent pathway of care in hospital discharge.
The Committee met on 10 July 2023 to agree its draft work programme for 2023/24 and to scrutinise progress on the council's Local Toilets Strategy, including proposed revisions for 2023 to 2028. On the toilets strategy, Members acknowledged the report and agreed that their comments would be fed back to Cabinet.
The committee scrutinised the draft Learning Disability Day Services Offer before it goes to Cabinet on 15 May 2023. Members raised questions on transition, community hubs, employment, transport and measuring success, and resolved that their comments be sent to Cabinet. The committee also approved the minutes of its 20 March 2023 meeting.
The committee heard an update on a draft strategy for day services for people with a learning disability in Rhondda Cynon Taf, based on a public engagement exercise called 'My Day My Way'. Members noted the update and agreed to carry out pre-scrutiny, a check made before a decision is taken, on the strategy when it is ready.
The Committee scrutinised the Council's support for refugees, Ukrainian nationals and asylum seekers, and its Housing Allocation Scheme. It noted the rising number of people being resettled in RCT and the high demand for social housing. The Allocations Policy is due for review, and the Committee will receive the full details in due course.
On 28 November 2022 the Community Services Scrutiny Committee pre-scrutinised the Children's Services Residential Transformation Strategy, which aims to increase residential care for children closer to home. The committee also noted the Children's Services Workforce Strategy 2021-24 and a report on hospital discharge pressures, and agreed to receive a further update on the latter.
The Committee considered three items: safeguarding arrangements, Trading Standards work to protect vulnerable people, and the Council's response to an Audit Wales report on Direct Payments for adult social care. It acknowledged each report, and it agreed to receive a further update on the safeguarding delivery plan at a future meeting. No declarations of interest were recorded.
The committee met to plan its work for 2022-23 and to scrutinise two annual reports from social services. Members agreed the work programme, added Libraries to the committee's terms of reference, and noted both reports, with recommendations for Cabinet on the social services report.