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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 15 January 2026 be approved as a correct record.
RESOLVED: (a) That the Forward Work Programme be noted; (b) That the Facilitator, in consultation with the Chair of the Committee, be authorised to vary the Forward Work Programme between meetings, as the need arises; and (c) That the Committee notes the progress made in completing the outstanding actions.
RESOLVED: That the Committee has reviewed and commented on the Social Services portfolio’s budget reduction options.
RESOLVED: That the Committee is aware of the variety of activities being undertaken to support the recruitment and retention of the social care workforce in Flintshire.
RESOLVED: That the Committee has considered and is assured by the actions taken following the audit.
RESOLVED: That Members have reviewed the Responsible Individual’s assessment of In-house Regulated Services for adults and recognise the achievements of the service and the outcomes secured by the in-house workforce in delivering high quality and effective care and support services.
RESOLVED: That Members have reviewed the service approach to supporting vulnerable families through early intervention, including further initiatives to strengthen and enhance our offer.
RESOLVED: (a) That Members note the findings of the North Wales Oxford Brain Story (OBS) evaluation and the positive impact on early years practice; (b) That Members support continued development and expansion of the OBS pilot across Flintshire and the wider region; (c) That Members support the development of an approach that integrates OBS training into induction processes for new staff in relevant frontline roles; and (d) That Members note ongoing awareness-raising and dissemination of OBS findings across North Wales services.
RESOLVED: (a) That Members support the promotion of awareness of Flying Start Flintshire’s comprehensive offer among local communities; (b) That Members support the Champion Speech, Language and Communication (SLC) support as a priority for early years investment, by monitoring outcomes to ensure continued improvement in children’s communication and school readiness; and (c) That Members support integration of SLC strategies across wider early years and education services.
Councillor Linda Thew declared a personal and prejudicial interest in agenda item 8 (Deferred Charges Audit Report) and withdrew from the meeting for that item.
None.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 15 January 2026 be approved as a correct record.
RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 15 January 2026 be approved as a correct record.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: (a) That the Forward Work Programme be noted; (b) That the Facilitator, in consultation with the Chair of the Committee, be authorised to vary the Forward Work Programme between meetings, as the need arises; and (c) That the Committee notes the progress made in completing the outstanding actions.
The Democratic Services Manager presented a report (agenda item 5) to consider the Committee’s Forward Work Programme, together with progress on actions from previous meetings. Officers agreed to follow up Councillor Thew’s comments on cross-portfolio working in relation to housing issues. The recommendations were supported. RESOLVED: (a) That the Forward Work Programme be noted; (b) That the Facilitator, in consultation with the Chair of the Committee, be authorised to vary the Forward Work Programme between meetings, as the need arises; and (c) That the Committee notes the progress made in completing the outstanding actions.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the Committee has reviewed and commented on the Social Services portfolio’s budget reduction options.
The Chief Officer (Social Services) presented a report (agenda item 6) to consider budget reduction options for the portfolio in advance of final budget setting for 2026/27. The report identified further adjustments to budget options previously reported, following updates given on the Council’s challenging budget position and key headlines from the Welsh Local Government Final Settlement. Following discussion, the recommendation in the report was supported. RESOLVED: That the Committee has reviewed and commented on the Social Services portfolio’s budget reduction options.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the Committee is aware of the variety of activities being undertaken to support the recruitment and retention of the social care workforce in Flintshire.
The Senior Manager (Safeguarding and Commissioning) presented a report (agenda item 7) on the development of work to support effective recruitment, development, retention and succession planning across Social Services. Following discussion, the recommendation in the report was supported. RESOLVED: That the Committee is aware of the variety of activities being undertaken to support the recruitment and retention of the social care workforce in Flintshire.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That the Committee has considered and is assured by the actions taken following the audit.
The Senior Manager (Safeguarding and Commissioning) presented a report (agenda item 8) on progress with actions identified as part of the internal audit of deferred charges undertaken in 2022/23. The recommendation was supported. RESOLVED: That the Committee has considered and is assured by the actions taken following the audit.
The Chair indicated that agenda items 10 and 11 would be brought forward.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That Members have reviewed the Responsible Individual’s assessment of In-house Regulated Services for adults and recognise the achievements of the service and the outcomes secured by the in-house workforce in delivering high quality and effective care and support services.
The Services Manager (Resources and Regulated Services) presented the report (agenda item 10) on the assessment of in-house regulated care services for adults detailing service performance and achievements over the past 12 months. The recommendations in the report were supported. RESOLVED: That Members have reviewed the Responsible Individual’s assessment of In-house Regulated Services for adults and recognise the achievements of the service and the outcomes secured by the in-house workforce in delivering high quality and effective care and support services.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: That Members have reviewed the service approach to supporting vulnerable families through early intervention, including further initiatives to strengthen and enhance our offer.
The Senior Manager (Children’s Services) presented the report (agenda item 11) on a range of strategic initiatives designed to strengthen support for vulnerable families, target early intervention and enhance child protection practice. The recommendation was supported. RESOLVED: That Members have reviewed the service approach to supporting vulnerable families through early intervention, including further initiatives to strengthen and enhance our offer.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: (a) That Members note the findings of the North Wales Oxford Brain Story (OBS) evaluation and the positive impact on early years practice; (b) That Members support continued development and expansion of the OBS pilot across Flintshire and the wider region; (c) That Members support the development of an approach that integrates OBS training into induction processes for new staff in relevant frontline roles; and (d) That Members note ongoing awareness-raising and dissemination of OBS findings across North Wales services.
The Early Years & Family Centre Programmes Manager presented the report (agenda item 9) on progress with the initial pilot of the rollout of ‘Oxford Brain Story’ and the benefits of a strategic partnership approach to developing this work. A brief video by the Centre for Early Childhood was shared with the Committee to highlight this topic. Following discussion and feedback, the recommendations were supported. RESOLVED: (a) That Members note the findings of the North Wales Oxford Brain Story (OBS) evaluation and the positive impact on early years practice; (b) That Members support continued development and expansion of the OBS pilot across Flintshire and the wider region; (c) That Members support the development of an approach that integrates OBS training into induction processes for new staff in relevant frontline roles; and (d) That Members note ongoing awareness-raising and dissemination of OBS findings across North Wales services.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED: (a) That Members support the promotion of awareness of Flying Start Flintshire’s comprehensive offer among local communities; (b) That Members support the Champion Speech, Language and Communication (SLC) support as a priority for early years investment, by monitoring outcomes to ensure continued improvement in children’s communication and school readiness; and (c) That Members support integration of SLC strategies across wider early years and education services.
The Early Years & Family Centre Programmes Manager presented an report (agenda item 12) to provide an overview of the context of Speech, Language and Communication needs in young children and the development of a comprehensive range of interventions to improve outcomes for children in Flintshire. The recommendations were supported. RESOLVED: (a) That Members support the promotion of awareness of Flying Start Flintshire’s comprehensive offer among local communities; (b) That Members support the Champion Speech, Language and Communication (SLC) support as a priority for early years investment, by monitoring outcomes to ensure continued improvement in children’s communication and school readiness; and (c) That Members support integration of SLC strategies across wider early years and education services.
None.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
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