Agenda and minutes

Councillor Paxton Hood-Williams was confirmed as Convener of the Child and Family Services Panel for 2023-24.

www.swansea.gov.uk/disclosuresofinterests

No disclosures of interest were received.

No declarations were made.

To receive the minutes of the previous meeting(s) and agree as an accurate record.

Panel agreed the minutes of the meeting on 7 March 2023 as an accurate record of the meeting

Questions must be submitted in writing, no later than noon on the working day prior to the meeting. Questions must relate to items on the agenda. Questions will be dealt with in a 10-minute period.

No questions were received.

Sarah Lackenby, Head of Digital and Customer Services

Louise Gibbard, Cabinet Member for Care Services and Sarah Lackenby, Head of Digital and Customer Services attended to present the Report for 2021-22 stating the Service takes complaints very seriously and they are used as learning opportunities to inform good practice going forward. 

Panel informed the impact of covid was still being felt with issues to do with staff pressures and recruitment, sickness and increasing complexity of cases being dealt with. Despite this there was a reduction in stage one complaints in Child and Family Services and not many progressing to stage two. Also, the Service received 100 compliments. Panel felt this was positive.

Invited to attend:

Louise Gibbard, Cabinet Member – Care Services

David Howes, Director of Social Services

Julie Davies, Head of Child and Family Services

Louise Gibbard, Cabinet Member for Care Services attended to brief the Panel on this issue and summarised activity undertaken and progress made.

Discussion Points:

·       Panel felt report was comprehensive and complete. 

·       Panel stated that first people to see the situation of families is health workers, so it is important to keep driving the message home with them that if they see any problems, they should raise them as soon as possible as this is the earliest intervention and then schools have a role to play.  Cabinet Member feels have very good relationship with Health and a lot of that work goes on in early help hubs.

·       Panel reasonably happy with the way department is going.  Panel will be looking at performance reports very carefully and will be awaiting a report from the Corporate Parenting Board this municipal year.

Panel Members reviewed the year 2022/23 on the Child and Family Services Panel and the Convener made the following comments:

·       October was introductory meeting and looked at role of the Panel.  No new members on the Panel last year.  Need to have a few more members. Cabinet Member requested to ask members of her party if interested in joining.

·       In November looked at Residential Care and will want to come back to that this year.

·       December saw first performance monitoring report from new Welsh Community Care Information System (WCCIS) and Panel pleased to see development of this.  Also looked at regional safeguarding, Panel had some concerns in terms of regional safeguarding as opposed to what used to have in Swansea.

·       In January looked at Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) and Panel was able to see what was going on and progress being made.

·       February was a joint meeting with Adult Services Panel to look at the budget.  Panel was relatively pleased that the budget had increased. Panel is interested to see how commissioning reviews proceed and need to see timetable for this and have a report on this to the Panel in the near future.

·       In March looked at Support for Carers, in conjunction with Adult Services. Also looked at Youth Offending Service which is something Panel will need to continue to look at.

·       Work Programme for 2023-24 will be drafted and circulated to Members.  Final version to be agreed at next meeting on 20 June 2023.