To submit the report of the Chair of the Audit and Governance Committee outlining the feedback from the meeting of the Working Group on 11 September 2017.
Minutes:
Submitted – the
report of the Chair of the Committee on a meeting of the above-mentioned
working group held on 11 September 2017 to consider the 'Social Services Complaints
Procedures' audit that had received a category B rating along with audits that
received a category C rating, namely -
a) Deprivation of
Liberty Safeguards (DoLS)
b) Support Workers
(Adults).
Officers had been
invited to attend the meeting to discuss the matters that had arisen from the
audits and the work undertaken to reinforce the internal regulations in
question since the audit reports had been published.
Members of the
Working Group expressed their concern about the financial risk to the Council
because of the backlog of DoLS assessments and that the cost of not carrying
out DoLS assessments could be as much as £1000 per individual per week.
A member asked
whether Social Services had to complete DoLS assessments or could other bodies
complete them. In response, the Audit Manager stated that Social Services were
responsible for completing DoLS assessments; only in cases where the individual
was in hospital could the Health Service carry out assessments. She added that
the Council held training sessions for private care homes which had led to an
increase in the number of referrals for DoLS assessments.
A member of the
Working Group stated that the meeting had been an eye opener as regards the
work with assessments taking place outside the County when a Gwynedd resident
needed a DoLS assessment, leading to an increase in the time taken to complete
the assessment because of a need to travel.
In response to a
question by a member about the Adults, Health and Well-being Department's
capacity to complete DoLS assessments, the Audit Manager stated that two posts
had recently been filled and that an agreement was in place for 25 Social
Workers who have a Best Interest
Assessors (BIA) accreditation to complete one assessment per month. She
added that not many Social Workers completed one assessment a month.
The Head of
Finance Department stated that this was a high risk field and that the Working
Group, in accordance with the content of the report, should receive an update
from the relevant Senior Managers within six months. Sufficient notice should
also be given to the Head of Adults, Health and Well Being Department that the
performance against targets given to BIA accredited Social Workers had
been discussed and that consideration should be given to requesting the
attendance of the Head of Department.
A member stated
that the Head of Department and Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and
Well-being should come before the Committee on 30 November 2017, with the Working
Group receiving an update by the relevant Senior Managers within six months.
RESOLVED:
(i)
to accept the
report;
(ii)
to invite the Head of Adults, Health and Well-being
and the Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Well-being to the meeting of the
Committee on 30 November 2017 to discuss DoLS arrangements;
(iii) that the Controls
Improvements Working Group receive an update from the relevant Senior Managers
within six months on the DoLS arrangements.
Supporting documents: