Agenda and draft minutes
Venue: Hybrid - Neuadd Cyngor Ceredigion, Penmorfa, Aberaeron / remotely via video conference
Contact: Lisa Evans Dwynwen Jones
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Welcome and Apologies Minutes: The
Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting. Councillor
Endaf Edwards apologised for being unable to attend the meeting. |
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Disclosures of personal interest (including whipping declarations) Members are reminded of their personal responsibility to declare any personal and prejudicial interest in respect of matters contained in this agenda in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Act 2000, the Council’s Constitution and the Members Code of Conduct. In addition, Members must declare any prohibited party whip which the Member has been given in relation to the meeting as per the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011 Minutes: None. |
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Ceredigion Public Services Board (PSB) meeting held on the 4th of December 2023 PDF 68 KB Additional documents: Minutes: The Chair welcomed Hazel Lloyd Lubran, CAVO Chief Executive and Chair of the PSB, Diana
Davies and Timothy Bray, Officers, to the meeting to present the Minutes of the
Public Services Board meeting. . Under
Section 35 of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, Local Authorities
are required to ensure their Overview and Scrutiny Committees have the power to
scrutinise decisions made, or other action taken, by the Public Services Board
for the Local Authority area in the exercise of its functions. Main points
arising from discussion as follows: ·
Following
a question regarding the Refugee Resettlement sub-group and the funding
Ceredigion County Council receives by UK Government to actively support
Ukrainians for 12 months, Afghans for 3 years and Syrians for 5 years, Diana
Davies confirmed she would share the full report that was presented to the last
PSB meeting that will provide more detail for Committee Members. ·
Following
a question, Hazel Lloyd-Lubran confirmed that the PSB
had responded through Cynnal y Cardi, on the Welsh
Government Sustainable Farming Scheme. ·
Following
a question, it was confirmed that the PSB do work collaboratively with
neighbouring authorities, and this is likely to increase during the coming
months. ·
With
reference to the Gorwel Dashboard (Gorwel is a web-based platform funded by a WG regional
grant to PSB in the region to aid not only in the production of the local
Well-being Assessments, but to allow users to collaborate and share information
regarding projects and more localised information gathering such as the results
from focus groups and surveys). A Committee Member enquired how flexible the
PSB are with amending objectives if the dashboard was to highlight a certain
issue. The PSB Chair stated that the PSB have to be flexible
and the Corporate Manager reiterated the importance of working collaboratively
with other areas in the future. Following
discussion, Committee Members were asked to consider the following
recommendation: Recommendation(s): i. To receive the draft minutes of the Ceredigion
PSB meeting held on 4th December 2023. Reasons for decision: In order for the Overview and Scrutiny
Coordinating Committee to carry out their role of taking an overview of the
overall effectiveness of the PSB. Committee Members agreed to receive the draft minutes of the
Ceredigion PSB meeting held on the 4th of December 2023. The Chair thanked Chair of the Public Services Board, and Officers for
attending and presenting the information. |
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Whistleblowing update PDF 97 KB Minutes: Elin Prysor,
Corporate Lead Officer and Monitoring Officer was welcomed to the meeting to
present the report. The current
situation was explained as follows: Between April 2019 and December 2023 there were 6 whistleblowing
disclosure referrals to the Monitoring Officer. As at 20/12/23: 5 x are concluded, Of these: no formal investigation. Resolved by: • internal actions • training • other investigative processes 1 x subject to ongoing investigation. Following
discussion, Committee Members were asked to consider the following
recommendation: Recommendation/s: 1. To note the contents of the
report Reason for Recommendation(s): Ensure strengthening and improvement of the whistleblowing regime. Committee Members agreed to note the contents of the report. It was
agreed that a report would be presented annually in future. It was also suggested that Corporate Lead
Officers ensure that all Officers undertake a refresher training course every
three years as stated in the report.
Also, to obtain more detail around the number of officers who have not
undertaken the training, and how many were Refresher training. |
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Report on the Council's use of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA) PDF 104 KB Minutes: The Overview and Scrutiny Co-ordinating Committee is responsible for
reviewing the Council’s use of RIPA. Reports are usually presented to the Overview and Scrutiny
Co-ordinating Committee on a 6 monthly basis; however, this report is presented
9 months following the previous due to a lack of RIPA activity. Elin Prysor, Corporate Lead Officer and
Monitoring Officer, presented the report, main points arising were as follows: 1) RIPA Activity There has been no RIPA activity by any service of the Council during
the period between the 22 of May 2023 and 31st March
2024. Authorising Officers have confirmed that they have not considered any
RIPA applications during this time. The Annual return to the IPCO reflects this. 2) Training On the 18th of April 2024, a full day training workshop has
been arranged which will be carried out by an external provider to relevant
Officers on RIPA. This training and previous sessions should ensure that relevant
Officers have the necessary This training and previous sessions should ensure
that relevant Officers have the necessary knowledge to comply with RIPA
requirements. 3) Authorising Officers The current Authorising Officers for Directed Surveillance, CHIS
authorisations and non-RIPA authorisations are: The Corporate Lead Officer: Policy, Performance and Public Protection; The Corporate Lead Officer: People and organisation; and The Statutory Director of Social Services & Corporate Lead
Officer: Porth Cynnal. The Chief Executive is the Authorising Officer to grant authorisations
in respect of confidential or privileged information, relating to the covert
filming of any Elected Member, Corporate Director or
Corporate Lead Officer, or relating to surveillance of juveniles or vulnerable
people. The current Approved Rank Officer for Communications Data is: Corporate Lead Officer: Policy, Performance & Public Protection Alternative substitutes (if Approved Rank Officer at 1. above
unavailable) are: Corporate Lead Officer: People and Organisation; and Corporate Lead Officer: Porth Cynnal. Following
discussion, Committee Members considered the following recommendation: Recommendation(s): That the Committee notes the content of the report. Reason for Recommendation(s): To ensure the committee is kept up to date with the Council’s use of
RIPA and implementation of policies. Committee Members agreed to note the content of the report and the
Chair thanked Elin Prysor for attending and presenting the information. |
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Corporate Safeguarding Policy PDF 67 KB Additional documents: Minutes: The Corporate Safeguarding Policy has been updated to reflect the
revised Wales Safeguarding Procedures. Councillor Alun Williams, Cabinet
Member, presented the report supported by Audrey Somerton-Edwards, Corporate
Lead Officer and Statutory Director for Social
Services. The Corporate Safeguarding Group has now been re-established after a
hiatus during the Covid pandemic. The Group has overseen the drafting of the
new revised Corporate Safeguarding Policy in readiness for its implementation
and passage through the democratic process. The last version of the Corporate Safeguarding Policy was drafted in
2017 and were underpinned by the All-Wales Child Protection Procedures
including vulnerable adults (2008). The Wales Safeguarding Procedures were
implemented in 2019 and are now incorporated into the policy. The policy applies to staff, Councillors, volunteers, and people
carrying out work on behalf of the council. Following consideration, Committee Members agreed to recommend that
Cabinet: 1. agree the Corporate Safeguarding Policy as the definitive document to
ensure Ceredigion is a safe organisation and recognises its responsibilities to
safeguard children and adults at risk. Reason for recommendation(s): It is essential that the Council provides a policy framework to safeguard
people delivering services on behalf of the Local Authority. The revised Corporate Safeguarding Policy utilises the up-to-date
relevant guidance and legislation. |
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Mid and West Wales Safeguarding Children and Adults Board Annual Report 2022-2023 PDF 67 KB Additional documents: Minutes: Councillor Alun Williams, Cabinet Member,
and Audrey Somerton-Edwards, Corporate Lead Officer
and Statutory Director of Social Services, presented the Mid and West Wales
Safeguarding Children and Adults Board Annual Report 2022-2023. Ceredigion continues to be a fully contributing partner to the
Regional Safeguarding Board activities and takes seriously the duties conferred
on us to be active participants. The next Annual report covering 2023-24 will be
published in August 2024. Following discussion,
Committee Members were asked to consider the following recommendation: RECOMMENDATION/S: The Overview and Scrutiny Coordinating Committee take note of the
content of the report. Committee Members agreed to note the content of the report. The Chairman thanked the Cabinet Member, Councillor Williams, and
Audrey Somerton-Edwards for attending and presenting both reports. |
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CYSUR/CWMPAS Combined Local Operational Group Safeguarding Report Qtr 2 2023/24 PDF 85 KB Additional documents: Minutes: Councillor Alun Williams, Cabinet Member and
Elizabeth Upcott, Corporate Manager, were welcomed to the meeting to present
the CYSUR/CWMPAS quarter 2 report. Summary of key points were as follows: ➢ In Quarter 2, there was an increase in the number of contacts/reports
received regarding children/young people compared to Quarter 1-with there being
928 contacts/reports received in Q2 compared to 888 contacts/reports received
in Q1. ➢ However, although there was an increase in the number of
contacts/reports received in Quarter 2, there was a decrease in the overall
number of contacts/reports which proceeded to actions needing to be taken under
Child Protection Procedures, from 172 in Q1 to 132 in Quarter 2. This is
reflective of the fact that more contacts/reports are being referred to Early
Intervention/Prevention Services or referred for an assessment for care and
support and hence is not being escalated to the need for Safeguarding
interventions. This is because of the continued development of the Through Age
Well-Being model and in particular, the development of Porth Gofal Triage for Children. ➢ The percentage of referrals that proceeded to a Strategy Discussion was 14.2% in
Quarter 2 compared to 19.4% in Q1. In Q2 5.9% of the reports proceeded to a
Section 47 Enquiry, compared to 8.8% in Q1 and then in relation to those that
proceeded to an Initial Child Protection Conference, 0.9% proceeded to that
stage in Q2, compared to 0.7% in Q1. ➢ The total number of children subject to an Initial Child Protection Conference in
this quarter has decreased further to 16, compared to 23 in quarter 1, and 35
in Q4. ➢ The total number of children placed on the Child Protection Register in this quarter
following the Initial Child Protection Conference was 10 compared to 20
in Q1. ➢ The total number of children removed after Review Child Protection Conferences in
this quarter were 22. ➢ There has been a decrease in the number of reports that have been received from the
Police in this quarter and Social Services and Education seem to be the main
sources of reporting in this quarter. ➢ The total number of Section 47 enquiries undertaken has decreased in this quarter
also, with 55 undertaken in this quarter compared to 78 in Quarter 1; 41 of
those enquiries were undertaken jointly with the Police in this quarter and 14
were undertaken as a Social Services Single Agency. ➢ The main category of abuse which led to a Section 47 enquiry being undertaken in
quarter 2 was Physical Abuse and sexual abuse/exploitation as was the case in
Quarter 1. ➢ There were 40 children on the Child Protection Register as at the end
of this quarter, compared to 52 as at the end of Quarter 1. This quarter, 21
children were registered under the category of neglect, 14 under the category
of emotional/psychological abuse, 4 under the category of
emotional/psychological abuse and neglect and then 1 under the category of
sexual abuse and emotional/psychological abuse. ➢ The main area of concern in relation to this quarter was the significant decrease ... view the full minutes text for item 41. |
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Additional documents:
Minutes: Councillor Catrin
M S Davies, Cabinet Member was welcomed to the meeting supported by Cathryn
Morgan, Equalities and Inclusion Manager, to present
the Strategic Equality Plan for 2024-2028.
Councillor Davies advised Committee Members of the current situation as
follows: The public consultation ran from 25/10/23 to 31/12/23. It was promoted
widely and was also presented to Ceredigion Youth Council to gather the views
of young people. 43 people responded to the online survey, No
paper copies were returned and 16 members of the Youth Council provided
feedback. Respondents generally felt that our five Equality Objectives were the
right Equality Objectives for Ceredigion Council – an average of 94% said
‘yes’. An average of 83% of the people who responded felt that the actions in
the plan would help us to achieve our objectives. The Equality and Human Rights Commission’s monitor report, ‘Is Wales
Fairer?’ was published in November 2023. The report reinforces the need for the
actions set out in our draft Strategic Equality Plan 2024-28. Findings of the
report have been included in the evidence base that supports our Plan. Our Equalities Working Group is coordinated by Policy, Performance and
Public Protection service and chaired by Cllr Catrin MS Davies (Equalities
Champion). The group is responsible for the development and monitoring of our
Strategic Equality Plan. The group met in January 2024 to review the draft
Equality Plan following the public consultation. The group agreed the following
amendments to the Strategic Equality Plan: · Amend action 3.1 to
include ‘young people’ in the success measure. · Find out more about
Electrical Hypersensitivity (EHS). · Encourage staff to take
an anonymous feedback box to face to face consultations. · Amend
our internal Engagement toolkit to offer more ways for people to tell us what
they think when we consult with them. · Amend
specific actions under Objective 4 to include the term ‘lived experience’. ·
Change our equalities
monitoring form so that it asks about a person’s ‘sex’, and in a further
question asks about their ‘gender identity’ ·
Remove the action, “to establish an
integrated model of community care and housing in Tregaron”.
The group felt that a variety of matters contribute to achieving this outcome,
most of which are outside of the remit of the Equalities workgroup. The action
is included in the Corporate Strategy 2022-27. Following discussion, Committee Members agreed
the following recommendation: RECOMMENDATION/S: • To recommend that Cabinet endorses the Ceredigion Strategic Equality
Plan 2024-28. • To make recommendations as appropriate when the report is presented to Cabinet on 19th March 2024. There were no further
recommendations, however, Committee Members praised the Cabinet Member and
Officers for the work involved in producing the Strategic Equality Plan. Reasons for decision: The proposed Strategic Equality Plan 2024-28 will progress the aim of
the Council to address inequality, eliminate unlawful discrimination,
harassment and victimisation and foster good relations between people who share
a protected characteristic and those who do not in Ceredigion. |
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Minutes: It was AGREED to confirm the minutes of
the 2nd of February 2024 Committee meeting as a true record. There
were no matters arising from those minutes. |
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Additional documents:
Minutes: Each Chair in turn
gave an update on their respective Committee’s Forward Work Plans. Any other matter which the Chairman decided
is for urgent attention of the Committee The Chairman stated
that as his two years Chairmanship is nearing an end, he wished to take the
opportunity to thank the Vice-chairman, Councillor Wyn Evans, Lisa Evans and
Dwynwen Jones, Officers, and Translators, for their support. He also thanked the Committee Members for
their support and courtesy during meetings.
He wished the next Committee Chairman well in the role. |