Wrthi'n llwytho
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RESOLVED: That the Chairperson writes to the Cabinet Member on behalf of the Committee expressing their comments and observations captured during the way forward.
RESOLVED: That the Chairperson writes to the Cabinet Member on behalf of the Committee expressing their comments and observations captured during the way forward.
Apologies were received from Cllr Saleh Ahmed, Patricia Arlotte (Roman Catholic Church representative) and Emily Gao (Youth Council).
Cllrs Hopkins, Humphries, Moultrie and Reid-Jones declared personal interests in item 5 as they were school governors, as did Carol Cobert (Church Representative) and Celeste Lewis (Parent Governor Representative).
The minutes of the 15th October 2024 meeting were approved and signed as a correct record.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED: That the Chairperson writes to the Cabinet Member on behalf of the Committee expressing their comments and observations captured during the way forward.
Members were advised that this item sought to provide the Committee with background information ahead of a verbal briefing from the Cabinet Member and officers in relation to proposals due to be considered by Cabinet on 21st November concerning the Welsh government’s proposals to eliminate profit from care. The Chair welcomed Cllr Ash Lister (Cabinet Member for Children’s Services, Tackling Poverty & Supporting Young People), Sarah McGill (Corporate Director, People & Communities), Deborah Driffield (Director of Children’s Services) and Suki Bahara-Garrens (Operational Manager, Wellbeing, Protection & Support, Children’s Services). The Cabinet Member was invited to make an opening statement, in which he thanked officers for their hard work in developing the authority’s accommodation strategy. The next step of the process was opening their own children’s homes, in alignment with the Welsh government’s goal to eliminate profit from care. He emphasised that the council would do what was best for a Cardiff context, working with third sector organisations and not-for-profits as it was not a challenge they would be able to take on alone. Officers gave a presentation, noting that the strategy was now ready in draft form and would be sent to the Committee alongside their response to its letter. They outlined the current position in relation to Children’s Services placements, as detailed in the Providing Homes for Children Strategy, which sought to provide the right support from the right person at the right time, at the lowest safe level of intervention. To date, four new residential homes had been developed by the council and registered with the Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW), with four more purchased and undergoing refurbishment. In the next phase, they would look at developing further homes across the city. Officers added that Cardiff was starting to see success in reducing the number of children looked after, from a high point of 1,057 in March 2023 to 1,006 in September 2024. External fostering was the most used type of home, but in-house fostering and the use of external residential homes were increasing due to a relative dearth of fostering placements. This was a national issue but one which acutely affected Cardiff, so they were working with providers to access more homes for children. Officers outlined the key details of the Health and Social Care (Wales) Bill, which sought to restrict the making of profit in the provision of care home services to children, secure accommodation services and fostering services. New providers seeking to register with the CIW would be required to have not-for-profit status from 1st April 2026, and existing for-profit providers would need to transition to not-for-profit status by 1st April 2027. At present, of the 272 children in external foster placement in Cardiff, 220 were in for-profit foster agencies, while 106 of the 109 children in external residential provision were in for-profit providers. Officers explained that the council planned to address this demand by significantly increasing the number and range of children’s homes in Cardiff, and develop a model alongside providers that met the desired outcomes for children and young people, including those who had experienced trauma, disability, ill health or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). They would seek to reduce reliance on the market by moving to individual provision tendering through a new dynamic purchasing framework, with homes delivered by contracted providers operating within council-owned buildings. It was believed that 20 new homes could be delivered using this approach, at a cost of around £18m, or £900k per home. An estimated £4m in set up costs would be needed, in addition to £800k/year to implement the program. Regarding the transition to not-for-profit models, the council had undertaken a market engagement event in September attended by more than 70 providers, many of whom were keen to deliver within this service model. Providers advocated long-term contracts to enable them to invest in staff and deliver consistent relationships, and block contracting to reduce the impact of empty beds arising from difficulties in matching. However, none of them had made significant strides to move to a not-for-profit model at the time of the engagement event. The council would also seek to increase the number of in-house foster carers and target homes for teenagers, siblings and parents and children, and would work with independent fostering agencies (IFAs) to help them transition to not-for-profit models. Members were invited to ask questions and make comments; the discussion is summarised below: The Committee explored the proposed model for the relationship between the council and providers, and heard that the council would own the buildings while the providers would employ the staff and run support and services. More specific details of costings would be worked out during the procurement process, but officers were confident that the mixed model would be more sustainable. At present, about half of the monies paid to IFAs went towards costs and management fees. Members queried whether any of the 20 new care homes were replacing older ones, or whether they represented a net gain of 20. Officers clarified that it was the latter, and that the broader intention would be to reduce the number needed through intervention. It would be beneficial to rely on a smaller cohort of providers working in close collaboration, and with a focus on delivering smaller homes. Homes tended to be gender-mixed and mostly teenagers, but the average age was getting lower. At present there were no single-sex units but officers did not rule this out in the future. It was often not possible to place siblings together, especially large groups, but the new approach could allow them to become more innovative in meeting the needs of larger groups in the longer term. Officers added that the smaller properties approach would allow a greater geographical spread across Cardiff, and for homes to be better embedded within the community, which Members welcomed. Officers also added that the workforce at each home would be key to integrating them with the community, as they had been at Crosslands in Ely and Caerau. Members explored the question of funding and heard that the Cabinet Member had recently met with the minister and officials and made the council’s financial requirements clear. If this funding were not forthcoming then the program would need to be scaled back. Members echoed this concern and supported the Cabinet Member continuing to make the case to the Welsh government, and asked for an update on how the capital and revenue costs would be covered once it was confirmed. The Committee discussed the Welsh government’s timelines and heard that while they had been provided with two dates in April 2026, there were a lot of variables and the budget on 10th December would be a factor. Officers hoped that the four new homes would be up and running by June or July next year. Members asked that the Committee be kept informed when these timelines were clarified. Members noted that the Welsh government had not yet provided a specific definition of profit, and queried how a strategy could be drafted around this as a result. Officers explained that this work was being done anyway, just perhaps not in such a formalised manner. At present, the Welsh government prescribed four operating models, and the framework approach would give the council greater transparency when it came to costs. Members explored the procurement process and specifically how the council would apply due diligence when dealing with private providers who had shifted to trading as non-profits. Officers acknowledged that the legal structures were something of a minefield but noted that the Welsh government were working to close loopholes at the moment. Contract monitoring would be crucial to the relational commissioning approach, and the Care Inspectorate Wales would play a key regulatory role. Members asked whether this could offer an opportunity for third-sector organisations from Scotland and England to establish a footprint in Wales, as they already had similar operations running. Officers welcomed this, noting that Barnardo’s were no longer active in Wales but keen to come back, although they noted that the Scottish government’s approach to care was more focused on fostering. RESOLVED: That the Chairperson writes to the Cabinet Member on behalf of the Committee expressing their comments and observations captured during the way forward.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED: That the Chairperson writes to the Cabinet Member on behalf of the Committee expressing their comments and observations captured during the way forward.
Members were advised that this item sought to provide the Committee with background information to facilitate their pre-decision scrutiny of the draft report prior to its consideration by Cabinet on 21st November. The Chair welcomed Cllr Sarah Merry (Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Education), Melanie Godfrey (Director of Education & Lifelong Learning) and Helen Williams (Assistant Director of Education & Lifelong Learning). The Cabinet Member was invited to make an opening statement, which she began by welcoming the Welsh government’s review. In particular she highlighted the results of engagement with schools, a key theme of which was that they felt policy changes had been ‘done to’ schools rather than ‘done with’ them. The paper set out the council’s response to the conclusions of the review, with key principles agreed by each of the five authorities to set the future direction of school improvement services and professional learning. Officers gave a presentation highlighting key aspects of the paper, noting that the Central South Consortium (CSC) had been established in 2012, comprised of Cardiff, RCT, Bridgend, Merthyr and the Vale. Local authorities retained statutory responsibility for school improvement but delivery was coordinated across the consortium. This was broken up into four key areas: school improvement; curriculum and professional learning; Statutory Services; and other National Priority Areas. They outlined the National Review of School Improvement led by Professor Dylan Jones, which had identified need at three levels (local, regional and national) and set out aspirations for new arrangements. In particular, it called for improved educational standards in the context of clear roles and responsibilities, targeting resources, reducing workloads at school level, more effective local collaboration between local authorities and schools, and more education expertise and capacity. It concluded that developing partnerships between local authorities, stronger national leadership with clearer national priorities for schools and the simplification of national funding mechanisms were key to school improvement. The Welsh government’s subsequent guidance emphasised collective responsibility and required each authority to submit individual plans based on the key policy objectives. The CSC review, led by Jo-Anne Daniels, worked with the five local authorities in order to develop its proposals for new arrangements. The Cabinet paper set out the core elements of the future operating model and possible risks, and following Cabinet approval they would develop and cost detailed operating models, provide proposed structures and delivery arrangements, set out proposed partnership arrangements and develop transition plans. Members were invited to ask questions and make comments; the discussion is summarised below: Members welcomed the emphasis on collaboration and encouraged the development of collaborative cycles to keep standards rising. They asked for more information about vertical and horizontal collaborative approaches, and heard that this referred to schools working with others both within their age range (i.e. primaries with primaries) and with others too, as set out by the Welsh government. Members queried what would happen if a school felt it did not fit within a particular collaborative partnership. Officers explained that a lot of collaboration was already happening, and they were seeking to build on that by formalising structures and building groups, with their research showing that between 5 and 10 schools was an optimal cluster. Schools would still be able to work within their existing cluster, but this new model would encourage them to work outside of it too, with greater accountability and clear lines of reporting. One of the Welsh government’s priorities was to encourage schools to work with schools they hadn’t worked with before. It also did not preclude schools from working with those further away, which was particularly relevant for faith schools. The Committee explored governance arrangements and heard that these would become clearer as the process developed, and would emphasise skills and accountability while maintaining flexibility. It was clarified that the seven members of the Local Collaboration Partnership Boards would be local to Cardiff rather than from all five authorities in the consortium, and that the consortium allowed Cardiff-specific pieces of work to be developed. Members requested more information on the governance arrangements of collaborative learning partnerships, and clarification on the role of the improvement partner, once these arrangements were settled. Members discussed the self-evaluation process and advocated a 360-degree model taking all perspectives into account, including children and parents. Officers agreed that self-evaluation was key to any school improvement, and sought to expand school-to-school support partnerships. School leaders would be trusted to engage with all stakeholders. Members explored how success would be measured and heard that there was a perceived deficit in data and benchmarking. There had been some dialogue with the Welsh government around collating data on national outcomes, but not on a specific comparative level to enhance benchmarking. Better educational outcomes, progression and attainment would be the key measures of success, but metrics would be constructed alongside schools and would ideally be able to adapt and change over time. Schools faced diverse challenges but it was hoped that the collaboration model would raise outcomes and help staff develop, as it had done elsewhere. Members asked how school leaders viewed the regional approach, and heard that while good work had been undertaken by the CSC and improvement partners, the disconnect of retaining statutory responsibility for services that didn’t take place in Cardiff could be improved. Each of the five local authorities’ feedback had differed: for example, the smaller authorities benefitted from economies of scale more than Cardiff did. Value for money was key, as were delivering clear accountability and better educational outcomes. Officers emphasised the need to work with schools as much as possible rather than dictating to them. Members asked how confident officers were that a major shake-up like this would be worth it. Officers noted that headteachers had told the review that they wanted to see more support school-to-school and from skilled practitioners, with clearer connections between statutory responsibilities. They acknowledged that the timing was not ideal, but it was an exciting opportunity to work more closely with schools and drill down into the things that Cardiff schools and learners needed. The Committee explored to what extent these proposals represented a departure from the current arrangement, or how much they built on existing work. Officers noted that a lot of this was in the system already, but a key difference was in the greater clarity around roles and responsibilities, in particular the role of the improvement partner. Support roles sat squarely with schools, while challenge and accountability arrangements sat with the local authority. Another key change was bringing ALN and behaviour needs back within school improvement. Members queried whether cost savings were expected as a result, noting that the £1.2m ringfenced for school improvement costs, was lower than the £1.3m set aside in 2013. Officers explained that there would need to be, as the report articulated, and they did not yet know the impact of grants. RESOLVED: That the Chairperson writes to the Cabinet Member on behalf of the Committee expressing their comments and observations captured during the way forward.
There were none.
Tuesday 3rd December at 4:30pm.
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