To receive declarations of personal and prejudicial interest (if any) from Members/Officers in accordance with the provisions of the Members Code of Conduct adopted by Council from 1 September 2008 (including whipping declarations)

Declarations of personal interest were received from Cllr JC Radcliffe and

Cllr C Webster on agenda item 5.   

To receive for approval the minutes of the meeting of 08/2/2018

RESOLVED: The minutes of 08.02.2018 were approved as a true and accurate record of the meeting

The Corporate Director Operational and Partnership Services submitted a report to Committee on the Overview and Scrutiny Forward Work programme. 

A member asked that the following further information be requested for the Community Services report:  What grant funding from Welsh Government has been reduced and what does this equate to.

RESOLVED:

Members approved the feedback from the previous meetings of the Subject Overview and Scrutiny Committee 1 and noted the list of responses.

Invitees:

Susan Cooper Corporate Director Social Services and Wellbeing;

Lindsay Harvey, Interim Corporate Director - Education and Family Support;

Cllr Charles Smith, Cabinet Member for Education and Regeneration;

Cllr Phil White, Cabinet Member – Social Services and Early Help;

Nicola Echanis, Head of Education and Early Help.

Laura Kinsey, Head of Children’s Social Care;

Mark Lewis, Group Manager Integrated Working and Family Support

Elizabeth Walton James, Group Manager Safeguarding and Quality Assurance

The Interim Corporate Director Education and Family Support and The Corporate Director Social Services and Wellbeing submitted a report on Early Help and Childrens Social Care to provide members with information that they had previously requested on joint working between Directorates.

The Group Manager Integrated Working and Family Support expanded on the main points within the report including how the Directorates are working closely together with each other and also a number of external agencies. 

A member referred to 4.11 of the report where it stated the increase in referrals was up 80%.  He asked how this has impacted case workers and how this has impacted the Local Authority financially. 

He also asked how the referrals into the ACE project were managed previously.

The Group Manager Integrated Services and Family Support stated that they look at thresholds within early help like connecting families.  Referrals are screened within 24 hours and once an assessment has been completed the family are assigned a support worker or may go to intervention worker, depending on the complexity of the case. He added that referrals from schools accounted for 10% of all referrals into the service and that a joint approach with safeguarding colleagues is helping them to early identify risks and challenges. He added that there were no significant waiting lists but this is constantly monitored.

A Member stated that it would have been useful to receive the historical data regarding Looked After Children so they were able to compare data and look at the trends.  Officers stated that whilst they didn’t have the data with them they would share this with members after the meeting.  

A member asked what relationships the Authority have with Welsh Government and third sector organisations regarding support for Early Help and Social services.   

The Corporate Director Social Services and Wellbeing acknowledged that there were pressures on the service and they had seen an increase in referrals but stated that BCBC were not alone. She stated that the service continually reviews how it works and the Directorates are continuing to work together.  She added that a number of projects such as MASH and the reflect project were still in their early stages so the full impact of these were yet to be realised.  Officers were also looking at models and successes in other Local Authorities that are working well, with officers from BCBC going to visit Newport, NPT and Carmarthenshire in the coming weeks. 

Members were concerned about resources and grant funding allocation and what the potential risks to the service were and what impact this could have on the Authority if funding was not received.

The Interim Corporate Director Education and Family Support stated that whilst this was a risk they are looking at different ways of working including sharing resources with other Local Authorities, working more closely with schools to ensure early intervention is managed more locally and also working with a number of other groups who work with those with additional learning needs and provide support  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.

To consider any item(s) of business in respect of which notice has been given in

accordance with Part 4 (paragraph 4) of the Council Procedure Rules and which the person presiding at the meeting is of the opinion should by reason of special circumstances be transacted at the meeting as a matter of urgency.

None