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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 21st July 2025 as an accurate reflection of the meeting.
RESOLVED to: - Scrutinise the contents of the Social Services Annual Complaints, Compliments and Representations report.
RESOLVED to: - Undertake pre scrutiny on the report; and - 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 in October.
RESOLVED to: - Scrutinise the contents of the Social Services Annual Complaints, Compliments and Representations report; and - To formally write to the Director of Social Services to pass on compliments to the hardworking staff within the sector.
Apologies for absence were received from County Borough Councillors A Fox, H Gronow, D Parkin and G Stacey.
In accordance with the Code of Conduct, County Borough Councillor S Bradwick declared a personal interest in respect of item 4 Director Social Services Annual Report. “I was previously employed by Rhondda Cynon Taf Social Services, although I have not worked for them since becoming a Councillor.”
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the 21st July 2025 as an accurate reflection of the meeting.
It was RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the 21st July 2025 as an accurate reflection of the meeting.
The Committee agreed that the agenda would be considered out of sequence and as detailed in the minutes set out hereunder.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED to: - Scrutinise the contents of the Social Services Annual Complaints, Compliments and Representations report.
The Customer Feedback, Engagement and Complaints Manager presented the report which provided the Community Services Scrutiny Committee with an overview of the operation and effectiveness of the Council’s Statutory Social Services Complaints and Representations Procedure between 1st April 2024 and 31st March 2025. Members were informed that there has been a slight increase in complaint numbers across both Adult and Children’s services. The Customer Feedback, Engagement and Complaints Manager highlighted an increase in complaints in relation to Independent Sector Domiciliary Care. This follows the decommissioning of the Council’s Support@Home Service in October 2024 and the commissioning of independent providers on a locality basis to provide all domiciliary care and the rise was anticipated. The Manager noted that despite the rise, the numbers were low in the context of number of people in receipt of a service. The Customer Feedback, Engagement and Complaints Manager continued to highlight the data regarding complaints figures as contained within the report. In scrutinising the report, a Member noted that staff issues were the highest category of complaint and that staff can often be the subject of a complaint in Children’s Services due to the nature of their work and the difficult decisions that must be made. The Member queried what support is available to staff during the complaints process. The Manager confirmed that the whole team are aware of the process and of the need for staff to be supported through the process. It is acknowledged that there can be an impact on individual staff and through the complaints process staff are reminded that the issue is often relates to the message given or decision made rather than their practice. The Manager also referred to internal support such as the Council’s Occupational Health Service which Managers would be aware of should it be required in individual cases. The Director also added that within both Adult and Children’s Services there are comprehensive workforce strategies in place and within these there would be actions relating to the support of staff wellbeing and resilience. The Director Adult Services explained that all Managers adhere to a compassionate management style and a complaint is seen as a learning opportunity and training or disciplinary measures are only considered in the rare circumstances where necessary. The Director explained that the complaints procedure is explained to staff during their induction and acknowledged that staff face many criticisms, and they are supported in a number of ways including their line managers, peer support systems and Occupational Health. The Director Children’s Services echoed these comments and reiterated the point of utilising the complaints process as a learning tool and supporting staff throughout. Another Member referenced the development of a manager’s complaints dashboard as outlined within the report and asked in what ways will this improve the timeliness of complaints handling and requested information regarding the timeline for introduction of the dashboard. The Manager explained that work is currently required on the database to reflect service structure changes in Children’s Services and that it is hopeful this will be completed next year. The Manager shared that it will be important once Managers have access to their own dashboards to monitor complaint timelines and not have to rely on the Complaints Team for the information The Director added that this is a positive development and whilst it is important to be able to access information on a timely basis it is worth noting that the time scales for handling complaints are predominantly due to the level of detail and complexity of the individual complaint response required. The Director shared that there is still improvement needed in order to meet the demanding complaint response times. Another Member referred to Stage 2 complaints and asked how these are being progressed within the service area. The Manager shared that all Stage 2 complaints are undertaken by external consultants, and they look at where they think recommendations can be made to practice or policy. The recommendations are collated and shared through Senior Management Team meetings and existing quality assurance mechanisms across the service areas. The Manager also added that sometimes they are required to report back to the Ombudsman with an action plan and can be asked for feedback on the recommendations that have come from Stage 2, particularly if the complainant is unhappy with the outcome of Stage 2 and they progress the matter further. The Member also referenced the Compliments which are contained within the report and acknowledged the positive impact that receiving compliments can have. The Member asked if there are any ways in which Officers feel the compliments process can be enhanced / shared wider for more impact. The Manager felt there is a need to remind staff that compliments are logged. Compliments are often received but may not always be passed on to be recorded. There is work to be done to further enhance this. Following consideration, it was RESOLVED to: - Scrutinise the contents of the Social Services Annual Complaints, Compliments and Representations report.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED to: - Undertake pre scrutiny on the report; and - 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 in October.
The Council Business Manager outlined the purpose of the report for Members to pre-scrutinise the targeted consultation with stakeholders on the proposed, co-produced, operating model of respite care provision for people with a learning disability (The proposed respite model) with comments being fed back to Cabinet prior to their consideration of the matter at their meeting in October. The Director Adult Services presented the report and shared that the key focus of the Learning Disability Transformation programme has been its commitment to working in partnership with people with a learning disability and noted that progress has already been made in transforming our service offer and models in other areas, including day services and supported living. These developments have used co-production as a framework for supporting service change and this approach has been continued in the development of proposed model of respite. The consultation period ran through the summer and the proposed model was outlined. In scrutinising the report Members welcomed the proposal to make the service more personalised to the service user and felt the proposal offered more flexibility to its services users. A Member queried whether the proposal would be cost neutral and have any impact and reduction on hospital admissions. The Director Adult Services explained that the proposal may not have a significant impact on hospital admissions generally due to the complex nature of these service users. The Director also explained that it is not anticipated that additional costs would be incurred as a result of the amended model of service. A Member noted that any change to a service users’ arrangements inevitably creates anxiety and noted the arrangements proposed with a focused care and support plan on an individual level and sought reassurance that these steps would suffice to reduce any such anxieties. The Director explained that the review for each individual would consider the views and needs of not just the service user but with primary carers and others involved in the case so that all views were taken into consideration before setting any plans, to ensure the arrangements work for all. A Member endorsed the report and the proposed Learning Disability Respite Service, commending this as a good approach to take forward across the County Borough, which was echoed by the Committee, due to it acknowledging both the needs of the service users and other important stakeholder (primary carers etc) Another Member discussed the difficulty in recruiting personal assistants to facilitate the use of direct payments for respite care and asked what the Council are doing to address this and whether this is one of the main barriers for people accessing direct payments. The Director acknowledged that direct payments is a great offer for people who want flexibility and continuity in their care. Service users have found it difficult to recruit Personal Assistant’s particularly if they have complex needs requiring multiple calls per day. With older people and people with physical disability, the Council have grown micro enterprises within RCT as this is a more attractive way of working for those interested in working in care but require more hours than just working with 1 individual. The Director explained that a Micro enterprise is a company of 5 or less employees but that are able to meet the needs of individuals with disabilities. In order to grow micro enterprises, the Council have commissioned a 3rd sector company to promote micro enterprise and support those interested to undertake the requirements for DBS checks, HMRC details. She explained that they utilise a broker to match people and that this has been successful for older people within RCT. Whilst this approach hasn’t been used to provide respite for people with learning disability, the Council are having this conversation now with their micro enterprise promoter in order to change the marketing in communities. The Member also asked whether Officers feel, based on the consultation responses, that the proposed model will meet the required needs of service users and provide suitable offers across each of the model levels. The Director replied that the proposed model has been co-produced with service users and the consultation has been undertaken with wider stakeholders and particularly to ask carers and service users to ensure the model was what was required. The results showed that there is overall support for the model. A Member referred to the consultation results which indicated a preference for overnight or extended breaks with family carers emphasising the need for meaningful breaks, particularly overnight and asked how this concern will be addressed under the proposals. The Director Adult Services confirmed that this is the primary offer currently available through a number of small respite houses across RCT, and whilst this doesn’t suit everybody it was acknowledged the importance for unpaid carers to be able to have a meaningful break during respite and the vital benefits a respite service provides. It was explained that through the proposed model, we are trying to look at a more flexible and responsive model and Shared lives was provided as an example where carers needs can be met for overnight stays where the service user is in a family home where their needs can be met more specifically. Following consideration, it was RESOLVED to: - Undertake pre scrutiny on the report; and - 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 in October.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED to: - Scrutinise the contents of the Social Services Annual Complaints, Compliments and Representations report; and - To formally write to the Director of Social Services to pass on compliments to the hardworking staff within the sector.
The Council Business Manager outlined the purpose of the report for Members to pre-scrutinise the Director of Social Services Annual Report 2024/25 prior to their consideration of this matter at its meeting in November. The Director of Social Services presented the report and shared that like other Social Services Departments across Wales, RCT continues to face significant service pressures and increased complexity. This is happening in the context of some sustained workforce challenges, reduced local authority funding and the necessity to make savings. While social services remain a priority for this Council, these factors are impacting upon the service area’s ability at times to manage expectations and meet some needs. The Director highlighted that despite these significant challenges, both Adult and Children's Services have continued to transform services, working collaboratively with our partners and communities to identify opportunities to tackle issues and maximise resources in order to ensure that we have sustainable services that can continue to meet needs and fulfil statutory obligations. The Director wished to highlight the excellent work carried out in the 2024/25 period across social services and this has enabled both Adult and Children's Services to continue to deliver quality and safe services that positively impact upon the lives of some of our most vulnerable residents. In receiving the report, the Chair recognised the significant amount of work that goes in to compiling the report adding that it is a comprehensive and detailed reflection of the work being done across communities in RCT to support to those who are in need the most. The Chair thanked Officers and staff who have contributed to bringing the report together which was echoed by all Committee Members. In discussing the report, a Member commented on the stability of the workforce and acknowledged the positive recruitment and retention position reflected in the report. The Member queried whether there was any action in particular that the service area had identified that contributed to this current position and whether practices this year can be embedded to ensure this trend continues. The Director Children’s Services explained the service area are in phase two of their workforce strategy and that extends wider than just qualified social workers. The Director referenced the work undertaken in relation to marketing the parts of the role that are attractive and the enormous rewards that people can get from a role in social care as well as focussing on the pathways into social care from school up to higher education. The Director also shared how the service has reviewed its training needs analysis processes and what support is required to develop and support the right set of professionals for working in a service that is quickly changing. Additionally, information was shared with Members around how the service has engaged with staff, listening to their experiences of working on the front line and what would make RCT a great place to work, and stay working for, an entire career. Whilst there has been promising progress since the introduction of the workforce strategy, it is a continuing piece of work and evolving as lessons are learnt along the way. A Member noted that the annual survey consultation responses were lower than previous years and Members sought reassurance from the Director of Social Services that despite the responses the results remained a valid and accurate reflection of the service. The Director was confident that although the responses were lower the positive responses still provided an accurate reflection of the service and were comparable to previous year results. The Director acknowledged that in future years the service may need to look at different opportunities to engage with service users rather than through the traditional methodologies current used. Members referred to the numerous case studies that were highlighted within the report and commented that despite the challenging nature of the circumstances in many, they highlighted the excellent work that is undertaken by staff and the positive impact the service has on many service users across the County Borough. A Member referenced a risk outlined within the report relating to the sufficient supply of experienced qualified social workers for court and child protection work in Children’s Services along with experienced children’s residential staff and requested information on what is being done to address this. The Director Children’s Services explained that a comprehensive approach is being taken to strengthen all aspects of the workforce and alongside recruitment efforts, success measures have been introduced to monitor progress, and two new academies are in development: a Social Work Academy and a Residential Academy. The Director explained that the Residential Academy was supporting the Council’s expansion of the Council’s children’s homes in line with the Welsh Government’s Eliminate Profit Policy. It was added that there is a pressing need to scale up staffing rapidly to meet the complex and evolving needs of children and emphasis was being placed on ensuring children’s homes are staffed with familiar, consistent teams to foster care and relationships with significant investment planned in trauma-informed training and support for residential staff. The Director explained that strategy combines attraction, retention, skills development, and staff wellbeing to ensure high-quality services for children and families. A Member raised the challenging and complex work undertaken by the out of hours Emergency Duty Team within the service area and commended them for their excellent work when dealing with unknown situations. The Director of Social Services thanked Members for their comments. Members referred back to previous discussions regarding sharing compliments with staff Members and the Chair proposed a letter be sent to teams with Committee’s feedback which was welcomed by the Director. Following consideration, it was RESOLVED to: - Scrutinise the contents of the Social Services Annual Complaints, Compliments and Representations report; and - To formally write to the Director of Social Services to pass on compliments to the hardworking staff within the sector.
The Chair thanked Officers for their detailed reports and updates, and to Members for their measured and critical scrutiny throughout the meeting.
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