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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the 11th March 2024 as an accurate reflection of the meeting.
RESOLVED to: 1. Note the information contained within the report.
RESOLVED to: - Authorise the Service Director Democratic Services and Communications to provide the comments and observations of the Committee to Cabinet, prior to their consideration of this matter at its meeting on the 19th September 2024.
RESOLVED to: 1. Authorise the Service Director of Democratic Services and Communications to provide the comments and observations of the Committee to Cabinet, prior to their consideration of the matter in October 2024. 2. Request an update report be provided prior to the anticipated meeting with the Link Inspector in October 2025 to monitor the progress of the recommendations.
Apologies for absence were received from County Borough Councillor S Bradwick, D Evans, H Gronow, D Parkin, G Stacey and K Webb.
In accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct, there were no declarations of interest made.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the 11th March 2024 as an accurate reflection of the meeting.
It was RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the 11th March 2024 as an accurate reflection of the meeting.
Members acknowledged the information provided through the consultation links in respect of open consultations, Welsh Government consultations and those matters being consulted upon by the local authority.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED to: 1. Note the information contained within the report.
The Head of Leisure Sports & Parks presented report which provided Members with an update on the progress of implementing the Sport and Physical Activity Strategy 22-27. The Head of Leisure Sports & Parks outlined the background to the report and reminded Members that the Sport and Physical Activity Strategy 22-27 was presented to Cabinet on October 17th 2022 and was developed in response to the external environment and pressures impacting on residents and service delivery. Members were informed that since the implementation of the strategy there has been increasing financial pressures on the service and referred to the pressures as outlined in the report. It was highlighted to Members that despite these pressures, the service has been able to improve core service performance and develop new services through working in partnership utilising additional external funding. Members were referred to sections 4.3-4.10 of the report which provided examples of the work undertaken and also referred to appendix 1 which contained detail information for Members. The Head of Leisure Sports & Parks provided Members with highlighted information from these sections of the report including the increased numbers of Leisure for Life Memberships, working with the Cymru Football Foundation in partnership with the Department of Culture Sport and Media to deliver 2 new 3G pitches with rugby shock pads (Baglan and Darren Park) and the upskilling of leisure centre staff to offer the new 1-2-1 physical activity service. The Head of Leisure Sports & Parks concluded the presentation of the report by informing Members that despite the challenging financial environment, the service has recovered from the disruption caused by the pandemic and is continuing to deliver valued services to the residents of RCT. Members were also informed that the service developments are delivering new, improved and better quality services for the residents in RCT, that offer more people a wide range of additional opportunities for all sectors of society to be more active, more often and improve their health and wellbeing. The Chair thanked the Officer for the presentation of the report and requested further information about the Active Baby at Home programme. The Head of Leisure Sports & Parks informed Members that the service has worked with flying start providers and aims to get new mums active. The Community Sport & Physical Activity Manager also added that in partnership with Early Years Wales a Pre and Post Natal programme was introduced and the Active Baby at Home programme was developed to compliment this. Members were informed of the importance of the first 1000 days of a new baby’s life and utilises basic baby movements and includes training up staff to deliver these goals. Members queried the longevity of the programme and requested information on the ongoing programmes available to young children. The Community Sport & Physical Activity Manager shared that Sport RCT, which is primarily funded by Sport Wales, has a remit which is largely aged 3+. The service is proficient at providing support for 3+ but were finding the need to make partnerships with providers such as Early Years Wales to utilise their specialist knowledge and support. A Member commented on the availability of leisure facilities in smaller communities within Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT) and felt that it is important for young people to be able to have access to facilities to be able to provide incentives for them to be active. The Head of Leisure Sports & Parks provided the Member with an update on the timescale for the works being carried out on a local skate park and shared the timescale has been impacted by inclement weather. A Member referred to the personalised support to exercise examples outlined in section 4.3 of the report and requested further information on the uptake of these schemes and whether there had been any feedback to date about them. The Head of Leisure Sports & Parks confirmed these have been rolled out in 3 leisure facilities currently and there has not been a huge uptake so far. This is thought to be down to a number of factors including the individual cost and that staff on site are available to help and support individuals outside of the schemes. Members were informed that despite staff already providing support, the aim was to introduce small group training element and that there will be a further push on this to increase uptake. The plan is to roll it out wider with staff already trained to undertake the sessions at all other facilities. Members were pleased to see the rise in the number of leisure for life memberships and the leisure numbers in general and felt movement and activity is an important part of every day life. A Member referred to the Young Ambassadors programme outlined in the report and requested further information be provided about this. The Community Sport & Physical Activity Manager responded that the Young Ambassador scheme is in its 12th year and was launched back in 2011/12. The idea is to find young leaders and create pathway. The Community Sport & Physical Activity Manager shared there are currently about 60% of schools participating in it and they can nominate individuals to come on the pathway which has different levels of Bronze / Silver / Gold / Platinum. The Young Ambassadors are used in community settings to encourage activity, inclusion and as they advance the development opportunities become more. Members were also informed of good case studies around previous Young Ambassadors going on to secure jobs in the local authority or national governing bodies. A Member commented that the strategy as set out in the report is robust and commented on the support from the leisure service to community groups / facilities to enable them to continue to run. The Member commented on the good partnership working between the community and the leisure service area and felt the strategy is important in supporting this to continue and for the community groups to value the Council’s input. A Member referred to the refurbishment of leisure facilities as outlined in the report and commented this was pleasing to see. The Member also queried whether we have engaged with users of leisure services and any response to new developments that have taken place. The Head of Leisure Sports & Parks confirmed there has been lots of encouraging feedback particularly about the improved facilities at Rhondda Sports Centre. In relation to formal feedback the Head of Leisure Sports & Parks outlined for Members a change in direction with the general user survey that is due to go out in the next 3 months and how this will be used to get more tangible feedback in addition to the ongoing day to day feedback service that is already available for leisure service users. A Member queried what the vision and intention is for the service after 2027. The Head of Leisure Sports & Parks shared that there will be more onus going forward on the cost of the service and spoke of the better utilisation of funding to achieve more value for money through grants and match funding. Members were informed of changes to the Sports Development grant next year which mean increased costs for previously funded areas however it is felt that how RCT as a local authority work with community clubs is cutting edge. The Head of Leisure Sports & Parks spoke of the provision of outdoor 3G pitches in RCT and the need to manage outdoor clubs due to an increasing number being created and the impact this may have on resource. A Member also raised the ‘More than a card’ scheme and queried how these children were identified and whether there is provision for more to be supported. The Community Sport & Physical Activity Manager informed Members that this scheme is a partnership with the Council’s Youth Engagement and Participation Service (YEPS) who refer children who need it most. The aim is by giving them the card and providing support and mentoring at leisure sites it will build confidence and motivation. Members were also informed that whilst capacity for more is available it must be balanced with enough staff resource to ensure vulnerable young people are provided with the support they need. Following the conclusion of discussions it was RESOLVED to: 1. Note the information contained within the report.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED to: - Authorise the Service Director Democratic Services and Communications to provide the comments and observations of the Committee to Cabinet, prior to their consideration of this matter at its meeting on the 19th September 2024.
The Democratic Services Officer presented the report and reminded Members that the purpose of the report was to provide the comments and observations of the Committee to Cabinet, prior to their consideration of this matter at its meeting on the 19th September 2024. The Director of Adult Services presented the report and informed Members the purpose of the report was to provide the outcome of the public consultation on the draft Rhondda Cynon Taf Adult Social Care Strategy 2024-2030 and seek approval from Cabinet to adopt the strategy. The Director outlined the background to the report and informed Members that is important that the Council has a clear strategy for adult social care and set of priorities for future years in order to plan and allocate its resources to achieve the outcomes that will make a difference to the people that need, and are eligible, for our support. Members were also informed that at its meeting on 29th April 2024, Cabinet considered a draft Adult Social Care Strategy 2024-2030 and agreed a targeted public consultation to confirm the direction of travel and priorities and to seek the perspective of our stakeholders. Members were informed that consultation was held from 24th June 2024 to 19th August 2024, with the majority of participants indicating their support and only some minor amendments required to provide clarification that the outcomes service aspire to relate to unpaid carers as well as service users. The Director briefly outlined the Council vision for adult social care in Rhondda Cynon Taf and the referred to the six priorities contained within the strategy as contained in section 5.6 in the report. It was also highlighted to Members that subject to Cabinet approval of the new Adults Social Care Strategy 2024-2030, Adult Services will plan its implementation and monitor and evaluate progress within the annual service evaluation and planning arrangements of the Council. The Director shared with Members that an Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) has been completed and no negative or adverse impacts on a protected group have been identified with regards to this strategy. Members were referred to the full EIA attached at Appendix 2. Additionally, Members were also informed that a Welsh Language Impact Assessment had been completed and attached at Appendix 3. The Director provided Members with a summary of the consultation and engagement process undertaken and detailed the various methods used to encourage people to participate. Members were advised that full detail of the Consultation exercise were contained in section 8 of the report. The Director informed Members that overall, the content of the strategy has received support from people participating in the consultation and no themes were identified where people felt they couldn’t support them. The Director provided a summary of the themes where respondents emphasised areas of the service that matter to them which were: · Unpaid carers were well represented in responses and their concerns around their own support needs and involvement in planning and service user care and support were highlighted through the results. · Some concerns were expressed regarding the challenges faced by the Local Authority and the actual and potential service change that will be experienced. · There was also an indication that people continue to value more traditional services and are concerned that good quality services such as care home placement and home care for example require our attention. · There was also a comment regarding the potential for future Legislative changes that may impact on the strategy over the next 5 years. These changes are not always known it is acknowledged that our statutory duties can change over time that would initiate a review of our priorities over the next 5 years. In concluding her presentation, the Director shared that the new Adult Social Care Strategy sets out the service area vision and priorities until 2030 and following the outcome of targeted consultation with stakeholders where only minor amendments were required it is recommended that the document is endorsed for implementation. A Member acknowledged that those working in social care provide an important service and a question was raised around what workforce implications the strategy will have particularly in relation to recruitment and retention. The Director shared that whilst the strategy presented today is a general strategy, alongside it there will be a workforce strategy required which is currently being developed internally in Adult’s Services. The Director informed Members that there will be some areas where they will have to work intensively to support workforce and one of these is to create an environment that supports people to feel engaged and motivated to deliver the strategy and support their well-being. The Director continued to explain that the impacts of the pandemic and period of financial and workforce challenge all have an ongoing effect and the primary role as Director is to support people to feel motivated to continue in Adult Social Care. This is a common refrain heard across other LA’s. The Director also shared that alongside this, there will be a need to attract, recruit and retain the best people with right attitude and values to work in social care. Additionally, the Director acknowledged the need to develop opportunities for seamless health and social care roles and for the need of some staff working in hybrid space. Members were made aware there will be a need to understand how the service will direct these staff with different statutory obligations and ensure their role is supported with good training, management and direction and communication. A large area that offers the service area opportunities is to create technology to work alongside direct staff which will help people to be more independent. There is a need to build a digitally ready workforce and the Director acknowledged there is still some work to do here. The Workforce strategy is based around these things and is in place to support the commitments made in the draft adult services strategy. The Member also asked in relation to the care sector what the staff turn around is in this area. Whilst the Director was unable to provide exact figures during the meeting, Members were informed that post pandemic the turnover was rapid but this has now eased. The services is attracting more people to the service and retaining people. The Director did inform Members that the Home care transfer has had an impact and has increased turnover but the Director is aware and shared with Members that Home care provider partners have had more success recruiting people into this service. The Director concluded her answer by informing Members that whilst there have been positive changes, there are still challenges in this space. There was discussion around the priorities set out in the report and a Member queried how the service will achieve these and how progress in achieving the priorities will be monitored, evaluated and reviewed. The Director informed Members that all service areas are required to undertake a Service Self-Evaluation every autumn to review progress and identify any new priorities which informs the annual service plan which is reported to Council. The Director shared that the intention is to plot out the 5-year strategy in order to make sure in the annual service plan they set out some challenging priorities for the year to achieve what is in the strategy and at the end of the year consider in the service evaluation whether they are meeting the priorities they have set out to. A member noted that the consultation results had a low percentage of service users engagement in comparison to the levels of staff that responded. The Member raised the point that the consultation feedback could be viewed as one sided and whether further engagement should be undertaken with service users to ensure their views were captured. Members acknowledged the Director’s response outlining the method of consultation and the Director shared that there is generally a low return rate from service users in relation to public consultation and the figures of disagreement with the strategy aren’t broken down into categories, therefore it is not possible to determine the make-up of this group of respondents. The Director also assured Members the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act requires that any change to the service area requires separate consultation which are primarily with service users. Members also noted the shorter period of time for this consultation and the potential for consultation fatigue in relation to a general strategy. A Member also noted the consultation results which showed that 29% of respondents did not agree or did not know whether the priorities were the right ones for Adult Services and that 37% of respondents did not agree or did not know whether the service model will help focus resources to those with greatest need in the future. Members sought further information on what is being done to reassure residents that this strategy is in their best interests. The Director shared that the results were to be expected as the model does identify the service are looking for more people to help themselves be supported to be independent of social care rather than have a long-term commitment from the service and then to support those with eligible needs to have a long term service due to their level of complexity of their needs. The Director acknowledged that people don’t like change and can be worried about change which would affect their response during a consultation exercise. It was shared that some people like the routine of home care coming in even though they may be capable of undertaking some tasks themselves. The Director informed Members that it was expected to receive some resistance to the model adding that carers for example, are naturally risk averse. The Director also added that the model is not one that public won’t necessarily support whole heartedly but it’s a cultural shift that needs to be done sensitively and with care. Members acknowledged that in terms of the six priorities outlined in the draft strategy the Council does not have control over all of these and that some of them rely on engagement and working with other partners. Members queried how the engagement is progressing with external partners and felt it important to ensure they are also adopting the Council’s visions. The Director shared that the Act requires that Cwm Taf Morgannwg, RCT and neighbouring authorities work in partnership to improve the connectivity of health and social care and that there are some requirements with this regard e.g. hospital discharge. The Director informed Members that RCT manages some services on behalf of the region and are already in part working with the Health Service but there is a long agenda to pursue in order to ensure that our community services, health care and social care and primary care are fit to ensure that people in crisis are supported with a seamless service including those coming home from hospital. Following consideration it was RESOLVED to: - Authorise the Service Director Democratic Services and Communications to provide the comments and observations of the Committee to Cabinet, prior to their consideration of this matter at its meeting on the 19th September 2024.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED to: 1. Authorise the Service Director of Democratic Services and Communications to provide the comments and observations of the Committee to Cabinet, prior to their consideration of the matter in October 2024. 2. Request an update report be provided prior to the anticipated meeting with the Link Inspector in October 2025 to monitor the progress of the recommendations.
The Democratic Services Officer outlined the purpose of the report for Members to pre-scrutinise the detail provided in the report and to provide the comments and observations of the Committee to Cabinet prior to their consideration of RCT’s Adult Community Learning (ACL) Partnership recent Estyn inspection. The Head Of Community & Welsh Language Services outlined the purpose of the report to provide Members with an update on RCT’s Adult Community Learning Partnership recent Estyn inspection, report and subsequent recommended actions. Members were provided with a brief background to the Adult Community Learning service and it was highlighted that the service is predominantly grant funded by Welsh Government and delivers a wide range of programmes and courses for adults (aged 16+) at community venues across the county as well as online. The provision offers opportunities for learners to improve their basic skills, gain qualifications, increase their employability, and improve their wellbeing so that they can fulfil their potential and engage in learning throughout their lives. It was also highlighted to Members the details of the partnership contained within section 4 of the report and Members were informed that the Adult Community Learning Service Manager chair’s the ACL Partnership Strategic Board with the other Welsh Government funded delivery partners, Adult Learning Wales, Coleg-y-Cymoedd and Menter Iaith RCT playing an active role. The Head Of Community & Welsh Language Services confirmed to Members that the Partnership is subject to Estyn inspections and the last full inspection in Rhondda Cynon Taf took place in 2011/12. Since then, the Partnership has been subject to annual/bi-annual ‘Keep in Touch’ meetings with an assigned Link Officer and a mini-inspection being undertaken in October 2021. The The Head Of Community & Welsh Language Services acknowledged the significant impact that covid has had on the delivery of adult education courses, with numbers of learners significantly reduced during that time. However, Members were also informed that during this time it also showed great benefits of being able to deliver learning online and a blended approach to delivery of some courses has continued. The Head Of Community & Welsh Language Services referred Members to section 5 of the report which outlined the Estyn inspection process in detail. It was also highlighted to Members that there was a different approach to the inspection with one nominee from the Partnership, which was the ACL Service Manager, playing a pivotal role for the partnership as they were recognised as a member of the inspection team and directly involved in all the team meetings and pre inspection meetings. The specific topic areas reviewed as part of the inspection were briefly pointed out to Members as contained within section 5.7 of the report. The Head Of Community & Welsh Language Services shared with Members that section 6 of the report contains links to the Estyn report. The Estyn report provides a summary of main findings and recommendations. It was highlighted to Members that no overall judgement was required to be given as part of the ACL Estyn inspection report, rather a summary which outlines the good workings of the Partnership is included and recommendations are made for the Partnership to action and take forward. The three recommendations were summarised for Members from section 7.1 of the report which also detailed the progress that has been made against these recommendations since the inspection. The Head Of Community & Welsh Language Services also pointed out to Members the positive outcome of Estyn inviting the partnership to prepare case studies for dissemination on its website for its work in relation to: • Welsh language opportunities for fluent Welsh speakers, learners, and the local community. • Digital Fridays, an initiative that refers learners into provision, supports existing learners, promotes independence, supports tutors, and allows ongoing learning and the development of skills. Members were referred to the links to these case studies within the report. Members were informed that there are planned changes by the Welsh Government to the governance arrangements for post 16 funding, which could impact on the Adult Community Learning grant from April 2025. In concluding her presentation, the Head Of Community & Welsh Language Services shared that Estyn is satisfied with the progress being made against the recommendations and will therefore not undertake its annual link visit this year. The Partnership envisage meeting with the link inspector sometime in October 2025. A Member asked whether Officers feel there are any areas which were not identified at this inspection which could be focused on ahead of the next inspection. The Head Of Community & Welsh Language Services responded that there is scope to work with the partnership at a strategic level to use statistical information to target learners more effectively than present including geographically and the utilisation of the pathways progression. Specifically, relationships with the colleges could be promoting pathways more jointly. However the Head Of Community & Welsh Language Services did highlight to Members that some things are more difficult to plan for due to annual grant funding approval so may be able to provide more or less. Changes to grant funding could significantly impact on ability to deliver learning or the service may be asked to specifically target groups. The ACL Service Manager shared that in terms of engagement, it is acknowledged and already being address how the service progress people. Members were informed that a video will be available soon which will show progression routes for learners to make the information more user friendly. One challenge which was outlined for Members is GDPR and the ability to information share. The ACL Service Manager advised Members that the service is working closely with Welsh Government at the moment to understand the most appropriate way to share data. A Member referenced the Estyn recommendations and queried whether they have they all been implemented and what impact they are having on the service. Head Of Community & Welsh Language Services confirmed that these have been implemented. She continued to explain to Members that annually a service evaluation and quality development plan are created and that within these already were the Estyn recommendations. The service are working on undertaking joint marketing and developing a promotional page online to show all the provision. The service is conscious that as individual providers who come together as a partnership they maybe don’t represent in a cohesive way. The ACL Service Manager confirmed work is already underway and almost complete for this website. Members also discussed the benefit of requesting further scrutiny on the progress of the recommendations prior to the anticipated meeting with the Link Inspector in October 2025. Following consideration it was RESOLVED to: 1. Authorise the Service Director of Democratic Services and Communications to provide the comments and observations of the Committee to Cabinet, prior to their consideration of the matter in October 2024. 2. Request an update report be provided prior to the anticipated meeting with the Link Inspector in October 2025 to monitor the progress of the recommendations.
The Chair thanked Members and Officers for attending the meeting and for their in-depth discussion and questioning in relation to the reports received.
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