Agenda, decisions and minutes

Councillor Forsey.

None received.

The Minutes of 15 May were accepted as a true record.

The Cabinet Member for Social Services present the Annual Safeguarding Report to Cabinet Colleagues.  The report demonstrated how Newport City Council met its obligations towards safeguarding.

This was the seventh annual report highlighting corporate safeguarding and Newport City Council’s commitment to keeping children and adults at risk as safe as possible.

The report evidenced what Newport City Council was doing to ensure that all staff knew and understood how to identify and report any safeguarding concerns they may have.

The Cabinet Member for Social Services therefore asked that Cabinet considered the Annual Corporate Safeguarding Executive Summary report, to scrutinise and review the progress of the key priority work plans for both corporate safeguarding arrangements and the safeguarding self-assessment findings for the whole Council.

Cabinet was also requested to determine if they wished to make any comments or recommendations regarding the report and how the Council was managing corporate safeguarding.

Decision:

That Cabinet received the Annual Safeguarding Report by the Head of Corporate Safeguarding.

The Cabinet Member for Social Services introduced the annual report for Social Services.   The Strategic Director, as the designated Director for Social Services, had a statutory duty under the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014 and as amended by the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016 to produce an annual report to the Council.

The report must set out the personal assessment of the Director of Social Services regarding the performance of Social Services in its delivery of social care functions during the preceding 12 months.

Despite the significant issues and challenges of 2023/2024, the Director of Social Services was satisfied that the Council continued to comply with its statutory duties.

Social services staff were able to look beyond the relentless demands and were still able to deliver innovation, continued development of services and indeed excellence.

The report of the Director of Social Services provided an annual overview of the work across Adults, Childrens and Prevention and Inclusion. The case studies provided a mere snapshot of the work across Newport with the most vulnerable citizens. The depth and range of the work was extraordinary. Understanding the impact of this services was crucial and the stories breathed life into the data.

As the incoming Cabinet Member for Social Services, Councillor Lacey thanked Councillor Jason Hughes and Councillor Stephen Marshall for their commitment, contribution, and due diligence as the previous Cabinet Members. Councillor Lacey added that it was a privilege to take forward the work of Social Services with the staff and welcomed the opportunity to learn more about the service provision and support over the coming year.

Finally, the Director of Social Services report was presented to Cabinet for information purposes and not for amendment.

Comments of Cabinet Members:

§  The Leader thanked Councillors Hughes and Marshall for their tremendous work over the past two years, as Cabinet Members for Social Services; Adult and Children Services respectively and wished them all the best for the future.  The Leader also welcomed Councillor Lacey into the role.  The Leader noted that the Social Services team deserved the praise and credit of Cabinet Members, who would do all they could to support them going forward.

§  The Leader also took the opportunity to thank Sally-Ann Jenkins, Corporate Director for Social Services, as it was her last annual report, as she was retiring in August.  The Leader thanked Sally-Ann for her hard work over the years, working in one of the toughest service areas within Local Government, particularly around Children’s Services.

Decision:

That Cabinet -

1                    Noted the annual report of the Director of Social Services.

2                    Commented on the content of the annual report of the Director of Social Services.

3                     

The Leader introduced the report to Cabinet colleagues on the Treasury Management for Newport City Council.  The report outlined borrowing and investment activities during the year, compliance against the agreed prudential indicators, as well as providing an outlook for the forthcoming year and medium term.

The report was already considered by the Governance and Audit Committee, who provided no comments for Cabinet’s consideration. The report would ultimately go to full Council for approval.

Decision:

Cabinet noted the report on treasury management activities for the period 2023/24 and provided comments to Council.

This was the regular monthly report on the work programme.

Decision:

Cabinet agreed the Work Programme.