To
select appropriate items from the Cabinet Board agenda for Pre-Decision
Scrutiny (Cabinet Board reports included for Scrutiny Members)
Decision:
Neath Port Talbot Adult Social Care Strategy 2023 -
2026
Following scrutiny, the recommendation was
supported to Cabinet Board.
Draft Housing and Homelessness Strategic Plan
2023-26
Following scrutiny, the recommendation was
supported to Cabinet Board.
Neath Port Talbot Children & Young People
Social Care Strategic Plan 2023 – 2026
Following scrutiny, the recommendation was
supported to Cabinet Board.
Children
& Young People Services, Adult Services and Housing & Community Safety
- 4th Quarter (April 2022- March 2023) Performance Report
Following
scrutiny, the report was noted.
Minutes:
Neath Port Talbot
Adult Social Care Strategy 2023 - 2026
The Head of Adult
Services delivered a presentation outlining the pressures faced by the
directorate and highlighted why and how Neath Port Talbot will need to work
differently going forward.
Members welcomed the
content of the presentation but commented that transport could present an issue
when promoting social networks and self-management; members questioned if
community transport was being considered as part of the future plans? Officers
responded that the plans are only achievable if they are part of a council wide
approach. When discussing the preventative agenda, solutions need to be broader
than just through the Social Services directorate.
With reference to
the mention of sensory adaptations in the report, members felt that in order to
reach more people the sensory adaptation service needed further promotion to
GPs; members questioned if there are there are any plans to work more closely
with Health Care services to promote this service? Officers responded that the
three staff in the Sensory Team are attached to the Community Occupational
Therapy Team, working with hearing and visual impairments. The experienced team
work closely with health services, but further work can be undertaken to
improve on this. Officers advised there is a Welsh Government initiative working
alongside Health Board services to improve sensory impairment services.
Members asked how
the service will measure results and report back to the committee going
forward. Officers responded that costed business cases have been developed for
every scheme and these will be presented to committee when appropriate. Results
will be measured as the schemes progress and any required information will be
provided, as requested.
Members queried the
timeline for community hubs and raised concern that any potential suitable
empty buildings may fall into disrepair if the timeline was too great. Officers
confirmed that this issue has been raised with Cabinet and Corporate Directors;
there is presently regional and council capital money available and any plans
need to progress quickly to take advantage of this funding. Work will be
carried out over the summer with decisions starting to be made in late August/
early September. Some plans need to progress imminently but other potential
schemes such as the Older Person Village and Gelligron may need to be discussed
over a longer timeframe.
Following scrutiny,
the recommendation was supported to Cabinet Board.
Draft Housing and
Homelessness Strategic Plan 2023-26
The Head of Housing
and Communities delivered a presentation on the draft Housing and Homelessness
Strategic Plan 2023-2026, reiterating that there is currently a high degree of
pressure on the housing system and the scale of change required cannot be underestimated.
Members thanked the
officer for the interesting presentation and queried if consideration had been
given to a model where the council purchased houses where adaptations were not
possible and re-homing residents in adapted social housing as a means of
increasing the council housing stock. The officer advised that this approach
had not been considered but could be discussed further outside of the meeting
to explore the feasibility.
Members queried the
scheme enabling the authority to purchase empty properties to bring them back
into use. The officer confirmed that previously the authority had bought a
number of empty properties, as mentioned in the plan, and this opportunity will
be explored further going forward. Currently, the Environmental Health team are
mapping the location of empty properties; certain funding streams are available
through the Welsh Government to eradicate homelessness and this is one work
stream that Neath Port Talbot are investigating.
Members asked if
Neath Port Talbot had links with private developers. The officer confirmed that
currently the relationship with private developers is not the same as the
relationship with registered social landlords but it is hoped that this may be
developed in the future. The officer advised a meeting with planning had
recently been held to establish how links to the planning process could be
developed, to investigate how the level of affordable housing could be
increased when proposals for new developments are submitted. There is also work
ongoing to look at private landlord forums to help stimulate the market and
give developers more information so they are aware of local needs
The Cabinet Member
for Housing and Community Safety thanked the officer for the presentation and
scrutiny committee members for their attention to the report. It was noted that
this is the first Housing and Homelessness Strategic plan of its kind for Neath
Port Talbot and comes at a time of unprecedented pressures. The Cabinet Member
expressed appreciation for the hard work of the housing teams and for coming
together in a committed way. He outlined that the housing crisis is presenting
a number key challenges for officers, staff, elected members and housing
association partners. Developing the housing plan will require a whole council
approach and this new strategy will give a framework to address the challenges.
Following scrutiny,
the recommendation was supported to Cabinet Board.
Neath Port Talbot
Children & Young People Social Care Strategic Plan 2023 – 2026
The Head of Children
Services gave a presentation on the NPT Children and Young People Social Care
Strategic Plan 2023 – 2026.
Members expressed
concern over the waiting times for children with traits of neuro diverse
conditions who are waiting for CAMHS and NDD Pathway appointments, the current
waiting time for a CAMHS appointment is 3-6 weeks whilst the NDD pathway
waiting list is 28 months. Members’
questioned if children services and education were working with children
affected by this issue, especially those who are on reduced timetables or
facing exclusion. Members acknowledged that this is an issue across Wales and
delays may affect children negatively as they transition into adulthood. The
Head of Service acknowledged the concern and commented that this is a feature
in many young people’s history and is a nationwide issue. An ongoing meeting
led by education has commenced to look at pastoral support plans and support
specifically targeted for children and young people in this area. It was
acknowledged that this is an issue across the council and numbers have
increased; there is still development work to do in this area.
Following scrutiny,
the recommendation was supported to Cabinet Board.
The Director gave a summary of the 3
presentations, Heads of Service were asked to be candid regarding the
challenges faced by their services. Challenges have included; the ability to
staff particular services, the increase in the amount of people who need
services and the complexity of issues. Challenges are related to a Covid
legacy, and it was noted that the recovery for Social Services and Housing
would take some time. The Director stated that Welsh Government policies on
insourcing, not for profit, new housing laws, although well placed needed
appropriate funding. The next stage is for plans to be costed and brought to
scrutiny and cabinet, it was noted that all directorates are facing pressures
which will need to be looked at as a whole and prioritised going forward.
Discussions will be needed on how statutory services will be funded going
forward. The Director complimented the Heads of Service proactive
approach.
The Chair thanked the Director and directorate
staff for their hard work and innovative ideas in planning how to overcome
challenges.
Children & Young People Services, Adult
Services and Housing & Community Safety - 4th Quarter (April 2022- March
2023) Performance Report
Members questioned the percentage of
re-registrations for children on the child protection register and asked how
could the service be confident that children are not being de-registered too
quickly? Members also requested an explanation of the system where referrals
are made which don’t meet the child protection threshold.
The Head of Childrens Services responded that
much work has been carried out on the child protection data, and regular
strategic and operational meetings are held with team managers, social workers
and partners. It was noted that the numbers are low but when they are presented
in a percentage format the figures appears higher. The Head of Service advised
there is rigour in the system. Referrals of previously registered cases are
considered within 24 hours and a decision would be made by the team manager in
conjunction with partners. The decision to re-register a child is a
multi-agency decision and the opportunity is used to understand why they have
come back on the register and the learning is fed back into the system. The Head of Service was confident that
the right mechanisms and systems are in place to monitor and learn from cases.
Work on re-registration has been presented to members previously and it was
agreed that this work would be re-circulated.
Members questioned the figures for safeguarding
on page 262 of the report, of the 1392 reported allegations of abuse, only 271
were necessary of enquiry and members asked for an explanation on how these
decisions are made. Officers confirmed that the referral format is set up to
receive early intervention referrals through to safeguarding. In the first 24
hours following a referral, enquiries are undertaken with other professionals,
families and significant others to build a fuller picture and following these
enquiries a decision is made on how to proceed. This may be under section 47
(children) or section 126 (adults) where the referral requires more
investigation to understand the information presented. It was clarified that
although not all cases warrant safeguarding procedures, there are other strands
of work that may take place following referrals such as intervention
prevention, Team around the Family (TAF) or Care and Support.
Following scrutiny, the report was noted.