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The Adults & Communities Overview & Scrutiny Committee reviewed HALO Leisure's performance in the first 12 months of its ten-year contract with the Council. The Committee welcomed the progress made and made five recommendations on better reporting, outreach, inclusion, cycle parking and employability work.
The Committee checked progress on past scrutiny recommendations and on adopted action plans, which are agreed plans for council services. Members agreed to remove most items from annual monitoring, so they no longer need yearly checks. Recommendation 4 on libraries, urgent and emergency care and temporary accommodation stay on the monitor for further update.
The committee questioned officers on how the EIP Hub and community support affect the number of referrals to statutory services. Officers described the Hub's set-up, early results and pressures, including inappropriate referrals, waiting lists and reliance on volunteers. The minute records no decision on this item.
The committee scrutinised the review of the Third Sector Major Grants scheme, which funds voluntary and community groups. It made three recommendations on communication, partner involvement and monitoring, and agreed that Early Intervention and Prevention will be the topic at its next meeting.
The Adults & Communities Overview & Scrutiny Committee held a mid-year review of its work programme and questioned officers on community safety and anti-social behaviour (ASB). Members agreed to swap a housing item for Third Sector Major Grants and to keep Early Intervention & Prevention on the April agenda. After the community safety discussion, the committee made five recommendations, including on community group funding, volunteers and the Torfaen Connect platform.
Scrutiny means councillors checking the council's plans and decisions. The committee welcomed the move and made four recommendations, covering the risk of partners leaving, publicising improvements made after survey feedback, location summaries and support for neurodivergent people.
The Adults & Communities Overview & Scrutiny Committee considered a report on the flow of adult social care through the system. This covered the new Information, Advice and Assistance front door and planned changes to longer-term care teams. Members supported the proposals and made six recommendations, including better data tracking, close monitoring of social worker caseloads and a focus on neurodivergence in a new transition team.
It confirmed the minutes of the last meeting, noted an action sheet and considered two progress reports. Members agreed that they were satisfied with progress on both and that the items could stop being checked each year.
Councillors questioned officers about referrals, staff vacancies and the target for people who complete reablement, a short programme that helps people regain independence after illness. The committee agreed six recommendations, including raising recruitment with the Regional Partnership Board.
The Committee scrutinised the Council's response to the housing crisis and heard from the Executive Member for Adults and Communities and council officers. Officers covered land for new homes, the Pearl House project, the Leasing Scheme and temporary accommodation.
The committee reviewed its work programme for the rest of the cycle and agreed to keep the remaining items as they are. It then scrutinised Safer Torfaen, the community safety partnership, and made six recommendations on anti-social behaviour, youth activity, vaping, violence in schools and data sharing, including a link to the YOS (youth offending service).
The Adults & Communities Overview & Scrutiny Committee examined digital services and customer care performance at Torfaen County Borough Council. Overview and scrutiny means members checking how the council performs. The committee made six recommendations, including reviewing digital forms, shortening the telephone message and tackling digital exclusion.
The committee made six recommendations, including closer work with schools and disability groups, more promotion of the digital loan scheme, and tracking of people who leave or re-enter programmes. Scrutiny means councillors who are not in the Cabinet examine the council's work and report back.
The committee reviewed updates on how the council has responded to recommendations it accepted earlier, and on progress against adopted action plans. Members were satisfied with progress on both and agreed to stop checking these items every year. They also noted a request for a Members' seminar on the Integrated Reablement service, which helps people regain daily living skills, to be held once the service has run for 12 months.