Agenda item

To submit the report of the Statutory Director of Social Services.

The content of the report presented by the authority's Statutory Director for Social Services was noted.

The report was submitted, noting that it had been some year for Social Services in Gwynedd, with the workforce facing challenges. It was highlighted that two years had passed since Foden's arrest, and that the work had been heavy on everyone, including Councillors.

 

It was explained that this report was statutory in order to report on the work being done and all staff were thanked for their work. It was emphasised that the work of the Child Practice Review had been very challenging over the last year, with both departments completely shook. Despite the awful things, it must be emphasised that good work is being done and take pride in the workforce who work so hard. It was expressed that the celebration is mitigated by the impact of what has happened and this needed to be acknowledged.

 

Six original principles were highlighted which safeguards the Council, i.e., empower, prevent, safeguarding, balance, protect, work in partnership and accountability.

 

It was emphasised that there was no "us" and "them" when talking about social care as anyone could need the service. It was explained that a huge increase had been seen in the demand and this was highlighted in the data and the most prominent was the number of referrals to the children's department. When looking at safeguarding, it was noted that the magnitude of the work was almost 8,000 referrals, which highlighted the additional pressures on staff to respond to the need required. It was emphasised that only one miscreant was needed to make a mess of the whole system.

 

Attention was drawn to the progress made in direct payments, noting that it was hoped that further progress would be seen over the coming years. Through this progress, it was noted that more people would be living in their community, but the flip side of that, people were constantly waiting for domiciliary care.

 

The incredible plans that had been achieved over the years were highlighted, which had endless new projects. It was noted that the Council had received a Gwynedd Age Friendly Accreditation and that they had received money to continue with the work. It was expressed that a New Care Academy had been launched, with success seen with recruitment and some tens of people taking advantage of the training. It was explained that the Llechen Lân research was looking at Gwynedd's demography, looking at how this could respond to future challenges. It was emphasised that a work programme would be discussed soon. It was noted that the number of people with disabilities in work had doubled, which enabled people to earn a wage and dignity, and hopefully this would double again. It was explained that progress had been made in the use of technology (Technology Enabled Care/TEC). As a result, it was noted that there were many things to be proud of.

 

It was expressed that problems continued with the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS), as waiting lists were lengthy. Nevertheless, following the recommendation of the Care Scrutiny Committee, it was noted that the department had employed new staff and it was hoped that this would lead to improving the situation. It was explained that recruiting carers continued to be challenging, with 11% of care home posts currently vacant.

 

He emphasised that he had hoped that the Child Protection report would have been published by this meeting, but this had not been possible. Nevertheless, it was explained that the work was continuing and had started addressing the issues they anticipated would be in the report, but he expressed that there would obviously be more to do.

 

Members were given an opportunity to ask questions and offer observations.

 

Gratitude was expressed for the report and the work being done in the care field, but a question was asked about the impact on staff when other staff left the care field or fell ill. He replied by stating that it depended on the situation, but that it could be challenging because of the lack of carers and specifically if the case was in a rural location. It was expressed that Llechen Lân had highlighted that steps were being taken to improve the situation in order to make a difference, such as extra care housing.

 

It was asked and agreed that a Falls Protocol would be discussed next year.

 

Staff were thanked for their work in such a difficult year, and for their commitment to Gwynedd services. The unpaid carers were thanked for their work and it was asked whether further attention was needed to support them and what plans were available to provide for the future. It was stressed that unpaid carers were essential to our communities and that approximately 10% of Gwynedd people were unpaid carers. Nevertheless, it was noted that the service, despite it being of high standard, was not good enough as they did not come close to seeing 10% of the population. It was highlighted that the number of carer assessments had doubled, and that there was better support for young people. It was noted that back-up plans were needed for unpaid carers, so that it was possible to identify what individuals needed if a carer was admitted to hospital, for example. It was emphasised that he was happy to come to the Care Scrutiny Committee to have a further discussion.

 

It was emphasised that safeguarding children is the root of the work of social services, and it was asked whether our systems are the best they can be. He replied by noting that it was impossible to be certain that every system was guaranteed, but the department was living in a system where there was room to improve, and lessons to learn which develop regularly. It was emphasised that changes have been made to the system and that there is a need to ensure that the child's voice is central to this. It was highlighted that a new safeguarding policy had been adopted and it was highlighted that further steps were in place to cross-reference cases specifically when more than one referral came in to see whether there were any patterns or reasons. Pride was expressed that a very low number had more than one referral and fewer still with live police investigations. It was explained that a procedure was in place to ensure that the decision was not made by one person, but that it was jointly or multi-agency with a discussion with the police on each case. The importance of staff and Councillors attending training was emphasised, as everyone needed awareness on the highest level.

 

An enquiry was made about the number of empty beds in Gwynedd Residential Homes at present, as it affected individuals being discharged from hospital. The report noted that there were many empty spaces in the County's Homes, so an enquiry was made as to whether this was because of staff shortages. As a result, individuals stayed in hospital and beds were being blocked. It was noted that there was a long waiting list for domiciliary care, and that Dyfed Edwards had announced that £30m in additional funding would be available for local authorities to provide domiciliary care - had Cyngor Gwynedd received this, as we needed to do what we could to support the Health Board to reduce waiting times in the Emergency Unit? The questions were answered by stating that the care homes were approximately 84% full - and that the department was aiming for around 90% in order to be viable. It was explained that there were reasons for the low numbers - such as work being carried out and subsequently having to close some rooms for a period of time. It was highlighted that 11% of jobs in care homes were currently vacant, and therefore it was difficult to provide the care required. As a result, it was noted that Hospitals would be impacted as implementing the care pathways could be challenging, but the additional money would assist with this work. It was expressed that domiciliary care and direct payments needed to be used to reduce the need to be admitted to hospital, to ensure that Gwynedd is an age-friendly county where people can continue to live in their homes for as long as possible.

 

It was asked, considering that safeguarding systems had failed over the years, and that an increase had been seen in violence towards women, it was asked whether roles such as an IPVA or Young People Violence Advocacy Officer were needed within the Council. He replied by noting that these jobs were seen by the Police, and that the Council tended to buy-in such services to ensure high standards, but it was certainly a suggestion to consider.

 

A concern that was raised annually about the lack of nursing homes in Dwyfor, and the need to pursue the Government to get the work started at the location in Penrhos, was highlighted. Concern was expressed about DoLS and it was asked whether it was possible to obtain training for Councillors again. He replied by noting that he agreed 100% that the lack of nursing beds was not good enough. It was explained that Penrhos was the obvious answer and that he was confident that it would happen, but that it would take 3 years to be developed after receiving Government approval. Therefore, although there was a plan there, it would not be sorted overnight. In terms of DoLS, it was expressed that it was a challenging situation, but that this was the case nationally. It was explained that an annual assessment was needed, and this and individuals requiring assessments led to resource problems.

 

It was expressed in terms of the Child Practice Review, the need to ask for a Public Inquiry was noted, as they felt that the report, as it stood, did not have enough teeth. He replied by noting that the report was thorough and that a high number of individuals had been a part of it. It was expressed that it would make for uncomfortable reading and that it was quite challenging, and that this highlighted how thorough they had been, but that there was a need to look at it first, and then make a decision.

 

Pride was expressed that work was being done to look at staff recruitment and retention, specifically as care work could be difficult and challenging on such a low wage. In respect of direct payments, it was highlighted that not many people understood them and maybe there was a need to better show how it worked. The drop in numbers receiving Telecare was highlighted - a question was asked about whether this was due to the switch to digital systems. He replied by noting that a reduction had occurred due to the impact of digitisation as they found that individuals did not use it. It was reported that an increase had occurred since April.

 

An enquiry was made about the plans for the Fron Deg Home in Caernarfon, as there had been plans years ago to demolish and build extra care homes there, and the member asked whether there was any update. It was noted that this plan was one which was still being discussed, but that the work was taking time and that obtaining grants was not easy. He expressed that he would be happy to get back to the Councillor with further information.

 

RESOLVED

 

The content of the report presented by the authority's Statutory Director for Social Services was noted.