Agenda and decisions

To receive any apologies for absence.

To receive any declarations of personal interest.

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

The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the meetings of this committee held on the 29^th January and 4^th June be signed as a true record.  (attached)

To scrutinise the day care service as part of the Council Plan 2023-28 – A Caring Gwynedd

1. To accept and note the report and welcome the availability of a range of services but to express concern

• about the sustainability of a service provided by volunteers
• the lack of rural transport means that many are unable to attend or access a service
• that access to provision across the county is unequal

2.  To ask the cabinet member

• to review how the department monitors customer demand and satisfaction, by collecting quantitative data, and demonstrate the true impact of the service on the well-being of individuals and their carers
• to lobby the Welsh government to fund the service over the long-term rather than providing grants
• To consider how to collaborate across the Council and with partners to improve day care provision for unpaid carers and those with mental health conditions and report back to the care scrutiny committee
• To consider how the quality of service received by volunteers can be monitored and the sustainability of the service ensured
• To provide an evaluation report on a day care respite pilot scheme starting in September at Cefn Rodyn, Dolgellau when it is timely to do so
• To ensure equal access to provision across the county.

To present the findings and recommendations of the Task and Finish Group.

a.  To ask the Cabinet Member for Children and Supporting Families and the Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Well-being to correspond with the Welsh Government to express concern that complaint handling guidance has not been updated since 2014 and that social media is not properly considered as a means for complainants to contact with complaints.

 b.  To reconcile the information presented in tables in future social services complaints reports to reflect the situation in a comprehensive and up-to-date manner.

c.  To recommend that the relevant Cabinet Member reviews the corporate complaints recording form and its format and amend it to be more similar to Social Services complaints recording forms in order to promote and increase the accessibility of Welsh-language forms.

ch.      To ask the departments dealing with complaints to indicate that the             
Council can be contacted through social media on the complaint recording forms.

d)       To ask the Council to consider ways for carers to submit complaints.

The committee’s comments are needed on the data update, and the update to the Llechen Lân workstreams

To accept the report and the work programme but express concern about the magnitude of the demographic challenge highlighted in the latest data.

To recommend to the Cabinet Member that the Llechen Lân board should develop a detailed action plan with clear milestone priorities and measures of success with particular attention to the workforce, extra care housing, the financial sustainability of the programme, the development of preventive services and an innovative way of delivering care, the promotion of preventive self-care and collaborate with the education department to include young people in the work programme.

To provide the committee with a further update within 12 months on progress against the Llechen Lân board's priorities, including the latest data on inward migration and deaths, and the work programme to deal with recruitment and care workforce challenges.

To consider whether the revised Compact provides a robust foundation for a more consistent, effective and collaborative relationship between Cyngor Gwynedd and the Third Sector.

To accept the report.

To recommend that the Cabinet approves the Compact provided that they

·       provide a supporting action plan setting out responsibilities, timelines, resources, success measures and reporting arrangements

·       submit a regular report to the Scrutiny Committee every 2 years.

To submit the Committee’s draft work programme for 2026/27 for adoption.

To adopt the work programme with the following modifications:

1. To move the Our Bravery Brought Justice report from the September 2026 meeting to the November 2026 meeting.
2. To move the Domiciliary Care report to the January meeting.
3. To move the Annual Report 2025-26 - Complaints, Enquiries and Expressions of Gratitude - Children and Supporting Families and the Adults, Health and Well-being Departments from November to September.