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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 Social Care & Tackling Poverty Service Transformation Committee held on 10 April 2026 be approved and signed as a correct record.
Resolved that the Work Plan be noted.
In accordance with the Code of Conduct adopted by the City & County of Swansea, no interests were declared.
Decision as recorded
Resolved that the Minutes of the Social Care & Tackling Poverty Service Transformation Committee held on 10 April 2026 be approved and signed as a correct record.
Resolved that the Minutes of the Social Care & Tackling Poverty Service Transformation Committee held on 10 April 2026 be approved and signed as a correct record.
The Head of Adult Services & Tackling Poverty presented a report to update the Social Care & Tackling Poverty Service Transformation Committee on the regional equipment service, Swansea assistive technology offer and the sensory support team in Adult Services. In addition, to share information on how these services and the equipment and / or technology provides support, the Adult Services vision and priorities of prevention and promoting independence. The Principal Officer, Transformation (in the absence of the Strategic Operational Lead, Regional Community Equipment Store & Swansea Community Alarms Service) and Early Help Team Leader explained that the connected services support prevention and independence by helping people remain safely at home, recover after illness or hospital admission, maintain routines, delay or reduce formal care, and enable carers and families to continue providing support safely. The Smart Suite at Surequip Community Services provided a realistic home environment where residents, families, professionals and staff could try equipment including fall detectors, bed sensors, fridge cameras, community alarms, smart speakers, lighting, and heating controls. The service supports demonstrations and short-term loans and has trained more than 130 colleagues during the previous year. More than 2,000 people use community alarms, over 500 receive telecare, and 790 technology items were delivered in the last 12 months. Most of the telecare operated through a mobile SIM and dif not require home Wi-Fi or a landline. Where internet-dependent devices were unsuitable, staff could identify mobile apps or alternative solutions, demonstrate equipment, support setup, and offer short-term loans. The service uses individual circumstances, preferences, and needs rather than applying a blanket approach. The Early Help Team Leader described the specialist sensory support team for adults with sight loss, hearing loss, or deaf blindness. The team provides accessible information, rehabilitation, home safety and mobility assessments, independent-living and IT training, equipment advice, and support with statutory vision-impairment registration. It works with adult and children’s services, health partners, audiology, the Low Vision Service in Wales, the fire service, and third-sector organisations. Sensory referrals enter through the Common Access Point by telephone, online form, or email, with referrals received from residents and professionals including opticians, ophthalmology, and low-vision services. The team averages around 30 direct referrals per month, has increased from four to eight staff since September 2024, and expects to have three full-time vision rehabilitation specialists once a trainee qualifies within approximately six to seven months. Urgent referrals, ongoing case management, and reviews were managed within the team. Investment was balanced against the expected reduction in later managed-care costs. The regional equipment service operates a pooled fund with the Health Board and Neath Port Talbot Council, reviews procurement and value, and maintains an 82% equipment recycling rate. The team also uses Regional Integrated Fund grants for equipment initiatives, while recognising that digital-switched equipment and rapidly changing technology require continuing investment. Information and advice was free. Residents may be advised about equipment they can choose to purchase themselves, but where an eligible need was identified through a social-work assessment and care-and-support plan, support was financially assessed and capped at a maximum individual contribution of £100 per week. The team reiterated that residents who required managed care would receive it, with choice, voice, and control considered throughout. The equipment service maintained and serviced the large volume of equipment in the community, including safety and testing for relevant equipment such as hoists and slings. Telecare equipment was routinely tested to confirm that it remained active, and usage was reviewed through care-and-support-plan reviews. The service would work more closely with therapy teams to improve referral routes and follow-up where equipment might not be used. The Chair thanked the Officers for the informative report and requested a visit for committee members to the assistive technology and community equipment centres so members could see the facilities and equipment in practice.
The Principal Officer for Family Support Services accompanied by the Head of Child & Family Services presented a report to provide a brief overview and update on the work taking place around the “No Wrong Door” approach, which aimed to improve access to emotional wellbeing and mental health support for Children and Young People. The Principal officer outlined the regional partnership project to simplify access to emotional health and well-being support for children and young people across Swansea and Neath Port Talbot by coordinating local authority, health, education, and third-sector referrals. He explained that children, young people, families, and professionals currently face multiple entry points, different referral pathways, waiting lists, and repeated signposting between services. CAMHS receives referrals that may require earlier or lower-level support, while some families refer to several services simultaneously because they were unsure which route was appropriate. The agreed principle would be to move the single point of entry currently located within CAMHS into the local authorities’ established front-door services. Referrals would be considered collectively according to need and directed to the service best placed to respond, reducing confusion and repeated referrals. The model would involve Swansea Council, Neath Port Talbot Council, the Health Board, Education, and third-sector providers. Regional Investment Fund support had been obtained to fund a coordinator post, which had been in place since the start of the year to develop the model and prepare a pilot in Swansea and Neath Port Talbot. The pilot was expected around April, with the aim of moving toward wider rollout by the middle of the following year, subject to the design and implementation work. In response to questions from the Committee, the following points were discussed: • No single waiting list was in existence because education, children’s services, early help, emotional health and well-being services, and CAMHS each maintained separate lists and waiting times. Existing information-sharing arrangements did not allow reliable cross-service comparisons or identification of duplicated referrals. The project was intended to create more dependable data to understand demand and inform resource decisions. • The project would not create additional resources or resolve every capacity issue. Its immediate purpose was to improve access, reduce confusion, and direct children to the appropriate service more quickly. The Gwent Space Model provided an example of joined-up working that had reduced duplication and enabled earlier support. • Integrating data systems and establishing the required information-sharing agreements were central parts of the project. Once these foundations were in place, shared data should support better decisions about service placement, resources, and future service development. • Transition from Primary School to Secondary School remained primarily an education-system issue and was not a direct aim of the “No Wrong Door” project, although education colleagues were involved and the project’s data might help inform related work. “Platform”, the commissioned schools counselling provider, already operated transition support across primary and secondary schools. • The University had been approached to discuss possible research collaboration, but the “No Wrong Door” project currently covered children and young people up to age 18, so University provision was not directly within its scope. • The coordinator post was currently funded year by year through the Regional Investment Fund rather than being permanent. Funding currently covered the project plan, with any need for an extension to be reviewed by the Regional Partnership Board. • The project planned to involve children, young people, families, carers, and professionals in designing the model. The purpose was to ensure that the access route reflected users’ needs and reduced the need for families to repeat their circumstances to multiple services. The Chair thanked the Officers for the update and looked forward to receiving further information in due course.
Decision as recorded
Resolved that the Work Plan be noted.
The Chair presented the Work Plan for 2026-2027. Resolved that the Work Plan be noted.
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