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AGREED – i. The report on an Update on Grants originally set for April will be taken alongside an item on the Early Help Partnership at the September meeting. ii. The Social Care Budget Update scheduled for this meeting will include an update on the progress on savings during 2023-24 and will also look forward to how budget pressures in 2024-25 will be mitigated. iii. Further budget updates will be added into the Work Programme at regular intervals in October and January iv. That, subject to the aforementioned amendments, the Work Programme, as attached as Appendix 1 to report COGC/09/24 be agreed.
AGREED - (i) The Chair thanked the Lead Members and Officers for this report and the detail provided in delivering the report. (ii) We congratulate the Officers, Lead Members and the whole department for the savings within the Social Care achieved over the previous years as reported to us today. (iii) We look forward to further budget reports as agreed in item 4 of the agenda with the increased details as requested by Committee. (iv) We further congratulate the department for the achievements in recruitment and retention of staff and the reduction in agency/permanent staff percentages. This is a subject that the Committee have been keenly aware of for a number of years.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Malcolm King, Rondo Roberts and Kate Wilkinson
The Minutes of the meeting held on 6 March, 2024 were submitted. AGREED – That the minutes of the meeting held on 6 March, 2024 be signed as a correct record.
No declarations of interest were made
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
AGREED – i. The report on an Update on Grants originally set for April will be taken alongside an item on the Early Help Partnership at the September meeting. ii. The Social Care Budget Update scheduled for this meeting will include an update on the progress on savings during 2023-24 and will also look forward to how budget pressures in 2024-25 will be mitigated. iii. Further budget updates will be added into the Work Programme at regular intervals in October and January iv. That, subject to the aforementioned amendments, the Work Programme, as attached as Appendix 1 to report COGC/09/24 be agreed.
The Chief Officer Governance & Customer submitted a report (COGC/09/24) asking Members to consider the Committee’s work programme. The Scrutiny Facilitator introduced the report, referring in particular to the proposed changes as follows which were highlighted in the work programme (as attached at Appendix 1 to the report). AGREED – i. The report on an Update on Grants originally set for April will be taken alongside an item on the Early Help Partnership at the September meeting. ii. The Social Care Budget Update scheduled for this meeting will include an update on the progress on savings during 2023-24 and will also look forward to how budget pressures in 2024-25 will be mitigated. iii. Further budget updates will be added into the Work Programme at regular intervals in October and January iv. That, subject to the aforementioned amendments, the Work Programme, as attached as Appendix 1 to report COGC/09/24 be agreed.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
AGREED - (i) The Chair thanked the Lead Members and Officers for this report and the detail provided in delivering the report. (ii) We congratulate the Officers, Lead Members and the whole department for the savings within the Social Care achieved over the previous years as reported to us today. (iii) We look forward to further budget reports as agreed in item 4 of the agenda with the increased details as requested by Committee. (iv) We further congratulate the department for the achievements in recruitment and retention of staff and the reduction in agency/permanent staff percentages. This is a subject that the Committee have been keenly aware of for a number of years.
The Lead Member for Adult Services (Councillor John Pritchard) and the Lead Member for Children’s Services (Councillor Robert Walsh) submitted a joint report (COSC/09/24). The Lead Member for Adult Services introduced the report and informed Members that the purpose of the report was designed to provide scrutiny with a level of understanding as to the expected outturn position for 2023/24 for the Social Care Department. The report also aimed to provide scrutiny with an understanding of how the overall budget was managed and how delegated responsibility functions within Social Care. In introducing the report the Lead Member gave recognition to the importance of the role that Social Care play in supporting the council to remain sustainable moving forward and focussing on delivery of statutory services as efficiently as possible on a day to day basis, with the careful management of decisions. Acknowledgement was given of the support provided by the council of pressures within the area and the work to transform the offer and provide the efficiencies required, £5.4M saving in 2024/ 2025. The department requires the support of members to deliver positive outcomes and alternative strategies for and to service users and enable staff to see the benefits of change and modernisation of the market. The Lead Member for Children’s Services spoke in relation to the report and acknowledged that the Social Care budget was the most important area in the council and needs to be a priority. The general themes used to manage the budget are Care Closer to Home and the Elimination of Profit from Care Assurances were given that the quality of care provided to our most vulnerable children will remain at a high standard whilst at the same time achieving good value for money and keeping costs down. Both Lead Members provided testimony of the departments’ commitment to the transformation being undertaken given the level of priority the work is to the council. Lead Members also acknowledged the progress of the department as evidenced in the reduced level of dependency the department now has on Agency Workers. The Chief Officer Social Care thanked both Lead Members for their introduction and reiterated that Social Services is committed to support a sustainable council moving forward, he introduced the Senior Heads of Service for Adult Social Care and Children’s Social Care respectively He then made the following points: · Acknowledgement that overall responsibility for budgets within Social Care sit with the Chief Officer for Social Care. · Management of individual service area budgets lines are delegated to Senior Heads of Service in Adults & Children’s Services and in turn to specialist area Heads of Service. · Recognition that as a large part of the expenditure of the Council there was a need to make a contribution and to make it in the correct way. · Social Care’s latest forecast out-turn (at Q3) for 2023/24 is an overall service pressure of £12.2m, split between £1.2m in Adults and £11m in Children’s Services. · Encouraging that there is an improvement in Q4, this will be confirmed when the accounts are closed at the year end. · Core pressures which had contributed to this position were the level of continued demand for high cost placements within children’s services and the overall level of demand for care within adult services. · As part of the Councils overall agreed budget for 2024/25 and in recognition of budget and demand pressures in Social Care, a further £7.1 million of revenue will be invested in Social Care. This continued investment reflects the Councils ongoing commitment to support Social Care and is reflective of increased investment over the last 5 years. · The £7.1 million partially supports the overall pressure of £12.5 million in 2023/24 but left a financial gap of £5.4million. In recognition of the need to transform its services, Social Care was embarking on a series of transformational pieces of work to address this financial gap. · Assurances were given that in relation to the financial gap, robust plans were in place to secure services to support the change. The Department had launched and is continuing to progress a series of projects to deliver this transformation in year and in turn deliver efficiencies, which supports us to achieve a balanced budget position. · The core areas of transformation & change in Adults:- Ø Supported Living Ø High Cost Placements Repatriations Ø Overall Demand Management The core areas of transformation & change in Children’s:- Ø Working to Eliminate Profit from Care/ Local Care options Ø Continued stabilisation of Children’s Staff structures and continuing with or current progress in this area in future years Assurance were given that continued focus on maximising grant savings and holding back expenditure as necessary would also help support delivery of the savings required across the service. Members raised the following points: · Concerns relating to the difference in the figures between Adult Services and Children’s Services. · In relation to agency workers are there obstacles or reasons why they are not moving across to be employed by the authority? The Chief Officer Social Care responded stating that it was one department, acknowledged pressures from Children’s Services had arisen rapidly. A lot of changes had taken place in Adult Services and Children’s Services over the last few years and this was a continuation. The Senior Head of Service for Children’s Services, spoke in relation to recruitment of agency workers and informed committee that research showed that there were varied personal reasons that agency workers didn’t transfer to work for the council although they understood that there were many benefits to working for a local authority, the main reason they didn’t was down to earnings. We are continuing to work with our agency workers and consult along with colleagues in the Human Resources Department to put the best opportunities forward to the agency staff to encourage them to join us permanently. · What are the financial differences of losing agency staff, what is the saving? · The total spend on Agency staff in 22/23 was £7.7m, the total spend for 23/24 will be around £5.8m – so a reduction in spend year on year of £1.9m. · This has been possible due to a reduction in actual agency staff employed by 30 members of staff. A number of agency staff have taken permanent posts whilst we have been successful in recruiting permanently in other areas. · Confirmation given that in the reduction in the agency staff and some reductions resulted from strengthened demand management allowing us to reduce numbers. · A member requested that committee be provided with separate figures for budgets of the four main areas across Adults Services and also across the three main areas of Children’s Services, as this would show where the pressures exist. · Since the middle of January Adult Services have held back expenditure on routine cases requiring home care. Those affected by a longer wait for home care are made aware of how to escalate the priority of their care need if their circumstances change. · We may not have the full figures today as they would be confirmed on closure of accounts at the year end. · The Chair requested the figures be provided in the report scheduled for the October meeting. · Assurances sought in relation to the holding back on home care cases, was this advisable for the future? · In relation to the holding back on some of or home care cases at the end of the year, the decision was made to support the budget position across the department. · Reassurance was given that we assessed and determined where it was safe to do so, and a small group of individuals who may have required additional care were held back for a couple of months if they were looking for an increase in care. The group did not involve groups such as new cases, hospital discharge, cases of high risk or breakdown of care. · Clarity sought on the potential budget position at financial year end March 2025, would the deficit be the £2.9 million or the £1.05 million · Confirmation that with the savings made and the continuation of savings we would like to have a balanced budget by that time. · If we didn’t take the proactive steps that we are taking now and were not looking at the transformation agenda we could be looking at a deficit of at least £5.4 million · A request was made for a breakdown of the figures to be provided of potential savings made from providing in house care through the properties that are in our ownership · Confirmation given that the figures could be provided and assurances given that Ty Nyth is cost effective as it is currently fully grant funded. A brief overview of the Children’s Services perspective was given and reference was made to the Eliminate Profit from Care. · Increase in the average cost of placements · We have two new fully operational and fully staffed Children’s homes · Purchase of a further two properties this financial year which should be up and running by Quarter 3. The homes will provide another four placements · Appreciation to members for all of the support given in relation to the recruitment of Foster carers · Agency staff level is down from 80 to 50, with further work to be done in relation to permanent recruitment of some agency staff · Whilst acknowledging that this is an unpredictable service, we are committed to making the savings required An overview was then provided in relation to Adult Services including: · Recognition of the need for modernisation and reform of services as well as work plans over the next 2 to 3 years as significant work is required · The 3 key areas where work has already started with ongoing work programmes in each of these areas: Ø Demand management Ø High cost placements Ø Supported living review Following a request for information about the Community Care Panel. The following information was given: · The Panel, which was set up last, year meets twice week, as a supportive mechanism to identify alternative ways of supporting people and meeting their need. · The Panel is chaired by a Head of Service and attended by Team Managers, Assistant Team Managers, Social Workers and Social Care Assessors. Plans are reviewed at the Panel. · Feedback relating to the Panel had been positive AGREED - (i) The Chair thanked the Lead Members and Officers for this report and the detail provided in delivering the report. (ii) We congratulate the Officers, Lead Members and the whole department for the savings within the Social Care achieved over the previous years as reported to us today. (iii) We look forward to further budget reports as agreed in item 4 of the agenda with the increased details as requested by Committee. (iv) We further congratulate the department for the achievements in recruitment and retention of staff and the reduction in agency/permanent staff percentages. This is a subject that the Committee have been keenly aware of for a number of years.
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