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Agenda and minutes

Venue: Siambr Hywel Dda, Council Offices, Caernarfon, Gwynedd, LL55 1SH

Contact: Glynda O'Brien  01341 424301

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Items
No. Item

1.

APOLOGIES

To receive any apologies for absence.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillor Elfed P. Roberts.

2.

DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST

To receive any declaration of personal interest.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were no declarations of personal interest.

3.

URGENT BUSINESS

To note any items that are a matter of urgency in the view of the Chairman for consideration.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

No urgent items were received.

4.

MINUTES pdf icon PDF 187 KB

The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the previous meeting of this Committee held on 30 January 2018, be signed as a true copy.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chairman signed the minutes of the meeting of this Committee held on 30 January 2018, as a true record.  

 

5.

LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN pdf icon PDF 499 KB

Cabinet Member:      Councillor Dilwyn Morgan

 

To receive a report on the above.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Submitted - the report of the Children and Young People Cabinet Member regarding the above and he took advantage of the opportunity to thank the Chairman and the Committee for their interest in the Service and for its support.   

 

The report outlined the background, number of looked after children, comparison with other Counties, Court cases and information regarding the Edge of Care Team. He noted that the number of looked after children was increasing; however, he hastened to add that this was a national pattern. It was noted that the Nuffield Charity was currently carrying out a valuable review to look into care orders and hopefully, feedback would be received from that review soon. Reference was made to the comparison graphs within the reports and although progress can be seen in the total number of looked after children this year, it was noted that there were positive messages in the content of the report as well. 

 

Members were given an opportunity to scrutinise the contents of the report and they highlighted the following points:

 

(a)              From looking at the graph on page 17 of the report, concern was expressed that the figure of looked after children for Gwynedd appeared high compared to other Counties and they asked what could be done to reduce it. Is there a geographical pattern to figures within Gwynedd?  

 

In response, it was noted that gradually over time the figure had increased to 227 in March and to 230 in January. It was difficult for the Service to anticipate how many referrals are received and that decisions must be made in line with the thresholds. The Edge of Care Team was established in an attempt to keep numbers down and success had been seen in changing the pattern by returning children home where it was safe to do so. It was also emphasised that comprehensive information had not been received from other counties, but it appeared that an increase had been seen in every authority in the last year and consideration also had to be given to the nature of the population of the counties.   

 

Consideration had to be given to the fact that the Service acted to safeguard children and in the most appropriate way. Whilst acknowledging that numbers appeared high, the profile of looked after children was a factor to consider and whether the Service acted to safeguard children in the most appropriate way. It was acknowledged that an increase had been seen in the referrals received; however, the density and complexity of cases had to be borne in mind and the Committee was reassured that the Service responded promptly, in a timely way and took steps to safeguard in all cases. It was added that the Service identifies risks and responds to them by putting appropriate plans in place to safeguard children.

 

In terms of geographical pattern, it was noted that numbers vary across the County.

 

(b)                How successful were looked after children educationally, and was the fact that they moved from location  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.

SUPPORTING FAMILIES STRATEGY IN GWYNEDD pdf icon PDF 248 KB

Cabinet Member:      Councillor Dilwyn Morgan

 

To receive a report on the above.

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Submitted - the report of the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, noting that it was a very exciting strategy.   Historically, there had been successful preventative work, however, there was a need to learn from integrated working and the importance of the individual, and a prime example of this was the implementation of the Ysbyty Alltwen Scheme.   It was noted that a Parliamentary Review of Health and Care in Wales referred to developing seamless care services that are convenient and close to home.  The intention was to make the services much more integrated within the Council and other partners, in the hope to focus everyone's attention on early intervention and targeting families correctly and offering services that would reduce the subsequent need for much more intense intervention.  It was acknowledged that there was a duty on everyone to safeguard children and young people; however, focus needed to be placed on dealing with issues early and the hope was that we would strive to develop the concept within the Council and the external partnerships. A positive step that had been made was the transfer of an officer from the Economy Department to the Children and Families Department and this provided additional capacity within the Department.  

 

Members were given an opportunity to ask questions and the following points were highlighted:

 

(a)              Reference was made to the Families First programme and the acknowledgement that the programme had been successful and that the input of the third sector had been essential, e.g.  Citizens’ Advice Bureau.   If the programmes were successful, why did the model have to be changed?

 

The Head of Service explained that the Government had decided to abolish the grants to the third sector for the purposes of developing financial literacy. During the transitional year, Gwynedd was the only authority that funded last year, but whilst accepting that it had been a success, it was not possible to extend the resource due to the lack of financial resources and the national guidance.  It was added that this did not mean that families could not be referred to the Citizens' Advice Bureau; however, the money used to ensure that they were given priority.

 

In terms of the proposed model, a lot was learnt from the advantages and the benefits over the past five years, that needs were not being met, specifically families where the children were teenagers, low-level mental health, speech and language delay and homelessness issues. The intention was to have services in their place, and target families so that it was possible to identify children who came into care and put a team around them, i.e. assessment of needs and realising that there was a need to recommission and target a different cohort of families.

 

(b)  Did the Education Department have input as a result of problems with children's lack of skills? 

 

In response, the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People confirmed that Education was one of the essential partners and that support had already been received from the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.