Agenda item

To present the report of the Director of Social Services.

The report of the Director of Social Services incorporating the progress within both Children and Families Services and Adults’ Services was submitted for the Executive’s consideration.

The Leader and the Portfolio Member for Social Services reported that the report is evident to the success of decisions taken by the Executive since 2017 to support the service with extra funding.  She said that the ongoing Foster Carer recruitment drive which has resulted in an increase in the Authority’s foster carers thereby enabling more children to be cared for on Anglesey and to remain part of their extended families and local communities. She further said that other local authorities are now focusing on the model that has been undertaken by this Authority.  Further targeted recruitment is planned regionally for 2021/22 together with a national recruitment. The Council’s Cartrefi Clyd are open and fully operational, and another home is to be provided for short breaks for children and young people with learning disabilities and registration has been submitted to CIW.  The Portfolio Member further said that WG funding to support provision of services in a transformative way has been formally launched in Gwynedd and Anglesey; these projects are monitored by Medrwn Môn and Mantraeth Gwynedd. 

As regard to Adults’ Services work on planning for a new extra care housing provision continues. The Covid 19 pandemic has impacted on the Shared Lives programme to support people living with dementia and their carers and a review of the programme is due to take place in December with opportunities for people with mental health needs will increase as Covid19 restrictions are eased – individual support sessions have resumed in some cases. Work to establish three Community Resource Teams has been undertaken during the year. Substantial progress has been made in the first two quarters of the year in the development of the WCCIS (Welsh Community Care Information System) Prototype on the Island.   Whilst the Adults’ Learning Disability Day Opportunity Strategy is in place, formal consultation on the development of a greater range of high quality day opportunities for individuals in their communities will not take place until spring, 2022.  She referred to the Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) inspection held in 14 – 18 June, 2021 as was noted within the report and it gave assurances that excellent services were afforded during the pandemic.  The Social Services Department during this period recruited a new Director of Social Services and a new Head of Adults’ Services and she wished to take the opportunity to thank Mrs Iola Richards the Interim Head of Adults’ Services for her work and she welcomed Mr Arwel Owen the recently appointed Head of Adults’ Services.

The Social Services Improvement Panel has meet regularly despite the challenges and restrictions linked to the pandemic. The Panel continues to receive evidence of improvement and developments in both the Children and Families’ Service and in Adults’ Services.  The Panel has been part of the Laming Visits, and discussed the Social Services Response to Covid-19, Community Resources Team, Partnership Working relationship with the Housing Services and Social Services and an Independent Diagnostic Review of the Adults Services, CIW Assurance Check of Social Services, Resilient Families Team/IFSS and the Annual Report on Social Services Complaints 2020/21. 

The Director of Social Services wished to thank the Executive for their support as regards to the package of improvements by the Social Services Department and it is now evident that it can been seen that the resources imputed into the services and resulted in improvements which affords the residents of the Island the best services that is possible by the Authority.

It was RESOLVED to confirm that the Executive is satisfied with the pace of progress and improvements made to date within both Adult Services and the Children and Families Services.