Agenda item

Invitees:

-          Phil Diamond – Head of Regional Partnership Board

-          Sally Anne Jenkins – Strategic Director – Social Services

-          Councillor Jason Hughes – Cabinet Member for Social Services

The Head of the Regional Partnership Board and the Strategic Director for Social Services gave an overview of the report.

Members asked the following:

• The Committee questioned the effectiveness of the Regional Partnership Board. The Strategic Director highlighted the presence of multiple boards and emphasised the importance of collaboration and shared work.
• The Committee requested a brief on the purpose of the report. The Head of the Regional Partnership Team explained that it consolidated various reports and outlined action points to meet Welsh Government requirements. The Cabinet Member for Social Services emphasised accountability and outcomes. The Strategic Director noted the Regional Partnership Board ensured the five local authorities were working together to address issues highlighted by Welsh Government.
• The Committee expressed concern about the lack of partnership work in leisure trust and physical activity. The Strategic Director clarified that work is being done to include disabled individuals in physical activity and mentioned efforts to support those with GP referrals. The Head of the Regional Partnership Team highlighted the report would be scrutinised alongside the Gwent Wellbeing Plan and highlighted in Section 16 of the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act there is a requirement to set up social enterprises. The Head of the Regional Partnership Team noted they would need to make it clearer within the report.
• The Committee enquired about the advantages for Newport and how they avoid staff demand issues. The Strategic Director explained the statutory nature of the board, the access to the regional integration fund, and the focus on specific needs of small groups. The Strategic Director highlighted that collaboration between the five local authorities allowed for a strong provision, and noted staff competition wasn’t an issue as what works best for all authorities was working together which gave them a strong and coherent position.
• The Committee asked about the challenges faced by the Regional Partnership Board. The Strategic Director mentioned budget constraints, the tapering of the Regional Integration Fund, training and career development, staff retention, and the impact of the pandemic and cost of living. The Head of the Regional Partnership Team discussed recruitment efforts in colleges and highlighted the Access to Medicine course at Coleg Gwent.
• The Committee wanted to know how the board planned to avoid using Bed and Breakfast properties for young people. The Strategic Director agreed to provide information and potentially arrange a meeting on the issue.
• The Committee proposed writing to the Welsh Government to oppose the tapering of funding. The Strategic Director and the Cabinet Member for Social Services expressed support for this action, highlighting the potential damage caused by the tapering.
• The Committee noted the lack of information in the report regarding the rise in obesity and emphasised its importance. They enquired about a specific strategy or partnership board addressing this issue. The Head of the Regional Partnership Team mentioned that it was a key point in the wellbeing plan and received priority at the regional partnership board, but there was also a greater focus on addressing it at the local level.

The Chair thanked the officers for attending.

Conclusions

·       The Committee expressed their gratitude to the officers for their presentation and commended the partnership board for their ongoing efforts. They noted that the document was quite intricate and repetitive, and felt that important information could get lost in the document as a result. While they understood the statutory need to present the report in this format, they suggested future reports could benefit from less repetition and jargon, or even be more concise. This would aid members in better understanding the presented information.

·       The Committee requested that the report explicitly detail how the Regional Partnership Board collaborated with Leisure Trusts and local sporting governing bodies to improve recreation accessibility. They also enquired about any ongoing or completed projects in this regard, seeking information on their start dates, locations, success rates, and potential areas for improvement.

·       The Committee highlighted the Rapid Rehousing programme and the commitment to not use bed and breakfast accommodation to temporarily house young people, and requested information on the Regional Partnership Board element of this commitment.

·       The Committee expressed its intention to write to the Welsh Government, requesting a reconsideration of the planned tapering in the Regional Integration Fund, given the current financial circumstances.

·       The Committee enquired whether the partnership had developed a strategy or engaged in cross-partnership collaboration with the Health Team to address the rising levels of obesity in the region.