Venue: Hybrid - Neuadd Cyngor Ceredigion, Penmorfa, Aberaeron / remotely via video conference
Contact: Dwynwen Jones
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Welcome and Apologies Minutes: i.
Councillors Caryl Roberts and Mark Strong apologised
for their inability to attend the meeting. ii.
Donna Pritchard, Corporate Lead Officer: Porth Gofal
apologised for her inability 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: Councillor Rhodri Evans declared a personal interest under item 5. |
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CIW Performance Evaluation Action Progress PDF 150 KB Minutes: Councillor Alun Williams (Cabinet Member for
Through Age and Wellbeing) explained that Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) carried
out a performance evaluation inspection of the local authority’s Social
Services in March 2023. He noted that most improvement areas have now been
addressed. In addition, the launch of a formalised Quality Assurance framework
in the Spring of 2024 and the deployment of regular Thematic Reviews and
Practice Assessments within this strengthened the Division's oversight. The
report focused on areas where continued activity was underway across the four
domains namely People (voice and control), Prevention, Wellbeing and
Partnerships. Development/repair activity across the four
domains of SSWBA remained a key focus for the Social Care Teams as they were
central to the overall long-term Through Age Wellbeing (TAW) strategy. Despite
the significant recruitment challenges referenced throughout (meaning that one
in four statutory roles currently required Agency personnel to cover), the
permanent management teams within the Social Care establishment continued to
collaborate on the Division-wide priorities of Safeguarding, prevention, early
help and step-down recovery to independence and wellbeing. It was envisaged
that as the third year proper of the six-year TAW Model Strategy came to an end
(in October 2024), the planning for the second half of the programme would
focus even more on strengthening the base practice, responding to and
leveraging repair action from the CIW evaluation. This should ensure the full
benefits of Proportionate Assessments, What Matters Conversations and Early
Interventions could be fully achieved. Audrey Somerton-Edwards, Corporate Lead
Officer: Porth Cynnal explained that the inspection was the first undertaken by
CIW with the TAW Model in place. The improvements highlighted in the report
were foreseen by the local authority and steps were in place to address these. Members were provided with the opportunity
to ask questions which were answered by Officers present and Councillor Alun
Williams. The main points raised were as follows: ·
Social
care recruitment challenges had not improved for any local authority across
Wales. This was compounded by the county’s rurality, shortage of staff, a
reduction in the number that enrolled on social care courses at university and
that the sector was not recognised financially. A single national pay grade
would somehow address this and although Welsh Government had agreed to this in
principle, there were no resources financially to support this at present. ·
It was
clarified that the local authority’s Learning and Development team were active
in promoting Social Care as a career to schools, universities and further
education providers. ·
Collaboration
regionally and with other local authorities was already in place, but
ultimately, each local authority had its own constitution and policies. ·
At the
last count, 38 agency workers covered Social Care posts in the local authority,
and although agency staff were paid more, they were not entitled to the same
benefits as local authority employees such as annual leave, pension
contributions, sick pay etc. ·
As
awareness of the Centre of Independent Living’s relocation to Penmorfa
increased, the take up of services had slowly increased too. It was AGREED: ... view the full minutes text for item 3. |
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CIW Hafan y Waun Residential Care Inspection Report PDF 271 KB Minutes: Councillor Alun Williams explained that
Hafan y Waun (HYW) Residential Care home came under the ownership of Ceredigion
County Council in November 2023. The home offered 90 residential placements
including short-term, temporary, permanent, respite and care and support for
people living with dementia. Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) completed a routine
inspection of the home on 26.06.2024 – the first inspection since the change of
ownership. The inspection report provided an overview of the home and its
performance under the 4 key areas inspected (Wellbeing, Care and Support, Environment
& Leadership and Management) and highlighted positive and complementary
areas within the home. Nerys Lewis,
Corporate Manager: Direct Services and Audrey Somerton-Edwards, Corporate Lead
Officer: Porth Cynnal commended the report and highlighted that it provided
reassurance of the journey since the change of ownership and the staff's
support and dedication during the transition. Members were provided with the opportunity
to ask questions which were answered by Officers and Councillor Alun Williams.
The main points raised were as follows: ·
Members
congratulated all involved for a positive report and thanked all for their
work. ·
The NHS
is currently using one of the wings on a short-term basis. It was noted that
there are discussions taking place regionally in terms of further collaboration
and the county's requirements for nursing care in the long term. ·
It was
highlighted that the Manager and Deputy Manager at HyW were able to converse
bilingually with the home’s residents. ·
The
local authority worked closely with the health board’s Dementia and Speech and
Language Therapy Teams to ensure residents received the appropriate
nutrition. ·
Inspection
reports were sent to the local authority’s Commissioning and Quality Assurance
teams when privately-owned homes were inspected, therefore they had an overview
of the standards and services provided. ·
Officers
worked closely with Property Services with the maintenance of HyW. Each home’s
registered manager had a maintenance and repair budget to utilise, although
some projects such as the replacement of the carpet at HyW with infection
control flooring required capital funding. ·
Many
agency staff worked at HyW as had been the case before the transfer to the
local authority and their contribution to the team was very valuable.
Recruitment was currently being worked on and promoted. It was AGREED to note the report that
provided information and assurance regarding the operation of the home
following the home being taken into Council ownership. |
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Cartref Tregerddan Residential Care Home Public Consultation PDF 403 KB Minutes: The Chair extended her condolences to the
family of Councillor Paul Hinge, Councillor for Tirymynach ward who recently
passed away. Councillor Alun Williams presented the
report and recommendations following the consultation on the proposal to
transfer the residential care service from Cartref Tregerddan to Hafan y Waun
Residential Care Home. On 19.03.2024, the Cabinet agreed ‘To approve to
progress with the statutory requirement to consult on the transfer of the
residential care service from Cartref Tregerddan to Hafan y Waun Residential
Care Home.’ An overview of the public consultation process held from
22.04.2024 and 05.07.024, the key findings, and responses to the key points
were provided. Councillor Alun Williams extended his thanks to all for their
work with the consultation and to all who had responded. Members were provided with the opportunity
to ask questions which were answered by Officers present and Councillor Alun
Williams. The main points raised were as follows: ·
Cartref
Tregerddan currently has 22 residents (17 of which were permanent), but there
was capacity for a total of 26 residents. The wing available to the residents
at Hafan y Waun could accommodate 20 residents, with some flexibility in the
rest of the home. ·
Some
Members expressed concern with the proposal to close Cartref Tregerddan, as
Ceredigion was deemed an ageing county, which would lead to an increased demand
for residential and nursing care. ·
In
response to queries raised around whether there were plans to develop Hafan y
Waun further, it was noted that the local authority had submitted a 10-year
plan for regional capital funding for the county. Partnership work was underway
to assess the different types of provisions available in the county. ·
If
Cabinet approved the proposal to close Cartref Tregerddan, staff would be
transferred with the residents and as the staff were already employees of the
local authority, contractual terms would remain the same, but there would be a
need to align the rotas of the two homes. ·
Feedback
from families that have seen the 2 upgraded rooms at Hafan y Waun has been
immensely positive, and some residents have reportedly started to pack their
belongings. If approved, all residents would be transferred in one cohort
before the end of the year, following discussions with the residents and their
families to ensure all needs were met. ·
Reassurance
was given that work was ongoing to develop security functions for the
Tregerddan residents to leave Hafan y Waun as they wished, as it had a locked
door environment in place. It was noted that there was good access to public
transport from Hafan y Waun, with a bus stop outside. ·
Every
effort was undertaken to facilitate respite care across the local authority’s
care homes, although it had been challenging in recent times due to maintenance
being undertaken in some homes. Officers were exploring options around how
respite care would look in the future and were working with the private and
independent sectors. It was AGREED to recommend that Cabinet: 1. note the background and rationale for considering ... view the full minutes text for item 5. |
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Independent Reviewing Service Performance Management Report quarter 3 - 1.10.23 - 3.12.23 PDF 599 KB Minutes: Councillor Alun Williams explained that the
quarterly reports were presented to the Committee as part of an ongoing
examination of the topic to ensure the Local Authority fulfilled its duties as
the Corporate Parent. The report included national and local standards and
targets used to measure outcomes for looked-after children (LAC) and care
leavers at the time of their review meeting and included Welsh Government (WG)
Performance Indicators. Based on the information available and the
views expressed during the review meeting, the IRO made a professional
judgement about the effectiveness of a child/young person’s care plan in
meeting their needs and could recommend changes to the care plan. During the
review meeting, the IRO considered whether the child/young person required
assistance to identify relevant other people to obtain legal advice/take
proceedings on their behalf. This action was deemed necessary for 6 young
people by the IRO in the period. In addition, the IRO had regard as to whether
the child/young person’s human rights were being breached in any way and, if
so, could make a referral to CAFCASS Cymru. This action was not required at any
of the review meetings in the period. Councillor Alun Williams proceeded to
present a Summary of the Key Points noted on page 2 of the report. Members were provided with the opportunity
to ask questions which were answered by Officers and Councillor Alun Williams.
The main points raised were as follows: ·
The
complexity and volume of cases had risen significantly since the Covid-19
pandemic which had led to an increase in the number of LAC. Early intervention
and prevention were key to ensure children remained in familiar surroundings,
where safe to do so. ·
Several
factors impacted why Pathway Plans were not held within timescales, including
the availability of young people and agencies. It was AGREED to note the contents of the
report and the levels of activity with the Local Authority and to send a
reminder to all agencies highlighting the importance of attending Pathway Plan
meetings. |
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Children's Safe Accommodation - update PDF 231 KB Minutes: Councillor Alun Williams explained that the
Cabinet approved a proposal to establish a small group of sites to provide safe
accommodation for children in Ceredigion on 07.12.2021. The aim was to support
children and young people, who required 24/7 care and support, to remain in
Ceredigion whilst medium to long-term community placements could be sourced. An
update on the development of an in-house 24-hour Children’s Safe Accommodation
provision in Aeron Valley, Aberaeron and Aberystwyth was provided. The flexible placement options, which if
successfully registered with Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) as Through Age
settings would be a first for Wales and a valuable addition to the safeguarding
proposition for Ceredigion. Alongside expanded Foster Carer recruitment, an
uplift in Adoption Social Work focus, new propositions for Special Guardianship
Orders and Support Lodgings placements, it was hoped that having local
accommodation in Ceredigion could better support children and young people in
need as family environments post-pandemic continued to present significant
challenges. Members were provided with the opportunity
to ask questions which were answered by Officers and Councillor Alun Williams.
The main points raised were as follows: ·
In
response to Members expressing disappointment that it was not possible to
commence the CIW registration process until the physical site works had been
completed, Officers shared that they were due to meet with CIW this week to
discuss options on how to progress this. ·
The
Children's Safe Accommodation had been developed according to the availability
and suitability of unused buildings in collaboration with the Asset Management
Service. There was an aspiration to develop further in the south of the county. It was AGREED to return to the Healthier
Communities Scrutiny and Overview in early 2025 to provide more detail
regarding the impacts on the financial model for Social Care and progress with
the implementation phase(s) of the provision. |
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Domiciliary Care - Update report on the 15 pledge points PDF 474 KB Minutes: Councillor Alun Williams presented the
progress update following the implementation of the 15 Point Pledge under the
new Domiciliary Care Sector Framework launched in June 2023. All providers who
joined the Dynamic Purchasing System signed up to the new contract terms and
conditions and schedules. This included the 15-Point Pledge. It was agreed to
survey all Providers on the Framework in Q4 of 2023/24 to identify the level of
compliance with the mandatory and good practice pledges. The survey was issued
in late Q3 to all Providers to self-report their current position. An overview
of the findings of the Ceredigion 15 Point Pledge Survey 2023/24 was provided. It was AGREED to note the information. |
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Minutes: It was AGREED to
confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 15 July 2024. Matters arising:
None. |