Councillor Paul Davies and Councillor Richard Williams gave their apologies that they would need to leave the meeting early.

Councillor Amanda Williams gave her apologies that she needed to leave the meeting at 11.30am due to an urgent matter arising.

Invitee:

Councillor Jane Gebbie, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Social Services and Early Help.

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)

None.

Invitees

Councillor Jane Gebbie - Deputy Leader of Council and Cabinet Member for Social Services and Early Help

Claire Marchant - Corporate Director - Social Services and Wellbeing

Jacqueline Davies - Head of Adult Social Care

Carol Owen - Provider Service Manager - Support at Home/Accommodation Services

Jane Lewis - Group  Manager – Direct Care Provider Services

The Head of Adult Social Care presented the report, the purpose of which was to provide the Committee with the outcome of the Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) Inspections of Bridgend County Borough Council’s Regulated Services in Adult Social Care during 2022.

In response to a question regarding the distinction between Priority Action Notices (PANs) and Areas for Improvement (AFIs), the Head of Adult Social Care advised that when a PAN is issued, the Local Authority is given a deadline to meet the requirement set and if the requirement is not met by the deadline, the Authority could be referred to an Enforcement Panel. She continued that AFIs were reviewed by CIW on reinspection and if insufficient improvements had been made, they could become a PAN. 

The Committee thanked staff, acknowledging the difficulty of the job and the Head of Adult Services confirmed that the report had been shared with them.

In response to a question as to whether the service was surprised by any of the PANs or AFIs, the Head of Adult Social Care advised that they were already aware of some of the issues which were raised in PANs. She reassured the Committee that the service was working with management around all PANs and AFIs in a timely way.

In response to a query regarding the prospect of the resumption of Member rota visits to adult care homes and children’s homes, the Leader of the Council acknowledged the value of the rota visits for Members, staff and service users. He also recognised the benefit of them on the Authority’s governance and assurance arrangements as, prior to the pandemic, visits were undertaken not only to provisions managed by the Authority but also to commissioned independent and third sector provisions. He advised that Members need to be paired up for visits for safeguarding purposes and that they would look to reintroduce the visits next year.

The Head of Adult Social Care reiterated how rota visits were an important element of quality assurance processes and advised that a plan would be devised regarding the reintroduction of the visits which would commence with Member training. She suggested that rota visits start with the in-Council services before being rolled to the independent sector. 

In response to a Member query regarding whether the service was up to date with the roll-out of the mandatory training and the reasons why CIW had reported that there was not full compliance with the training, the Head of Adult Social Care confirmed that the mandatory training was on a rolling programme; some annually, some every three years and some at induction. Prior to the pandemic, the rolling programme ensured that individuals knew when their training was due but that during the pandemic, the focus had been on keeping people safe, engaging with individuals and delivering front-line services. 

Additionally, there was a backlog on training due to the limit on the numbers of people who could be present in a room together and the impact that social distancing had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

Invitees

Councillor Jane Gebbie - Deputy Leader of Council and Cabinet Member for Social Services and Early Help

Claire Marchant - Corporate Director - Social Services and Wellbeing

Jacqueline Davies - Head of Adult Social Care

Laura Kinsey - Head of Children’s Social Care

Raeanna Grainger – Group Manager, IAA & Safeguarding

Terri Warrilow - Safeguarding and Secure Estate Manager

The Corporate Director presented the report, the purpose of which was to update the Committee with information regarding a number of safeguarding arrangements across Adult and Children’s Social Care and highlighted that the report included information from October 2021 to September 2022. 

She also highlighted that safeguarding covers all Directorates across the Council and that safeguarding is everybody's business and the need for individuals and Members to understand their personal responsibilities.

In response to a Member query as to whether there had been an omission in the report regarding Human Trafficking and Anti-Slavery, the Corporate Director advised that they fell under the Criminal Exploitation category but acknowledged that it was an area of safeguarding where they needed to improve data collection. Working closely with the Regional Safeguarding Board and other statutory partners to understand the number of cases in existence, she hoped for an improved data capture that would be evidenced in future annual reports. 

The Leader acknowledged that crimes such as human trafficking and modern-day slavery were hidden crimes that happened in communities, not just in big cities. He highlighted the work of the Community Safety Partnership which had input from the Local Authority and the Police, Fire and Probation services with a strong focus on addressing the crimes. He highlighted the importance of reporting concerns so that they could be explored in order to protect the most vulnerable people but acknowledged that people could be nervous or unsure before making a report and encouraged those people to seek advice if they had any concerns.

The Corporate Director advised that whilst an increase in referrals could be a challenge on resources, they welcomed reports of safeguarding concerns and acknowledged the need for people reporting to feel safe in making a report. She referred to the work of the Regional Safeguarding Board and the outcome of the recent Child Practice Review which had highlighted the importance of raising awareness of how to report a safeguarding concern. 

In response to a Member query as to what measures were in place to safeguard the homeless, particularly during colder weather and whether there was a list of warm hubs, the Corporate Director advised that there was a telephone number and website to readily report concerns about a rough sleeper or someone who may be homeless. In addition, there were links on the Council’s website to the Warm Hubs across the County Borough and how they could be accessed. Support was also available via a range of grants, support through Early Help and preventative and statutory services to provide individuals and families with urgent access to means to keep safe and warm.

There were also a wide range of mechanisms to support people at risk of homelessness such as the Discretionary Housing Payments, the Council Tax Reduction Scheme, fuel support and various cost-of-living schemes. The Corporate Director highlighted the links with third sector partners in terms of food poverty and with Employability Bridgend coordinating work around the cost-of-living crisis.

The Leader referred to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

The Scrutiny Officer presented the Committee with the Forward Work Programme (FWP) in Appendix A for discussion and consideration, requested any specific information the Committee identified to be included in the items for the next two meetings, including invitees they wished to attend, requested the Committee to identify any further items for consideration on the FWP having regard to the selection criteria in paragraph 4.3 and asked the Committee to note that the FWP for the Committee would be reported to the next meeting of Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

The Committee raised concern regarding the large number of reports scheduled for the following meeting in February 2023. The Scrutiny Officer reassured Members that clarification was being sought from the Corporate Director, in conjunction with the Chair, as to whether the items could be grouped together into one or two larger items, and it was therefore unlikely that there would be as many items for consideration.

There were no further items identified for consideration on the Forward Work Programme having regard to the selection criteria in paragraph 4.3, and this could be revisited at the next meeting.

There were no requests to include specific information in the item for the next meeting.

RESOLVED:   That the Committee approved the Forward Work Programme in Appendix A, noted that the Forward Work Programme and any updates from the Committee would be reported to the next meeting of COSC and noted the Recommendation Monitoring Action Sheet in Appendix B.

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.