Agenda item

Invitees:

Sally-Anne Jenkins - Strategic Director of Social Services

Councillor Stephen Marshall – Cabinet Member for Social Services

Councillor Jason Hughes – Cabinet Member for Social Services

The Cabinet Member for Social Services highlighted the continued work of staff thanked them.

The Strategic Director introduced the report.

The Strategic Director highlighted that part of the year was subject to pandemic restrictions however staff continued to deliver almost all services. The Strategic Director highlighted the dedication and commitment to the vulnerable by staff.

The Strategic Director informed the committee an assurance check had been performed by the Care Inspectorate Wales and their comments showed that the services had been delivered safely and effectively. The Strategic Director felt that the report showed that staff in Children’s Services continued to work creatively and innovatively despite past and continued challenges.

The Strategic Director highlighted the continued development in residential care and stressed that they had a strong commitment to developing enhanced provision for the children of Newport. The Strategic Director commented that Newport City Council was ahead of other Local Authorities ending profit in children’s social care and this was due developing its own provision.

The Strategic Director informed committee that Windmill Farm should be opened shortly and that the builders were expected to handover Social Services within the fortnight.

The Strategic Director informed committee that they had been able to support asylum seeking children not only within Newport but regionally due to the level of their expertise.

The Strategic Director acknowledged that there had been an underspend but informed committee that this was not an indicator that the service areas did not need the resources allocated. The Strategic Director informed committee that they had received funding and grants from Welsh Government that had assisted in their budget, but that was coming to an end.

The Strategic Director highlighted that they were keen to drive Corporate Parenting forward and to act proactively but there had been delays nationally. The Strategic Director echoed the Cabinet Member’s words of thanks and congratulations to service area staff.  

The committee thanked the Strategic Director and her teams for the work done despite the challenges and added their appreciation for the videos.

Questions:

The committee asked whether the Strategic Director of Social Services foresee any challenges resulting from the Basic Income Pilot for care leavers?

·       The Strategic Director acknowledged the concern for the safety of young people within the pilot and any resulting challenges. The Strategic Director assured committee that the primary focus would be on supporting young people within the pilot to remain safe. The Strategic Director highlighted that they had successfully raised with the Welsh Government to change payments from monthly to a fortnightly and rent would be payable directly to Landlords. The Strategic Director informed committee that they had already identified all 43 children within Newport that would be eligible for the pilot. The Strategic Director felt that the small number would enable the service area to work closely with the identified children.
 

The committee asked what was identified as needing improvement, how long would this take, and did they foresee any difficulties?

·       The Strategic Director informed committee that they could supply the report from Care Inspectorate Wales to the committee for detail. The Strategic Director highlighted that there was nothing that required an Action Plan or Emergency Action and things that had been commented on were already expected to be outlined in the report. The Strategic Director noted that the feedback raised ongoing issues with workforce and recruitment. The Strategic Director informed committee that this was affecting the whole public sector on all levels and that there were provisions are in place.

The committee asked when the funding and grants from Welsh Government were received.

·       The Strategic Director informed committee that grants were received throughout the year that were distributed in various ways such as for placements and direct to families.

The committee highlighted that Family Court cases were in red and had historically been a difficulty. The committee asked how the service was planning to improve this.

·       The Strategic Director informed committee that there had been difficulties that had resulted from delays in the Family Courts which were out of their control. The Strategic Director assured committee that there had been national discussions improving the system which Newport had been involved in. The Cabinet Member for Social Services highlighted that despite delays in this area, the service has provided excellent diversionary work such as Baby and Me to avoid getting to the fourth stage.  The committee were concerned with the back log and any Safeguarding concerns it caused. The committee suggested that there should be an update on this topic in future.

The committee asked whether the underspend would be redistributed within the service or into the Newport-wide pot?

·       The Strategic Director informed committee that it would be a mixture. The Strategic Director highlighted that there was work ongoing to look at the challenges around the Children’s Services budget 2022/2023 and this would be detailed in a later report.

·       The Strategic Director informed committee that a breakdown of the redistribution could be circulated to committee for information.

The committee noted that the Service Area Risk graph could be presented in a clearer way with collaborative work.  The committee asked whether there was a set date for the committee to visit Windmill Farm after its completion.

·       The Strategic director of Social Services confirmed that as soon as the building was handed back to them from the builders that a visit would be organised.

The committee were concerned with the delays preventing the completion of Windmill Farm and asked for confirmation on when it would be completed.

·       The Strategic Director highlighted that they were still waiting for the building to be handed back from contractors and that many delays were out of their control including bats, material costs and water supply issues. The Strategic Director was confident that it was almost complete and reassured the committee that work had already been done with Care Inspectorate Wales for registration, as well as ongoing work and funding allowing them to bring in the staff for training and experience whilst the delays were ongoing.

The committee asked how many children could Windmill Farm accommodate?

·       The Strategic Director confirmed that 4 children could be accommodated and additionally had 4 small 1-bedroom homes as extra emergency accommodation separate to the main house. The Strategic Director stressed that it would be short to medium term accommodation to understand the children’s specific placement needs.

The committee asked would Windmill Farm cater to children with specific needs that otherwise would be placed out of county

·       The Strategic Director confirmed that it would be and informed committee that they had received funding for this. The Strategic Director stress recognised that all good quality residential care would be expensive, but they are able to meet the needs of the children more effectively with local provision.

The committee asked whether there was a date that Windmill Farm could begin to house children

·       The Strategic Director informed committee that their aim was September but would be by October. The Cabinet Member for Social Services recognised the work done by the previous Cabinet Member.

·       The committee acknowledged this and welcomed to the two new Cabinet Members to the position and the role within this committee.

The committee asked if there would be a specific opening date for the Rosedale Annexe.

·       The Strategic Director informed committee that it would be later than previously thought due to similar delays that had affected in Windmill Farm. The Strategic Director confirmed the date when known to committee.

The committee asked whether there were plans for Cambridge House.

·       The Strategic Director informed committee that they were still undecided about the use of Cambridge House and that there were ongoing discussions on how best to use it. The committee asked whether there were any legal definitions or covenants on Cambridge House and asked how the property was required.

·       The Strategic Director confirmed that there was no covenant that restricts the usage of the property however she was not aware of how the property was required.

The committee asked for an explanation on the apparent lack of progress for the children exploitation response model.

·       The Strategic Director informed the committee that there had been significant progress in this area, but the work reported was slower due to the scale. The Strategic Director highlighted the work of a previous colleague in developing an Exploitation Toolkit which has been used in Newport and is now being rolled out to other local areas. The Strategic Director highlighted that this involves wider working with schools, parents, families, and police in addition to internal work. 

·       The committee highlighted that an action showing 50% stagnation was also marked completed and questioned how this could happen. The Strategic Director informed the committee that the evaluation has yet to be completed but a large portion of work has been completed.

The committee asked whether there were safeguarding measures in place for arriving asylum seekers.

·       The Strategic Director informed committee that they had high level of expertise to be able to work with these children. The Strategic Director highlighted the efforts that had been made with foster parents to be able to meet the children’s needs. The Strategic Director informed committee that legislation from Welsh Government changed regularly and they are mindful that there is potential future pressure from working with Ukrainian children.

The committee asked why the measures to retain staff are showing as green when there was a workforce issue.

·       The Strategic Director acknowledged the challenges with staffing were a national and ongoing issue, but the specific measures planned by the service area had been implemented and thus marked as completed. The committee requested that the workforce problem would be presented as an ongoing issue so that the committee could be assured that the service was working to improve it.

The committee asked for clarification on how an 80% can be both amber and green when looking at the Public Law working group.

·       The Strategic Director highlighted that it was a substantial piece of work which has seen delays.  The Strategic Director noted that the project was ongoing as and continued to change but the service had completed the actions set out and thus marked it as green.

The committee asked about how 0% in relation to Corporate Parenting could be marked as both red and green and when could progress be expected.

·       The Strategic Director advised that they were waiting on guidance from the Welsh Government and that this was out of their control but believed that it would be soon as the delays had arisen from the pandemic.

·       The committee advised the preference of listing the action as red and including the explanation as further commentary.

The committee asked what impact the pandemic had had on work experience and mentorship for CLAs and how could it be prioritised

·       The Strategic Director informed committee that prior to the pandemic there was a scheme for looked after children where each would have individual and specialist support. The Strategic Director that this should improve soon and that the Basic Income Pilot should also have a positive impact.

The committee asked whether there would be any monitoring on spending for the Basic Income Pilot?

·       The Strategic Director informed committee that there would not be and was out of their control as it is a Welsh Government scheme. The Strategic Director highlighted that their duty was to support and work with them to ensure the money is spent safely. 

The committee enquired about the lack of social housing options and the quality of the social housing that is available.

·       The Strategic Director informed committee that work had been done to address these issues and to try to offer more variety of choice. The Strategic Director highlighted the expansion of the ‘When I’m Ready’ scheme and its positive, preventative impact.

The committee asked for an update on the recruitment of foster carers and the training provided to them

·       The Strategic Director informed committee that work is still ongoing and there has been an emphasis on expanding the number of specialist foster carers.  The Strategic Director informed committee that there is rigorous training for all foster carers to complete and specialist training courses are mandatory for those foster carers taking on children with specialist needs.

The committee commented on the complexity of the performance measures presented on the National level.

·       The Strategic Director advised that it was required to be presented in that way but offered to have a separate session in which they could advise the committee on understanding the data.

The committee asked for clarity data regarding children that ceased to be looked after.

·       The Strategic Director explained that there were many reasons for children to leave care such as returning to their family, being adopted, or turning 18 etc and the data was unable to provide context.