Agenda and draft minutes

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 12 November 2024 as an accurate record of the meeting.

Letter to Cabinet Member following the meeting on 12 November 2024 was noted.

Questions can be submitted in writing to scrutiny@swansea.gov.uk up until noon on the working day prior to the meeting. Written questions take precedence. Public may attend and ask questions in person if time allows. Questions must relate to items on the open part of the agenda and will be dealt with in a 10-minute period.

No questions were received.

Louise Gibbard, Cabinet Member for Care Services

Julie Davies, Head of Child and Family Services

Linzi Margetson, Principal Officer Safeguarding Quality and Performance

Louise Gibbard, Cabinet Member for Care Services and relevant officers attended to update the Panel on the Transformation Programme which focusses on three areas – Prevention and Early Intervention, Placement Sufficiency and Workforce.

Discussion Points:

·       Department is doing some excellent work and has achieved some change and improvements despite acute staffing shortages in key areas as well as increased demand.

·       Contextual Missing Exploited and Trafficked (CMET) United pilot programme is currently funded by the Youth Endowment Fund but this funding finishes in March 2025.  Clarity is being sought by the Department about further funding. 

·       Recent expansion plans for Ty Nant home to incorporate two post 16 ‘move on’ flats cannot be progressed further. The Department is continuing to search for further opportunities.

·       The National Welsh Youth Parliament commences on 25 January 2025, with our elected member representing Swansea and providing feedback to local forums.

·       Panel asked if fostering promotional information can be forwarded to all councillors when available for forwarding on to their local social media groups.

·       Panel asked questions about the mechanisms for looking at quality and how scrutiny can support this work, contextualised safeguarding, internal residential services provision and short breaks and respite.

Actions:

·       Cabinet Member to forward on press releases etc on fostering to all councillors to share.

Louise Gibbard, Cabinet Member for Care Services

Julie Davies, Head of Child and Family Services

Louise Gibbard, Cabinet Member for Care Services, Julie Davies, Head of Child and Family Services and Linzi Margetson, Principal Officer for Safeguarding Quality and Performance attended to brief the Panel on the Performance Monitoring Report for October 2024.

Discussion Points:

·       Staffing capacity will be included in future reports to give a sense of workforce pressures and how the Department is managing demand.

·       Panel discussed how Bays+ had been brought in house and queried how the transition from Child and Family Services to Adult Services is working.

·       Cabinet Member suggested the Panel sees the presentation by Bays+ which went to Corporate Briefing.  Agreed this will be incorporated into the item on ‘Supported Living for Young People Leaving Care’  

·       Panel Members feel it is important to include the trends in the Report. Agreed early in the new municipal year the Chair will sit down with Head of Service and officers to look at the trends.

Actions:

·       Incorporate presentation from Bays+ into item on ‘Supported Living for Young People Leaving Care’ at Panel meeting on 25 February 2025.

Panel considered the work plan and noted items for the next meeting.