Agenda item

To present the report of the Director of Social Services.

Submitted – the North Wales Regional Partnership Board Annual Report for 2021/2022. 

The Leader of the Council said that it is a requirement within the Part 9 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 that each Regional Partnership Board prepares, publishes and submits its Annual Report to Welsh Government. The Act requires that local authorities make arrangements to promote co-operation with their relevant partners and others, in relation to adults with needs for care and support, carers and children. It also places a duty on relevant partners to co-operate with, and provide information to, the local authorities for the purposes of their social services function.

The Head of Regional Collaboration (North Wales Regional Partnership Board) reported that the role of the Regional Partnership Board is to bring together partner organisations i.e. Health, Social Services, Housing, the third sector and other partners to integrate services. The Regional Team manages and supports the foundation and resources available so as to allow the partner organisations to carry out the work.  The Regional Partnership Board meet on a monthly basis and sets out a clear direction to the partner organisations as regards to the remit of the Partnerships work that is expected as part of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014.  The Board has no dedicated funding streams and its activity currently funded from a mix of local authority pooling of funding and Welsh Government capital and revenue funding through the Integrated Care Fund (ICF) and the Transformation Programme Fund.  She highlighted the work undertaken by the Regional Partnership Board over the last twelve months which was included within the report.  She further said that there is a national social care recruitment and retention crisis at present and the Partnership Board is supporting a national recruitment package through its partner organisations.   The Head of Regional Collaboration said that a Children’s Sub-Group has been established so as to highlight the work of the Children’s Services across the region which was also highlighted within the report.   She further said that the Regional Partnership Board is now entering a new phase with the 5 year Health and Social Care Regional Integration Fund to drive change and transformation across the health and social care system, as well as a 4 year Housing and Care Capital Fund and a 3 year Integration and Rebalancing Capital Fund.  

The Committee considered the report and raised the following main points:-

·           Questions were raised as to what the key priorities that will be the focus of the Regional Partnership Board from 2022/2023 onwards.  The Head of Collaboration responded that the Partnership Board has been concentrating on the work involved with the Regional Integration Fund together with the other two capital funds received and establishing a work programme in consultation with the partner organisations.   A review of the population needs assessment has also been undertaken together with the market stability report.  The priorities of the Partnership Board from next year onwards will be addressing the principles of the Regional Integration Funding and building on the programme that has been put in place by the Board together with the Area Plan;

·           In response to a question as to what extent has the Board accomplished its key priorities during 2021/2022, the Head of Collaboration said that the Partnership Board has achieved its priorities that was set out within the Integrated Care Fund (ICF) and the Transformation Programme Fund. Work was undertaken as regards to the Population Needs Assessment and the Market Stability Report and both priorities were achieved within the timescale. Members sought clarification as regards to the Community Services Transformation Programme and the changes implemented have been limited and less progress has been made than anticipated. The Head of Collaboration responded that the approach undertaken as regards to the Community Services Transformation Programme was not as expected and there are some analytical tools and documents that have been produced and these need to be properly identified and made available for further development work.  There is a need to have better connection between the different elements of the programme, with a more regional approach rather than an area one taken to roll out of models which have been demonstrably effective;

·           Reference was made to the national crisis as regards to recruitment and retention of social care workers and questions were raised as to the situation on Anglesey.  The Head of Adults’ Services responded that the recruitment and retention of social care workers is a national problem and difficulties are faced when advertising and filling of posts within the care sector;

·           The Committee made reference to the ‘i CAN’ programme and to the survey of service users together with a summary of the evaluation of the programme included within the Annual Report.  Questions were raised as to how effectiveness of the ‘i CAN’ programme as the statistics within the report is not as positive.  The Head of Adult’s Services responded that the ‘i CAN ‘ programme is a new provision and there are challenges in engaging with some service users.  He further said that he anticipated that there will be an opportunity to further developed the programme in due course.

It was RESOLVED:-

·           To confirm the work that is required to be undertaken by the Regional Partnership Board;

·           To note the progress in 2021/2022 on the work areas that are being taken forward regionally through the North Wales Regional Partnership Board.

ACTION : As noted above.