Wrthi'n llwytho
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RESOLVED that the report be received.
RESOLVED to recommend that: 3.1 The Cabinet critically review and consider increasing core funding element of the Youth Justice Teams budget. 3.2 The report be updated to include supporting data regarding the work undertaken to meet the statutory obligation to provide Welsh medium services.
RESOLVED to recommend that: 4.1 the report be reviewed to incorporate detail as to the anticipated timescales for incremental delivery. 4.2 the next steps and associated challenges be clearly outlined. 4.3 the updated report be reviewed by the Health & Social Services Committee prior to submission to Cabinet.
RESOLVED that the report be received.
RESOLVED that the list of forthcoming items to be considered at the next scheduled meeting on the 2nd February, 2026 be noted.
An apology for absence was received from Councillor M. James.
Councillor Minute No (s) Nature of Interest R. Sparks Item 6 - Draft Prevention Strategy for Carmarthenshire - 'Living Well in Carmarthenshire' He owns a swimming pool business in Carmarthen. Dispensation from Standards Committee to speak but not vote on related issues. There were no declarations of prohibited party whips.
The Chair advised that no public questions had been received.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED that the report be received.
The Committee considered the Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring Report in relation to the Health and Social Services, which provided an update on the latest budgetary position as at 31st August, 2025 in respect of the 2025/26 financial year. The Health and Social Services was projecting an overspend of £4,396k on the revenue budget and net variance of -£700k against a net budget of £1,294k on Social Care projects, and a £28k variance against the Children Services projects net budget of £1,022. A number of questions and observations were raised to which officers responded. The main matters were as follows: • It was stated that a discussion was needed regarding the longer-term funding for Social Services and if the service was sustainable with the limited funding. • In response to a question regarding benchmarking of older people compared to other authorities, the Acting Head of Integrated Services advised that in relation to the national benchmarking data the information was derived from the social care checkpoint data but disappointingly the metrics that were now reported on no longer benchmarked where the Authority was compared to the rest of Wales. The report is now based on the numbers in residential care and the number of emergency placements in residential care but not the numbers in their totality. It was noted that a significant amount of work has been done in reducing the number of residents placed in care and compared to this time last November there were 98 less people in care which was a positive outcome of a sustained strategic plan around supporting people to remain at home. As expected, this had resulted in an increase in commissioned domiciliary care. • In relation to the reduction in the number of people being admitted to residential care it was asked how the vacancies were being managed. The Acting Head of Integrated Services advised that there was a need to work with the private care home providers as the reduction in the number of beds required would create a level of uncertainty. It was highlighted that this was the current state and that the demographic growth projections suggest that there would be an increase in demand in the future. The focus would remain on trying to reduce and delay people going into residential care in as far as possible. • In response to a question regarding commissioned placements for children, the Director of Social Services & Housing advised that the number of externally commissioned placements was the main reason for the overspend in the service area. It was stated that it was impossible to predict due to it being demand led and that the financial situation could change quickly especially when residential care placements could cost upwards of £300,000 per child and sometimes placements could cost in excess of £1,000,000 for one child for one year. It was noted that there were plans afoot to develop in-house residential capacity but that would not dramatically reduce costs in terms of providing residential care however it would drive down other costs in terms of managing those children that were outside of county. Regarding the recouping of costs, it was stated that there was a need to carefully manage contracts and to scrutinise the elements within that contract and how they aligned with the need of the child. • In response to a query regarding CHC disputes the Acting Head of Integrated Services advised that it was important to note that this was a national challenge and not one specific to Carmarthenshire. It was noted that a national group led by Welsh Government had been established to look at this issue. It was stated that where CHC was concerned thresholds varied across Wales in terms of where somebody would be deemed eligible for CHC. It was noted that this wasn’t about money but was about ensuring people were supported in the right way and ideally in their own homes. There were also challenges in terms of identifying when somebody tipped from a social care need into a health need. Assurance was given that the focus was on delivering the correct level of support and not about the delivery of savings. • In response to a query regarding the right sizing of packages in Learning Disability – Residential Care Homes, the Head of Adult Social Care advised that a significant amount of work had been undertaken in working with providers to ensure that the right level of care was being provided. It was noted that there was a focus on reviewing the level of care as individual needs often changed. The Committee was advised that the Shared Lives service was actively growing and that there was still a challenge in getting people to work with the Authority. There are plans in place to expand the service to older adults and mental health. • An update was requested on the progress made with Respite, Short Breaks and Direct Payments. The Senior Manager Family Support and Resources advised that it was proposed to change the use of some of the registered children's homes and respite centres and one of the options being considered was instead of two short break centres was to utilise a larger building to deliver and centralised the services. It was highlighted that families were regularly updated and that the proposal was dependent on the transition plans for young people currently being cared for in the homes. This change would be an opportunity to develop a community short breaks offer as feedback from families was that while overnight stays were welcomed is was not always what they need - they need a flexible approach which includes weekend respite, overnight respite, after school clubs and holiday clubs so by centralising these two services, this would enable the Authority to start to develop an internal offering to families. • In response to a query regarding budget setting and the overspend on young people transitioning into adult services, given that it was known at the start of the financial year who would be moving into adult services, the Director of Social Services and Housing stated that the numbers did not remain static and that it was difficult to predict the in-year demand. • In relation to concerns regarding the predicted efficiency savings within Children & Family Services, the Director of Social Services and Housing advised that at the start of the year when the efficiencies were set it was with the best intent and confidence that the savings would be delivered. The fact they were not achieved was linked to unanticipated in-year demand and inability to predict the impact on efficiency efforts. UNANAMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report be received.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED to recommend that: 3.1 The Cabinet critically review and consider increasing core funding element of the Youth Justice Teams budget. 3.2 The report be updated to include supporting data regarding the work undertaken to meet the statutory obligation to provide Welsh medium services.
The Committee received for consideration the Annual Youth Justice Plan for 2025/27. The report had been developed and agreed with youth justice partners and designed in line with the recently published Youth Justice Plans: YJB Practice Guidance (March 2023) and the Youth Justice Blueprint. The report provided a review of the performance and developments over the last year and a plan for the forthcoming year. It was reported that the Youth Justice Plan for 2025/27 was signed off by the Local Management Board prior to its submission to the Youth Justice Board on 30th June 2025. A number of questions and observations were raised to which officers responded. The main matters were as follows: • In response to a question regarding short term funding and funding from the PCC which may cease in 2028, the Principal Youth Support Services Manager advised that the current commissioner had been committed in providing support to the team and that the funding was valued. It was stated that it was a delicate balance with the funding however there was a lot of support and that budgets were monitored closely to try and anticipate the challenges. • In response to concerns regarding young people in the justice system especially the neurodivergent cohorts, the Principal Youth Support Services Manager reassured the committee that this was an area that was considered in conjunction with cohorts and partner organisations. It was noted that data trends and analysis were undertaken, and work was being done with the ALN department to ensure that the curriculum was fit for purpose. • The Principal Youth Support Services Manager stated that anticipating when funding would be received was a juggling act and that this made the planning cycle challenging. Recruitment was a particular challenge as jobs could not be advertised until funding had been confirmed and then people were reluctant to apply for jobs due to the short-term contracts. In terms of Welsh Government funding this was now on a 3-year offering which has provided more security. • In response to a query regarding the safeguarding and mental well being of staff, the Principal Youth Support Services Manager advised that this was an area that was critically important to them. Support and training was provided and key to the service was the outcomes for young people so staff health was important in achieving positive outcomes. • It was asked what had been done to achieve the reduction to the First Time Entrants rate. The Principal Youth Support Services Manager advised that they had worked with the Police to look at out of court disposals which afforded the opportunity to complete assessments with the child and the family. The child was assessed and recommendations provided to a multi-agency panel. This process allowed the child to have an intervention but prevented them from ending up with a criminal record. • It was asked if there would be a benefit in educating children in schools about the perils of substance misuse. The Principal Youth Support Services Manager advised that there was an in house substance misuse service that was available to provide immediate support and there were links the Health Teams to provide tier 1 and 2 support. In addition to this there were regular discussions with the education team which had been invaluable. The Strategic Lead for School Effectiveness advised that schools were supported and provided with training and professional development. Additionally, work with police liaison officers had enabled further upskilling of school colleagues. The importance of re-establishing the pastoral support network was highlighted. A Head Teachers conference was being planned for March. • It was asked if more information could be included in the report regarding the Welsh Language. It was noted that an explanation on what was being done to meet the statutory obligations was required. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED to recommend that: 3.1 The Cabinet critically review and consider increasing core funding element of the Youth Justice Teams budget. 3.2 The report be updated to include supporting data regarding the work undertaken to meet the statutory obligation to provide Welsh medium services.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED to recommend that: 4.1 the report be reviewed to incorporate detail as to the anticipated timescales for incremental delivery. 4.2 the next steps and associated challenges be clearly outlined. 4.3 the updated report be reviewed by the Health & Social Services Committee prior to submission to Cabinet.
The Committee considered the draft Prevention Strategy for Carmarthenshire – ‘Living Well in Carmarthenshire’. The strategy set out the ten-year vision to embed prevention and early intervention at the heart of health and well-being services across Carmarthenshire. The aims are to shift the focus from reactive care to proactive, community-based support that empowers individuals and strengthens resilience across all age groups. The Committee noted that there was currently no prevention strategy in place for Carmarthenshire or for the Hywel Dda Region and the closest report of a similar nature was the ‘Prevention, Early Intervention, Promoting Independent Living Carmarthenshire: A Resilient Community’ developed in 2016. A number of questions were raised to which officers responded. The main matters were as follows: • In response to a concern raised about issues experienced by older people in accessing on-line services and information, the Service Delivery Manager for Prevention and Wellbeing (Hywel Dda Health Board) advised that the digital platform was key to the strategy however work was being done through community hubs and signposting to ensure that there was a face to face service available. The Living Well events had shown that many people were unaware of the support and services that were available to them. • Concern was expressed that the report lacked clarification on how and when work would be done and that there had been a limited response to engagement. The Acting Head of Integrated Services advised that engagement was an ongoing process and that the concerns raised would be addressed prior to submission to the Cabinet for approval. It was noted that the Draft Strategy was a broad document that highlighted the direction of travel for the next 10 years and that during that time things were likely to change. The Draft Strategy would be underpinned by an action plan that would provide detail on how and when work would be undertaken and that this plan would enable the committee to monitor progress. • In response to a question why Mental Health and Suicide & Self Harm was grouped with Aging Population, Cardiovascular Disease, Childhood Obesity, Cancer and Financial Poverty the Head of Adult Social Care stated that Mental Health was a critical part of the draft strategy and in addition to this there were also national and local strategies that linked into the Living Well in Carmarthenshire draft strategy. It was noted that the existing delivery plans would need to be directly linked to the strategy as many of the services were already in existence. • The Interim Head of Integrated Services, in response to a query regarding funding advised that there was a need to recognise that a lot had already been invested in prevention work and that the strategy would be baselining the current position. Funding would remain an issue and there was uncertainty due to the upcoming election however there was a priory list for investment. • It was asked if any other Authorities in Wales were undertaking similar work to this. The Interim Head of Integrated Services advised that she was not aware of any in Wales but that some areas in England were. • The Committee noted the need for further engagement with the citizens of Carmarthenshire. It was suggested to engage with the Local Motion network. • The Interim Head of Integrated Services agreed that it would be beneficial to review how the Authority uses their existing resources such as leisure centres. It was acknowledged that there was a need to improve access to these facilities. • In response to concerns regarding cardiovascular disease, the Consultant in Public Health Medicine advised that a significant amount of work was being undertaken to address the risk factors and that they worked closely with the British Heart Foundation. It was noted that cardiac services were being looked at across the board. It was stated that deprived areas experienced higher cardiovascular issues and that there was a need to target the more deprived areas. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED to recommend that: 4.1 the report be reviewed to incorporate detail as to the anticipated timescales for incremental delivery. 4.2 the next steps and associated challenges be clearly outlined. 4.3 the updated report be reviewed by the Health & Social Services Committee prior to submission to Cabinet.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED that the report be received.
The Committee considered the Domiciliary Care Performance Update report. The report provided the Committee with an update on the current position in relation to domiciliary care in the county. This update was requested by the Committee and it was agreed that the key metrics would be reported on a regular basis. The Cabinet Member for Integrated Health & Children & Adult Social Services highlighted that there had been an improvement across the board in terms of all 4 key metrics with commissioned hours returning close to those seen pre-pandemic. This has resulted in an overall growth in the number of hours commissioned for domiciliary care and a trajectory of reduction in hours and people waiting across the community. A number of questions were raised to which officers responded. The main matters were as follows: • In response to a query regarding the growth in commissioned hours, the Interim Head of Integrated Services advised that this was mirrored in the reduction of placements and that the budgets were now aligning with reality. • In response to a question regarding the risk to external providers due to in-house provision, the Head of Adult Social Care advised that as the demographics show there will be an increase in demand and that when this happens the private sector would also grow. Currently the number of staff had increased by 25 and recruitment was still on-going. It was stated that the service needs to grow faster to meeting the increasing demand. • It was asked if there were opportunities for cost savings without compromising the service provided. The Head of Adult Social Care advised that the in-house service had exceptional experience in managing complex needs placements. Moving forward there would be a need to reflect on what services are being provided and increasing the focus on re-enablement. UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the report be received.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED that the list of forthcoming items to be considered at the next scheduled meeting on the 2nd February, 2026 be noted.
RESOLVED that the list of forthcoming items to be considered at the next scheduled meeting on the 2nd February, 2026 be noted.
UNANAMOUSLY RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on the 16th October, 2025 be signed as a correct record.
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