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There is no summary of this meeting yet. Summaries are written once the council publishes the minutes, which are its official record of what a meeting decided. They usually appear a few weeks after the meeting.
Apologies were received from Cllr Julia Jenkins.
Cllr Louise Minett-Vokes declared a personal interest in Item 6 due to her employment with Safer Merthyr Tydfil. She confirmed she had received clarification from the Monitoring Officer and Standards Committee and was permitted to speak and vote. Cllr Claire Jones declared an interest in Item 5, having assisted with one of the complaints referenced.
Minutes of the meeting held on 1st July 2025 were approved as accurate.
The action log from the meeting of 1st July 2025 was reviewed. All actions were complete.
Cllr Claire Jones left the meeting. Cllr Louise Minett-Vokes introduced the report. In response to questions from the committee members, officers confirmed: · There has been a slight increase in complaints noted; however, most were resolved at Stage 1 and the complaints at Stage 2 have decreased. · Communication remains an area for improvement. · Training was delivered by the Ombudsman to staff to improve complaint handling. · The increase in complaints against staff is often related to communication or personal conflict. · The Chair agreed to write to the Chief Executive to ask if staff contact information for staff can be reviewed to ensure that this is up to date. · Officers are not aware of a system like the one referred to in the NHS but there are processes where staff can report incidents such as abusive and threatening and behaviour towards them. · Officers stated there has been a rise in verbal and written abuse towards staff and commented that a zero-tolerance approach is adopted. · Members acknowledged the importance of recognising the compliments received alongside complaints. Members commented this is a challenging area and agreed they had added value through their discussion and questions which will be considered for future iterations of the report. Cllr Claire Jones re-joined the meeting.
Cllr Louise Minett-Vokes introduced the report. In response to questions from the committee members, officers confirmed: · This is the first year of the new format of the LASSAR which replaces the ACRF. · The Report highlights include improved outcomes despite financial pressures, expansion of supported accommodation, and success of Foster Wales Merthyr Tydfil. · Officers stated that early intervention and sign posting have reduced the number of referrals to statutory services. · It was noted that most of the staff vacancies have been filled, and this is a positive picture currently. Vacancies are monitored and agency use is recorded. · Officers agreed to check the figures in the report for Social Care in 2023–2024. Members praised staff for dedication and professionalism. Members commented that the workshop held on the 24th July 2025 had allowed members to add value by challenging and shaping the report prior to full council.
Members reviewed the programme and agreed to include a report on Special Guardianship Orders (SGOs) for 10 February 2026. A suggestion was made to include the Adult Services Strategy in the Programme. Members noted the changes and agreed to add the following items to the Forward Work Programme: Adult Service Strategy –date to be confirmed. Special Guardianship – February 2026
None received.
Members noted Members noted the Risk Workshop was held on 17th September 2025.
Noted by Members.
Members were reminded that the next meeting will be held on 25th November 2025 at 2:00pm.
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.
Declarations are read from the minutes once they are published.
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