Council Summons

COUNCIL SUMMONS

You are hereby summoned to attend a Meeting of the COUNCIL OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SWANSEA to be held in the Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Swansea on Thursday, 29 September 2011 at 4.00 p.m.

The following business is proposed to be transacted:

1. To receive any apologies for absence.

2. To receive disclosures of personal and prejudicial interest.

3. To approve and sign as a correct record the Minutes of the following Council meetings:

a) Ordinary Meeting held on 4 August 2011; 4-23 b) Extraordinary Meeting held on 1 September 2011. 24-25

4. Announcements of the Chair of the Council.

5. Announcements of the Leader of the Council.

6. Public Questions. Questions must relate to matters on the open part of the Agenda of the meeting and will be dealt within a 10 minute period.

7. Public Presentation: – None.

8. Reports of the Section 151 Officer. (1) Statement of Accounts 2010/11. 26-27 (2) Treasury Management Annual Report 2010/11. 28-51

9. Report of the Cabinet Member for Business Improvement & Efficiency. (1) Making a Difference – Annual Performance Review 2010/11. 52-157

10. Reports of the Cabinet Member for Community Leadership & Democracy. (1) Membership of Committees. 158-159 (2) Admission of Women to the Hereditary Freedom of the City and County 160-162 of Swansea.

11. Report of the Cabinet Member for Environment. (1) Licensing of Sex Establishments – Review of Policy Guidelines. 163-184

12. Report of the Cabinet Member for Social Services. (1) Assurance Audit - Social Services. (For Information) 185-211

13. Report of the Corporate Director (Social Services). (1) Social Services - Annual Council Report. (For Information) 212-277

14. Joint Report of the Chair of Council & Monitoring Officer. (1) Application to Extend a Scheme of Allowances in Respect of Special 278-285 Responsibility Allowances (SRA’s) for the Chair of the Petitions Committee.

15. Report of the Chief Executive. (1) Corporate Assessment Letter 2011/12. (For Information) 286-295

16. Overview & Scrutiny Reports. (1) Scrutiny Review: How can we Support Older People in the 296-416 Community? (For Information) (2) Overview & Scrutiny Work Programme. (For Information) 417-423 (3) Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2010-11. (For Information) 424-437

17. To Receive for Information Written Responses to Questions asked 438-441 at the Last Ordinary Meeting of Council. (For Information)

18. Councillors’ Questions under Council Procedure Rule 15. 442-446

19. Notice of Motion by Councillors P M Black and R Speht.

Council notes that the process by which candidate sites have been identified has not involved sufficient consultation with local members so as to help them explain to the public how that process works.

Council resolves that Council officers should carry out a review with local members of the candidate sites in their wards as part of the filtering of the sites towards the final Local Development Plan.

20. To authorise the affixing of the Common Seal to any document necessary to carry into effect any resolution passed or confirmed at this meeting.

Patrick Arran Head of Legal, Democratic Services & Procurement Civic Centre Swansea 22 September 2011 To: All Members of the Council Item No. 2

Disclosures of Personal Interest from Members

To receive Disclosures of Personal Interest from Members in accordance with the provisions of the Code of Conduct adopted by the City and County of Swansea. You must disclose orally to the meeting the existence and nature of that interest.

NOTE: You are requested to identify the Agenda Item / Minute No. / Planning Application No. and Subject Matter to which that interest relates and to enter all declared interests on the sheet provided for that purpose at the meeting.

1. If you have a Personal Interest as set out in Paragraph 10 of the Code, you MAY STAY, SPEAK AND VOTE unless it is also a Prejudicial Interest.

2. If you have a Personal Interest which is also a Prejudicial Interest as set out in Paragraph 12 of the Code, then subject to point 3 below, you MUST WITHDRAW from the meeting (unless you have obtained a dispensation from the Authority’s Standards Committee)

3. Where you have a Prejudicial Interest you may attend the meeting but only for the purpose of making representations, answering questions or giving evidence relating to the business, provided that the public are also allowed to attend the meeting for the same purpose, whether under a statutory right or otherwise. In such a case, you must withdraw from the meeting immediately after the period for making representations, answering questions, or giving evidence relating to the business has ended, and in any event before further consideration of the business begins, whether or not the public are allowed to remain in attendance for such consideration (Paragraph 14 of the Code).

4. Where you have agreement from the Monitoring Officer that the information relating to your Personal Interest is sensitive information, as set out in Paragraph 16 of the Code of Conduct, your obligation to disclose such information is replaced with an obligation to disclose the existence of a personal interest and to confirm that the Monitoring Officer has agreed that the nature of such personal interest is sensitive information.

5. If you are relying on a grant of a dispensation by the Standards Committee, you must, before the matter is under consideration: (i) disclose orally both the interest concerned and the existence of the dispensation; and (ii) before or immediately after the close of the meeting give written notification to the Authority containing -

- details of the prejudicial interest; - details of the business to which the prejudicial interest relates; - details of, and the date on which, the dispensation was granted; and - your signature

Z:\Committees\A Agenda Pack\Council\2008-09\08 June 26\02 - Disclosures of Personal Interest.doc Item No. 3 a)

CITY AND COUNTY OF SWANSEA

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF COUNCIL OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SWANSEA

HELD AT CIVIC CENTRE, SWANSEA ON THURSDAY, 4 AUGUST 2011 AT 4.00 P.M.

PRESENT: Councillor A R A Clement (Chair of Council) presided

Councillor(s): Councillor(s): Councillor(s):

V N Abbott D H James C L Philpott V A Bates Hughes D I E Jones D Price P M Black J W Jones T H Rees N S Bradley M H Jones S J Rice J E Burtonshaw M R Jones I M Richard M C Child S M Jones J C Richards A C S Colburn W E A Jones G Seabourne W J F Davies A Jopling R L Smith A M Day R H Kinzett R Speht C R Doyle R D Lewis R J Stanton J Evans A Lloyd R C Stewart W Evans R J Lloyd D G Sullivan E W Fitzgerald K E Marsh C Thomas R Francis-Davies P N May C M R W D Thomas M E Gibbs P M Meara D W W Thomas J B Hague J T Miles J M Thomas C A Holley W K Morgan L G Thomas N A Holley H M Morris N J Tregoning P R Hood-Williams J Newbury D P Tucker D H Hopkins B G Owen J Woodman D T Howells D Phillips

45. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors B J Hynes, J B Kelleher, E T Kirchner, P M Matthews, G Phillips, D A Robinson, M Smith and P B Smith.

46. DISCLOSURES OF INTEREST

The Head of Legal, Democratic Services and Procurement gave advice regarding any potential personal and prejudicial interests that Councillors may have on the agenda.

Minutes of the Meeting of Council of the City and County of Swansea (04.08.2011) Cont’d

He also referred to Item 13 (3) “Data Protection Registration and Councillors” stating that following advice from the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, it was his view that the position was unclear and in order not to expose Members it was better to err on the side of caution. Therefore, the recommendation in the report had been removed and the report was now submitted for information only.

Following this advice the following interests were declared:

(1) Councillors P M Meara and C Thomas declared personal interests in Minute No. 50 “Public Questions”.

(2) Councillor J Newbury declared a personal and prejudicial interest in Minute No. 50 “Public Questions” and left during discussions relating to the SSMC.

(3) Councillors V N Abbott, P M Black, C A Holley, N A Holley, M H Jones, S M Jones, B G Owen, J T Miles, T H Rees, D G Sullivan and C Thomas declared personal interests in Minute No. 53 “Presentation - Single Status Update”.

NOTED that Councillors C A Holley, M H Jones, J T Miles, D G Sullivan and C Thomas had received dispensation from the Standards Committee.

(4) Councillors A M Day, P M Meara and S J Rice declared personal interests in Minute No. 54 “Membership of Committees”.

(5) Councillor C R Doyle declared a personal interest in Minute No. 55 “Strategic Plan for Children and Young People 2011-2014” as the report mentions Communities First and he is employed by Bridgend County Borough Council as a Communities First Deputy Programme Manager.

(6) Councillors C A Holley, N A Holley and R J Stanton declared personal interests in Minute No. 57 “Charging Framework for Non Residential Social Services”.

NOTED that Councillor C A Holley had received dispensation from the Standards Committee.

(7) Councillor A M Day declared a personal and prejudicial interest in Minute No. 57 “Charging Framework for Non-residential Social Services” and left during its discussion.

(8) Councillor P M Meara declared a personal interest in Minute No. 61 “Application to Extend a Scheme of Allowances in respect of the Special Responsibility Allowances (SRAs) for the Chair of Minutes of the Meeting of Council of the City and County of Swansea (04.08.2011) Cont’d

the Petitions Committee” and he is currently Chair of the Petitions Committee.

(9) Councillors E W Fitzgerald, J B Hague and M H Jones declared personal interests in Minute No. 66 “Review of Waste Minimisation, Recycling and Composting” as they are all Council appointed representatives of LAWDC.

(10) Councillor H M Morris declared a personal interest in Minute No. 66 “Review of Waste Minimisation, Recycling and Composting” as she is Ward Member for Penlan Leisure Centre and Penlan Civic Amenity Site.

(11) Councillor H M Morris declared a personal interest in Minute No. 69 “Written Responses to Questions Asked at the Last Ordinary Meeting of Council” as she is Ward Member for Arfryn School and Governor of Daniel James School.

(12) Councillor J E Burtonshaw declared a personal interest in Minute No. 70 “Councillors’ Questions” as a Governor of Daniel James School.

(13) Councillor J B Hague declared a personal interest in Minute No. 70 “Councillors’ Questions” as he is a Councillor appointed representative on LAWDC and Director of SSMC and left during discussions in relation to SSMC.

(14) Councillor M H Jones declared a personal interest in Minute No. 70 “Councillors’ Questions” as a Council appointed representative on LAWDC and in relation to a question pertaining to all Councillors.

(15) Councillor C Thomas declared a personal interest in Minute No. 70 “Councillors’ Questions” as she is a Governor of Daniel James School.

(16) Councillors J Newbury and L G Thomas both declared personal and prejudicial interests in Minute No. 70 “Councillors’ Questions” as Directors of SSMC and left during discussions in relation to SSMC.

(17) Councillor C L Philpott declared a personal interest in Minute No. 71 “Notice of Motion re. All Services and Facilities Provided by the Authority to and for Vulnerable Adults” as a family member was currently in residential care.

(18) Councillor J E Burtonshaw declared a personal interest in Minute No. 72 “Notice of Motion re. City Centre” as a family member owns a shop in the city centre. Minutes of the Meeting of Council of the City and County of Swansea (04.08.2011) Cont’d

(19) Councillor C L Philpott declared a personal interest in Minute No. 72 “Notice of Motion re. City Centre” as she is a BID Director.

(20) Councillor M C Child declared a personal interest in Minute No. 73 “Notice of Motion re. Swansea Maritime Rescue Co- ordination Centre” as he is a member of Mumbles Yacht Club.

(21) Councillor R C Stewart declared a personal interest in Minute No. 75 “Notice of Motion re. Mumbles Coastguard Station” as he is employed at the DVLA which was mentioned in the debate.

47. MINUTES OF COUNCIL

RESOLVED that:

1) The Minutes of the Ordinary Meeting of Council held on 9 June 2011 be approved and signed as a correct record subject Councillor J Newbury being shown as having declared a personal interest in Minute 32 “Notice of Motion submitted by Councillors S J Rice, M H Jones, J B Hague and J Newbury”.

2) The Minutes of the Extraordinary Meeting of Council held on 7 July 2011 be approved and signed as a correct record.

48. ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE CHAIR OF COUNCIL

1) National Youth Arts Wales Groups 2011 / 2012

The Chair of Council congratulated the 22 students from Swansea that had been successful in gaining places with the National Youth Arts Wales Groups 2011 / 2012. They will be representing Swansea and Wales in the following Groups:

7 in the National Youth Orchestra for Wales; 8 in the National Youth Choir and Training Choir of Wales; 3 in the National Youth Jazz Wales; 2 in the National Youth Dance Wales; 1 in the National Youth Theatre; 1 in the National Brass Band of Wales.

These young people are able to accept their places thanks to the support of all Local Authorities in Wales through the Shared Services Agreement with the Welsh Joint Education Committee (WJEC).

2) Amendments / Corrections to the Council Summons

The Chair of Council stated that an amendment / correction sheet to the Council Summons had been circulated at the Minutes of the Meeting of Council of the City and County of Swansea (04.08.2011) Cont’d

meeting to all Councillors and copies had also been placed in the public gallery.

The Chair of Council asked all to amend their Council Summons accordingly.

3) Condolences to the People of Norway following the massacre

The Leader of the Labour Political Group asked the Chair of Council to offer the Authorities condolences to the people of Norway following the recent massacre.

The Chair of Council indicated that she would forward condolences on behalf of the Authority.

4) Air Training Corps Squadron 215

The Vice Chair of Council congratulated the Air Training Corps Squadron 215 for winning the Overall Best Air Training Corps Squadron in Great Britain.

49. ANNOUNCEMENTS OF THE LEADER OF THE COUNCIL

1) Head of Legal, Democratic Services and Procurement

The Leader of the Council stated that the Appointments Committee held on 2 August 2011 appointed Patrick Arran as the Head of Legal, Democratic Services and Procurement.

He also thanked Roderic Jones for his hard work and professionalism during his time as the Acting Head of Legal, Democratic Services and Procurement.

2) Fforestfach Fire

The Leader of the Council thanked all involved in dealing with the recent fire at Fforestfach and the subsequent impact on the surrounding community. He stated that he would be asking the Lord Mayor to consider hosting an event for those involved.

50. PUBLIC QUESTIONS

A number of questions were asked by members of the public. The relevant Cabinet Member responded accordingly. Those questions requiring a written response are listed below:

1) Keith Ross asked the Environment Cabinet Member questions in relation to Minute No. 66 “Review of Waste Minimisation, Recycling and Composting”: Minutes of the Meeting of Council of the City and County of Swansea (04.08.2011) Cont’d

“a) How new residents in Brynmill will be informed of the arrangements for waste disposal and household recycling when they arrive for the new term next month?

b) If additional resources will be focussed on the Brynmill area during the first weeks of the new term in order to reinforce the initial information?

c) At what point enforcement will kick in if the message is not getting through?”

The Environment Cabinet Member Leader of the Council indicated that he would provide a written response.

51. COUNCIL PROCEDURE RULE 35 – SUSPENSION OF PROCEDURE RULES

Councillor C Thomas asked that Council Procedure Rule 35 “Suspension of Procedure Rules” be used in order to allow the suspension of Council Procedure Rule 16 “Public Presentations and Question Time”.

She specifically sought suspension of Council Procedure Rule 16.4 which prohibited a Public Presentation being made without due notice.

RESOLVED that:

1) Council Procedure Rule 35 “Suspension of Procedure Rules” not be invoked;

2) Council Procedure Rule 16 “Public Presentations and Question Time” be referred to the Constitution Working Group in order for consideration to be given to the ethics of having the Chair of Council solely responsible for the allowance of Public Presentations.

52. PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS

No presentations were given.

53. PRESENTATION – SINGLE STATUS UPDATE

The Head of Legal, Democratic Services and Procurement gave a presentation to Council updating the progress to date on Single Status. Councillors asked a number of questions all of which were answered fully and frankly.

Minutes of the Meeting of Council of the City and County of Swansea (04.08.2011) Cont’d

54. MEMBERSHIP OF COMMITTEES

The Community Leadership and Democracy Cabinet Member reported for information only the change that he had made to the Authority’s nominations on Outside Bodies. The change is as follows:

1) University of Swansea Council. Remove Councillor P M Black. Add Councillor J Woodman.

He also stated that he had removed the following organisations from the Authority’s list of Outside Bodies:

1) Children Leaving Care Scheme – Inter Agency Officer Project Committee;

2) Swansea Area Adult Protection Committee;

He concluded his report by proposing the following changes to the membership of the Council Bodies listed in the report.

RESOLVED that:

1) The nominations / amendments to the membership of the Council Bodies listed below be approved:

a) Area 1 Development Control Committee

Remove Councillor C R Doyle. Add Councillor D H James.

b) Planning Services Member Task Group

Remove Councillors J E Burtonshaw and D Phillips. Add Councillors R Francis-Davies and N S Bradley.

55. STRATEGIC PLAN FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE 2011- 2014

The Business Improvement and Efficiency Cabinet Member submitted a report which outlined the Strategic Plan for Children and Young People 2011 – 2014.

RESOLVED that the Strategic Plan for Children and Young People 2011 – 2014 be approved.

Note: Councillor C R Doyle asked “Why had the 2008 performance indicators been used in the report instead of the 2011 performance indicators which were due to be released on 31 August 2011?”

Minutes of the Meeting of Council of the City and County of Swansea (04.08.2011) Cont’d

The Business Improvement and Efficiency Cabinet Member responded to the question and stated that she would circulate the 2011 performance indicators once they were available.

56. ADJOURNMENT OF MEETING – COMFORT BREAK

The Meeting stood adjourned for 10 minutes in order to facilitate a comfort break.

57. CHARGING FRAMEWORK FOR NON RESIDENTIAL SOCIAL SERVICES

The Social Services Cabinet Member submitted a report which sought approval for the Charging Framework for Non Residential Social Services.

Discussions ensued regarding several charges detailed in the report. This led to a vote seeking to make an amendment to the report and subsequently a vote seeking deferment of the report, which on being put, was lost.

RESOLVED that:

1) The Charging Framework for Non Residential Social Services which had been updated to reflect the new requirements of the Welsh Government’s new Measure, Regulations and Statutory Guidance outlined in Appendix A of the report be approved;

2) The Charging Rates be reviewed annually.

58. CHANGING FACE OF PUBLIC SERVICES

The Chief Executive submitted a report which sought to update Council on recent Welsh Government reviews and the wider debate on whether Local Government might perform better if it were to review and realign the commissioning and delivery of some of its functions.

RESOLVED that:

1) The developing agenda be noted;

2) Directors will be required to advise Council of future developments via reports, Councillors Forums and other media as appropriate, which commenced on 6 July 2011 with a Councillors Forum on developments in Social Care and Education;

3) Directors engage with other Authorities and National Bodies to explore the agenda established by these three reports.

Minutes of the Meeting of Council of the City and County of Swansea (04.08.2011) Cont’d

59. APPOINTMENT OF A MONITORING OFFICER

The Chief Executive submitted a report which sought the reaffirmation of the Head of Legal, Democratic Services and Procurement as the Monitoring Officer. He stated that the Appointments Committee held on 2 August 2011 appointed Patrick Arran as the Head of Legal, Democratic Services and Procurement and as such the post also needed to be reaffirmed as the Monitoring Officer.

RESOLVED that the Head of Legal, Democratic Services and Procurement be also appointed as the Monitoring Officer.

60. AMENDMENTS TO THE COUNCIL CONSTITUTION

The Chair of Council, Constitution Working Group and Acting Monitoring Officer jointly submitted a report which sought to make amendments to the Council Constitution. In addition to this some other amendments were also proposed however these had not been to the Constitution Working Group.

RESOLVED that:

1) Council Procedure Rule 16.1 be amended to read as follows:

“16.1 After giving notice of the text thereof in writing to the Proper Officer not later than noon on the previous working day, any Member(s) of the public present may, at the appointed time of the open session of each Council meeting, ask question(s) of any Cabinet Member, Chair or Vice Chair of any Committee or Board of the City and County of Swansea on any matter included on the open part of the agenda of the respective meeting excluding any public presentations.”

2) Council Procedure Rule 16.4 be amended to read as follows:

“16.4 At the discretion of the Chair of Council any Swansea resident may make a presentation to Council on a matter for which the Council has responsibility. Presentations will be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

One, 10 minute presentation will be permitted per meeting providing that a full summary and the final copy of the presentation is received by the Proper Officer at least 7 clear working days prior to the meeting.

The relevant Cabinet Member will subsequently be asked to provide a brief response.” Minutes of the Meeting of Council of the City and County of Swansea (04.08.2011) Cont’d

3) The Scheme of delegation in relation to Licensing Functions be amended to read as follows: a) Scheme of Delegation – J2 – Page 75. Column 3.

“Part 2 of the Licensing Act 2003 except Sections 6 and 53A to 53C.”; b) Scheme of Delegation – J2 – Page 75. Add a new row as follows:

J2a Licensing Part 2 of the Licensing Act Licensing Functions 2003 Sections 53A to 53C Committee c) Terms of Reference – Licensing Sub Committee – Page 103. Add paragraph 3 as follows:

“3. Any consideration of interim measures by the Sub Committee under Section 53B of the Licensing Act 2003 are not deemed public hearings and the public can be excluded”.

4) The Terms of Reference of the Gower AONB Partnership Group – Pages 141 – 142 be amended to read as follows: a) Paragraph 2 “Membership”:

“(i) The Group will consist of 18 members. It will include six City & County of Swansea Councillors based on the Proportionality Rules and the Chair of the Partnership Group will be the Councillor from within these six Councillors who has the Cabinet portfolio with responsibility for the AONB. It will also include up to two representatives from CCW. This group of members will serve a three year term of office from the date of appointment. The remainder of members as non-core funding Partnership Group members will be elected at the Annual Forum and will serve a two year term of office.”

“(ii) The Vice-Chairman will be chosen by the Partnership Group and will serve a three year term of office from the date of appointment.”

“(iv) The Group will have the power to co-opt individuals or organisations as deemed necessary.” b) Paragraph 3 “Meetings”:

“(xii) The Partnership Group will have the power to amend the date of the Annual Forum in exceptional circumstances.” Minutes of the Meeting of Council of the City and County of Swansea (04.08.2011) Cont’d

5) The Terms of Reference of the Gower AONB Partnership Group – Planning Protocol – Page 149 be amended to read as follows:

“3. OPERATION

The Gower AONB Team Leader will comment on planning applications and provide the Chair of the AONB Partnership Group with a copy of each one for information and report these to the next Group meeting for information.”

6) The Terms of Reference of the Gower AONB Partnership Annual Forum – Pages 141 - 142 be amended to read as follows:

“3. MEETINGS

(i) Meetings will be held annually and agreed annually in advance. The Partnership Group will have the power to amend the date in exceptional circumstances.

(vi) Minutes of each meeting shall be kept and circulated to those attending the Forum as soon as possible after each meeting.

(viii) If any person attending the Forum has any direct and significant involvement with a proposed project being considered, then they should declare this at the appropriate point on the agenda, and revoke their voting rights for any vote on that project.”

7) The Overview and Scrutiny Boards Procedure Rules be amended to read as follows: a) Page 315, Paragraph 6.6:

“6.6 Reports from the overview & scrutiny boards to the Executive shall be placed on the agenda of the first available meeting after being submitted to the Proper Officer. The Chair of the relevant overview & scrutiny board will present the Report and accompanying recommendations to Cabinet. At this meeting the role of the Cabinet is simply to receive the report and to task the relevant Cabinet Member to prepare a written response on behalf of Cabinet.”

Minutes of the Meeting of Council of the City and County of Swansea (04.08.2011) Cont’d

b) Page 315, Paragraph 6.7:

“6.7 The Cabinet Member’s response report will be scheduled for a future Cabinet meeting no later than three months following the Cabinet meeting where the original overview and scrutiny report was presented.”

c) Page 315, Paragraph 6.8:

“6.8 In their response report the Cabinet Member will recommend approval or rejection of each of the overview and scrutiny recommendations together with an explanation. At this stage the Cabinet Member will also provide a proposed action plan to show what steps are being or will be taken to implement accepted recommendations. Cabinet will then make a decision on the Cabinet Member’s response report. Both the original overview and scrutiny report and Cabinet decision on the recommendations will be reported to the next available Council meeting. This will be for information, except where there are recommendations on matters that require Council approval (e.g. proposing policy change).”

d) Page 316, Paragraph 7.2:

“7.2 Once agreed by Cabinet, the Cabinet Member’s response report and action plan will be provided the relevant overview and scrutiny board for information at the earliest opportunity. The relevant board will then schedule to follow up on progress with the implementation of the action plan.”

8) The changes listed above be made to the Council Constitution following the closure of this meeting.

61. APPLICATION TO EXTEND A SCHEME OF ALLOWANCES IN RESPECT OF SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITY ALLOWANCES (SRA’s) FOR THE CHAIR OF THE PETITIONS COMMITTEE

The report was deferred to the next meeting of Council in order to ascertain whether or not Council had previously made a decision relating to this issue in the preceding 6 months.

62. DATA PROTECTION REGISTRATION AND COUNCILLORS

The Chair of Council, Constitution Working Group and Acting Monitoring Officer jointly submitted a for information report which informed Councillors of the Information Commissioner’s Office letter reminding Councillors of the need to register as a data controller.

The report stated that the Authority would pay the annual registration fee for all Councillors that require it and the Democratic Services and Minutes of the Meeting of Council of the City and County of Swansea (04.08.2011) Cont’d

Complaints Manager will assist Councillors in the completion of the ICO notification forms.

63. LOCAL GOVERNMENT (WALES) MEASURE 2011

The Acting Head of Legal, Democratic Services submitted a report which sought to comply with a decision of Cabinet which recommended that the Chief Executive be authorised, in consultation with the Political Group Leaders, to respond to the draft guidance under the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011.

RESOLVED that the Chief Executive be authorised, in consultation with the Political Group Leaders, to respond to the draft guidance under the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011.

64. URGENT ITEM

RESOLVED that in pursuance of paragraph 100B (4) (b) of the Local Government Act 1972 the Chair of Council has decided that the “Local Government Act 1972 – Section 85 – Non Attendance of Meetings” report be considered at this meeting as a matter of urgency.

65. LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1972 – SECTION 85 – NON ATTENDANCE OF MEETINGS

Reason for Urgency: In order to allow Councillor B J Hynes a period of time off to assist her in her recovery and to prevent her being in breach of the Local Government Act 1972.

The Acting Head of Legal, Democratic Services and Procurement submitted a report which sought dispensation to allow non attendance of a Councillor at meetings. He stated that Councillor B J Hynes had not attended a meeting since 8 March 2011 due to ill health.

RESOLVED that in accordance with Section 85 “Non Attendance of Meetings” of the Local Government Act 1972, Councillor B J Hynes be granted dispensation to allow non attendance of meetings for a period of fourteen months from 8 March 2011.

66. REVIEW OF WASTE MINIMISATION, RECYCLING AND COMPOSTING

The Environment and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Board submitted a for information report outlining the findings, conclusions and recommendations resulting from the Board’s report and the outcome following its submission to Cabinet.

Minutes of the Meeting of Council of the City and County of Swansea (04.08.2011) Cont’d

67. REVIEW OF THE NEW OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY ARRANGEMENTS

The Overview and Scrutiny Business Committee submitted a report which sought to present a review of the new Overview and Scrutiny arrangements that were introduced in May 2010.

RESOLVED that:

1) The report and its contents be noted;

2) The Overview and Scrutiny Business Committee monitor the continuing implementation of the Improvement Programme Action Plan;

3) The Council Constitution be amended to support the flexible use of new working methods by the Overview and Scrutiny Boards;

4) Questioning strategies be adopted by all of the Overview and Scrutiny Boards with adequate support provided;

5) The guiding principle that membership of overview and scrutiny boards and committees should be for a full council term as far as is possible be endorsed;

6) The Overview and Scrutiny Business Committee develop proposals for new overview and scrutiny arrangements for the 2012/13 municipal year based on the principles set out in this report;

7) The Overview and Scrutiny Business Committee consider the introduction of new working practices for the Overview and Scrutiny Unit;

8) The Overview and Scrutiny Boards make provision in their work plans to scrutinise the impact of budget reductions.

68. OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY STRATEGIC WORK PROGRAMME

The Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Business Committee presented an information report outlining the Overview and Scrutiny Strategic Work Programme.

69. WRITTEN RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS ASKED AT THE LAST ORDINARY MEETING OF COUNCIL

The Acting Head of Legal, Democratic Services and Procurement submitted an information report setting out the written responses to questions asked at the last Ordinary Meeting of Council.

Minutes of the Meeting of Council of the City and County of Swansea (04.08.2011) Cont’d

70. COUNCILLORS’ QUESTIONS

1) Part A “Supplementary Questions”

Nine (9) Part A “Supplementary Questions” were submitted. The relevant Cabinet Member(s) responded by way of written answers contained within the Council Summons.

Further supplementary questions were asked and the relevant Cabinet Member responded. Those questions requiring a written response are listed below.

a) Question 1. Councillor G Seabourne asked the Environment Cabinet Member the following question:

"Please provide the cost to the Authority for collecting the fly tipping that is dumped outside of civic amenity centres whilst they are closed at the early part of the week following a recent Cabinet decision?"

The Environment Cabinet Member stated that he would provide a written response.

b) Question 1. Councillor H M Morris asked the Environment Cabinet Member the following question:

"Why was the Penlan civic amenity site not operating on Friday, 29 July 2011?”

The Environment Cabinet Member stated that he would provide a written response.

c) Question 1. Councillor J E Burtonshaw asked the Environment Cabinet Member the following question:

"What savings have been made by the Authority following the part week closure of the civic amenity sites?”

The Environment Cabinet Member stated that he would provide a written response.

d) Question 4. Councillor W J F Davies asked the Social Services Cabinet Member the following questions:

“1) I understand we have 1 contract monitoring officer for our placements in care homes. Is that a sufficient resource?

2) How do the contract monitoring officers carry out their work? How do they collect their evidence to Minutes of the Meeting of Council of the City and County of Swansea (04.08.2011) Cont’d

satisfy themselves that the quality of care is up to standard between the statutory visits from the CSSIW?

3) What evidence do you have that the new rota visiting procedure is operating successfully?

4) What evidence do you have that the Council’s whistle blowing policy is effective in protecting vulnerable people? How many individuals have taken advantage of this procedure to report concerns?

5) Are Social Workers completing annual reviews of individual’s care plans timorously? Is the resident always, as a matter of course, made fully aware of the Complaints Procedure during the annual review of the care plan? Does this practice also extend to their families? How many complaints and compliments have been received?

6) What evidence do you have to reassure the public that all laid down processes work well and are completed on time?

7) What problems are caused by the lack of resources? Is there a cross subsidy of Child and Family Services by Older Persons Services?”

He further stated that these questions also applied to Minute 71 “Notice of Motion by Councillors C Thomas, D Phillips, J E Burtonshaw, R C Stewart, J C Richards, R J Lloyd, M C Child, R Francis-Davies, E T Kirchner, H M Morris and C R Doyle”.

The Social Services Cabinet Member stated that he would provide a written response.

Note: Following an amendment to the Notice of Motion referred to in Minute 71 below, it was accepted that the answers to the questions would form part of the report which will come to Council. There is therefore to requirement for a separate written response.

2) Part B “Questions Not Requiring Supplementary” Questions

Ten (10) Part B “Questions Not Requiring Supplementary” Questions were submitted.

Minutes of the Meeting of Council of the City and County of Swansea (04.08.2011) Cont’d

71. NOTICE OF MOTION BY COUNCILLORS C THOMAS, D PHILLIPS, J E BURTONSHAW, R C STEWART, J C RICHARDS, R J LLOYD, M C CHILD, R FRANCIS-DAVIES, E T KIRCHNER, H M MORRIS AND C R DOYLE

This Council will have been appalled by the shocking findings of the recent BBC Panorama investigation on a private care home near Bristol, and by the news that patients in similar NHS facilities in Cornwall are to receive 1.4 million in compensation. This itself follows a joint Healthcare Commission and Commission for Social Care Inspection investigation, which has also led to the closure of some facilities there.

Council will understand that residents and users of such facilities in Swansea and their families will be concerned about the actual situation in Swansea.

Council therefore resolves that, in regard to all services and facilities provided by the Authority to and for vulnerable adults, an assurance audit will be undertaken as a matter of urgency and reported back to the next scheduled Council meeting. In relation to those services, homes, institutions or facilities not owned or operated by the Authority, it also resolves that, as a matter of urgency the Cabinet Member for Social Services writes to the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales to seek their assurance that there are no such similar concerns within the City and County of Swansea. Further, that the Cabinet Member will report back to Councillors once a reply has been received from the CSSIW.

The Social Services Cabinet Member proposed a further paragraph be added at the end of the Notice of Motion as follows:

“The answers to those questions asked in Minute 70 “Councillors Questions – Question 4” form part of the report which will come to Council.”

RESOLVED that the amended Notice of Motion be approved.

72. NOTICE OF MOTION BY COUNCILLORS N S BRADLEY, R FRANCIS DAVIES, D PHILLIPS, J E BURTONSHAW, R C STEWART, J C RICHARDS, R J LLOYD, M C CHILD, E T KIRCHNER, H M MORRIS AND C R DOYLE

Council resolves to set up, as a matter of urgency, a cross party working group tasked to examine in detail the problems of the City Centre, the identification of actual deliverable measures that will aim to improve the situation, and the progress plans for implementation of measures already announced. The Task Group should review the City Centre Strategy, the various reports that were made to the Minutes of the Meeting of Council of the City and County of Swansea (04.08.2011) Cont’d

Extraordinary Meeting of Council on the 7th July 2011 and meet with city centre traders. It should be reported back regularly to Council on its progress.

The Notice of Motion was withdrawn.

73. NOTICE OF MOTION BY COUNCILLORS A C COLBURN, M H JONES, J B HAGUE, R D LEWIS, D P TUCKER, P R HOOD- WILLIAMS, C M R W D THOMAS AND M SMITH

This Council believes that the decision to close Swansea Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre is short sighted and fundamentally flawed as the decision is being taken on the grounds of the availability of public sector jobs in the area and not for safety reasons.

Council agrees to ask The Leader and Chief Executive to write to Transport Secretary Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP to ask him to reconsider his proposal to close the Rescue Co-ordination Centre (Mumbles Coastguard Tutt Head). This is in light of the overwhelming evidence to support keeping open the Centre for the clear safety benefits for all professional and recreational users of this busy waterway.

Councillor M C Child proposed an amendment. The amendment was seconded by Councillor D Phillips. The amended Notice of motion reads as follows:

This Council believes that the decision of the Conservative led Government to close Swansea Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre is short sighted and fundamentally flawed as the decision is driven solely by the Westminster Government’s desire to cut costs too quickly and too deeply, and not for safety reasons.

We also agree to the Council formally submitting an objection in the current consultation process”.

On being put the amendment was lost.

Councillor D Phillips proposed an amendment. The amendment was seconded by Councillor M C Child. The amended Notice of motion reads as follows:

Minutes of the Meeting of Council of the City and County of Swansea (04.08.2011) Cont’d

“This Council believes that the decision to close Swansea Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre is short sighted and fundamentally flawed as the decision is being taken on the grounds of the availability of public sector jobs in the area and not for safety reasons.

We also agree to the Council formally submitting an objection in the current consultation process via:- http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/mcga07‐home/shipsandcargoes/consultations/mcga‐ currentconsultations/consultation_proposals2011.htm http://feedback.mcga.gov.uk/v.asp?i=38227kwyqj

RESOLVED that the amended Notice of Motion be approved.

74. NOTICE OF MOTION BY COUNCILLORS C. A HOLLEY, D. PHILLIPS, P R HOOD-WILLIAMS AND R. L SMITH

In light of one of the recommendations in the Wales Audit Office Report that this Council explores alternative models for deciding small scale planning applications this Council reaffirms its policy on area planning committees contained in the decision of full Council on 3rd February 2011 which was passed unanimously.

RESOLVED that the Notice of Motion be approved.

75. NOTICE OF MOTION BY COUNCILLORS D PHILLIPS, M C CHILD, D W W THOMAS, J E BURTONSHAW, R C STEWART, J C RICHARDS, R J LLOYD, R FRANCIS-DAVIES, E T KIRCHNER, C R DOYLE AND H M MORRIS

This Council regards the Conservative / Lib-Dem minister’s decision to close Mumbles lifeguard station as wrong, as a threat to the safety of everyone who uses the coasts of Gower and Swansea and the seas around them and the many ports served by the Bristol Channel. It is a decision driven solely by the Westminster Government’s desire to cut costs too quickly and too deeply.

H. M. Coastguard are the 4th emergency service, and we are proud of the service Mumbles Coastguard station and all who have served there have provided for a very long time. Without their dedication and Minutes of the Meeting of Council of the City and County of Swansea (04.08.2011) Cont’d

detailed local knowledge there would have been many more maritime tragedies.

This decision will leave the whole of the Bristol Channel without a ‘local’ Coastguard, more dangerous for merchant shipping, fishing and pleasure boats, the public at the seaside, and more open to smuggling, and other illicit activity.

The council joins with our local MPs and AMs in calling for the Minister to rethink this course of action.

The Notice of Motion was withdrawn.

76. COMMON SEAL

RESOLVED that the Common Seal be affixed to any document necessary to bring into effect any decisions passed or confirmed at the meeting.

The meeting ended at 9.30 p.m.

CHAIR OF COUNCIL Item No. 3 b)

CITY AND COUNTY OF SWANSEA

MINUTES OF THE EXTRAORDINARY MEETING OF COUNCIL OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SWANSEA

HELD AT CIVIC CENTRE, SWANSEA ON THURSDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2011 AT 4.00 P.M.

PRESENT: Councillor A R A Clement (Chair of Council) presided

Councillor(s): Councillor(s): Councillor(s):

V N Abbott D T Howells C L Philpott V A Bates Hughes D I E Jones T H Rees M C Child M R Jones I M Richard A C S Colburn S M Jones J C Richards C R Doyle J B Kelleher D A Robinson J Evans R D Lewis M Smith W Evans R J Lloyd P B Smith E W Fitzgerald K E Marsh R L Smith M E Gibbs P M Matthews R J Stanton J B Hague P N May C M R W D Thomas M J Hedges J T Miles J M Thomas C A Holley H M Morris L G Thomas N A Holley J Newbury N J Tregoning P R Hood-Williams B G Owen D P Tucker D H Hopkins G Phillips J Woodman

77. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors P M Black, N S Bradley, J E Burtonshaw, W J F Davies, A M Day, R Francis-Davies, B J Hynes, D H James, J W Jones, M H Jones, W E A Jones, A Jopling, E T Kirchner, A Lloyd, P M Meara, D Phillips, D Price, S J Rice, R Speht, D G Sullivan, C Thomas and D W W Thomas.

78. DISCLOSURES OF INTEREST

The Head of Legal, Democratic Services and Procurement gave advice regarding any potential personal and prejudicial interests that Councillors may have on the agenda.

Following this advice, no interests were declared.

Minutes of the Extraordinary Meeting of Council of the City and County of Swansea (01.09.2011) Cont’d

79. PRESENTATION – COMMUNITY SAFETY BY CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT MARK MATHIAS

The Chief Superintendent of the South Wales Police, Mark Mathias and the Head Teacher of Hafod Primary School, Rachel Webb gave a presentation to Council on issues relating to Community Safety within the City and County of Swansea.

Councillors asked a number of questions all of which were answered fully and frankly.

RESOLVED that the presentation be noted.

80. COMMON SEAL

RESOLVED that the Common Seal be affixed to any document necessary to bring into effect any decisions passed or confirmed at the meeting.

The meeting ended at 6.42 p.m.

CHAIR OF COUNCIL

Item No. 8 (1)

Report of the Section 151 Officer

Council – 29 September 2011

STATEMENT OF ACCOUNTS 2010/11

Summary

Purpose: The Council is required to approve its 2010/11 accounts by 30 September 2011.

Policy Framework: Budget & Accounts 2010/11

Reason for Decision: To comply with the Accounts & Audit (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2010.

Consultation: Legal and Finance.

1. Introduction. 1.1 The 2010/11 accounts are recommended to Council for approval.

1.2 In addition, the external auditor has recently confirmed that the investigations arising from questions and potential objections raised by two electors in respect of the 2009/10 accounts have been completed. The external auditor is, therefore, in a position to certify the formal completion of the audit of the 2009/10 accounts. However, it is a requirement that Council formally re-approves the 2009/10 Statement of Accounts.

The 2009/10 Statement of Accounts is available on the Council’s website and is unchanged from the version approved by Council on 23rd September 2010. A printed copy is available on request.

2. Timetable for completion and audit of the 2010/11 accounts. 2.1 The key dates in relation to the 2010/11 accounts approval process are as follows:

30th June 2011 The draft Statement of Accounts was completed and certified by the Section 151 officer

25th July 2011 The Audit Committee reviewed the draft Statement of Accounts

22nd September 2011 Cabinet considered the Auditor’s reports on the 2010/11 Accounts

29th September 2011 Council is requested to approve the 2010/11 Statement of Accounts

27th October 2011 The Audit Committee to review the Auditor’s reports and the approved Statement of Accounts

3. Changes to the format and content of the 2010/11 Statement of Accounts 3.1 For the 2010-11 financial year, the Authority is required to prepare the Statement of Accounts in accordance with the Code of Practice on Local Authority Accounting in the United Kingdom (the Code), which is based on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). The Code replaced the previous Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP).

3.2 The amount of work to convert the accounts to an IFRS basis was substantial and included requirements to prepare an IFRS compliant restated opening balance sheet as at 1st April 2009 and also to restate the audited accounts for 2009-10 on an IFRS basis.

3.3 The main changes arising from the implementation of the Code are:

- A revised format for reporting Income & Expenditure termed the Comprehensive Income and Expenditure Account

- A significantly revised approach to the valuation of Council assets and related charges

- Additional Income & Expenditure accounting entries

- Additional tables, analysis and supporting notes

3.4 The above has resulted in a significant increase in the size and complexity of the Statement of Accounts.

4. Legal implications 4.1 The Council is required to approve and publish its accounts by 30th September 2011 and to comply with its statutory, regulatory and codified requirements.

5. Recommendations 5.1 It is recommended that:

(a) The 2009/10 Statement of Accounts be re-approved (b) The 2010/11 Statement of Accounts be approved

Contact officer : Mike Trubey, Head of Finance Telephone no : 636391 Background papers : None Legal Officer : Tracey Meredith Item No. 8 (2)

Report of the Section 151 Officer

Council - 29 September 2011

TREASURY MANAGEMENT ANNUAL REPORT 2010/11

Summary

Purpose: This report provides details of the Council’s Treasury Management activities during 2010/11 and compares actual performance against the strategy laid down at the start of the year.

Policy Framework: Treasury Management Policy Statement approved by Council February 2010;

Reason for Decision: This report is made to Council to comply with the requirements of CIPFA’s Codes of Practice and as such, there is no decision required.

Consultation: Finance and Legal

1 Introduction

1.1 Under the CIPFA Code of Practice on Treasury Management in Public Services, there is a requirement: “….for the Council to receive reports on its treasury management policies, practices and activities”.

This report summarises the activities for the year. The Prudential Code for Capital Finance in Local Authorities also requires the reporting of outturn Prudential Indicators for the year.

2 Executive Summary of Activities During The Year

2.1 The net borrowing requirement in 2010/11 was £2.53m. Due to capacity constraints and low investment returns, it was determined to utilise internal funds on an interim basis. As such no new external borrowing was undertaken in 2010/11.

2.2 The average interest rate on Council borrowing was maintained at 5.51%.

2.3 Internally Managed investments achieved a return of 1.02%. This represents an outperformance of +0.77% from the 7 day uncompounded LIBID benchmark rate of 0.25%.

2.4 The external fund manager returned 0.75%. This represented an outperformance of +0.07% from the target 3 month LIBID rate of 0.68%.

2.5 The Council has operated within the determined treasury limits outlined in the appendices.

3 Financial Implications

3.1 There are no financial implications arising directly from this report

4 Legal Implications

4.1 There are no legal implications arising directly from the report.

5 Conclusion

5.1 The report is for information. Members are asked to note the details contained in the report

Background Papers:

 Treasury Management Strategy and Investment Strategy Statement (Feb 2010)  Capital Programme-Prudential Code and Prudential Indicators Report (Feb 2010)

Contact / Finance Officer:  Mr Jeff Dong, Chief Treasury & Technical Officer, Treasury & Technical Section, Finance Department   01792 636934

Legal Officer:  Tracey Meredith, Directorate Lawyer, Legal Services   01792 636621

Treasury Management Annual Report

2010/11

Contents

Section

1. Executive Summary

2. Introduction and Background

3. Debt Portfolio

4. Treasury Strategy 2010/11

5. Actual Borrowing 2010/11

6. Compliance with Treasury Limits

7. Capital Financing Charges 2010/11

8. Investment Strategy for 2010/11

9. Actual Investments 2010/11

10. The Audit Commission Report on the Icelandic Banks

11. Early Debt Repayment

Appendices

1. Executive Summary

1.1 The net borrowing requirement in 2010/11 was £2.53m. Due to capacity constraints and low investment returns, it was determined to utilise internal funds on an interim basis. As such no new external borrowing was undertaken in 2010/11.

1.2 The average interest rate on Council borrowing was maintained at 5.51%.

1.3 Internally Managed investments of the Council’s reserves achieved a return of 1.02%. This represents an outperformance of +0.77% from the 7 day uncompounded LIBID benchmark rate of 0.25%.

1.4 The external fund manager returned 0.75%. This represented an outperformance of +0.07% from the target 3 month LIBID rate of 0.68%.

1.5 The Council has operated within the determined treasury limits outlined in the appendices.

2. Introduction and Background

2.1 Treasury Management in local government is regulated by the CIPFA Code of Practice on Treasury Management in Public Services (the Code). The City and County of Swansea has adopted the Code and complies with its requirements. A glossary of terms used throughout this report is included at Appendix 3.

2.2 The primary requirements of the Code are the:

. Creation and maintenance of a Treasury Management Policy Statement which sets out the policies and objectives of the Council’s Treasury Management activities . Creation and maintenance of Treasury Management Practices which set out the manner in which the Council will seek to achieve those policies and objectives . Receipt by the Council of an annual Treasury Management strategy report for the year ahead , a mid term update report and an annual review report of the previous year . Delegation by the Council of responsibilities for implementing and monitoring Treasury Management policies and practices and for the execution and administration of Treasury Management decisions . Treasury Management, in this context, is defined as:

“The management of the local authority’s cash flows, its banking, money market and capital market transactions; the effective control of the risks associated with those activities; and the pursuit of the optimum performance or return consistent with those risks.”

2.3 The Council has previously received in February 2010 the Treasury Strategy Statement and Investment Strategy for 2010/11

2.4 The Prudential Code for Capital Finance in Local Authorities has been developed as a professional code of practice to support local authorities in determining their programmes for capital investment. Local authorities are required by Regulation under Part 1 of the Local Government Act 2003 to comply with the Prudential Code.

2.5 The objective of the Code is to provide a framework for local authority capital finance that will ensure for individual local authorities that:

 Capital expenditure plans are affordable  All borrowing and long term liabilities are within prudent and sustainable levels  Treasury Management decisions are taken in accordance with professional good practice

2.6 The Code includes a set of Prudential Indicators, which are designed to support and inform local decision-making. The 2010/11 Prudential Indicators are detailed in Appendix 1.

3. Debt Portfolio

3.1 The Council’s external borrowing position at the beginning and end of the year was as follows:

1 April 2010 31 March 2011 Principal Interest Principal Interest Rate Rate £’000 % £’000 %

Long Term Debt PWLB - fixed rate 244,825 6.09 238,847 6.11 Money Market (LOBO) 98,000 4.10 98,000 4.10 Local Bonds 5 - 5 - Short Term Debt Money Market 30 0.90 40 0.76 External Bodies 1,059 0.99 1,111 0.72

Total Debt 343,919 5.51 338,003 5.51

3.2 The average external debt portfolio interest rate has been maintained at 5.51%.

4. Treasury Strategy 2010/11

4.1 2010/11 proved to be another watershed year for financial markets. Rather than a focus on individual institutions, market fears moved to sovereign debt issues, particularly in the peripheral Euro zone countries. Local authorities were also presented with changed circumstances following the unexpected change of policy on Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) lending arrangements in October 2010. This resulted in an increase in new borrowing rates of 0.75 – 0.85%, without an associated increase in early redemption rates. This made new borrowing more expensive and repayment relatively less attractive.

4.2 UK growth proved mixed over the year. The first half of the year saw the economy outperform expectations, although the economy slipped into negative territory in the final quarter of 2010 due to inclement weather conditions. The year finished with prospects for the UK economy being decidedly downbeat over the short to medium term while the Japanese disasters in March, and the Arab Spring, especially the crisis in Libya, caused an increase in world oil prices, which all combined to dampen international economic growth prospects.

4.3 The change in the UK political background was a major factor behind weaker domestic growth expectations. The new coalition Government struck an aggressive fiscal policy stance, evidenced through heavy spending cuts announced in the October Comprehensive Spending Review, and the lack of any “giveaway” in the March 2011 Budget. Although the main aim was to reduce the national debt burden to a sustainable level, the measures are also expected to act as a significant drag on growth.

4.4 Gilt yields fell for much of the first half of the year as financial markets drew considerable reassurance from the Government’s debt reduction plans, especially in the light of Euro zone sovereign debt concerns. Expectations of further quantitative easing also helped to push yields to historic lows. However, this positive performance was mostly reversed in the closing months of 2010 as sentiment changed due to sharply rising inflation pressures. These were also expected (during February / March 2011) to cause the Monetary Policy Committee to start raising Bank Rate earlier than previously expected.

4.5 The developing Euro zone peripheral sovereign debt crisis caused considerable concerns in financial markets. First Greece (May), then Ireland (December), were forced to accept assistance from a combined EU / IMF rescue package. Subsequently, fears steadily grew about Portugal, although it managed to put off accepting assistance till after the year end. These worries caused international investors to seek safe havens in investing in non-Euro zone government bonds.

4.6 Deposit rates picked up modestly in the second half of the year as rising inflationary concerns, and strong first half growth, fed through to prospects of an earlier start to increases in Bank Rate. However, in March 2011, slowing actual growth, together with weak growth prospects, saw consensus expectations of the first UK rate rise move back from May to August 2011 despite high inflation. However, the disparity of expectations on domestic economic growth and inflation encouraged a wide range of views on the timing of the start of increases in Bank Rate in a band from May 2011 through to early 2013. This sharp disparity was also seen in MPC voting which, by year-end,

had three members voting for a rise while others preferred to continue maintaining rates at ultra low levels.

4.7 Risk premiums were also a constant factor in raising money market deposit rates beyond 3 months. Although market sentiment has improved, continued Euro zone concerns, and the significant funding issues still faced by many financial institutions, mean that investors remain cautious of longer-term commitment. The European Commission did try to address market concerns through a stress test of major financial institutions in July 2010. Although only a small minority of banks “failed” the test, investors were highly sceptical as to the robustness of the tests, as they also are over further tests now taking place with results due in mid to late 2011.

4.8 PWLB borrowing rates - the graph and table for PWLB maturity rates below show, for a selection of maturity periods, the range (high and low points) in rates, the average rates and individual rates at the start and the end of the financial year.

Variations in most PWLB rates have been distorted by the October 2010 decision by the PWLB to raise it borrowing rates by about 0.75 – 0.85% e.g. if it had not been for this change, the 25 year PWLB at 31 March 2011 (5.32%) would have been only marginally higher than the position at 1 April 2010.

PW LB rate variations in 2010-11 6.00% 5.75% 5.50% 5.25% 5.00% 4.75% 4.50% 4.25% 4.00% 3.75% 3.50% 3.25% 3.00% 2.75% 2.50% 2.25% 2.00% 1.75% 1.50% 1.25% 1.00% 0.75% 0.50%

1 .5 0 0 + -2 2.5 -8 -9 -10 -15 -35 0 1-1.5 1.5 2- 2.5-3 3-3.5 3.5-4 4-4 4.5-5 5.5-6 6.5-7 7.5 8.5 .5 .5 .5-3 .5 .5-5 5 9 14 19.5-20 24.5-25 29 34 39.5-40 44.5-45 49 R 1mnth B G 31/03/2011 01/04/2010 Average PW LB BO RRO W ING RATES 20 10 /11 for 1 to 50 years 1 month 11.5-2 2.5-3 3.5-4 4.5-5 9.5-10 24.5-25 49.5-50 variable 01/04/2010 0.810% 1.370% 1.910% 2.400% 2.840% 4.140% 4.620% 4.650% 0.650% 31/03/2011 1.870% 2.340% 2.790% 3.210% 3.570% 4.710% 5.320% 5.250% 1.570% HIGH 1.990% 2.510% 3.000% 3.440% 3.830% 4.990% 5.550% 5.480% 1.570% LO W 0.600% 0.880% 1.180% 1.500% 1.820% 3.060% 3.920% 3.930% 0.650% Average 1.177% 1.590% 2.009% 2.413% 2.788% 4.050% 4.771% 4.756% 1.052% Spread 1.390% 1.630% 1.820% 1.940% 2.010% 1.930% 1.630% 1.550% 0.920% High date 07/02/2011 07/02/2011 07/02/2011 07/02/2011 09/02/2011 09/02/2011 09/02/2011 09/02/2011 07/03/2011 Low date 15/06/2010 12/10/2010 12/10/2010 12/10/2010 12/10/2010 31/08/2010 31/08/2010 31/08/2010 01/04/2010

4.9 The Adopted Treasury Strategy 2010/11 The expectation for interest rates within the strategy for 2010/11 anticipated low but rising Bank Rate (starting in quarter 4 of 2011) with similar gradual rises in medium and longer term fixed interest rates over 2010/11. Variable or short- term rates were expected to be the cheaper form of borrowing over the period. Continued uncertainty in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis promoted a cautious approach, whereby investments would continue to be dominated by low counterparty risk considerations, resulting in relatively low returns compared to borrowing rates.

In this scenario, the treasury strategy was to postpone borrowing to avoid the cost of holding higher levels of investments and reduce counterparty risk.

The actual movement in interest rates broadly followed the expectations in the strategy, as detailed in the following section.

5. Actual Borrowing 2010/11

5.1 The Treasury Management strategy 2010/11 agreed by the Council in February 2010 identified a net borrowing requirement of £3.53m for 2010/11, revised in February 2011 to £2.53m.

5.2 No new PWLB or market borrowing was undertaken during the year as set out in the 2010/11 strategy above in 4.9.

6. Compliance with Treasury Limits

6.1 During the year, the Council operated within the limits set out in the Council’s Treasury Management Strategy 2010/11 under the Prudential Code. The outturn for the prudential indicators are shown in Appendix 1.

7. Capital Financing Charges 2010/11

7.1 The capital financing charges made to the Council’s accounts for 2010/11 including capital repayments and net of discounts/premiums are detailed below.

Actual Actual 2009/10 2010/11 £’000 Interest Rate £’000 Interest Rate % %

Housing Revenue A/c 5,524 5.10 5,357 5.08 General Fund 25,026 5.06 26,523 5.01

7.2 The interest rates charged differ from the average rate of interest for external debt due to the fact that part of the Council’s borrowing for capital purposes is funded by the investment of internal reserves and the use of internal balances. The main reason for the increase in net capital financing charges is

the impact of reduced return on internal balances due to continued depressed interest rates and counterparty availability.

8. Investment Strategy for 2010/11

8.1 The tight monetary conditions following the 2008 financial crisis continued through 2010/11 with little material movement in the shorter term deposit rates. Bank Rate remained at its historical low of 0.5% throughout the year, although growing market expectations of the imminence of the start of monetary tightening saw 6 and 12 month rates picking up.

8.2 Overlaying the relatively poor investment returns was the continued counterparty concerns, most evident in the Euro zone sovereign debt crisis which resulted in rescue packages for Greece, Ireland and latterly Portugal. Concerns extended to the European banking industry with an initial stress testing of banks failing to calm counterparty fears, resulting in a second round of testing currently in train. This highlighted the ongoing need for caution in treasury investment activity. . 8.3 As a result of the above, a cautious borrowing and investment strategy was implemented in 2010/11. The paramount consideration in making investments was the security of the investment. Given the low interest rates achievable on Council investments, a decision was made to internally finance any new capital borrowing requirement. This resulted in a lower net interest charge to the Council and reduced risk in relation to security of investment.

8.4 The Council’s investment policy is governed by WAG guidance, which was implemented in the annual investment strategy approved by the Council on 28th February 2011. This policy sets out the approach for choosing investment counterparties, and is based on our Treasury Advisors’ investment matrix based on credit ratings provided by the three main credit rating agencies supplemented by additional market data such as rating outlooks, credit default swaps, bank share prices etc. New investments were restricted to UK only institutions which satisfied these criteria.

8.5 The Council invests part of the Council’s cash reserves internally and part through external fund managers, Invesco. This policy is implemented to mitigate the risk inherent in broad investment strategy by utilising both direct investment and the services of fund managers. This policy of investing part of the Council’s cash reserves through external fund managers, and part directly, was maintained.

9. Actual Investments 2010/11

9.1 The Council held internally and externally managed funds during 2010/11

9.2 The external investments of the Council are managed by Invesco cash fund managers. The overriding rationale for the retention of an external cash fund manager remains the mitigation of risk and diversification of counterparties.

9.3 The return achieved by the fund manager during 2010/11 was as follows:

Balance Balance Rate of 7 Day 3 month 1 April 10 31 March 11 Return LIBID LIBID £’000 £’000 % % Invesco 21,965 22,128 0.75 0.25 0.68

9.4 The external fund manager, Invesco has managed an outperformance of +0.07% over and above the benchmarked 3 month LIBID rate for the year in very challenging market conditions.

9.5 The Council also held internally managed funds which were invested on the Money Market via brokers or directly with banks and building societies other local authorities and the Debt Management Office ( DMO). The balances held during the year were as follows:

Balance Balance Average Interest Rate of Benchmark 1 April 2010 31 March 2011 Value Return 7 day rate 2010/11 £’000 £’000 £’000 £’000 % %

84,765 88,638 116,718 1,190 1.02 0.25

9.6 The interest achieved on internally managed investments was £1,189,954 or 1.02%. This return outperformed the benchmark seven-day rate by +0.77%.

9.7 As a further measure to mitigate and control risk, the Authority determined to restrict investments to UK domiciled only banks and financial institutions in October 2008 resulting in an even smaller number of available UK counterparties to invest with. This policy was maintained in light of sovereign debt crises throughout Europe. A graphical illustration of the contraction of the counterparty list and the current counterparty list is attached at Appendix 4. The list of investments as at 31st March 2011 is attached at Appendix 5.

10. Audit Commission – Report on the Icelandic Bank Crisis

10.1 Following the widespread exposure of local authorities to the Icelandic banking collapse, the Audit Commission was tasked with compiling a report to understand the issues, identify weaknesses and look for lessons learnt by authorities in England. The Audit Commission themselves were exposed to the Icelandic bank collapse with a total of £10m of deposits at risk.

10.2 This Council made a conscious decision not to make any investments in Iceland in April 2008 and was not affected by the collapse. However the key points raised in the report need to be considered to

further enhance the controls in place to understand and manage inherent Treasury Management risks appropriately.

10.3 The working practices identified by the report were largely (quite crudely) separated into those authorities who weren’t affected by the collapse (good practice) and those that were (poor practice). The best practice identified included:

Best Practice . Regular internal audit of Treasury Management . Regular reporting to senior management/ cabinet member . Reporting to Council . Segregation of duties . Trained, dedicated Treasury Management staff . Well defined policies/protocols that appreciate the inherent risks . Not solely reliant on credit ratings . Reporting to scrutiny committee . Training for members

10.4 The City & County of Swansea complies with all the above requirements.

11. Debt Repayment/Rescheduling

11.1 Market conditions are constantly monitored for opportunities to repay or reschedule debt in line with good Treasury Management. No such opportunities arose in 2010/11.

Appendix 1 Prudential Indicators

Capital Prudential Indicators 2009/10 2010/11 2010/11

Actual Revised Outturn Estimate £’000 £’000 £’000 Capital Expenditure GF 44,482 54,866 43,273 HRA 14,253 15,464 12,147 TOTAL 58,735 70,330 55,420

Ratio of financing costs to net revenue stream GF 7.73% 6.99% 6.84% HRA 12.35% 11.11% 11.68%

Incremental Impact on Council Tax (Band D) or Council House Rent GF £74.50 £71.38 £69.58 HRA £0.00 £0.00 £.0.00

Capital Financing Requirement GF 305,019 305,309 311,722 Credit Arrangements N/A N/A 1,515 HRA 75,268 74,252 73,325 TOTAL 380,287 379,561 386,562

Treasury Management Prudential Indicators 2009/10 2010/11 2010/11 Actual Revised Outturn Estimate £’000 or % £’000 or % £’000 or %

Authorised limit for external debt £542,320 £528,520 £343,750

Operational boundary for external £431,320 £421,520 £343,750 debt

Upper limit for fixed interest rate 71% 100%/ 71.43%/ exposure £528,520 £245,072

Upper limit for variable interest rate 29% 40%/ 28.57%/ exposure £211,408 £98,000

Upper limit for total principal sums £8,800 £75,000 £8,200 invested for over 364 days

Maturity Structure of Fixed Rate Borrowing in 2010/11 Upper Limit Lower Limit Actual Under 12 months 50% 0% 2.1% 12 months and within 24 months 50% 0% 3.0% 24 months and within 5 years 50% 0% 4.9% 5 years and within 10 years 85% 0% 2.7% 10 years and above 95% 15% 87.3%

The treasury management prudential indicators identified above as:

 Upper limit for fixed interest rate exposure  Upper limit for variable interest rate exposure  Upper limit for total principal sums invested for over 364 days  Maturity Structure of fixed rate borrowing in 2010/11

Are shown as at balance sheet date 31st March 2011, however it can be reported that none of the above limits were breached during 2010/11. The level of outstanding debt throughout 2010/11 is indicated in Appendix 2.

APPENDIX 2

TOTAL DEBT OUTSTANDING - 2010/2011 £M. authorised limit 550 545 540 535 530 525 520 515 510 505 500 495 490 485 480 475 470 465 460 455 450 operational boundary 445 440 435 430 425 420 415 410 405 400 capital finance requirement 395 390 385 380 375 370 365 360 355 350 345 340 335 330 325 320 315 310 305 300 295 290 285 280 275 270 265 260 255 250 245 240 235 230 225 220 215 210 205 200 195 190 185 180 175 170 TOTAL DEBT 165 160 155 TOTAL DEBT NET OF INVESTMENTS 150 145 140 135 130 125 120 115 110 105 100 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344454647484950515253 WEEK

Appendix 3

Treasury Management – Glossary of Terms

Annualised Rate of Return Represents the average return which would have been achieved each year.

Authorised Limit The authorised limit must be set to establish ( can also be considered the outer boundary of the local authority’s as the affordable borrowing based on a realistic assessment of borrowing limit) the risks. The authorised limit is certainly not a limit that an authority will expect to borrow up to on a regular basis. It is crucial that it is not treated as an upper limit for borrowing for capital expenditure alone since it must also encompass borrowing for temporary purposes. It is the expected maximum borrowing need, with some headroom for unexpected movement.

Bank Rate The Official Bank rate paid on commercial bank reserves i.e. reserves placed by commercial banks with the Bank of England as part of the Bank’s operations to reduce volatility in short term interest rates in the money markets.

Base Rate Minimum lending rate of a bank or financial institution in the UK.

Basis Points (bp) A basis point is 0.01 of 1% (100 bp = 1%)

Borrowing In the Code, borrowing refers to external borrowing. Borrowing is defined as both:-

 Borrowing repayable with a period in excess of 12months  Borrowing repayable on demand or within 12months

Capital Expenditure The definition of capital expenditure starts with all those items which can be capitalised in accordance with the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP). To this must be added any items that have/will be capitalised in accordance with legislation that otherwise would not be capitalised. Prudential indicators for current and future years are calculated in a manner consistent with this definition.

Capital Financing Charges These are the net costs of financing capital i.e. (see financing costs also) interest and principal, premium less interest received and discounts received. Capital Financing The Capital Financing Requirement is simply Requirement the total outstanding capital expenditure, which has not yet been paid for from either revenue or capital resources. It is essentially a measure of the Council’s underlying borrowing need.

CIPFA The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. One of the leading professional accountancy bodies in the UK and the only one which specialises in the public services.

Counterparty The organisations responsible for repaying the Council’s investment upon maturity and for making interest payments.

Credit Rating This is a scoring system that lenders issue people with to determine how credit worthy they are.

The Credit Rating components are as follows:

1. The AAA ratings through to C/D are long- term rating definitions and generally cover maturities of up to five years, with the emphasis on the ongoing stability of the institution’s prospective financial condition. AAA are the most highly rates, C/D are the lowest. This Council does not invest with institutions lower than AA- for investments over 364 days

2. F1/A1/P1 are short-term rating definitions used by Moody’s, S&P and Fitch Ratings for banks and building societies based on their individual opinion on an institution’s capacity to repay punctually its short-term debt obligations (which do not exceed one year). This Council does not invest with institutions lower than F1/A1/P1 for investments under 364 days.

Debt For the purposes of the Code, debt refers to the sum of borrowing (see above) and other long-term liabilities (see below). It should be

noted that the term borrowing used with the Act includes both borrowing as defined for the balance sheet and other long terms liabilities defined as credit arrangements through legislation.

Discounts Where the prevailing interest rate is higher than the fixed rate of a long-term loan, which is being repaid early, the lender can refund the borrower a discount. This is calculated on the difference between the two interest rates over the remaining years of the loan, discounted back to present value. The lender is able to offer the discount, as their investment will now earn more than when the original loan was taken out.

Financing Costs The financing costs are an estimate of the aggregate of the following:-  Interest payable with respect to borrowing  Interest payable under other long-term liabilities  Gains and losses on the repurchase or early settlement of borrowing credited or charged to the amount to be met from government grants and local taxpayers (premiums and discounts)  Interest earned and investment income  Amounts required in respect of the minimum revenue provision plus any additional voluntary contributions plus any other amounts for depreciation/impairment that are charged to the amount to be met from government grants and local taxpayers

Financial Reporting These are standards set by governing bodies Standards (FRSs) on how the financial statements should look and be presented.

Investments Investments are the aggregate of:-

 Long term investments  Short term investments (within current assets)  Cash and bank balances including overdrawn balances

From this should be subtracted any investments that are held clearly and explicitly in the course of the provision of, and for the purposes of, operational services.

IMF International Monetary Fund

LOBO (Lender’s Option/ Money Market instruments that have a fixed Borrower’s Option initial term (typically one to ten year) and then move to an arrangement whereby the lender can decide at pre-determined intervals to adjust the rate on the loan. At this stage the borrower has the option to repay the loan.

London Inter-Bank Bid The interest rate at which major banks in Rate (LIBID) London are willing to borrow (bid for) funds from each other.

Managed Funds In-House Fund Management Surplus cash arising from unused capital receipts can be managed either by external fund managers or by the Council’s staff in- house. The in-house funds are invested in fixed deposits through the money markets for periods up to one year.

Externally Management Funds Fund managers appointed by the Council invest surplus cash arising from unused capital receipts in liquid instruments such as bank certificates of deposit and government stocks. The fund managers’ specialist knowledge should ensure a higher rate of earnings on the managed funds than would be otherwise obtained.

Maturity The date when an investment is repaid or the period covered by a fixed term investment.

Minimum Revenue The amount required by statute to be principal Provision (MRP) repayment each year.

Monetary Policy This is a body set up by the Government in Committee (MPC) 1997 to set the repo rate (commonly referred to as being base rate). Their primary target (as set by the Government) is to keep inflation within plus or minus 1% of a central target of 2% in two year time from the date of the monthly meeting of the Committee. Their

secondary target is to support the Government in maintaining high and stable levels of growth and employment.

Money Market Consists of financial institutions and deals in money and credit.

The term applied to the institutions willing to trade in financial instruments. It is not a physical creation, but an electronic/telephone one.

Net Borrowing For the purposes of the Code, net borrowing refers to borrowing (see above) net of investments (see above).

Net Revenue Stream Estimates for net revenue stream for current and future years are the local authority’s estimates of the amounts to be met from government grants and local taxpayers.

Operational Boundary This is based on expectations of the maximum external debt of the authority according to probable not simply possible – events and being consistent with the maximum level of external debt projected by the estimates. It is not a limit and actual borrowing could vary around this boundary for short periods.

Other Long Term Liabilities The definition of other long term liabilities is the sum of the amounts in the Council’s accounts that are classified as liabilities that are for periods in excess of 12months, other than borrowing (see definition above).

Premature Repayment of A facility for loans where the Council can Loans (debt repay loans prior to the original maturity date. restructuring/rescheduling) If the loan repaid has a lower interest rate than the current rate for a loan of the same maturity period the Council can secure a cash discount on the repayment of the original loan. If the loan replaced has a higher rate of interest than the current rate for a loan of the same maturity period, a cash penalty is payable to the lender.

Premia Where the prevailing current interest rate is lower than the fixed rate of a long term loan,

which is being repaid early, the lender can charge the borrower a premium. This is calculated on the difference between the two interest rates over the remaining years of the loan, discounted back to present value. The lender may charge the premium, as their investment will now earn less than when the original loan was taken out.

Prudential Code The Prudential Code is the largely self regulatory framework outlined by CIPFA for managing/monitoring capital investment in local government. Public Works Loan Board A Government agency which provides loans to (PWLB) local authorities. Each year, it issues a circular setting out the basis on which loans will be made available. Loans can be either at a fixed rate or on a variable rate basis. They can be repaid on either an annuity, equal instalment of principal or maturity basis. The interest rate charged is linked to the cost at which the Government itself borrows.

Range Trade Accrual A Callable Range Accrual is so called because it is callable or cancellable by the bank after the initial period, as above. However, where it differs, is that interest accrues only as long as Libor (London Interbank Offer Rate, or another independently derived and published benchmark rate) stays within a pre-agreed range. The lender can choose the range, the non-call period, the Libor they wish to use, the call periods and the potential return they wish to receive.. The bank has the right to cancel this trade after the first 3 months, and every 3 months thereafter. With a range trade, the lender is backing his judgement on interest rate movements and in exchange for that can achieve a significantly enhanced return. This is done as part of portfolio management. The risk of rates going above Libor on a small part of the portfolio (and therefore none, or little payment on a range accrual) will be offset by the fact that the rest of the portfolio will be returning more than expected. The key risk to a callable range accrual is obviously that the contractual Libor rate goes outside the specified range. It is possible to mitigate this risk by analysing the

historical behaviour of any specified Libor relative to base rate. By taking a view on expected base rate (which is done on all deposits), a lender can minimise exposure, and choose a range to match his risk appetite.

Risk Counterparty Credit Risk The risk that a counterparty defaults on its obligations.

Inflation Risk The risk that growth in the Authority’s investment income does not keep pace with the effects of inflation on its expenditure.

Interest Rate Risk The risk that changes in rates of interest creates an unexpected or unbudgeted burden on the Council’s finances.

Liquidity Risk The risk that cash will not be available when it is needed.

Operational Risk The risk of loss through fraud, error, corruption, system failure or other eventualities in Treasury Management dealings, and failure to maintain effective contingency management arrangements.

Refinancing Risk The risk that the Authority is unable to replace its maturing funding arrangements on appropriate terms.

Set Aside Capital Receipts A proportion of money received by the Council for the sale of fixed assets must be set aside to repay debt.

SORP Statement of Recommended Practice, published by CIPFA (Local Authority Accounting Body). This sets out guidelines regarding the Council’s financial matters.

Specified/Non Specified Specified investments are sterling investments denominated investments for less than 364 days as identified in Appendix A in line with

statutory investment regulations. Non- specified investments are all other investments identified in Appendix A in line with statutory investment regulations. Supranational Bonds These are bonds issued by institutions such as the European Investment Bank and World Bank. As with Government bonds (Gilts) they are regarded as the safest bond investments with a high credit rating.

Temporary Borrowing and Loans which are capable of being repaid Investment within one year. The term of the loans will be negotiated from overnight to 364 days.

Treasury Management Treasury Management has the same definition as in CIPFA’s code of Practice of Treasury Management in the Public Services.

“The management of the organisation’s cash flows its banking, money market and capital market transactions; the effective control of the risks associated with those activities; and the pursuit of optimum performance consistent with those risks.”

Yield Curve The line resulting from portraying interest rate graphically for a series of periods, e.g. 7days, 1month, 3, 6, 9, and 12months. When longer- term interest rates are higher than short-term rates the yield curve slopes upwards and is described as positive. When the opposite prevails the yield curve is referred to as inverse.

Appendix 4

Schedule of Number of Counterparties

CCS Lending/Counter-party List 2008-2011

100 90 80 70 60 50 40

No. of Institutions 30 20 10 0 Apr 08 Jul 08 Oct 08 Jan 09 Apr 09 Jul 09 Oct 09 Jan 10 Apr 10 Jul 10 Oct 10 Jan 11 Month

Schedule of Available Counterparties at 31st March 2011

Fitch Institution COUNTRY Bank/ Ratings BS S Term Support L Term Santander UK plc UK Bank F1+ 1 AA- Bank of Scotland UK Bank F1+ 1 AA- Barclays Bank UK Bank F1+ 1 AA- Citibank International plc UK Bank F1+ 1 A+ Clydesdale Bank UK Bank F1+ 1 AA- HSBC UK Bank F1+ 1 AA Lloyds TSB Bank Plc UK Bank F1+ 1 AA- Nationwide Building Society UK BS F1+ 1 AA- National Westminster Bank UK Bank F1+ 1 AA- Royal Bank of Scotland UK Bank F1+ 1 AA- Standard Chartered Bank UK Bank F1+ 1 AA- Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation Europe Ltd UK Bank F1 1 A The Bank of New York Mellon Ltd UK Bank F1+ 1 AA- UBS Ltd UK Bank F1+ 1 A+

Appendix 5

List of Outstanding Internally Managed Investments as at 31st March 2011

£ Santander ex Abbey 8,600,346.99 National Santander ex Alliance & Leicester 3,919,621.57 Bank of Scotland 10,691,637.15 Barclays 9,000,000.00 Birmingham Council 5,200,000.00 Clydesdale 7,299,285.44 Dumfries & Galloway Council 5,000,000.00 HSBC 5,000,000.00 Lincolnshire Council 702,000.00 Lloyds TSB 15,000,000.00 Nationwide Building Society 3,000,000.00 Nat West 1,225,000.00 Royal Bank of Scotland 5,000,000.00 Swindon Borough Council 3,000,000.00 Thurrock Borough Council 6,000,000.00 Total 88,637,891.15

Item No. 9 (1)

Report of the Cabinet Member for Business Improvement & Efficiency

Council – 29 September 2011

MAKING A DIFFERENCE – ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW OF 2010-11

Summary

Purpose: The Review provides a commentary on the progress made by the Council in meeting the priorities, actions and targets set out within Making a Difference the Corporate Improvement Plan for 2010-11 as required by Part 1 of the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009.

Policy Framework: Making a Difference Corporate Improvement Plan 2010- 11.

Reason for Decision: To comply with statutory guidance and to approve and publish Meeting the Challenge – Annual Performance Review of 2010-11.

Consultation: Legal, Finance and Cabinet Member

1. Introduction

1.1 The Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009 creates an obligation on Council’s to account for improvement. The process for accounting for improvement falls into two stages.

1.2 The first stage of reporting should cover the Council’s plans for that year and should be published every year as soon as possible after the 1st April. The first stage of reporting involves the Council outlining plans to achieve its Improvement Objectives.

1.3 The second stage of performance reporting arises when the Council is in a position to be able to account for success of the previous year’s improvement activity and must be published before 31st October in the financial year after the year to which the information relates.

1.4 This report relates to the second stage of performance reporting. It is an annual review of performance during 2010/11 as set out within Making a Difference, the Corporate Improvement plan for 2010/11. 2. Content

2.1 The statutory guidance states that the Annual Performance Review must include the following:

. Evidence of the processes that the authority has gone through to discharge its general duty to improve as expressed in the previous year’s improvement plan; . A summary assessment of the authority’s view of its success in achieving its improvement objectives as set out in the previous year’s improvement plan; . Performance as measured by all statutory performance indicators, whether or not these relate directly to improvement objectives; . Details of other performance information and its use; . Assessment of performance in comparison with itself in previous years and to other comparable bodies (including other authorities). . Details of the ways in which the authority has exercised its powers of collaboration during the reporting year including details of whether a collaborative activity has achieved its intended outcomes. . Any statements of activity that the authority has issued as a result of any Section 19 reports issued by the Auditor General for Wales to that authority in that reporting year.

2.2 The Annual Review of Performance of 2010-11 must be written in a way that is accessible to the general public.

2.3 It complies with the Council’s Welsh Language Scheme. It will be published on the Council’s internet site and links emailed to stakeholders and Town and Community Councils. Reference copies will be available at all main public offices, libraries and District Housing Offices. A summary will be published in The Swansea Leader.

2.6 Members will be presented with the Review at Council and through the Overview and Scrutiny Boards. Staff will be made aware of the Review when it is publicised on StaffNet and through Top Brief.

3. Financial Implications

3.1 The financial resources required to implement all the actions and achieve the specified performance targets in 2010-11 were provided in the approved budget. Any additional financial implications which arose from the pursuance of the priorities in this plan would need to have been dealt with as virement within the normal financial procedures.

4. Legal Implications

4.1 Once adopted, the Annual Performance Review of 2010-11 must be published at or before the statutory date of 31st October 2010.

5. Recommendation(s)

5.1 That Making a Difference - Annual Performance Review of 2010-11 is adopted.

Background Papers:

Making a Difference Corporate Improvement Plan 2010-11 Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009 Part 1 statutory guidance

Contact Officer: Richard Rowlands – Business Performance Team, Performance & Strategic Projects.  01792 63 7570 Jeremy Stephens – Head of Performance & Strategic Projects.  01792 63 6849

Legal Officer: Tracey Meredith

Finance Officer: Mike Hawes Making a Difference – Annual Performance Review of 2010/11

Contents

1 Foreword Page 4

2 Chapter 1 – Improvement Priorities for 2010/11 Page 5 to 34

3 . Improvement Objective 1: Children & Young People Page 7

4 . Improvement Objective 2: Environment and Community Page 15

5 . Improvement Objective 3: Economy Page 24

6 . Improvement Objective 4: Health, Social Care & Well-Being Page 30

7 Chapter 2 – Improvement Activity 2010/11 Page 35

8 Chapter 3 – Working with Others during 2010/11 Page 53

9 Chapter 4 – Processes to discharge the General Duty to Improve: Page 58 Performance Information and its use

10 Chapter 5 – Overview & Scrutiny Board Reviews 2010/11 Page 64

11 Chapter 6 – Council Response to Wales Audit Office Statutory Page 70 Recommendation

12 Appendix A – The General Duty to Improve Page 73

13 Appendix B – Improvement Objective & National Strategic Performance Page 79 Indicators 2010/11

14 Appendix C – Where to find further information Page 101

Foreword

We are pleased to introduce Making a Difference, the City & County of Swansea’s Annual Performance Review of 2010-11. This review describes the progress we have made during the previous financial year.

The production of this review marks a departure from previous arrangements, whereby we were required to publish an annual Corporate and Improvement Plan. Under the new reporting framework we are duty bound to produce two plans each year. We published the first of these documents, a forward looking Improvement Plan for 2010 – 2011, in July 2010. This is the second document that we will publish this year; it looks back on our achievements during 2010 – 2011.

The review demonstrates the huge amount of good work that we have undertaken during the previous year for the people of Swansea. We have made good progress delivering our priorities around sustainable communities, improved economic performance, caring for vulnerable people and safeguarding children and young people against a challenging backdrop - not least changing demands for our services due to shifting demographic and economic conditions and reduced government funding and the effects of the recession on Council budgets. We also have an excellent track record of working with other organisations. Some of the notable achievements we have made in this area are highlighted in this document.

There is likely to be further and continual change over the next few years as local authorities adjust to reduced resources and seek new ways to deliver services. There will be even greater emphasis on achieving efficiencies, working together with other authorities to provide services and a continued focus on protecting front-line service delivery. Citizens and their interests will be at the heart of this change and local authorities will continue to measure their success by asking what difference we made to the citizens who use our services.

Jack Straw, Chief Executive Chris Holley, Leader

Chapter 1 – Improvement Priorities 2010/11

1. The Council established 4 priorities for improvement during 2010/11, otherwise known as ‘Improvement Objectives’.

1.1 These Objectives were not the only things that it wanted to improve – the other things are described in Chapter 2 - but they represented the key areas that it wished to focus upon.

1.2 These were:

Improvement Objective 1: Improve services for children and young people, maximise well-being, raise standards of attainment and achievement and ensure they are safe so that the City & County provides excellent education opportunities.

. Improve Child & Family Services.

. Progress the QEd 2020 Programme and improve skills for learning, work and life.

. In conjunction with others, work to reduce the impact of poverty on children and young people.

Improvement Objective 2: Improve and protect our environment and make communities feel safer so that the City & County is a great place to live.

. Ensure that all public spaces in neighbourhoods are well maintained.

. Reduce Swansea’s ecological footprint by encouraging; the minimisation of waste, an increase in recycling and a decrease in the amount of waste sent to landfill.

. Encourage the provision of affordable, good quality, well managed housing in Swansea and to work towards improving Council Housing up to the Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS)

Improvement Objective 3: Improve Swansea’s economic performance so that the City & County of Swansea supports a prosperous economy.

. Provide a more integrated transport system that promotes the use of public transport.

. Improve and develop infrastructure that supports Swansea’s economic regeneration focussing on the City Centre, Waterfront, Strategic Employment Sites and Regeneration Areas

Improvement Objective 4: Improve health and social care services for all so that the City & County supports and promotes good health

. Reshape and reconfigure Health and related services in Swansea.

. Promote and encourage healthier lifestyles.

1.3 This report demonstrates the success the Council had delivering its Improvement Objectives against the actions and targets included within the 2010/11 Improvement Plan Making a Difference. The full table of Improvement Objective performance measures for 2010/11 is attached at Appendix B.

1.4 The Council asked the Citizens Panel Swansea Voices for their views on how successful the Council was in delivering its 2010/11 Improvement Objectives. Their views are based upon their perceptions as citizens who may or may not have first hand experience of the services delivered through the Improvement Objectives.

Improvement Objective 1

1.5 We wanted to:

Improve services for children and young people, maximise well-being, raise standards of attainment and achievement and ensure they are safe so that the City & County provides excellent education opportunities.

1.6 We wanted to do this because Child & Family Social Services had been subjected to the Serious Concerns Protocol due to concerns that the service had weaknesses that put vulnerable children at risk.

1.7 We were also worried that while standards were improving in Swansea’s schools, the gap between the highest and lowest performing schools was widening and the condition of a large proportion of school buildings in Swansea was poor.

1.8 Lastly, we were concerned about the impact of child poverty on educational outcomes and school attendance.

Priority 1

Improve Child & Family Services

Why was this a priority?

. Large numbers of children and young people were being inappropriately referred to Child & Family Services. . There were difficulties with recruiting and retaining social workers. . Services to vulnerable children, young people and their families need to be of high quality and delivered in a speedy way. . More effective commissioning and contracting arrangements needed to be developed.

What have we done and what has been the impact?

. We introduced arrangements to ensure that ensure that vulnerable children and young people are directed to the appropriate support. This has supported a reduction in repeat referrals by 6% from 41% in 2009/10 to 35% in 2010/11, and an improvement in the timeliness of both initial assessments (up from 72% to 79%) and core assessments (up from 57 to 59%). This helps us ensure that we are dealing with those children and families who most need a social services intervention.

. We have run a successful recruitment campaign so that over 40 Social Workers were recruited and all vacancies filled. This has ensured there is the necessary social work capacity to achieve better outcomes for children and families and to improve performance; this has further supported our improvement in delivering more initial and core assessments on time as well as improved the quality, which is important to fully understand a child’s needs and to respond appropriately.

. We introduced new training, improved supervision, annual appraisals and additional support to help keep new staff. The impact of this will be seen over the longer term but keeping staff should improve the quality and consistency of work undertaken with vulnerable children.

. We have monitored the quality of assessments and care plans through new arrangements and regular case file audits. This has ensured that quality services are not being sacrificed at the expense of completing quicker assessments.

. We have established a multi-agency Permanence Panel to ensure children and young people are given support and are matched to the best placement for their needs. This has helped improve the speed and quality of care planning so that 100% of looked after children in 2010/11 began their first placements with a care plan in place; the percentage of looked after children with a plan for permanence in place increased from 72.4% in 2009/10 to 96.7% in 2010/11, which was above the Welsh average.

. We gave extra support to specialist foster carers to looked after children with complex needs. This helped ensure there are carers with the experience, qualifications and capability to care for and advise young people who exhibit challenging and difficult behaviour.

How have we done and what did our Swansea Voices panel think?

. We have made good progress delivering this priority and delivered the actions set out within last year’s Improvement Plan; the relevant success measures have also shown improvement over time. 14% of Swansea Voices respondents felt that the Council had been very or fairly successful at improving Child & Family Services. A high percentage (59%) of respondents did not know whether or not the Council had been successful at improving Child & Family services. This is probably because improvements to Child & Family Services can be less visible to the general public and is perhaps more relevant to certain people than others (e.g. people with relatives receiving care from Social Services will be better placed to comment on improvements in the service than people who have had no dealings with the service).

Relevant Success Indicators (See Appendix B)

. SCC007a, b and c – referrals for allocation . SCC042a and b – initial assessments completed within time . SCC043a and b – core (in-depth) assessments within time . SCC001a and b – timely placements and care plans

Priority 2

Progress the QEd 2020 programme and improve skills for learning, work and life

Why was this a priority?

. Educational attainment needs to improve at ages 7 to 11 and 16 and for the poorest pupils. . School attendance needs to improve. . Continuing to reduce the level of young people who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET) in Swansea is a priority. . Like the rest of Wales, there are too many surplus school places and the school learning environment needs to improve. . There is a growing demand for Welsh-medium education that has to be met. . Specialist Teaching Facilities need to expand to meet demand for Special Educational Needs provision within Swansea. . Entrepreneurship education is required in schools to support the Swansea knowledge economy. . Training and work experience has to be provided to the economically inactive and unemployed.

What have we done and what has been the impact?

. We have improved educational attainment in the core national curriculum subjects at ages 7 to 11 and 16. This demonstrates that progress is being made improving teaching and dealing with factors linked to educational attainment, such as poverty and social exclusion.

. We have maintained the flat trend in school attendance. This is important as young people are unlikely to attain their full potential if they are not attending school regularly.

. We achieved another good reduction in the level of young people who are NEET from 6.7% in 2009/10 down to 4.2% in 2010/11. This demonstrates that progress is being made dealing with factors such as poverty and social exclusion that can lead to young people being more at risk of being NEET.

. We have closed three primary schools and amalgamated one primary school as part of the QEd 2020 programme. This has helped reduce the number of surplus school places and addressed concerns with the condition of school buildings.

. We have sought to meet the demand for Welsh medium education by increasing the number of Welsh medium primary school places from 2,400 in January 2010 to 2,600 by January 2011 – an increase of 200 places.

. We have continued the expansion of Specialist Teaching Facilities (STFs) including 8 additional places at Key Stage 4 in Dylan Thomas school for pupils with moderate Autistic Spectrum Disorder and 1 additional place at Key Stage 4 added to the Welsh- medium Special Educational Needs provision. We have consulted on closing the STF in Daniel James school for pupils with Moderate to Severe Learning Difficulties (MSLD) and consulted on establishing a new STF in Morriston Comprehensive School for pupils with MSLD. This has ensured that we are able to continue to meet the individual needs of pupils with special educational needs within mainstream schools and that they are fully included within the learning process.

. We have encouraged enterprise and entrepreneurship in schools by engaging with head teachers, working with Careers Wales West and sharing best practice. This is aimed at providing educational opportunities to help support the development of Swansea's knowledge economy.

. We have maintained 557 25+ year old trainee starts and 752 16-24 year old trainee starts delivered through the Department for Children, Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills (DCELLS) contracts. This has helped ensure that young people are equipped with the skills and work experience necessary to compete in the world of work and reduce the likelihood that they will be NEET.

. We commenced 1117 work experience / training weeks for the economically inactive and unemployed through the Beyond Bricks and Mortar scheme. This scheme uses social benefit clauses in public sector contracts to maximise the benefits of the Council's regeneration programme and provide training and work experience from the economically inactive and unemployed.

How have we done and what did our Swansea Voices panel think?

had been very or fairly successful at improving schools and education. 28% felt that the Council had been neither successful nor unsuccessful. 36% did not know and the remainder felt the Council was unsuccessful. 21% felt the Council had been very or fairly successful at improving skills for learning, work and life. 22% felt that the Council had been neither successful nor unsuccessful. 37% did not know and the remainder felt the Council was unsuccessful. There were a high percentage of respondents that did not know whether or not the Council had been successful at improving these services. This is probably because improvements to Education, schools and skills can be less visible to the general public and is perhaps more relevant to people who are using such services than to others.

Relevant Success Indicators (See Appendix B)

. EDU003, EDU011, EDCP21 – educational attainment . EDU002i and ii – pupils leaving school without a qualification . EDU016a and b – school attendance . EDCP18c – Young people Not in Education, Employment or Training . EDU006i and ii – Teacher assessments in Welsh . EDU015a and b - Timely Statements of Special Educational Needs

Priority 3

Reduce the impact of poverty on children and young people in conjunction with others

Why was this a priority?

. The wider outcomes for children and young people in Swansea especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds need to be improved. . The quality of teaching, particularly in literacy and numeracy, needs to improve. . The link between poverty and low levels of educational achievement must be broken. . Young people aged between 14-19 who are NEET, or are at risk of being so, must be helped.

What have we done and what has been the impact?

. We have developed a new Children and Young People Plan to improve skills, reading levels and the health and well-being of children in deprived areas.

. We have identified training for schools in targeted school catchment areas on a new approach called 'Restorative Practice'. This aims to collectively address issues and challenges with children, young people and their families without immediate referral to other agencies.

. We have delivered training to schools in four targeted school catchment areas on a new method called 'Family Learning Signature' in order to engage families in understanding their capacity to learn and support their children’s learning.

. Education and Social Services have worked together with schools and others to improve chances for children and families to escape from the cycle of poverty.

. We have undertaken a quarterly progress review against targets and outcomes set within individual Communities First Area Action Plans. This has helped ensure that we are on track in terms of delivering Communities First priorities within these areas.

. We have kept fixed exclusions from primary schools low and reduced the number of fixed exclusions from secondary schools to its lowest figure since 2005/06. This shows that we have good measures in place within schools to effectively manage pupil behavioural problems.

. We provided targeted support (both within and outside of the school day) to young people in the 14-19 age-range who are NEET or identified as at risk of being so through the Engage project. This has helped engage young people in more appropriate and meaningful activities to support them back into the supported education and training offered through the rest of the project.

How have we done and what did our Swansea Voices panel think?

. We have made good progress delivering this priority and delivered the actions set out within last year’s Improvement Plan; the relevant success measures have also shown improvement over time. 11% of respondents felt that the Council had been very or fairly successful at reducing the impact of poverty on children and young people. 16% felt that the Council had been neither successful nor unsuccessful. 53% did not know and the remainder felt the Council was unsuccessful. There were a high percentage of respondents that did not know whether or not the Council had been successful at reducing the impact of poverty on children and young people. This is probably because these services can be less visible to the general public and is perhaps more relevant to people who are using such services than to others.

Relevant Success Indicators (See Appendix B)

Improvement Objective 2

2 The second Improvement Objective for 2010/11 was in relation to communities and the environment.

2.1 We wanted to:

Improve and protect our environment and make communities safer so that the City & County is a great place to live.

2.2 We wanted to do this because cleanliness and maintenance of the streets is a priority for the public. Appearance of localities can also affect community confidence, community safety and the prevalence of anti-social behaviour.

2.3 We were concerned to increase recycling and composting of waste and reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill or face fines for failing to achieve statutory targets set by the Welsh Government and the increasing costs associated with landfill tax.

2.4 Lastly, we recognised the need to increase the supply of good quality and affordable housing to meet demand.

Priority 4

Ensure that all public spaces in neighbourhoods are well maintained.

Why was this a priority?

. A more targeted approach to area based cleansing and highways maintenance that met local concerns was needed. . The Council had to set out how it intended to maintain the highway network through a new 5 year Highway Maintenance Programme. . Public confidence in both the Police and the Council to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour needs to improve. . The appearance and accessibility of parks and open spaces needed attention.

What have we done and what has been the impact?

. We have formalised new area based cleansing arrangements. These have allowed us to more effectively clean localities and meet local cleansing priorities. We continued to inspect land to ensure an acceptable level of cleanliness in Swansea is maintained. Although there was a slight dip improving the percentage of highways and relevant land inspected to an acceptable standard of cleanliness from 94% in 2009/10 to 92.6% in 2010/11, there has been an overall slightly improving trend since 2007/08 (91.2%).

. We continued to provide a rapid response service to deal with incidents of fly tipping, although there was a decline in the percentage of fly tipping incidents cleared within 5 working days from 96.39% in 2009/10 to 92.50% in 2010/11.

. We have introduced area based PATCH teams to work specifically on road repairs within localities on a rota basis. This is a more efficient and effective way of working that is also dedicated to meeting local concerns.

. We produced and published a new 5 year Highway Maintenance Programme and completed the first year programme in relation to 2010/11. This allows us to plan where and how roads in Swansea will be repaired over the next few years.

. We agreed arrangements to establish a PACT Co-ordinating Group to consider whether priorities arising out of Swansea’s PACT meetings could be addressed locally or would need a co-ordinated response. This enabled us to more effectively meet local concerns while providing a more strategic response to commonly identified issues.

. We completed 591 graffiti removal jobs to help improve the appearance of communities and help increase public confidence and lower the fear of crime. 85 of the 87 priority jobs where graffiti was offensive (97%) were completed within 7 working days.

. We completed first phase conservation and alteration works to Oystermouth Castle in an improvement project helping to improve physical and intellectual access and preserve it for future generations.

. We made improvements to Clyne Country Park to improve footway and cycle access, signage and car park arrival points. 420 native tree saplings donated by the Woodland Trust were also planted.

. We made city-wide improvement to Parks within deprived areas of the City & County of Swansea and obtained funding for improvements to Coedgwilym and Cwmdonkin Parks, which aimed to give residents a better experience and improve their quality of life.

. We obtained authorisation to proceed with a programme to establish Swansea Bay as a centre of excellence for water sports. This aims to provide Swansea Bay wide infrastructure which will enable a wide range of water sports to be undertaken, and will promote the Swansea Bay Region as a Tourism Centre of Excellence for water sports. This will contribute to developing healthy and economically prosperous communities through the assets of the natural environment of Swansea Bay.

How have we done and what did our Swansea Voices panel think?

. We have made good progress delivering this priority and delivered the actions set out within last year’s Improvement Plan; the relevant success measures have generally also shown improvement over time with the exception of fly tipping incidents cleared within 5 working days, although performance remains high. 48% of Swansea Voices respondents felt that the Council had been very or fairly successful at improving street cleansing and maintenance. 23% felt that the Council had been neither successful nor unsuccessful. 26% felt that the Council had been very or fairly unsuccessful. Only 3% did not know because these services

are highly visible to the general public and are experienced by everyone. In another Swansea Voices survey during 2010/11, the most highly rated aspects of Swansea’s Parks and Open Spaces were maintenance of grass areas (66% as “good”). Overall, 58% of respondents were “satisfied” with the Parks service and only a minority (4%) were “dissatisfied”.

Relevant Success Indicators (See Appendix B)

. STS005b – highways cleanliness . STS006 – dealing with fly tipping incidents . CRE4 – priority graffiti removal

Priority 5

Reduce Swansea’s ecological footprint by encouraging; the minimisation of waste, an increase in recycling and a decrease in the amount of waste sent to landfill.

Why was this a priority?

. The amount of waste recycled and composted needs to increase. . The amount of waste sent to landfill sites must be reduced. . Failure to meet statutory recycling and landfill targets set by the Welsh Government will result in the Council incurring financial penalties and increased cost through higher taxes. . The public must be encouraged to play their part and recognise their contribution to reducing waste and the potential impact on climate change. . Waste generated by the Council’s own highways maintenance operations must be reduced to help meet waste targets.

What have we done and what has been the impact?

. We introduced alternate Weekly Refuse Collections, a fortnightly collection of plastic from the kerbside and provided special compostable liners for kitchen waste. We also started introducing food waste collection to flats. This meant that we continued to reduce the percentage of waste sent to landfill from nearly 68% in 2008/09 down to nearly 65% in 2009/10 and then down again to nearly 58% in 2010/11. We also exceeded our annual target of 37.5% to recycle / compost 40.47% of household waste.

. We recycled all gulley waste and road sweeping material for re-use on Highways own construction and maintenance activities and other schemes, which also contributed to meeting our targets to reduce waste.

How have we done and what did our Swansea Voices panel think?

. We have made good progress delivering this priority and delivered the actions set out within last year’s Improvement Plan; the relevant success measures have also shown improvement over time, although meeting the statutory landfill and recycling targets will still prove challenging. 82% of Swansea Voices respondents felt that the Council had been very or fairly successful at increasing opportunities for composting and recycling waste. 6% felt that the Council had been neither successful nor unsuccessful. 7% felt that the Council had been very or fairly unsuccessful. Only 5% did not know because these services are highly visible to the general public and are experienced by everyone. In another Swansea Voices survey during 2010/11, 85% of respondents felt it was easy to recycle waste in Swansea. Satisfaction with the kerbside refuse collections service ranged from 74% (Green bags – glass, tin and paper, kitchen waste) to 80% (pink bags – plastic recycling).

Relevant Success Indicators (See Appendix B)

. WMT004 – amount of waste send to landfill . WMT009 – amount of waste recycled / composted

Priority 6

Encourage the provision of affordable, good quality, well managed housing in Swansea and work towards improving Council Housing up to the Welsh Housing Quality Standard.

Why was this a priority?

. The Welsh Housing Quality Standard (WHQS) is the Welsh Government’s target standard for all social housing in Wales. . Working towards improving the Council housing stock to meet this standard is a priority for the Council but the total amount of money needed to do this is more than the Council can access under the current rules. . Council housing tenants and leaseholders had to be consulted on the Council’s short-term plans as well as the longer term aims. . The supply of affordable housing needed to be increased to meet demand through work undertaken with social housing providers and private sector developers. . Empty homes need to be brought back into use and dilapidated buildings dealt with in order to improve the appearance of communities and to help meet the demand for housing. . The scope of regulation had to widen in order to improve the management standards within the Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO) sector.

What have we done and what has been the impact?

. We consulted with Council housing tenants and leaseholders to discuss investment proposals for Council housing, which helped us to identify priorities for homes, estates and services.

. We consulted with landlords and adopted a new HMO Licensing Policy to promote high management standards and to benefit private tenants and communities.

. Some 104 units of affordable housing were provided in 2010/11 to help meet housing needs and demands, which was less than the 366 units that were planned. This shortfall is due in part to reductions in grant funding and difficulties with the housing

market related to the wider economic climate. There is also a 2-3 year time lag between securing finance for a development and actually completing the housing. It can therefore be difficult to predict exactly which month/ financial year specific properties will be actually completed in.

. Although the Council did not produce an Empty Property Strategy as planned, the Council reduced the number of empty Council homes from 286 in 2009/10 down to 251 in 2010/11. The Council also returned 23 dwellings back to occupation after a period of them being empty.

How have we done and what did our Swansea Voices panel think?

. We have made good progress delivering this priority and delivered the actions set out within last year’s Improvement Plan; the relevant success measures have also shown improvement over time, with the exception of the number of affordable homes delivered due to difficult economic conditions. 18% of Swansea Voices respondents felt that the Council had been very or fairly successful at making improvements to Council housing. 14% of respondents felt the Council had been very or fairly successful at increasing the supply of affordable housing. 13% (improvements to Council housing) and 23% (increasing affordable housing supply) felt that the Council had been neither successful nor unsuccessful. 15% (improvements to Council housing) and 25% (increasing affordable housing supply) felt that the Council had been very or fairly unsuccessful. 54% (improvements to Council housing) and 40% (increasing affordable housing supply) did not know. This is probably because these services can be less visible to the general public and is perhaps more relevant to people who are experiencing such services than to others.

. Whilst overall only 18% of respondents felt making improvements to Council housing this had been delivered successfully, this figure increased to 31% amongst Council tenant respondents. Conversely, 52% of respondents who were Council tenants felt the aim had not been successfully delivered, which was higher than the overall percentage (15%). However only 62 of the 765 panellists who responded to this question were actually Council tenants. The Tenant’s Survey referred to below had a much larger sample.

Tenants survey 2011

. A survey of 2,552 tenants (19% of all tenants) in 2011 found that 79% were satisfied with the overall condition of their home; 75% were satisfied with their neighbourhood as a place to live; 84% were satisfied with the overall Housing service. Tenants were also asked to comment on a brief summary of the Council’s spending priorities, namely, keeping properties structurally secure and thermally efficient. Over two-thirds (68%) said they were satisfied with this approach, with 26% stating they were dissatisfied.

Relevant Success Indicators (See Appendix B)

. HSG2 – The number of empty Council homes . PLA006 –additional affordable housing units provided . PSR004 – private sector dwellings returned to occupation . PSR007a – HMO’s that have a full licence . PSR007b – HMO’s that have a conditional licence

Improvement Objective 3

3 The third Improvement Objective for 2010/11 was in relation to communities and the economy.

3.1 We wanted to:

Improve Swansea’s economic performance so that the City & County of Swansea supports a prosperous economy.

3.2 We wanted to improve public transport to help improve accessibility and movement, reduce congestion and pollution and contribute to improving Swansea’s prosperity.

3.3 We were concerned that the city centre has been under-performing and needed to be improved through investment in development, its public realm in order to generate increased vitality consistent with its role as a regional centre for retailing, employment and service provision.

3.4 Improving the linkages between the city centre and Waterfront offers significant opportunities to achieve Swansea’s ambition of becoming a distinctive Waterfront City.

3.5 Strategic Employment Sites that are capable of supporting development are essential to meet the requirements of Swansea’s economic growth.

Priority 7

Provide a more integrated transport system that promotes the use of public transport.

Why was this a priority?

. A new city bus station was part of the strategy to improve public transport links. . In line with the need to increase public transport patronage and reduce congestion, the Council wanted to recruit additional Civil Parking Enforcement Officers. . Swansea Council wanted to improve the walking and cycling networks to help promote alternative forms of transport.

What have we done and what has been the impact?

. We opened a new city bus station with modern facilities to help improve public transport links to the city centre.

. We appointed 10 additional Civil Parking Enforcement Officers to help ensure compliance with parking restrictions and held surveys to monitor observance of parking restrictions in order to help reduce traffic congestion.

. We commenced work to extend the walking and cycling path in Clydach in partnership with Sustrans and carried out a full inspection of the off-road walking and cycling network to ascertain condition and identify maintenance requirements.

How have we done and what did our Swansea Voices panel think?

. We have made good progress delivering this priority and delivered the actions set out within last year’s Improvement Plan; the relevant success measures shown a high take up rate of concessionary bus passes for older people but a drop in Park & Ride usage over time. 31% of Swansea Voices respondents felt that the Council had been very or fairly successful at providing improved public transport. 30% felt that the Council had been very or fairly unsuccessful. 24% felt that the Council had been neither successful nor unsuccessful. 15% did not know, which probably reflects that not all of the Panellists would regularly use public transport.

Relevant Success Indicators (See Appendix B)

. ETE8 – Park and Ride usage . THS007 – adults aged 60+ holding concessionary bus passes

Priority 8

Improve and develop infrastructure that supports Swansea’s economic regeneration focussing on the City Centre, Waterfront, Strategic Employment Sites and Regeneration Areas.

Why was this a priority?

. Retail facilities, buildings, properties and the public realm within in the City Centre and Waterfront needed to be improved so that it may be a quality regional shopping centre and destination city. . The Planning service had to be refocused to support the regeneration of the City & County. . Vital infrastructure works needed to be provided at Felindre to ensure that it is developed as a prime location for businesses. . Area regeneration programmes had to be delivered to help build sustainable communities and promote jobs and growth. . A draft strategy for investment was required for Swansea Indoor Market.

What have we done and what has been the impact?

. We undertook a building condition survey and delivered investment to Swansea Market, including repairs to the roof and an upgrade of the electrical supply.

. We agreed a cooperation agreement between the Council and Hammerson plc. relating to the regeneration of the City Centre. We also prepared draft planning briefs for St David’s Quadrant and Parc Tawe and a Marketing Brief for Lower Oxford Street. These planning briefs were not adopted due to a significant deterioration in economic conditions. A review has been undertaken and an alternative approach has been prepared for future plans.

. We completed the first phase of Waterfront public realm improvements along the banks of the River Tawe, between the Tawe Bridges to the Sailbridge Site. The improvements included new surfacing, new stainless steel / timber street furniture, railings, improved signage and other enhancements.

. We developed and approved a preferred option to deliver the second and third phases of Waterfront public realm

enhancements on the seafront between Swansea Observatory and the Civic Centre. We also designed the third phase of city centre public realm improvements to Lower Oxford Street.

. We advised more than 60 owners and occupiers of premises within the city centre on the availability of Building Enhancement grants and awarded 6 grants aimed at improving properties. We also advertised the availability of Property Development Grant to improve properties within the city centre and analysed expressions of interest.

. We merged the former planning service and economic development services to form a new integrated single service (Economic Regeneration & Planning) to support the wider regeneration agenda in Swansea.

. We obtained European funding to regenerate the former Felindre steelworks site into a strategic business park to help create and sustain employment.

. We assessed projects for inclusion within the Western Valleys Regeneration Area Programme and established a Steering Group to help facilitate the delivery of the Swansea Regeneration Area Programme to help build sustainable communities and promote jobs and growth.

How have we done and what did our Swansea Voices panel think?

. We have made good progress delivering this priority and delivered the actions set out within last year’s Improvement Plan; the relevant success measures also show improvement except the percentage of major planning applications determined within time, which fell from 42.1% in 2009/10 to 17.4% in 2010/11. On the other hand, the vale of inward investment increased from £23m in 2009/10 to £45.1m in 2010/11. 33% of Swansea Voices respondents felt that the Council had been very or fairly successful at regenerating the city centre. 25% felt that the Council had been neither successful nor unsuccessful. 39% felt that the Council had been very or fairly unsuccessful. Only 4% did not know because physical improvements are highly visible to the general public and are experienced by everyone. In another Swansea Voices survey during 2010/11, 40% of respondents thought the Council was good at regenerating run down areas whereas 45% thought the Council was poor and 15% did not know. In the same survey, 48% though the Council was good at ensuring new developments are located on suitable sites whereas 32% thought that the Council was poor and 20% did not know.

Relevant Success Indicators (See Appendix B)

. PLA004a – speedy determination of major planning applications . PLA004c – speedy determination of householder planning applications. . ESD1 - Value of inward investment for property based projects

Improvement Objective 4

4 The fourth Improvement Objective for 2010/11 was in relation to Health and Social Care.

4.1 We wanted to:

Improve Health and Social Care services for all so that the City & County supports and promotes good health.

4.2 We wanted to modernise and rebalance health and social care services to achieve financial balance, deliver more accessible services and increase people’s independence.

4.3 We wanted to support people to live healthier lifestyles.

Priority 9

Reshape and reconfigure Health and related services in Swansea.

Why was this a priority?

. The established model of respite care (short break) provision was considered to be both unsustainable and unable to address the needs and wishes of families caring for an older relative with a disability or long term mental or physical disability. . Social care services for older people need to be redesigned so that there are more options for care at home that support independence. . A ‘person centred’ approach for older and other persons with mental health problems is required, which supports their human rights and independence. . Day opportunities for older people had to be remodelled in order to promote independence and enablement within the community. . Improvements to mental health services for older people must be made conjunction with Health partners. . Hospital and community based care needs to be reshaped with Health partners in order to support people to live in their own homes.

What have we done and what has been the impact?

. Following a period of consultation Earlsmoor respite care home was closed and a range of other respite care services have been developed offering short breaks in care homes. We have made available alternative respite options, such as an extra-care flat at Hazel Court in Sketty and short breaks in the home of another individual or family (known as an ‘adult placement’) to better meet different needs and requirements.

. We have reviewed home care (domiciliary) services to assess and support older people to remain in their own home for longer. This has supported an improvement in people aged 18 to 64 who are supported within the community from 96.42% in 2009/10 to 96.9% in 2010/11. There has been a slight drop in people aged 65+ supported in the community due to the developing ethos

of supporting and directing people to community resources rather than traditional paid-for services; the number of people receiving residential forms of care remained stable.

. We have adopted a ‘person centred’ approach to the care of older people with dementia, which promotes human rights and independence, including investment in the development of a new and pioneering higher dependency unit at Ty Waunarlwydd Care Home in partnership with the Health Board.

. We have remodelled day opportunities for older people so that they are effective and sustainable and once established are being run by users to better meet their needs.

. We established projects to test ideas in the context of locality working, which involves a joined up approach within a particular locality to develop and build community capacity to support people to take responsibility for decisions that affect their lives.

How have we done and what did our Swansea Voices panel think?

. We have made good progress delivering this priority and delivered the actions set out within last year’s Improvement Plan; the relevant success measures also broadly show improvement, although there were concerns over delayed transfer of care from hospital to another care setting, which increased from 2.97 days in 2009/10 to 9 days in 2010/11. We are working with health partners and our domiciliary care assessment service to establish the most cost effective and sustainable hospital-discharge arrangements. 13% of Swansea Voices respondents felt that the Council had been very or fairly successful at improving social care for adults. 7% felt that the Council had been neither successful nor unsuccessful. 19% felt that the Council had been very or fairly unsuccessful. 51% did not know. This is probably because these services can be less visible to the general public and is perhaps more relevant to people and their relatives / carers who are experiencing such services than to others who have had no dealings with the service.

Relevant Success Indicators (See Appendix B)

. SCA001 – delayed transfers of care . SCA007 – care plan reviews during the year . SCA003a – clients aged 18 to 64 supported within the . SCA003b – clients aged 65+ supported within the community community

Priority 10

Promote and encourage healthier lifestyles.

Why was this a priority?

. The Strategy for Older People is being implemented through the Health, Social Care and Well-Being Strategy. . The Council committed to continuing to implement priorities for older people in partnership with over 50s through the Swansea Network 50+. . Assistive technology that allows people to live safely within their homes needed to be reviewed to ensure that it remained financially sustainable and continued to meet the needs of its users. . Sport and physical activity needs to be encouraged to help improve health and well-being. . The Sunbed (Regulation) Act 2010 – which made it an offence for anyone under the age of 18 years old to use sunbeds – came into force in April 2011. There was a need for the Council to prepare for the introduction of the Sunbed (Regulation) Act 2010 to establish the number of unmanned premises with sunbeds and for premises to demonstrate safe practice.

What have we done and what has been the impact?

. We continued to implement the priorities identified in the Strategy for Older People through the new Health, Social Care and Well-Being Strategy 2011-14. We also continued to work with the Swansea Network 50+ and implemented a pilot project to train volunteers from the Network as peer mentors visiting groups within their communities to provide information on everything from preventing fractures and falls to getting into employment, volunteering and training.

. Following a review of assistive technology, and the development of commissioning plans, we have set up a Care at Home project to continue to review and develop our range of “extra care” services. We have introduced a flat rate charge for those users who are not in receipt of social home care packages in order to provide a sustainable service.

. We implemented the third year of a funding agreement with the Sports Council for Wales to help increase physical activity and undertook a half year and then annual review to determine progress implementing the Council’s Sport and Physical Activity

Strategy. The Welsh Health Survey (WHS) revealed no increase in the % of adults engaged in physical activity 5 X 30 minutes per week for the second year running (27%). This is despite physical activity levels at council run establishments increasing, which may suggest that the WHS may not be sensitive enough to pick up on small increases amongst their sample.

. We identified unmanned premises with sunbeds and asked them to provide a risk assessment to demonstrate safe practice. A 100% of high risk businesses were inspected for Health & Safety during 2010/11, which was an improvement on the 2009/10 result (62%).

How have we done and what did our Swansea Voices panel think?

. We have made good progress delivering this priority and delivered the actions set out within last year’s Improvement Plan; the relevant success measures also broadly show improvement or have hit their target. Exceptions were delayed transfers of care, clients aged 65+ supported in the community (see priority 9) and adults achieving 5 X 30mins of physical activity per week (see above). 23% of Swansea Voices respondents felt that the Council had been very or fairly successful helping people to adopt healthier lifestyles. 28% felt that the Council had been neither successful nor unsuccessful. 23% felt that the Council had been very or fairly unsuccessful. 26% did not know, which probably reflects that not all of the Panellists would regularly use leisure or other health / social care related services.

Relevant Success Indicators (See Appendix B)

. SCA001 – delayed transfers of care . SCA003a – clients aged 18 to 64 supported within the community . SCA003b – clients aged 65+ supported within the community . SCA007 – care plan reviews during the year . CTCH1 – Adults achieving 5 x 30 mins exercise per week . LCS002 – participating visits to Council run leisure centres . PPN001iv – high risk businesses inspected for Health & Safety

Chapter 2 – Improvement Activity 2010/11

This chapter highlights some of our other more significant achievements during 2010 – 2011. We have grouped the information provided into the themes identified within Swansea’s Community Strategy.

See Appendix A for further information on how this improvement activity delivers the different aspects of improvement.

Environment

Recycling and waste collections In 2009/10, nearly 83,000 tonnes of waste was buried in landfill sites but more than half of it could probably have been recycled in some way. In 2010/11, residents in the City & County helped push the recycling percentage from just over 37% in 2009/10 to just over 40%. However, there is still a lot to do to meet the 75% recycling target by 2025. Hitting the target would also save the council from paying large landfill tax bills.

Real Nappies Collecting bulky waste The Council continued to help promote changing to real A new recycling scheme was introduced in 2010/11 to recycle nappies. A child goes through around 5,000 disposable bulky household waste including unwanted sofas and nappies in two-and-a-half years at a cost of around wardrobes and keep them from the landfill site. £1,200. The Council runs a voucher scheme which gives parents £50 towards the cost of buying real Swansea Council developed the Swansea Waste Action Team nappies. (SWAT) to help sort through approximately 600 tonnes of bulky waste collected from people’s homes during the year.

The newly-formed team is made up of service users from the Council’s Social Services Work Development Service.

This scheme gives the Council the resources to help refurbish and recycle some of the furniture that is picked up from people's homes

Green Champions Promotional Campaign The amount of waste produced by Council staff at the A two year promotional campaign has been undertaken during Civic Centre in 2009/10 was 146 tonnes 33% of which 2009/10 and 2010/11. was sent to landfill. Most of the waste that we produce at work is paper and can easily be recycled in green The Recycling Team attended over 170 different events over this bags. period in order to promote the service and alternate weekly collections. The most effective events were information events New recycling bins were installed throughout the Civic held in supermarkets and the city centre. Centre, Guildhall and Penllergaer offices. Since the bins were introduced the amount of waste produced at The efforts to increase recycling also included targeted door Civic Centre has so far decreased by 5 tonnes. knocking campaigns, work undertaken with local schools to promote the recycling message and setting up an on-line swap shop, To help promote the recycling message to all staff, which enables the public to advertise, browse, swap or acquire otherwise Swansea Council put together a group of Green unwanted items. Champions. The main purpose of this group is to encourage their colleagues to recycle more and reduce the amount of rubbish they produce whilst at work.

Green Dragon Award for Corporate Building Services Swansea Council’s Corporate Building Services team was one of only nine organisations in Wales to achieve the highest- possible Level 5 in the environmentally-friendly Green Dragon award scheme in 2010/11. Jane Davidson, the then Welsh Government Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing, presented a special certificate to the team in May 2010. The 600-strong team reduced its waste by 44%, slashed energy consumption by 32% and boosted its recycling rate to 70%.

The Natural Environment A huge amount of investment has been put into opening up the countryside around Swansea to residents and visitors, enabling them to take in the natural beauty of areas across the city.

Improvements to Rights of Way Gower may be the headline attraction for many walkers from across Britain. But there’s more in store thanks to the efforts of the Council’s Countryside Access Team in 2010/11. They worked with local walking groups, completing work to reintroduce public rights of way for the benefit of everyone.

Paths that have been neglected over time and consumed by weeds and brambles have now been cleared and given back to the public. In 2010, the Council was about to start a third year of improvements using grant funding from the Welsh Government. The City & County of Swansea has around 385 miles of footpaths and bridleways for people to use. Some are in good condition and others have been obstructed for many years.

One of the major improvements has involved the replacement of a well used bridge within the Cwm Clydach RSPB nature reserve, which had partially collapsed. Other improvements have included a kilometre length of bridleway near Rhydypandy, which has been impassable for the last 50 years.

The Welsh Government provided Swansea Council with an annual grant of £58,000 in 2010/11 to help out. To help people get the most out of public rights of way, a booklet was produced giving guidance on all aspects of rights of way, including where to find them.

Biodiversity Gower Coast Path A 24-hour biodiversity audit and ocean vigil September 2010 saw the completion of a 16- mile section of a new to catalogue plant and animal was held at Gower Coast Path between Llanmadoc and Port Eynon. the Bishop's Wood Nature Reserve in Caswell and the nearby coastal path in May. For years walkers from around the world have been coming to Gower to enjoy the breathtaking views from some of the finest coastal People of all ages were invited to take part scenery Britain has to offer. But there’s never been an officially and join experts in putting together an designated coast path that’s been able to cling to the coast itself the inventory of the reserve's woodland and whole way. grassland species as well as the coastal and marine life along the shoreline. The final Gower Coast Path will stretch for almost 40 miles from Searches for bats, butterflies, moths, dawn Mumbles in the South to Crofty in the north via Three Cliffs Bay, Port chorus birds, lichens, elm trees, spiders, Eynon and Llanmadoc. Members of the West Glamorgan Ramblers seaweed and shore fish were among those were involved in the construction of some of the new paths. being organised. The Gower Coast Path is part of the Welsh Government’s ambition to The event coincided with International create a path right around the coast of Wales through its Coastal Biodiversity Day and was organised by Access Improvement Programme. The project has been part-funded Swansea Council's Nature and by the EU’s Convergence European Regional Development Fund. Conservation Team and the Swansea Biodiversity Partnership. Work has included replacing stiles with gates and waymarking. There is also a new section between Cwm Ivy Tor and Delvid. This route The event was one of only two in Wales and has been used informally for many years, but is now an official was the first time a thorough inventory of footpath with a legal right to walk. Bishop's Wood and the nearby shoreline had taken place.

Swansea’s Parks and Open Spaces Swansea’s Parks were recognised in 2010/11 for their contribution to local communities and also benefited from some significant investment.

Green Flags for Swansea’s Parks Parks and Open Space Improvements Four Swansea Parks gained the Green Flag Status in 2010/11 for their cleanliness and the Close to £480,000 was spent on parks in the more deprived areas of standard of their facilities. Swansea to give residents a better experience and improve their quality of life. Multi-use games areas, play and adventure areas, spaces for The four parks being Brynmill Park, Clyne kickabouts and a basketball facility were among the features introduced Gardens, Singleton Botanical Gardens and in addition to new paths, bins and benches. Victoria Park. Victoria Park, Cwmbwrla Park, Cwmrhydyceirw Park and Cwm Level Park all benefited as well as community open spaces in Clase and Blue Flags and Seaside Awards for Swansea beaches Townhill/Mayhill. Four Swansea beaches gained Blue Flag and Seaside Award Status in 2010/11 – Langland, These improvements also featured Wales’ first ‘Adizone’ – a multi sport Caswell, Bracelet and Port Eynon. Limeslade and fitness facility sponsored by Adidas. This was installed at also gained a Rural Seaside Award Pentrehafod School.

Green Coast Awards One key element of the improvements was the ‘Breathing Life into Parc Rhossili, Tor Bay, Mewslade and Pwll Du all Llewelyn’ project, which was an excellent example of successful gained Green Coast Awards collaboration between the City & County of Swansea and the voluntary group, the Friends of Parc Llewelyn. This scheme was made up of a number of improvements costing over £100,000, which were designed to encourage greater community involvement in the park and follows on from extensive consultation with people and groups in the nearby area. Funding from the Welsh Assembly Government, the City & County of Swansea and the Friends of Parc Llewelyn made this project possible.

Children & Young People

New Play Bus launch Thousands of Swansea children can now make the most of first class fun thanks to the launch of a new Play Bus in 2010/11.

New Play Bus and Youth Express Swansea Council’s Play Team is behind the new Play Bus launched in 2010/11 thanks to a £160,000 funding boost from The Big Lottery Fund and Cymorth.

The Play Bus travels into communities across Swansea and particularly targets children in more disadvantaged areas and parts of the City & County where there is either very limited play spaces available or none at all.

The bus is called Play on Wheels and includes facilities such as monkey bars, disco lights and a karaoke machine. A kitchen and a toilet are also on board and plenty of space is available for children to play with fun equipment.

Children from years seven and ten of Ysgol Gyfun Gwyr voted for the new bus to be called Play on Wheels and chose a design including vibrant artwork and images of children having fun.

Each of the possible name and design options for the bus came about from extensive consultation with schoolchildren across Swansea. One of many additional fun features is a slide attached to the side of the vehicle that will allow children to slide off the bus.

Its launch coincided with the unveiling of the Rural Youth Express a vehicle visiting Swansea's rural communities, offering young people access to informal learning opportunities and a place to meet.

Child & Family Services 2010/11 was a challenging year for Child & Family Services. As well as working hard with partners to make improvements identified by previous inspections, there was also a big effort made as part of this work to recruit more Foster Carers to help take care of children that needed to be looked after.

Recruitment drive for Foster Carers Swansea Council's Foster Swansea team launched a recruitment drive in May to encourage people from all walks of life to get involved and become a foster carer. The 'Make a World of Difference ....Foster!' campaign highlighted the different ways people could help, including by becoming a part-time or respite carer giving parents a break and so helping to keep families together.

The Support Breaks Swansea scheme has been running since 2005 and recruits carers who can offer time out for children who need it. Support Care offers a preventative intervention that aims to avoid families becoming separated long-term. It provides day, evening, overnight or weekend breaks that meet the needs of individual families. In 2010/11 there were six support care families that offered breaks with Foster Swansea.

Alternatively, Swansea’s new Fostering Scheme, Therapeutic Foster Care was aimed at people with the experience, qualifications and capability to care for and advise young people who exhibit challenging and difficult behaviour. The specialist scheme has a specialist therapeutic team which provides dedicated support to carers.

Community Safety Swansea’s Youth Offending Service celebrated its 10th birthday in 2010/11 helping to make our city a safer place

Youth Offending figures fall Since 2000 youth crime had fallen by more than 70%, with the biggest reductions in car theft, domestic burglary and serious violent crime.

Re-offending by young people in Swansea reported during 2010/11 was among the lowest in England and Wales. The number of persistent young offenders had fallen by 90%.

The improvements came about through the Youth Offending Service working closely with partner agencies, young people and volunteers. The Magistrates in the Swansea Youth Court have also played a significant role.

The figures available in 2010/11 showed that the numbers of young people being sent to custody by the courts had fallen by more than anywhere else in the country.

Prevention measures and working with parents had resulted in a drop of 55% in the number of first time entrants to the criminal justice systems.

The work being done in Swansea also caught the eye of the Home Office in London. The Home Office held up the City & County as a prime example of how to tackle youth crime and the causes of it.

Education The Council’s Quality in Education (QEd) 2020 programme to improve the quality of our city’s schools and ensure every pound possible is spent on pupils continued throughout 2010/11.

Quality in Education (QEd) 2020 programme QEd 2020 is about raising standards of achievement and attainment for all children and young people, improving the quality of the learning environment, and making the best use of human, physical and financial resources.

Schools in Swansea have put in some of their best ever exam performances over the last year. Statistics also show that children are benefiting from their time in class with more than 99% leaving school with qualifications and a significant reduction in NEETS.

2010/11 saw the opening of specially designed Early Years blocks at Llanrhidian, Pontarddulais and Waunarlywdd Primary Schools, as part of the QEd 2020 programme. The Authority’s successful programme of establishing inclusive provision within schools has also continued. Cefn Hengoed Comprehensive School in Bonymaen saw work starting on a £10m refurbishment scheme which includes works to improve the community facilities on site. The project, to be completed in Spring 2012, will see the creation of modern, bigger classrooms, flexible learning areas and modernised ICT facilities. Capital investment of almost £23m to provide new accommodation and facilities at Morriston Comprehensive was also accessed. In addition, Swansea Council announced spending of around £2.5m more on projects that range from a new catering suite at Gowerton School, to boiler house improvements at St Helen’s and Portmead primary schools.

The Council continued to address the number of surplus places in our schools and spend targeted investment on school buildings which most needed it. A number of statutory proposals that were the subject of formal consultation were delivered, for example, the amalgamation of Graig Infants, Pentrepoeth Infants and Pentrepoeth Junior Schools will reduce the number of surplus English medium places in this area. It further provides the opportunity to expand the provision for Welsh medium education with the opening of Y.G.G Tan-y-lan in September 2011 on the former site of Graig Infant School. Other difficult decisions were also taken during 2010/11, such as the closure of Daniel James Community School, which was also influenced by a number of other issues, including concerns with pupil outcomes at Key Stage 3 (11 to 14 years) and 4 (14 to 16 years) and the school being placed in Special Measures following an Estyn inspection in 2010. Nevertheless, there remains a significant challenge to be addressed and the Authority will continue to press the case for accessing the necessary capital funding.

Culture & Tourism Figures released in 2010/11 showed that Swansea Central Library was the best in Wales (and 6th busiest in the UK) when it came to the number of items issued. Staff at the Civic Centre attraction issued more than 590,000 books, CDs and DVDs from April 2009 to March 2010 and welcomed close to half a million people through its doors.

The Glynn Vivian Art Gallery is in need of redevelopment. The aim of the programme is to repair and conserve the fabric of the existing 1911 building, significantly enhance its setting, resolve issues related to physical access and to improve intellectual access to the collections. The Council managed to secure funding from the Welsh Government to add to the funds allocated by the Arts Council for Wales and Swansea Council to ensure that this project delivers a city art gallery with a regional remit. The upgrade follows a feasibility study and public consultation with local organisations.

Economy The Swansea Bay Summer Festival organised by the City & County of Swansea and its partners returned in 2010/11 for the 11th year.

Some of the world’s top cyclists came to Swansea in 2010/11 as the City hosted the finish of the only Welsh leg of British cycling’s biggest and most prestigious international event, the annual Tour of Britain.

Plans were progressed in 2010/11 for a Boulevard along the Oystermouth Road corridor to help smooth traffic flow and to allow better connections for pedestrians and cyclists between the City Centre and the waterfront.

Plans to develop a business park at a former industrial site in Felindre were given a multi-million pound European funding boost by the Welsh Government.

Improvements were made to Swansea and Oystermouth Castles to preserve them for future generations and for residents and tourists alike.

Swansea Bay Summer Festival

Swansea Council organises the Swansea Bay Summer Festival events marketing campaign. This is primarily a day visitor marketing campaign which supports the overall tourism destination marketing plans with the objective of increasing visitor numbers. This umbrella marketing campaign showcases the diverse range of great events that take place in Swansea between May and September.

‘Clyne in Bloom’ was among the attractions that helped kick-off the Swansea Bay Festival. The event lasted throughout May and offered visitors the chance to see Clyne Park’s award-winning Rhododendrons and Azaleas in all their magnificent splendour.

The LC Swansea Bay 5K fun run was an organised race run along Swansea’s stunning coastline to Blackpill Lido. Mumbles

Navy Days at Southend Gardens organised by Mumbles Community Council took place featuring daily children’s entertainment, live music and an exhibition of boats. The Gower Walking Festival took place in June and the Gower Folk

Festival was held at Parkmill’s Gower Heritage Centre.

Escape in the Park also made its return to Singleton Park in June. The event has blossomed into the largest electronic music festival in Wales and again featured some of the world’s best dance and music acts, including Judge Jules.

And then there was the Dickensian classic Great Expectations in the grounds of historic Oystermouth Castle. The South

Wales Boat Show arrived in SA1’s Prince of Wales dock in June. The event featured over 150 exhibitors and 200 vessels.

The Festival continued right throughout the Summer with even more events and exhibitions, including the BBC Proms in the Park held at Singleton Park.

Felindre Business Park Plans to develop a business park at a former industrial site in Swansea were given a multi-million pound European funding boost by the Welsh Government.

The £11.7m investment will help regenerate the former Felindre steelworks site into a strategic business park capable of employing hundreds of people. The aim is to create an accessible and high quality environment for business with the capacity to attract investment to the region and create more job opportunities.

The funding was aimed at providing vital infrastructure works at the site to ensure that it is developed as a prime location for businesses, offering a high-quality centre for expansion projects and young companies with high growth potential

New Boulevard 2010/11 saw the start of a multi million pound project to regenerate the Oystermouth Road corridor from the Tawe river bridges to the LC. The project involves delivering an environmentally enhanced Boulevard with much smoother traffic flow achieved by altering traffic light sequencing and by reducing the number of vehicles turning onto Quay Parade, Victoria Road and Oystermouth Road. The Boulevard project intends to make the experiences of city motorists, pedestrians, cyclists and shoppers better than ever before with the installation of enhanced crossing points at key locations to allow easy access between the waterfront and the city centre shops. The Victoria Road underpass has been filled in and a new pedestrian crossing installed at the bottom of Wind Street to coincide with new traffic arrangements to serve the Maritime Quarter, Wind Street and The Strand.

The Boulevard project is part of a wider European funded programme of work to support City Centre regeneration and is also funded by money from the Welsh Government and Swansea Council. The programme includes other schemes to improve the cycleway and footpath between the Civic Centre and the former observatory building on the seafront, and completed work on the banks of the River Tawe. The appearance of the Lower Oxford Street retail area is to be improved, building on its reputation for independent trading. This will also include the installation of high-quality street paving, street furniture and signage on Singleton Street, Dilwyn Street, Westway, Plymouth Street and part of Oxford Street.

Professional Cycling’s Annual Tour of Britain Swansea Castle improvements Championship Swansea Castle, which first came to dominate the city The third leg of cycling’s annual Tour of Britain finished in the 900 years ago, came into its own as an important city in September 2010 when the Kingsway became the landmark and destination as part of a project being led equivalent of the Champs Elysees in the Tour de France. by Swansea Council and the Welsh Government.

Some of the best cyclists on the planet have competed in the The aim of the project was for Swansea Castle to Tour of Britain in the past. Mark Cavendish and Andy Schleck become a prominent visitor destination which could are among those to have starred since the race was help celebrate Welsh culture and language among reintroduced in 2004. tourists and the local community. It is also intended to be a foundation for future regeneration proposals for Around 100 cyclists from 17 different teams took part in the the Castle Street and Worcester Place areas by event. Some of the world’s top cyclists including Andre Greipel, creating a ‘Castle Quarter’ as well as the potential for Tony Martin and Olympic gold medal superstars Bradley future commercial use of the ground floor rooms. Wiggins and Geraint Thomas also took part.

Thanks to grant funding of £165,000 from the Welsh The third leg of the tour started in Newtown. The racers travelled Assembly and Cadw, work started in 2010/11. This through the north of Swansea before making their way to the city saw debris from more recent developments removed centre via Hafod and Dyfatty. The route then took in areas such to expose the medieval and later courtyard revealed in as Orchard Street, St Helen’s Road and Walter Road before the the trial excavations. cyclists tackled a gruelling climb up Constitution Hill, the steepest street tackled by the racers in the history of the event. The grassed areas were tidied up to become more The sprint finish took place on the Kingsway where crowds attractive and a lighting scheme has helped project the gathered to cheer on the cyclists. castle. Another important focus of the project was to unlock the castle’s archaeological secrets and share The Swansea leg was won by the Swiss Michael Albasini from them with the local community. the HTC-Highroad team, which is the team currently led by Mark Cavendish

Oystermouth Castle Conservation and Improvement Centre of Excellence for Coastal Tourism This 12th Century Scheduled Ancient Monument and Swansea was identified by Visit Wales as one of three Grade 1 listed building is located in parkland setting on Centres of Excellence for Coastal Tourism in Wales. The the boundary of Gower, an Area of Outstanding Natural project aims to develop a vibrant coastline and further Beauty and is a gateway site to the castles of Gower. strengthen Swansea's reputation as a top quality waterfront tourist destination. The castle requires major conservation, improved and increased access throughout the structure and grounds The scheme is funded by a Convergence grant of £1.083m, and in order to improve the visitor experience the Welsh Government SRA grant of £320k, developers development of a purpose built visitor facility. contribution towards replacement of Victoria toilets £150k and minor grants and contributions of £86k. The remaining The total project cost to conserve and improve the contribution will be from the City & County of Swansea castle is £2,643,000. Funding was provided by a through revenue contributions and match funding in kind. Heritage Lottery grant of £764k, a contribution from Cadw of £400k, Convergence funding of £585k and the The project includes the development of a Watersports council’s own contribution of £557k. There was also an facility at St Helens and coastal environmental access in-kind contribution from the Friends of Oystermouth improvements to aid access to the beach and sea; Castle of £6k. improvements to the slip way and visitor facilities at Knab Rock; refit of the Olga – One of eleven pilot cutters in the Phase 1 of the 4 year project commenced in September world and improvements to the Swansea Marina Pontoon. 2010. The Phase 1 works included the most urgent wall These will also be supported over a 4 year period. repairs, improvements to visitor access, upgraded public conveniences and improved visitor experiences such as In 2010-11 the Marina Pontoon improvements were the new visitor centre and high level walkway. The completed, the Olga refit is partially complete and designs for completion of phase 1 works and the partial re-opening the Watersports facility and Knab Rock improvements have of the castle was scheduled for Summer 2011. been finalised.

Tourism The Council’s successful Spring and Autumn season marketing campaigns contributed significantly to the 4.1m visitors to the Swansea area in 2010.

As part of the Campaigns, almost 25,000 Swansea Bay Holiday Guides were distributed directly to potential visitors, on request, generating a return on investment of £57.27 for every £1 spent on marketing by the Tourism Team (56p higher than the previous year).

A further 26,000 Guides were distributed across Tourist Information Centres in the UK, and almost 13,000 via the Visit Wales Marketing Campaigns, which the Council’s Tourism Team bought into, in partnership with other marketing areas across Wales.

The Campaigns include a mix of on and offline marketing activities, including media advertising, direct mail and online activity and aim to build relationships with existing customers, whilst attracting new. The Campaigns are supported by the official destination website for tourism, visitswanseabay.com, which attracted over 120,000 unique visitors in 2010.

The 4.1m visitors to Swansea in 2010 generated in excess of £317m to the local economy, supporting and sustaining approximately 5,500 jobs.

Health & Well-Being The Council decided in October 2010 to consider alternative ways to provide adult social care services within the City & County of Swansea. The Council also decided during 2010/11 to undertake a review of the options available to the Council to introduce alternative ways to operate indoor leisure facilities. The Council agreed a new Health & Well-Being Strategy during 2010/11.

New Health Social Care & Well-being Transforming Adult Social Services Strategy (HSCWB) Changes to Adult Social Services were set in train in 2010/11 to take The Council adopted a new HSCWB account of population trends and the changing expectations of those who Strategy in 2010/11. The HSCWB need support. Strategies span a wide remit for action on improving health and reducing the risk of ill Current services can sometimes take on a ‘one size fits all’ approach instead health, through to improving health and of being tailored more towards individual needs and preferences, where care services provided by Swansea everybody is clear what the service and the user is aiming to achieve. Council, the NHS, the voluntary sector and the private sector. Work on this was undertaken and options were developed and considered and an outline business case established that recommended a “preferred” The HSCWB Strategy describes the key option be developed further into a full business case. issues affecting health and well-being in Swansea, the challenges in addressing The preferred option was some form of transfer into an organisation with these issues and the priorities for action primarily social objectives, i.e. in some form of Local Authority Trading that Swansea Council and the Local Company (LATC). Health Board intend to progress with their partners. The possible benefits of a LATC include a belief that it may be better at adapting to the fast changing environment within adult social care brought about by the need for services to be more personalised and tailored to meet people’s increased expectations.

Work on developing the business case behind the preferred option has continued into 2011/12.

Leisure Management options The Council decided during 2010/11 to undertake a review of the options available to the Council to introduce alternative ways to operate indoor leisure facilities, the Grand Theatre and some of the outdoor leisure facilities.

The current indoor leisure portfolio is currently operated in-house by the Council and includes Leisure Centres at Penlan, Penyrheol, Morristion, Cefn Hengoed, Bishopston and Pentrehafod. The outdoor leisure facilities include relevant sports pitches, the Ashleigh Road Golf Course and the Summer attractions at Mumbles Crazy Golf and adjacent to the Boating Lake at the bottom of Singleton Park.

In considering options, the project needed to take account of the uncertain prospects for public finance and the potential need to reduce financial support in future years. The aim of the review is to establish new and alternative management models that make efficiency savings while safeguarding and ensuring the longer term sustainability of these facilities. Work on the review has continued into 2011/12.

At the end of 2010/11 the running of Swansea Tennis Centre transferred from the council to Tennis Swansea 365 a ‘not for profit’ company dedicated to the provision of tennis in Swansea.

Healthy Cities The World Health Organisation Healthy Cities Network has been in place since 1988. An application was submitted by the Authority and Abertawe Bro Morgannwg Health Board to join this network. In September 2010 the application was accepted and the City and County of Swansea is now a member of the Healthy Cities Network.

This is an important achievement as it provides a focus for partner organisations as part of the joint working arrangements. There will also be considerable opportunities to learn from other Cities who have successfully introduced schemes to improve the health of its citizens.

Resources Swansea officially became Wales’ first City of Sanctuary in 2010/11. The Council’s Resources department was awarded the Rainbow Mark at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT)

City of Sanctuary The city, which has a history of offering sanctuary Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Rainbow Mark to people who have fled from violence or The Council’s Resources department was awarded the Rainbow Mark persecution, was rewarded with the special at the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Excellence national status as a City of Sanctuary in 2010/11 Centre in Cardiff in September 2010. shared only with Sheffield in England. The Rainbow Mark is an endorsed accreditation which indicates that The aim now is for groups, organisations, and the Resources department is operating in line with statutory public bodies to work together to help ensure skills requirements and is promoting best practise by engaging with the and cultures of people seeking sanctuary are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community thus supporting valued, included and contribute to life in local the Council’s work to meet the requirements of the new Equality Act. communities.

It is hoped to enable people seeking sanctuary to easily build relationships with local people as neighbours, friends and colleagues improving understanding and integration.

Swansea’s City of Sanctuary initiative gathered the support of 105 local organisations including Swansea Council which is working with the local City of Sanctuary group on ways to achieve the aims.

See Appendix A for information on how these improvements help meet the General Duty to Improve.

Chapter 3 – Working with Others during 2010/11

5. Swansea Council delivers much of its services in conjunction with others. The previous two chapters outline many examples of Swansea Council working with others during 2010/11 to deliver services.

5.1 This chapter looks at some further examples and focuses attention in particular upon collaborative working outlined within the Council’s Outcome Agreement with the Welsh Government. The agreements last for 3 years (until 2012/13) but progress during the first year of the agreement (2010/11) is summarised below.

. Community Activity Networks

5.2 Swansea Council is collaborating with Community Partnerships, such as Clase Caemawr and Penlan Community Partnerships to provide a local framework, called ‘Community Activity Networks’ (CANS), for planning sports and physical activity services that utilises local facilities, products and sources of funding. The aim is to share information, resources and good practice in order to help improve physical activity within communities where the opportunities for physical activity and participation are lower. The decision to collaborate with others on CANS came in response to the Welsh Government’s ‘Creating an Active Wales’ strategy to assist individuals and organisations to strengthen or further develop sport, physical activity and healthy lifestyle opportunities within their own communities or to address specific issues relevant to the communities circumstances. Our baseline evidence shows there are some significant inequalities of participation rates from one area of the city to another; the CAN’s aimed to initiate local solutions to local problems which could have resulted in these inequalities. The Council and its partners made progress towards delivering the outcome by expanding the number of partner members of each CAN, increasing the number of venues where sport and physical activity can take place and increasing physical activity usage in each CAN.

. Person Centred Dementia Care

5.3 People living with dementia are amongst the most discriminated and misunderstood group of individuals who receive health and social care services. Since the mid 1990s, there has been a national and international movement to improve support and services for people living with dementia, under the banner of ‘person centred dementia care’. This movement is now

underpinned by the Mental Capacity Act 2005, which supports the human rights and independence of all people with mental capacity issues. Swansea Council is collaborating with the Health Board, Alzheimer’s Society, Swansea Carer’s Centre, Age Concern Swansea, Swansea Care Homes and Care Commissioning Alliance and Swansea Network 50+ (citizen reference group) to respond and better promote the human rights of people living with dementia in terms of them being treated with dignity and respect and being able to express choice and control in their lives. Swansea Council and its partners made good progress towards delivering the outcome during 2010/11. This has been achieved through a range of multi agency service initiatives and events; development of a new and pioneering higher dependency residential unit as Ty Waunarlwydd Care Home; a raft of related training opportunities being delivered and commissioned; introduction of a respite flat and an Adult Placement service; establishment of a high level multi agency group; co-location of Social Services and Health Board assessment and care management teams.

. Beyond Bricks and Mortar

5.4 Swansea experiences a lower economic activity rate than the rest of Wales and the UK and has a number of communities experiencing high unemployment. The Swansea economy has a higher proportion of jobs located within the public sector; further spending reductions are likely to take place meaning that the public sector is expected to shrink; cities like Swansea that are reliant upon public sector employment are particularly vulnerable. Swansea has also seen and experienced a large amount of physical regeneration over the last few years with improvements being made to the physical fabric of the city centre and other regeneration areas. This prompted Swansea Council to collaborate with the Economic Regeneration Partnership and Local Service Board, which includes employers and other agencies such as Job Centre Plus, to promote the use of social benefit clauses in public sector contracts creating opportunities for employment and training for the economically inactive and long term unemployed. Swansea Council and its partners made good progress towards delivering the outcome during 2010/11, particularly increasing the number of projects that contain social benefit clauses and positive feedback obtained from employers and participants.

. Flying Start

5.5 Flying Start is a national early intervention and prevention programme aimed at children in the early years helping to promote positive development. Swansea Council is collaborating with Health partners, including Health Visitors and Speech and Language and Midwifery services, schools, Child & Family Services and the voluntary sector, such as Barnardos, to a

offer menu of services that include additional health visiting, parenting programmes, and basic skills programmes including language, speech and play development. The centrepiece is free quality part time childcare for all 2 year olds 2.5 hours a day, 5 days a week 42 weeks of the year. The Council has made good progress towards the outcome particularly through completing all capital works to re-model existing buildings and building new settings for Flying Start on time and to specification in order to provide fit for purpose Flying Start accommodation that is compliant with the standards set by the Care and Social Services Inspectorate for Wales (CSSIW). Management and governance arrangements for the relevant Flying Start settings were also established on time and in line with the procurement process and the required specifications in order to determine which organisation will be responsible for day to day management of the service. Success is also demonstrated through setting up parenting groups and increasing referrals to Flying Start.

. Workways

5.6 Economic inactivity and social exclusion are major problems across South West Wales. Swansea Council is collaborating with three other local authorities – Neath & Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire – to provide support using outreach services bespoke to local and individual needs in order to engage with economically inactive and long term unemployed individuals to help them back into employment. The Council and its partners have made good progress towards the outcome and have managed to secure temporary employment for a large number of participants. A number of events were organised and promotional material issued to raise awareness of the Workways scheme, particularly amongst employers. There were high satisfaction results from participating employers who felt that the Workways scheme had contributed positively to their organisation and a large majority of individuals exiting the scheme stating that it had made a positive difference to their employment prospects.

. Reducing the Fear of Crime

5.7 The Safer Swansea Partnership has been united in its fight against crime and disorder for many years and with great success. Wales’s second largest city is celebrating a reduction in overall crime of 37%. It has seen significant reductions in most crime categories, including violence, vehicle crime and youth crime. The Council in collaboration with other members of the Safer Swansea Partnership, including Police, Fire and Rescue, Health and Probation services is working to reduce the fear of crime within communities and the city centre. Good progress is being made by the Council and its partners delivering the outcome, including an effective process for dealing with anti-social behaviour and efforts to reassure victims of crime and

users of the night time economy in the city centre. This has led to a large percentage of people surveyed feeling safe within their communities and the city centre, although survey results show that improvements need to continue to be made to help people feel safe in the city centre during the night time.

. Waste Management

5.8 Local authorities in Wales are facing significant legislative and policy measures including the Landfill Allowance Scheme (LAS), Landfill Tax and the imposition of recycling and composting targets. The Council is working in collaboration with four other local authorities – Bridgend, Neath and Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire – and the Welsh Government to procure capacities for sustainably treating source segregated food waste using Anaerobic Digestion to help meet targets of which Swansea is the lead Authority. Good progress is being made by the Council and its partners delivering the outcome. Work being undertaken on the regional project to procure a solution to treat segregated food waste has successfully met all milestones to identify the Most Economically Advantageous Tender, which best meets the requirements for the project. A large amount of effort has gone into successfully introducing new alternate collection rounds and the associated additional opportunities to recycle materials and reduce waste going to landfill. The evidence also illustrates the large amount of work that has gone into preparing people for the changes and promoting / helping them through the changes. Success is demonstrated by increasing recycling from the baseline 37.5% to 40.47% in 2010-11. Feedback from citizen surveys also demonstrates an increase in people reporting that they are recycling, that they are recycling more and that there is a high degree of satisfaction with the service.

. Water Quality and Biodiversity

5.9 The Council is collaborating with Aberystwyth University, University College Dublin, the Irish Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Wicklow Council, the Environment Agency and Dwr Cymru to undertake extensive fieldwork as part of an Interreg funded 3 year project (EU Irish/Welsh fund) so that the UK Government can agree a water quality compliance methodology appropriate to Swansea. Under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 all public bodies now have a statutory duty to conserve and enhance biodiversity. The Council is working with some 33 agencies through the Swansea Biodiversity Partnership to increase awareness of the importance of biodiversity, promote involvement from all sectors in maintaining and enhancing it as well as improving the opportunities for people to enjoy and appreciate the natural environment. Good progress has been made on the bathing water project between City & County of Swansea, Aberystwyth

University and Environment Agency in undertaking a detailed audit of all current data from all partners and in producing a detailed programme of all fieldwork. In particular the black box sampling programme and logistics has produced information of stream flows, risks and hazards and sampling sites which will be used as a valuable source going forward into the following years. This work forms the basis of undertaking extensive sampling during the summer months of 2011 in which staff will be working towards the 1st phase of the extensive field studies identified in the Outcome Agreement.

. Oystermouth Castle

5.10 Oystermouth Castle is designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument (and a Grade 1 listed building on the Cadw register of ancient monuments and historic buildings). Oystermouth Castle is also included in the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. Built in the late 12th Century, Oystermouth Castle has had buildings added in the 13th and 14th centuries. The castle is located in parkland setting on the boundary of Gower, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is a gateway site to the castles of Gower. The historical and cultural significance of the castle saw the Council collaborating with Friends of Oystermouth Castle, the Heritage Lottery Fund, CADW and the contractors WRW Ltd. to protect and conserve the castle as well as making safety and physical access improvements. The project will also improve the castle as a visitor attraction by adding an interpretation facility (Alina’s Chapel) improving the intellectual access (opportunities to be educated and informed about the castle) to this valued iconic site. Good progress has been made on the first phase conservation and improvement works and on recruiting and training volunteers from the ‘Friends of Oystermouth Castle’ to impart information to visitors and to act as tourism ambassadors.

. Welsh Purchasing Consortium

5.11 The Council is collaborating with fifteen other Welsh Council’s through the Welsh Purchasing Consortium in order to maximise value for money and efficiency savings through improved procurement, making the best use of resources, contracts, collaboration, and supplier relationship management. The Council has made good progress towards this outcome. Success is demonstrated by the achievement of £154,711 savings during 2010/11, the development of consistent procedures for use across the WPC (and associated training) and the bundling of contracts using category management techniques in order to achieve efficiencies.

Chapter 4 – Processes to Discharge the General Duty to Improve: Performance Information and its use.

6. The Council collects and uses a range of performance information to help monitor and report on the delivery of services to the public. Such performance information to is used by the Council to help inform executive decisions on resource allocation and, where relevant, put in place corrective actions to manage and improve performance and efficiency in delivering national and local priorities. These are the processes that the Council undertakes to discharge the General Duty to Improve (See Appendix A) to deliver the improvements outlined in chapters 1 and 2.

. Performance Indicators

6.1 There is a national Performance Improvement Framework in place within Wales. The Welsh Government requires Council’s in Wales to collect, monitor and report on National Strategic Indicators (NSIs). The NSIs allow authorities to quantify and report their contribution to major all-Wales policy objectives. In 2010/11, the Welsh Government’s NSIs required Council’s in Wales to report performance around Social Care, Education, Environment and Transport and Leisure and Culture.

6.2 While Welsh Ministers will have an interest in setting performance measures that contribute to all-Wales policy objectives these are unlikely to be sufficient to provide a comprehensive, balanced and comparable picture of an authority’s performance and its likelihood to improve. Locally, Councils in 2010/11 collected “Core Set” indicators and shared these nationally for comparative purposes. However, Council’s were free to choose how they used this data. There was no requirement or expectation to publish data, or to report data for them all to corporate management or Members.

6.3 At a local level, the framework is completed by the use of appropriate local performance indicators and the routine use of a range of management information.

6.4 Swansea Council had in 2010/11 a corporate level “Division 1” suite of performance indicators made up of NSIs, some Core Set indicators and local indicators. The Division 1 suite was monitored and reported on a quarterly and annual basis at Corporate Management Team and also to Members and the public through Cabinet and the Council’s Scrutiny Boards. The information was used to help inform executive decisions on resource allocation and, where relevant, to look at underlying

issues and put in place corrective actions to manage and improve performance and efficiency in delivering national and local priorities.

6.5 The results from the NSIs were also reported to the Welsh Government and the Core Set indicators to the Wales Data Unit where they were published for national comparative purposes. The Council made national comparisons in relation to the NSIs and Core Set measures and this information was shared with Corporate Management Team and Heads of Service. Some of the “Division 1” indicators were used in 2010/11 within the Improvement Plan to help evidence achievement of the Council’s priorities for improvement, or “Improvement Objectives”. The 2010/11 results from these Improvement Objective measures and other national measures were audited on behalf of the Wales Audit Office to determine accuracy and compliance with requirements.

6.6 As well as there being corporate level arrangements, individual Council departments use the national and local performance measures to help manage their services and report progress to interested parties. For example, Child & Family Services regularly monitor and report performance on a number of key indicators and this is also subject to scrutiny by the Child & Family Overview and Scrutiny Board.

. Swansea Voices and other consultation

6.7 The Council consults and engages with local residents, customers and other stakeholders within the City & County of Swansea to understand their opinions and views. Swansea Voices Citizens' Panel consists of a representative sample of 1,250 residents who are regularly consulted by the Council about its services and local issues.

6.8 The Panel provides an opportunity for people to air their views and to have an input into Council service planning and delivery.

6.9 The responses the Council receives are considered to be a good reflection of the views of the population as a whole. Feedback from the Panel is therefore taken very seriously by the Council and a regular newsletter is sent to Panellists providing feedback on the latest survey results and how they have been used. All survey responses are reported to the relevant Council Departments in aggregated form so no individual Panel Members are identified in the results.

6.10 The Council also uses Swansea Voices to consult with the citizens of Swansea when it’s deciding what the improvement and budget priorities are. The views of citizens form an important part of the Council process for deciding what it needs to improve and what needs to be done to improve it.

6.11 Consultations with Swansea Voices in 2010/11 covered neighbourhoods, safety and security, about the Council, the Boulevard, economic development, Overview and Scrutiny topics, experiences applying for Council / Housing Tax Benefit, the Local Development Plan, Road Safety Education, City Centre Tourist Information Centre, shopping patterns, parks and open spaces, budget priorities, Improvement Objectives for 2011/12 and perceived service success during 2010/11.

6.12 In addition to Swansea Voices, the Council regularly conducts surveys and also consults and engages on service delivery and priorities with its partners, elected Members, staff, community and voluntary groups and business representatives. The Council regularly engages with groups such as the 50+ Network, Swansea Business Forum, Tenants Consultative Panel and Intergenerational Forum among others to consult on service planning and delivery.

6.13 The Council is also engaging more and more with citizens and service users as partners in service delivery (sometimes called “co-production”) whether it is working with families to help them to support their children in school, or adopting a person centred approach to dementia care or the Youth Service helping young people fulfil their potential as empowered individuals and as members of groups and communities.

6.14 The Council consulted with Swansea Voices and other consultative forums, such as the Intergenerational Forum, on its proposed Improvement Objectives for 2011/12. The responses were considered and a suggestion that street scene services are incorporated within the Improvement Objectives was dealt with through seeking to reduce fly tipping, which is part of street scene services. The Improvement Objective around training and work placements was broadened to show how this links to the wider regeneration programme for Swansea.

. Overview and Scrutiny

6.15 The main aim of Overview & Scrutiny is to act as a 'critical friend' to the Cabinet and other decision makers in order to promote better services, policies and decisions. Working in a similar way to parliamentary select committees, Overview & Scrutiny involves Councillors who are not in the Cabinet.

6.16 Overview & Scrutiny makes a difference by ensuring that local decision making is better, that local services are improved and that local democracy is strengthened. The work of the Boards includes talking to the public, gathering evidence from relevant organisations and conducting research. For in depth pieces of work the boards will produce reports and make recommendations.

6.17 Each of the Overview and Scrutiny Boards includes 11 Councillors and has a chair and a vice chair. Meetings usually take place every 4 weeks and the Boards also do some of their work in Task and Finish Groups and by undertaking visits to examine services.

6.18 The Overview and Scrutiny Committees are made up of 19 Councillors and they meet every 8 weeks.

6.19 During 2010/11 the Overview and Scrutiny Boards completed a number of reviews and published reports as outlined below:

Child and Family Services Review of Corporate Parenting Review of the eligibility criteria for services to disabled children

Children, Young People and Learning Review of Literacy

Environment and Communities Review of Waste Minimisation, Recycling and Composting Waste Minimisation, Recycling and Composting Findings Report

Performance and Finance Review of Shared Services Shared Services Findings Report The Development of Medium Term Financial Planning

6.20 Recommendations from the reports produced by Overview and Scrutiny are considered and, where appropriate, agreed by Cabinet. The relevant Overview and Scrutiny Board undertake follow-up reviews to track progress implementing their recommendations that have been agreed by Cabinet. More information on the Scrutiny reviews that took place during 2010/11 can be found in Chapter 5.

. Strategic Programme

6.21 The Strategic Programme Board is the highest decision making body (with regards to Programmes & Projects) within the City & County of Swansea.

6.22 Strategic Programme Board (SPB) meet on the last Wednesday of every month to review the progress on each key Programme/Project within the Council.

6.23 The key Programme/Projects are labelled as the Council's Strategic Programme and are decided on yearly at a policy conference. Here they have the responsibility to ensure these key Programmes/Projects are aligned to the Council's overall strategy, ensuring delivery of the overriding aims and objectives identified within the Community Plan and Corporate Improvement Plan.

6.24 The SPB uses the information it receives to support and provide direction to the Strategic Programme Manager to ensure delivery of the Strategic Programme. The Board monitors and manages risk and aims to resolve issues relating to specific projects. There is also regular assessment of the Strategic Programme to ensure it is delivering the most value and, where necessary, to make adjustments or re-direct resources.

. Business Plans

6.25 The Council introduced a new Business Planning process during 2010/11. The business planning process is about ensuring that the Council’s plans are designed and developed in an informed fashion, taking account of the internal and external environment. Business planning helps the Council use information to evaluate what it does and whether it should be doing the same things in the same way or if a different approach is more useful. The Business Plans are completed every 4 years and are reviewed annually.

. Risk

6.26 Councils are increasingly involved in dealing with uncertainty and managing major change. At the same time Councils are under increasing pressure to deliver better services in new and innovative ways, sometimes through partnership working. All of this attracts risk which needs to be managed and controlled effectively if Councils are to achieve the desired outcomes.

6.27 The Council manages risk to identify and control the exposure to risk which may have an impact on the achievement of the City & County of Swansea's business and improvement objectives.

6.28 Risks are managed within individual projects by Project Managers and their Project Boards and risks relating to the Council’s Strategic Programme are managed through the Council’s Strategic Programme Board. Heads of Service identify risks through their Business Plans and arrangements are in place to manage those risks. Individual departments manage their risks through their Directors Management Teams and the Council’s Corporate Management Team is responsible for corporate risk management.

Chapter 5 – Overview & Scrutiny Board Reviews in 2010/11

7. During 2010/11 the Overview and Scrutiny Boards completed a number of reviews and published reports. The outcome from the reviews is summarised below grouped under the themes identified within Swansea’s Community Strategy and Improvement Plan.

Children and Young People

7.1 The Building Blocks to Improving Literacy in Swansea – March 2011 The review focused on what can be done to improve literacy of all children and young people within Swansea – looking to ensure that they leave full time education with at least functional literacy.

7.2 Other Local Authorities Five Welsh Authorities including Cardiff, Neath Port Talbot, Carmarthenshire, Wrexham and Rhondda-Cynon-Taff were contacted. They were asked whether they had an overall literacy policy or whether school have their own separate policies or indeed both. After reading through all of these policies the following commonalities were found: the successful development of language, literacy and communication will allow each child to participate and respond to demands in society; children progress with language, literacy and communication through a continuum of learning; reading, writing and oracy are interrelated; the encouragement of children learning collaboratively; parents are encouraged to get involved with their child’s learning; literacy is cross-curricular - it should not be confined to just one particular area of learning; children will use a wide variety of communication/methods such as ICT to develop their literacy; oracy is an essential part of all learning process. Children are encouraged to express themselves effectively and appropriately; children are provided with a wide range of reading material; the encouragement of reading for personal enjoyment; to ensure effective use of vocabulary and style particularly grammar, spelling and punctuation; to develop legible and fluent style of handwriting.

7.3 The conclusions and recommendations from the review were around the development of a broader strategy for literacy that would target areas of underperformance and greatest need. It would involve partnerships between parents, carers, families, teaching staff and governing bodies. The Board also recommended that a letter is sent to the Welsh Government to encourage them to demonstrate that literacy is a priority across Wales by making sustainable long term funding available for

local authorities and schools to specifically improve reading, writing and oracy skills across Wales. The report was approved by Cabinet in June and action plan is being developed.

7.4 Care to Help? – Review of the Role of Councillors as Corporate Parents – November 2010 The Child and Family Services Overview & Scrutiny Board conducted a review to explore what ‘Corporate Parenting’ should mean for a Councillor and identify ways of discharging this responsibility to improve the life chances of vulnerable children.

7.5 Other Local Authorities The Board considered examples of good practice from English and Welsh local authorities Welsh local authorities included Newport, Denbighshire and Carmarthenshire. For example, Denbighshire established an elected Member’s forum in May 2007 and initiated the development of school governors as Corporate Parents. In Carmarthenshire elected Members of the Council have undertaken children’s home visits, asked questions and helped to influence policy. In Newport, Council Members visited Children’s homes to see the support given to looked after children and discuss the challenges of working within such an environment. Following the visit to children’s homes, Members discussed ways in which elected Members could discharge their responsibilities as Corporate Parents.

7.6 The Board recommended that key Corporate Parenting responsibilities are included in the role descriptions for Councillors, nomination and induction packs as well as offering training and a guide to Corporate Parenting. Performance information relating to looked after children is regularly given to Councillors. It also recommended a revision of the Terms of Reference for the Corporate Parenting Forum to give more focus on embedding the Corporate Parenting agenda across the Council by scrutinising and monitoring performance improvement. Cabinet and Council approved the report in March this year and an action plan is being drawn up to progress the recommendations.

7.7 Eligibility criteria for services to disabled children – June 2010 The aim of the review was to investigate the eligibility criteria used to assess disabled children and their carers for services used by Swansea Social Services. After considering a wide range of evidence from within the Council and partner organisations, it was concluded that there were weaknesses in understanding and communicating the eligibility criteria and in strategic leadership on issues relating to disability.

7.8 Other Local Authorities As part of the review on the eligibility criteria that is used by Child & Family Services to assess whether disabled children, their parents and carers qualify for a service, a number of local authorities were contacted for their eligibility criteria. Responses were received from a number of English and Welsh Councils. The Welsh Councils were Newport, Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan, Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Neath and Port Talbot, Powys and Torfaen. Members met with the manager of the Child Disability Team (CDT) in Newport. Newport was identified as an authority of good practice with regards to widening access to services for children with disabilities. Newport has developed good web pages for disabled children and their parents. Newport produces a quarterly newsletter which is sent to all children on the Disability Index to keep children and parents informed about services and it was also used as a tool to consult. Newport City Council provides a leisure card to families who register on the Disability Index, which could have a positive impact on the number of referrals and drive down the need for intervention by a Social Worker.

7.9 The Board made a series of recommendations aimed at improving the criteria and for widening access to services. It was recommended that a new set of eligibility criteria be developed in consultation and with the assistance of the Council for Disabled Children and this revised criteria is communicated in an open and transparent way to parents, making use of the good practice demonstrated by Newport City Council. The report was noted by Cabinet in July 2010 and six of the recommendations that were approved are being progressed

Environment

7.10 Waste not, want not: Review of Waste Minimisation, recycling and composting in the City & county of Swansea The review sought answers to the question ‘Will the Council achieve the waste minimisation, recycling and composting targets set out by the Welsh Government in its national Waste Strategy Towards Zero Waste?’ The Board looked at the effectiveness of the waste minimisation, recycling and composting initiatives and how we encourage households to send less waste to landfill.

7.11 Other Local Authorities The Board considered a summary of research from high performing and top 10 most improved local authorities. The research showed that there is a mix of approaches taken by high performing local authorities but there are also some key

things in common and the following areas of interest have been identified. For example, 8 out of 10 of the most improved local authorities have recently changed to alternate weekly collections; all of the local authorities with the top ten household recycling and composting rates have also changed to alternate weekly collections; 8 out of 10 of the most improved local authorities collect food waste as part of their kerb side collections and 8 out of 10 of the highest performing authorities also collect food waste. Additional services offered by local authorities to encourage recycling and re-use include: incentive schemes to encourage the use of real nappies, discounted home composting bins, food digesters and wormeries, clothing swap events.

7.12 The recommendations put to Cabinet were aimed at communicating the services provided to encourage more participation in recycling. This could be through making recycling bags and receptacle more accessible and utilising projects such as SCRAP (furniture refurbishment). The Board also recommended gathering further information on participation or non- participation and the underlying reasons for non-participation. Raising awareness with local schools, University, colleges and other organisations was also put forward as a means of improving performance. Cabinet approved the report in June 2011 and work will be undertaken to progress the recommendations.

Health, Social Care and Wellbeing

7.13 Community Alarm Service & Telecare – July 2010 The Community Alarm and Telecare Services provide 24 hour rapid response alarm systems to older, disabled and other vulnerable people for use in their own homes. It helps them to maintain some independence with the knowledge that help is there should they need it. The aim of the review was to consider the Community Alarm and Telecare services could be safely maintained and to examine options to ensure future sustainability.

7.14 Other Local Authorities The Board considered examples of practice found on websites from English and Welsh local authorities. Welsh local authorities included Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Powys, Cardiff, Wrexham, Ceredigion, Gwynedd, and Caerphilly. The review of practice found that although most Authorities in the UK have Community Alarm services, responsibility for operating them can lie with various Local Authority Departments, such as Social Services, Supporting People or Housing, or with other voluntary sector organisations such as Age Concern. All those

viewed however, did charge for Community Alarm services, and had a variety of arrangements in place for collecting the money, e.g. people can pay annually, quarterly, or weekly, and peoples’ financial circumstances are assessed for ability to pay. Reduced rates and grants to help with payment were available in most areas

7.15 The Board found that the current financial position is unsustainable and their recommendations included that a financial contribution for the cost of the service from Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University is sought and to investigate whether there is a more cost effective alternative e.g. digital technology with Swansea University, which would safely maintain older or disabled people in their homes. Cabinet approved the majority of the recommendations in October 2010 and gave reasons where recommendations were not accepted.

Resources

7.16 What is the best way to deliver savings and improvements through shared services?– April 2010 A review by the Performance & Finance Overview and Scrutiny Board in April 2010 sought to answer the question ‘What is the best way to deliver savings and improvements through shared services?’

7.17 Other Local Authorities Dorothy Edwards Bridgend Joint Locality Director and Susan Cooper, Head of Adult Service, came to the task and finish group to gave a presentation on development of integrated services in Bridgend. The main points from the presentation included: a) Relationships and trust need to be built at the start before the programme takes off; b) The national climate is pushing for change but it is not specific on how it changes – area of local determinisation; c) Service outcomes needed to be improved – this was one of the main drivers of Bridgend’s programme; d) More about the needs of patients than on money; e) you don’t need to join up on everything; if you look at your outcomes and see where you overlap and just join up those things.

7.18 The Board came to a number of conclusions including; being clear about what a shared service project is; focusing attention on those projects with the highest chance of success; investing strategically in relationships with project partners; being clear about the costs and benefits for each partner at the start; getting the governance right; ensuring that project and programme

planning is robust, and; ensuring that corporate monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are in place. The Board made a number of recommendations, which are contained within the report.

7.19 The Development of Medium Term Financial Planning – November 2010 A review by the Performance & Finance Overview and Scrutiny Board in November 2010 sought to assist with the ongoing development of the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) for the City and County of Swansea among other objectives.

7.20 Other Local Authorities Vanessa Phillips of the Welsh Local Government Association gave a presentation on financial context & experiences of other local authorities to a Task & Finish Group meeting. The whole area of benchmarking is difficult and it was impossible to find examples of good practice.

7.21 The Board concluded that an in-depth process of prioritisation linked closely to corporate planning processes, including broad consultation on options and wide stakeholder involvement, was suggested as good practice by the WLGA and was felt to be a fairer approach than simply reducing budgets across the board. It was found that in recent years, Swansea Council had moved away from simply reducing budgets across the board. The Board made other conclusions and recommended that Cabinet; considers the conclusions and proposals in this report as part of the ongoing budget process; uses the model of prioritisation as a basis for future budget decisions, and engagement with Councillors, Trade Unions, the public and other stakeholders. Cabinet considered and agreed the recommendations in March 2011.

7.22 Further details and the full Overview & Scrutiny Reports can be viewed on: http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=38510

Chapter 6 – City & County Swansea Response to the Statutory Recommendation made in the Auditor General Wales Annual Improvement Report 2010

8. In recent years, the City & County of Swansea has restructured the Planning service. The service has embarked on a programme of improvement. Good progress has been made.

8.1 A recommendation from previous reviews had been to improve decision making by rationalising the committee arrangements from two area committees (in which all 72 members participate) to a single elite decision making body of a smaller number of highly trained members focusing on major and controversial planning applications.

8.2 In April 2010 the Council increased the number of Area Planning Committees from two to four – initially on a six-month trial basis. This formed part of a wider package of measures to change committee structures across the Council. All Councillors continued to be involved in planning through these new area committees.

8.3 The Wales Audit Office (WAO) undertook a review of the Council’s arrangements for its planning committees in November 2010. The review concluded that the Council’s decision to increase the number of planning committees did not represent an efficient and proper use of resources. The WAO recommendations can be summarised as follows:

1. Monitor the usefulness and cost effectiveness of the new committee arrangements. 2. Establish a clear direction for the day-to-day delivery and longer term improvement of the planning service. 3. Develop more constructive working relationships between Councillors and officers. 4. Improve the cost effectiveness of the service. 5. Improve governance.

8.4 Consideration of the WAO recommendations was given by the Council.

8.4.1 Council resolved that: a) The 4 Area Planning Committees be replaced with 2 Area Development Control Committees;

b) The Planning and Petitions Committee be Chaired on a rota basis thereby reducing the need for a Special Responsibility Allowance for the Chair of the Planning and Petitions Committee which therefore will no longer be paid; c) The 2 new Area Development Control Committees to meet on a 4 weekly cycle on a Tuesday afternoon; d) The Planning Services Members Task Group (PSMTG) be charged with reviewing the Wales Audit Office report in accordance with its work programme; Speaking Rights at planning committee meetings continue pending a full review; e) The WAO is informed of the interim response by the Council to its report. f) The suggestions relating to site visits are referred back to the Constitution Working Group in order to obtain further clarity.

8.5 ACTIONS SUBSEQUENT TO THE RESPONSE TO THE WAO OF FEBRUARY 2011

8.5.1 The Planning Services Member Task Group The PSMTG has continued with its work of considering the findings of the WAO. It has met twice since the February report on progress.

8.5.2 The April 14th 2011 meeting of the PSMTG considered a presentation by the Director of Regeneration & Housing on his goals and objectives for the Service, the need for Members to be involved in the Planning Process and the implications of the WAO Report, together with the overarching context of the national and local economy and the Council’s financial constraints. A report was also made on the potential for bench marking with other Council’s, and a work programme was discussed and agreed.

8.5.3 The June 13th 2011 meeting of the PSMTG considered a draft Member Questionnaire on the WAO Report’s recommendations and their views on the Service. A report on bench marking was also tabled and consideration was given to a report on out-of-hours working by enforcement officers. The Group’s Work Programme was reviewed.

8.5.4 The Planning Committee The Planning Committee of 21st July 2011 received a presentation from the Director of Regeneration & Housing previously given to the April 14th 2011 meeting of the PSMTG, and a report on the draft Members’ Questionnaire was discussed. The presentation was noted, and the Questionnaire deferred pending a motion being put to Council about the Committee structure and numbers of Committees.

8.5.5 The Council The Council meeting of February 28th 2011 considered the appropriate number of Planning Committees and confirmed its decision of February 3rd that two Area Committees and one Planning Committee would be adopted.

8.5.6 The council meeting of May 16th 2011 amended the Constitution including the creation of a Petitions Committee being established to consider non-planning related petitions. This effectively restored the role of the Planning committee to planning related issues.

8.5.7 The Council meeting of August 4th 2011 considered a motion concerning the WAO report and the number of Planning Committees, and reaffirmed its decision of February concerning Committee structure.

8.6 FUTURE ACTIONS The next meeting of the PSMTG (to be held on the 8th September 2011 at the time of writing) will consider the resolution of Council and its implications for the Member questionnaire, its proposed bench marking exercise and its work programme. Additionally, it will receive and consider a draft Enforcement Charter for referral to Planning Committee for adoption.

8.6.1 The PSMTG, Planning Committee and Council will continue to consider the WAO’s recommendations with a view to forwarding a full response in due course.

Appendix A – The General Duty to Improve

9. The Council is subjected at an audit every year to test how sufficient its arrangements to secure improvement are. The processes that the Council goes through to Discharge the General Duty to Improve can be found in Chapter 4.

9.1 The audit in 2010/11 found that some arrangements are positively supporting improvement and there is stable leadership but there are also some governance problems and flaws in some business arrangements.

9.2 The audit report identified a number of areas for improvement and also noted some areas where further work needed to be undertaken. The Council sought to address these matters and progress identified by the auditors is summarised below:

. The Council has implemented a new business planning approach which has improved the integration between service, financial and workforce plans. . Good progress has been made in developing arrangements to strengthen accountability for elected Member behaviour. . The Council has clarified its ICT decision-making structures. . The Council has developed a clear strategic vision for Human Resources (HR) and is developing a formal documented HR Strategy.

9.3 Further information about the auditor’s findings will be made available in the Annual Improvement Report 2011/12 on Swansea Council by the Auditor General Wales.

9.4 The Council has a duty to put arrangements in place to secure continuous improvement. In discharging this duty, the Council must have regard to:

1. Making progress towards community objectives. 2. Improving the quality of services. 3. Improving the availability of services. 4. Improving fairness. 5. Contributing to the sustainable development of an area.

6. Improving the efficiency of services and functions. 7. Innovation and change which contributes to improvement.

9.5 All of the Council’s improvement activity and the Council’s priorities for improvement (Improvement Objectives) will deliver one or more of these aspects. This is detailed below.

Improvement Activity Progress Improving Improving Fairness Contributing Improving Innovation towards service service to the Efficiency or Change Community Quality availability sustainable Objectives development of an area Real Nappies     Collecting Bulky Waste      Green Champions    Recycling Promotional     Campaign Corporate Building Services     Green Dragon Award Improvements to Rights of      Way Biodiversity   Gower Coast Path      Green / Blue Flags and Green      Coast Awards Parks and Open Spaces       Play Bus and Youth Express       Foster Carer Recruitment      

Improvement Activity Progress Improving Improving Fairness Contributing Improving Innovation towards service service to the Efficiency or Change Community Quality availability sustainable Objectives development of an area Youth Offending        QEd 2020 programme        Library usage and Glynn       Vivian redevelopment Swansea Bay Summer       Festival Felindre Business Park     Boulevard     Cycling Tour of Britain  Swansea Castle       Improvements Oystermouth Castle       conservation Centre of Excellence for       Coastal Tourism Tourism       Health, Social Care and Well-        Being Strategy Transforming Adult Social        Services Leisure Management Options        Healthy Cities       

Improvement Objective Progress Improving Improving Fairness Contributing Improving Innovation towards service service to the Efficiency or Change Community Quality availability sustainable Objectives development of an area Improvement Objective 1 –       

Improve and protect our environment and make communities feel safer so that the City & County is a great place to live.

Improve Swansea’s economic performance so that the City & County of Swansea supports a prosperous economy.

Improvement Objective 4 –       

Improve Health and Social Care services for all so that the City & County supports and promotes good health

Appendix B – Improvement Objective & National Strategic Performance Indicators 2010/11

City & County of Swansea

Annual Performance 2007-08 to 2010-11

Key: Column 5 - Annual Performance Above Welsh Average Same as Welsh Average Below Welsh In 2010/11 compared to the average (ABOVE) (SAME) Average (BELOW) Performance across all 22 Welsh Authorities

 Not a National Indicator, so no Welsh Average Available

NSI = National Strategic Indicator

Annual Service Performance Annual Annual Annual Annual Performance. Comments and improvement PI & Desired Direction of Travel Performance. Performance. Performance. 2010/11 trend 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 (Welsh Average) Education EDCP21  Year on year improvement in The percentage of pupils in schools performance since 2007 maintained by the authority in the 55.6% 57.5% 59.9% 62.7%* previous summer achieving 5 or more Improvement Trend (07-11) GCSEs at grades A*- C or the vocational equivalent 

Annual Annual Annual Annual Performance. Comments and PI & Desired Direction of Travel Performance. Performance. Performance. 2010/11 improvement trend 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 (Welsh Average) Education EDU/002i  (NSI) The percentage of Year on year improvement in all pupils (including those in local performance since indicator authority care), in any local authority was introduced in 2008/09 maintained school, aged 15 as at the 0.9% preceding August who leave N/A 2.7% 1.6% (0.8%) Improvement Trend (08-11) compulsory education, training or (BELOW) work based learning without an  approved external qualification. EDU/002ii (NSI) The percentage of Year on year improvement in pupils in local authority care, in any performance since indicator local authority maintained school, was introduced in 2008/09 aged 15 as at the preceding August 0.0% who leave compulsory education, N/A 14.8% 13.6% (6.5%) Improvement Trend (08-11) training or work based learning (ABOVE) without an approved external  qualification.

Annual Annual Annual Annual Performance. Comments and PI & Desired Direction of Travel Performance. Performance. Performance. 2010/11 improvement trend 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 (Welsh Average) Education EDU/003 The % of pupils eligible Year on year improvement in for assessment at the end of Key performance, with levels 5% Stage 2, in schools maintained by 77.5% better than 2007/08 the local authority, achieving the 72.6% 73.4% 74.4% (78.4%) Core Subject indicator, as (BELOW) Improvement Trend (07-11) determined by Teacher Assessment  EDU/006i  Whilst performance ahead of The percentage of pupils assessed, 2008/09, it dipped compared in schools maintained by the LA, N/A 9.1% 9.3% 9.2% to 2009/10. receiving a Teacher Assessment in (19.5%) Welsh (first Language) at the end (BELOW) Improvement Trend (08-11) of Key Stage 2  EDU/006ii  Despite a dip in performance The percentage of pupils assessed, in 2009/10, latest in schools maintained by the local performance has exceeded authority, receiving a Teacher N/A 8.8% 8.1% 9.1% 2008/09. Assessment in Welsh (first (16.8%) Language) at the end of Key Stage (BELOW) Improvement Trend (08-11) 3 

Annual Annual Annual Annual Performance. Comments and PI & Desired Direction of Travel Performance. Performance. Performance. 2010/11 improvement trend 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 (Welsh Average) Education Education Inclusion Year on year improvement in EDCP12b  performance since 2008 Pupils receiving fixed term exclusions - Secondary schools 863 835 737 572* Improvement Trend (07-11)  EDCP18c  Year on year improvement in The percentage of young people (at performance since 2008 16 years) known to be Not in N/A 6.9% 6.7% 4.2%* Education, Employment or Training Improvement Trend (08-11) (NEET) 

Annual Annual Annual Annual Performance. Comments and PI & Desired Direction of Travel Performance. Performance. Performance. 2010/11 improvement trend 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 (Welsh Average) Education Year on year improvement in EDU/011  (NSI) performance, with levels The average point score for pupils 15.5% better than 2007/08 aged 15 at the preceding 31 322 343 351 372 August, in schools maintained by (394) Improvement Trend (07-11) the local authority (BELOW)  Year on year improvement in EDU/015a  (NSI) performance, with levels The percentage of final statements 82.6% over 25% better than of special education need issued 56.3% 71.4% 71.4% (76.3%) 2007/08 within 26 weeks including (ABOVE) exceptions Improvement Trend (07-11)  Year on year improvement in EDU/015b  (NSI) performance. The percentage of final statements 94.2% 95.8% 97.8% 100% of special education need issued (90.3%) Improvement Trend (07-11) within 26 weeks excluding (ABOVE) exceptions 

Annual Annual Annual Annual Performance. Comments and PI & Desired Direction of Travel Performance. Performance. Performance. 2010/11 improvement trend 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 (Welsh Average) Education Whilst performance peaked in 2008/09, it is now lower EDU/016a  92.3% than 2007/08 levels. The percentage of pupil attendance 92.5% 92.6% 92.4% (93.1%) in primary schools (BELOW) Improvement Trend (07-11)

 EDU/016b  Whilst performance peaked The percentage of pupil attendance 90.6% in 2008/09, it has slipped in secondary schools. 90.3% 90.8% 90.7 (91.1%) annually since, but remains (BELOW) above 2007/08 levels.

Improvement Trend (07-11) 

Annual Annual Annual Annual Performance. Comments and PI & Desired Direction of Travel Performance. Performance. Performance. 2010/11 improvement trend 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 (Welsh Average) Environment Public Protection PPN/001iv  Consistent maximum The percentage of high risk 100% performance throughout businesses that were liable to a 100% 100% 100% (99%) period 2007 – 20011 programmed inspection that were (ABOVE) inspected for health and safety Improvement Trend (07-11)

 PSR/004  (NSI) Apart from a dip in 2008/09, The percentage of private sector performance has dwellings that had been vacant for 1.22% consistently improved. more than 6 months at 1 April that 1.04% 1.02% 1.16% (4.3%) were returned to occupation during (BELOW) Improvement Trend (07-11) the year through direct action by the local authority  PSR/007a  Significant continued Of the houses in multiple improvement in performance occupation known to the local N/A 21% 31.8% 46.6% authority, the percentage that have (24%) Improvement Trend (08-11) a full licence. (ABOVE) 

Annual Annual Annual Annual Performance. Comments and PI & Desired Direction of Travel Performance. Performance. Performance. 2010/11 improvement trend 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 (Welsh Average) Environment Public Protection PSR/007b No judgement No judgement No judgement No national average to Of the houses in multiple made made made compare against occupation known to the local Nationally on Nationally on Nationally on 13.6% authority, the percentage that have level of level of level of been issued with a conditional performance performance performance licence. Street Scene STS/005b  Improvement between 2007 The percentage of highways and – 2010 has not been relevant land inspected of a high or sustained and dipped in acceptable standard of cleanliness 91.2% 92.3% 94% 92.6% 2010/11. But overall, (93.8%) performance still above (BELOW) 2007/08.

Improvement Trend (07-11) 

Annual Annual Annual Annual Performance. Comments and PI & Desired Direction of Travel Performance. Performance. Performance. 2010/11 improvement trend 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 (Welsh Average) Environment CRE4  Last two years have shown The percentage of priority graffiti 98.7% 99.68% 95.55% 93.33%* decline with 2010/11 jobs completed within 7 days performance less than 2007/08.

Improvement Trend (07-11)  Despite 2009/10 N/A 93.03% 96.39% 92.50% performance improving, STS/006  (NSI) (95.50%) 2010/11 is now lower than The percentage of reported fly (BELOW) 2008/09 levels. tipping incidents cleared within 5 working days Improvement Trend (08-11)  WMT/004  (NSI) Consistent Improvement The percentage of municipal waste since 2007/08 with levels sent to landfill 68.94% 67.66% 64.93% 59.26% almost 10% better than (50.88%) 2007/08. (BELOW) Improvement Trend (07-11)



Annual Annual Annual Annual Performance. Comments and PI & Desired Direction of Travel Performance. Performance. Performance. 2010/11 improvement trend 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 (Welsh Average) Environment WMT/009  (NSI) Indicator new for 2010/11, The percentage of municipal waste therefore no trend available. collected by local authorities and N/A N/A N/A 40.47% prepared for reuse and/or recycled, (43.6%) including source segregated bio (BELOW) wastes that are composted or treated biologically in another way Transportation THS/007  (NSI) Inconsistent performance, The percentage of adults aged 60+ but latest performance who hold a concessionary travel 89.9% 96.3% 100% 95.6% almost 5% higher than pass (83.3%) 2007/08 (ABOVE) Improvement Trend (07-11)  ETE8  Performance has dropped Number of cars using park and ride consistently since 2008. Services N/A 325,939 320,049 302,049* Improvement Trend (08-11) 

Annual Annual Annual Annual Performance. Comments and PI & Desired Direction of Travel Performance. Performance. Performance. 2010/11 improvement trend 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 (Welsh Average) Regeneration and Housing Culture & Tourism LCS/002  (NSI) A marginal increase in The number of visits to local 2009/10 has changed to a authority sport &leisure centres N/A 7811 7814 7651 decrease in 2010/11. during the year where the visitor (8524) Improvement Trend (08-11) will be participating in physical (BELOW) activity, per 1,000 population  LCL/001  (NSI) Despite 10/11 performance The number of visits to Public slipping below 08/09 figure, Library during the year per 1,000 5003 6313 6503 6266 it is still significantly higher population than 07/08.

Improvement Trend (07-11)  Performance has settled at CTCH1  N/A 30% 27% 27%* 27% for the past two years Percentage of Swansea Adults which is down on the 2008 achieving 5 times 30 per week figure.

(WHS) Improvement Trend (08-11) 

Annual Annual Annual Annual Performance. Comments and PI & Desired Direction of Travel Performance. Performance. Performance. 2010/11 improvement trend 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 (Welsh Average) Regeneration and Housing Regeneration & Planning ESD1  Inconsistent performance, Value of inward investment related but latest figures are highest to property based projects where 23 10.5 23 45.1* by a significant amount. the authority owns some of the land Improvement Trend (07-11) (or adjoining land) which facilities the development  2010/11 saw a drop in PLA/004a  performance compared to The percentage of major planning 30.6% 30.2% 42.1% 17.4% previous years. Applications determined during the (33.7%) year within 13 weeks (BELOW) Improvement Trend (07-11)  Performance has been inconsistent, but within a PLA/004c  margin of 1.4%. However, The percentage of householder 70.5% 71% 70.3% 71.9% latest performance is the Planning applications determined (84.2%) highest since 2007. during the year within 8 weeks (BELOW) Improvement Trend (07-11) 

Annual Annual Annual Annual Performance. Comments and PI & Desired Direction of Travel Performance. Performance. Performance. 2010/11 improvement trend 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 (Welsh Average) Regeneration and Housing Regeneration & Planning PLA/006  (NSI) Performance has been The number of additional affordable 9 30 8 21 inconsistent, although latest housing units provided during the (25) figures are the second year as a percentage of all (BELOW) highest over the period. additional housing units provided during the year Improvement Trend (07-11)  Corporate Building & Property Services EEF/002 (NSI) First year of new definition of The percentage change in carbon this PI so unable to decide dioxide emissions in the non N/A N/A N/A 6.12 on trends. domestic public building stock Housing PSR/002  (NSI) Apart from a slight slip in The average number of calendar 487 days 378 days 370 days 374 days 2010/11, performance has days taken to deliver a Disabled (387 days) improved every year Facilities Grant (ABOVE) Improvement Trend (07-11) 

Annual Annual Annual Annual Performance. Comments and PI & Desired Direction of Travel Performance. Performance. Performance. 2010/11 improvement trend 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 (Welsh Average) Regeneration and Housing Housing HSG2  Despite a blip in 2008/09, The number of void properties performance has improved 316 383 286 251* every year

Improvement Trend (07-11)  HHA/013  (NSI) Performance has improved The percentage of all potentially 13.9% 23.3% 29.1% 29.4% every year homeless households for whom (58.4) homelessness was prevented for at (BELOW) Improvement Trend (07-11) least 6 months 

Annual Annual Annual Annual Performance. Comments and PI & Desired Direction of Travel Performance. Performance. Performance. 2010/11 improvement trend 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 (Welsh Average) Social Services Adult Services SCA/001  (NSI) Performance improved The rate of delayed transfers of during the first 3 years, but care for social care reasons per 6.78 4.95 2.97 9.00 declined in 2010/11. 1,000 population aged 75 or over (5.8) (BELOW) Improvement Trend (07-11)  SCA/002a  (NSI) Despite an increase in The rate of older people (aged 65 98.67 90.18 94.60 69.6 performance in 09/10 all or over) supported in the (81.40) three years are below community per 1,000 population (BELOW) performance reported in aged 65 or over at 31 March 2007/08.

Improvement Trend (07-11) 

PI & Desired Direction of Travel Annual Annual Annual Annual Comments and Performance. Performance. Performance. Performance. improvement trend 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 (Welsh Average) Social Services Adult Services SCA/002b  (NSI) Despite a slight increase in The rate of older people (aged 65 performance for 10/11 or over) whom the authority 20.10 20.94 22.71 22.16 compared to the previous supports in care homes per 1,000 (21.75) year, all three years show a population aged 65 or over at 31 (BELOW) decline in performance March reported in 2007/08.

Improvement Trend (07-11)  SCA/003a The percentage of Continuous improvement clients who are supported in the 96.90% over the whole four year community during the year in the 95.36% 96.37% 96.42% (94.05%) period age groups 18-64 (ABOVE) Improvement Trend (07-11)

 SCA/003b  The percentage of Inconsistent performance, clients who are supported in the 80.43% but latest levels higher than community during the year in the 80.27% 82.07% 83.67% (83.71%) 2007. age groups 65+ (BELOW) Improvement Trend (07-11)



Annual Annual Annual Annual Performance. Comments and PI & Desired Direction of Travel Performance. Performance. Performance. 2010/11 improvement trend 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 (Welsh Average) Social Services Adult Services SCA/007  The percentage of Consistent improvement clients with a care plan at 31st over the four year period. March whose care plans should 63.0% 67.6% 70.7% 74.2% have been reviewed that were (75.5%) Improvement Trend (07-11) reviewed during the year (BELOW)  Children’s Services Significant improvement SCC/001a  culminating in maximum The percentage of first placements 78% 75.3% 100% 100% performance for past two of Looked after Children during the (91.5%) years. year that began with a care plan in (ABOVE) place Improvement Trend (07-11) 

Annual Annual Annual Annual Performance. Comments and PI & Desired Direction of Travel Performance. Performance. Performance. 2010/11 improvement trend 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 (Welsh Average) Social Services Children’s Services Gradual decline in performance has been SCC/001b  85.3% 84.1% 72.4% 96.7% replaced by significant For those children looked after (94.1%) improvement in 2010/11 whose second review (due at 4 (ABOVE) which is over 11% superior months) was due in the year, the to 2007. percentage with a plan for permanence at the due date Improvement Trend (07-11)  SCC/002  (NSI) Performance levels have The % of LAC at 31 March who improved by around 50% have experienced one or more compared to 2007. changes of school, during a period 30.9% 16.2% 19.2% 15.32% Improvement Trend (07-11) or periods of being looked after, not (14.16%) due to transitional arrangements, in  the 12 months to 31 March We are close to Wales SCC/007a  74% 40.5% 41.4% 42.5% average. We are continuing The percentage of referrals during (44.4%) to work with partners to the year that were allocated a (BELOW) manage all referrals in an social worker for initial assessment effective, timely fashion

PI & Desired Direction of Travel Annual Annual Annual Annual Comments and Performance. Performance. Performance. Performance. improvement trend 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 (Welsh Average) Social Services Children’s Services SCC/007b  We are close to Wales The percentage of referrals during 6.2% 10.9% 4.2% 5.1% average. We are continuing the year that were allocated to (10.8%) to work with partners to someone other than a social (ABOVE) manage all referrals in an worker for initial assessment effective, timely fashion SCC/007c  No judgement No judgement No judgement No national average to The % of referrals during the year made made made compare against that did not proceed to allocation Nationally on Nationally on Nationally on 52.3% for initial assessment level of perf level of perf level of perf Inconsistent performance but SCC/033a  (NSI) 10/11 outturn represents a The percentage of young people 93.3% 81.8% 96.3% 85.2% decline compared to 07/08 formerly looked after with whom the (93.1%) authority is in contact at the age of (BELOW) Improvement Trend (07-11) 19 

Annual Annual Annual Annual Comments and Performance. Performance. Performance. Performance. improvement trend PI & Desired Direction of Travel 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 (Welsh Average) Social Services Children’s Services Despite a decline in this SCC/033b  (NSI) year’s performance, the The % of young people formerly 75% 83.3% 100% 91.3% current result remains well looked after with whom the (90.8%) above 07/08 and is the only authority is in contact, who are (ABOVE) year that performance has known to be in suitable, non- declined. emergency accommodation at the Improvement Trend (07-11) age of 19  SCC/033c  (NSI) Performance initially The percentage of young people improved in 08/08 but has formerly looked after with whom the 35.71% 66.7% 61.5% 39.1% declined consistently since. authority is in contact, who are (52.2%) known to be engaged in education, (BELOW) Improvement Trend (07-11) training or employment at the age of 19 

Annual Annual Annual Annual Comments and Performance. Performance. Performance. Performance. improvement trend PI & Desired Direction of Travel 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 (Welsh Average) Social Services Children’s Services Performance has declined 156 consistently since 2007 until SCC/037  (NSI) 177 164 127 (183) improving in 10/11. However The average external qualifications (BELOW) 10/11 figure is still worse point score for 16 year old looked than 07/08 after children, in any local authority maintained learning setting Improvement Trend (07-11)  An increase in excess of 6% SCC/042a  N/A N/A 72.3% 78.7% on first year’s performance. The percentage of initial (66.6%) assessments completed within 7 Improvement Trend (09-11) (ABOVE) working days  SCC/042b  An increase of 1 day (7%) on The average time taken to N/A N/A 14 13 first year’s performance. complete initial assessments that (23) Improvement Trend (09-11) took longer than 7 working days to (ABOVE) complete 

For the full sets of National Performance Indicators please use the link below: http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=155

Appendix C – where to find additional information

Annual Corporate Improvement Plan 2010/11 Performance & Strategic Projects have prepared this document on behalf of the Council. If you have any questions or comments on the content of this plan, you can contact the Business Performance team in Performance & Strategic Projects by: Email to [email protected] Telephone 01792 636852. The Annual Corporate Improvement Plan 2010-11 can be found by clicking on the following web link: http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=44140

Community Strategy 2010-14

If you are interested in finding out more about the Community Strategy, then you can do so via the Council’s web-site by clicking on the following web-link: http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=11050

Also, if you have any questions related to the Community Plan, you can contact the Community Strategies Team by:

Email at [email protected] Telephone 01792 636292

Local Service Board

Website: www.swansea.gov.uk/LSB

Children & Young People Plan 2011-14 http://www.cypswansea.co.uk/index.cfm?articleid=22133

Health, Social Care & Well-Being Strategy 2011-14 http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=43778

Swansea 2020 – Economic Regeneration Strategy http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=6328

Regeneration http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=5956

Recycling and Rubbish http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=1011

Social Care services http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=96

Education services http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=1423

Local Development Plan http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=10213

Equality & Diversity http://www.swansea.gov.uk/equalityscheme

Welsh Language Scheme http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=2059

Sustainable Development http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=4275

Auditor General Wales Annual Improvement Report 2011 http://www.wao.gov.uk/reportsandpublications/localgovernment_687.asp

Estyn Inspection Reports http://www.estyn.gov.uk/english/inspection/inspection- reports/?searchTitle=&searchType=All&localAuthority=51&searchPostcode=&searchDistance=10&submitted=1

Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) Inspection Reports http://www.csiw.wales.gov.uk/dataviewer/index.asp?searchtext=Enter+Name&postcode=Postcode&authority=SWA®ion=&result s=true&settings=

Scrutiny Board Reports http://www.swansea.gov.uk/index.cfm?articleid=38510

Item No. 10 (1)

Report of the Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Democracy

Council – 29 September 2011

MEMBERSHIP OF COMMITTEES

Summary

Purpose: That Council approves the nominations / amendments to the Bodies listed below.

Policy Framework: None.

Reason for Decision: To agree nominations for Committee Membership.

Consultation: Political Groups.

1. Introduction

1.1 The Annual Meeting of Council on 16 May 2011, agreed membership of the various Committees / Boards as reflected in the lists submitted by the Political Groups.

2. CHANGES TO COUNCIL BODY MEMBERSHIP

2.1 The Political Groups have since submitted changes which are outlined below: a) Swansea Administration Group Health, Social Care & Well Being Overview & Scrutiny Board - Remove Councillor N A Holley and appoint Councillor R J Stanton.

Environment & Community Overview & Scrutiny Board - Remove Councillor C L Philpott and appoint Councillor R J Stanton

3. OUTSIDE BODIES

3.1 The Leader of the Council has also removed the following organisations from the list of Outside Bodies as the Authority is no longer entitled to nominate to the organisation:

a. University of Wales – Council

4. Recommendation

4.1 It is recommended that Council approves the amendments to the membership of the Council Bodies as listed in paragraph 2 of the report.

Background papers:

Local Government & Housing Act 1989, the Local Government (Committees & Political Groups) Regulations 1990.

Contact Officer: Gareth Borsden  01792 636824 Item No. 10 (2)

Report of the Cabinet Member for Community Leadership & Democracy

Council – 29 September 2011

ADMISSION OF WOMEN TO THE HEREDITARY FREEDOM OF THE CITY AND COUNTY OF SWANSEA

Summary

Purpose: To bring the rules relating to the hereditary freedom of the City and County of Swansea into line with current law by permitting the admission of women to the hereditary freedom.

Policy Framework: None

Reason for Decision: To acknowledge recent legislation (The Local Democracy Economic Development and Construction Act 2009) and align current practice with the Council’s stated commitment to gender equality.

Consultation: Legal, Finance.

1.0 Introduction

1.1 This report aims to address issues raised by recent legislation affecting England and Wales which allows an equal right to men and women to be admitted to the hereditary freedom of boroughs, in cases where the practice of granting hereditary freedom has survived in boroughs to the present day.

1.2 The purpose of this report is to review the Council’s current practice of admitting only men to the hereditary freedom following requests in May 2011 from two daughters of an existing freeman to be admitted.

2.0 Background

2.1 Swansea Council, in common with other councils which were once ancient boroughs, has a system of rules for granting hereditary freedom which is based on custom and practice stretching back five centuries or more, as modified by later legislation. Permissive legal authority for this custom lies in the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, as amended by subsequent legislation.

2.2 Hereditary freedom is, according to the Council’s current rules, open exclusively to the sons and sons-in-law of existing hereditary freemen (the existing freeman may be alive or deceased at the time of the application of the son or son-in-law). A search has not been able to establish where Swansea’s local rules are codified in Council minutes (if at all): the best summary that can be found is in a 1982 Swansea City Council publication listed below in the background papers.

2.3 The title of hereditary freeman of the City and County of Swansea is purely honorific and successful applicants currently pay a £50 fee. In return they receive a certificate recording their enrolment. The name of the successful applicant is enrolled in a register which was started in 1780 and the entry is signed by the Head of Legal Services. The verification process, enrolment and procurement of certificates is managed by the Archive Service on behalf of Legal Services.

3.0 General Issues

3.1 The rule that the hereditary freedom of the City and County of Swansea is not currently open to application from women contravenes recent legislation which allows women the right to be admitted if their gender is the only reason they are disqualified from being admitted (Section 37 Sub-section 2 of the Local Democracy Economic Development and Construction Act 2009).

3.2 The current practice of admitting only men to the hereditary freedom also contravenes the Council’s public commitment to gender equality.

3.3 The rule that sons-in-law of existing freemen are eligible to claim the hereditary freedom of the City and County of Swansea by virtue of marriage to the daughter of a freeman, while it may have been acceptable in a former age, is also discriminatory in spirit and has reinforced the inequity that women have not been able to claim admission in their own right.

3.4 A brief investigation has revealed that at least two comparable councils which are the successors to ancient boroughs (Kingston-upon-Hull and Newcastle-upon-Tyne) had already changed their rules to accept women, Hull having done so as far back as 1995.

3.5 Council should consider whether they wish to maintain or extinguish the granting of hereditary freedom, which has at least five centuries of tradition behind it, but is based solely on custom and practice developed under permissive legislation.

4.0 Financial Implications

4.1 Successful applicants pay a fee of £50; this is a contribution towards the minor costs of commissioning a certificate and associated staff time.

5.0 Legal Implications

5.1 Failure to amend the rules of admission will leave the Council open to civil action from women applicants on the basis of the rights granted by the 2009 Act.

6.0 Recommendations

6.1 If Council is minded to maintain the custom of granting hereditary freedom, it is recommended that it should resolve that the established practice of admitting hereditary freemen by patrimony alone be amended to admit daughters of existing freemen.

6.2 Should the recommendation of 6.1 above be accepted, it is recommended that Council should then consider whether to grant the title of ‘freewoman’ to successful female applicants, a title permitted under the 2009 Act, or retain the use of ‘freeman’ for both genders.

6.3 At the same time it is recommended that Council should remove the right of a son-in-law of an existing freeman to claim admission, by resolving that henceforth admission to the hereditary freedom of the City and County of Swansea shall be open exclusively to the sons and daughters by birth of existing freemen (and freewomen).

Background Papers: ‘Calendar of Swansea Freemen’s Records from 1760’, by J.R. Alban, City Archivist (Swansea City Council, 1982)

Contact Officer: Kim Collis, County Archivist

Legal Officer: Rod Jones, Deputy Head of Legal, Democratic Services and Procurement

Finance Officer: Sarah Willis

Item No. 11 (1)

Report of the Cabinet Member for Environment

Council – 29 September 2011

LICENSING OF SEX ESTABLISHMENTS – REVIEW OF POLICY GUIDELINES

Summary:

Purpose: To seek agreement for the draft revision of the policy guidelines relating to the licensing of sex establishments to be adopted following consultation.

Policy Framework: The existing policy guidelines relating to the licensing of sex establishments requires revision following the adoption of the amendment to Schedule 3 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982.

Reason for Decision: To allow adoption of the draft revision of the policy.

Consultation: Legal, Finance.

1.0 Introduction 1.1 Sex Establishment Licences are issued under the provisions of Schedule 3 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 (the 1982 Act). Lap Dancing premises and similar venues are currently regulated under the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003, as providing regulated entertainment involving music and dancing.

1.2 Section 27 of The Policing and Crime Act 2009 (the 2009 Act) reclassifies lap dancing clubs and other similar venues and introduces a new category of sex establishment called “sexual entertainment venues” (SEV’s) and gives local authorities powers to regulate SEV’s under Schedule 3 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982. These powers are not mandatory and will only apply where they are adopted by local authorities.

1.3 Where these powers are adopted they will give local authorities more power to control the number and location of SEV’s in their area and to consider the application on a wider range of issues than is currently permitted under the Licensing Act 2003. These provisions will also give local people a greater say over the regulation of SEV’s.

1.4 A report detailing these changes was previously presented to Corporate Briefing and Cabinet in January 2011. The amended provisions of Schedule 3 of the 1982 Act were subsequently adopted by Council on the 3rd February 2011

2.0 Sex Establishment Licensing Policy 2.1 Local Authorities are not required to publish a licensing policy relating to sex establishments but they can do so. The City and County of Swansea has an existing policy in place but this will need to be amended following the resolution to adopt the SEV provisions.

2.2 The policy guidelines have been amended to reflect the changes to Schedule 3 of the 1982 Act. The amendments to the existing policy have been included in bold italics and where it is proposed to remove information this is shown by striking through the relevant parts of the document. A copy of the amended policy guidelines is attached at Appendix A.

3.0 Consultation 3.1 Following the decision by Council on 3rd February 2011, to adopt the amendments to schedule 3 of the 1982 Act, a report detailing the proposed amendments to the policy was approved for consultation by Cabinet on the 10th February 2011.

3.2 In addition to the Consultees listed in the Draft Policy, other bodies/organisations were also consulted. These included Community Councils, Licensing Solicitors and Holders of current sex establishment licenses.

3.3 The Draft Policy was also placed on the Council’s website together with a feedback form.

3.4 The closing date for the consultation was 20th May 2011 and two responses were received. These were as follows:

(1) Bishopston Community Council on 26th April 2011. The letter expressed appreciation that the Council are adopting the provisions of the 1982 Act to regulate Sex Establishments. (2) Mr Z G, on 10th May 2011 commenting on his intention to organise an annual adult sex ball in Wales.

3.5 The comments received did not require any changes to the Draft Policy.

4.0 Main Changes Proposed 4.1 The main changes proposed are summarised below:

 The layout of the document.

 The addition of an introduction. This gives an outline to the background of legislation covering Sex Establishments and the purpose of updating the Policy to include SEV’s so that a greater control can be provided.

 Definitions have been updated to include SEV’s.

 The Regulations and Standard Conditions have been updated and additional conditions included for SEV’s.

 Additional grounds for the refusal of a licence have been included.

5.0 Financial Implications 5.1 There are no financial implications in adopting the amended policy.

6.0 Legal Implications 6.1 There is no statutory requirement to publish a sex licensing policy however it is well established that licensing authorities are entitled to formulate extra-statutory licensing policies.

7.0 Recommendations 7.1 The amended policy guidelines attached at Appendix A, relating to the licensing of sex establishments be adopted.

Background Papers: Sexual Entertainment Venues, Home Office Guidance for England and Wales Contact Officer: Lynda Anthony Extension: 5087 Legal Officer: Lyndsay Thomas Finance Officer: Steve Davies

Appendix A

Environment and Health Department Adran Yr Amgylchedd A Iechyd

LICENSING OF SEX ESTABLISHMENTS

DRAFT POLICY GUIDELINES 2011

DC4737a

LICENSING OF SEX ESTABLISHMENTS

A policy was agreed by Council on the 29th November, 2001 in respect of the Licensing of Sex Establishments.

C O N T E N T S

1. Definitions Appendix A

2. Standard Conditions Appendix B

3. Policy Guidelines Appendix C

4. Map Outlining Relevant Localities Appendix D

5. Approved Fees Appendix E

Page No

1. Introduction 1

2. Definitions 2 - 3

3. Policy Guidelines 4 - 7

Appendix A Map of relevant localities

Appendix B Standard Conditions

Appendix C Fees to Accompany Application

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 The former Swansea City Council resolved to adopt the provisions of Schedule 3 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 on 24th November 1983 and the provisions came into force from 30th January 1984. (The Local Government Wales Act 1994 provided for the transfer of the provisions of this legislation to the City and County of Swansea following Local Government re-organisation in 1996).

1.2 Therefore, anyone wishing to operate a premises in the City and County of Swansea area as a sex establishment requires a licence under the 1982 Act.

1.3 A policy was agreed by Council on the 29th November, 2001 in respect of the Licensing of Sex Establishments.

1.4 The City and County of Swansea on 3rd February 2011adopted the amended Schedule 3 to the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1982 (amended by section 27 of the Policing and Crime Act 2009) so that it can licence sex shops, sex cinemas and sexual entertainment venues. In this policy, these are referred to as ‘sex establishments’ unless specified otherwise.

1.5 The role of the Council in its position as Licensing Authority is to administer the licensing regime in accordance with the law and not in accordance with any moral standing. The Council recognises that Parliament has made it lawful to operate a sex establishment and such businesses are a legitimate part of the retail and leisure industries.

1.6 A consultation on this policy was undertaken between (insert dates) and was formally adopted by the Council on (insert date).

1.7 The aim of this policy is to provide guidance for prospective applicants, existing licence holders, those who may wish to object to an application and Members of the Licensing Committee when making a determination on an application.

1.8 While each application will be dealt with on its own merits, this policy gives prospective applicants an early indication as to whether their application is likely to be granted or not. It also provides prospective applicants with details of what is expected of them should an application be made.

Appendix A

2. DEFINITIONS

In this document the following expressions shall have the meanings:-

“The 1982 Act” – means the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 as amended.

“The Council” – City and County of Swansea.

“The licensed premises” – means any premises, vehicle, vessel or stall licensed under the 1982 Act.

“Licence holder” – means a person who is the holder of a Sex Establishment licence.

“Permitted hours” – means the hours during which the licensed premises are permitted under Regulations 2 and 3 hereof to be open to the public.

“Sex establishment licence” – means a licence granted pursuant to Schedule 3 of the 1982 Act.

The following expressions “Sex Establishment”, “Sexual Entertainment Venue”, “Sex Cinema”, “Sex Shop”, “Sex Article” and “Vessel” shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them by Schedule 3 of the 1982 Act. Included below:

“Sex Establishment” means a “Sexual Entertainment Venue”, “Sex Cinema” or a “Sex Shop”.

“Sexual Entertainment Venue” means any premises at which relevant entertainment is provided before a live audience for the financial gain of the organiser or the entertainer”.

“Relevant Entertainment” means any live performance or live nudity which is of such a nature that, ignoring financial gain, it must reasonably be assumed to be provided solely or principally for the purpose of sexually stimulating any member of an audience, whether by verbal or other means.

“Sex Cinema” means any premises, vehicle, vessel or stall used to a significant degree for the exhibition of moving pictures, by whatever means produced, which –

(a) are concerned primarily with the portrayal of, or primarily deal with or relate to, or are intended to stimulate or encourage – i) sexual activity; or ii) acts of force or restraint which are associated with sexual activity; or (b) are concerned primarily with the portrayal of, or primarily deal with or relate to, genital organs or uninary or excretory functions, but does not include a dwelling-house to which the public is not admitted.

“Sex Shop” means any premises, vehicle, vessel or stall used for a business which consists to a significant degree of selling, hiring, exchanging, lending, displaying or demonstrating – (a) sex articles; or (b) other things intended for use in connection with, or for the purpose of stimulating or encouraging – i) sexual activity; or ii) acts of force or restraint which are associated with sexual activity.

“Sex Article” means – (a) anything made for use in connection with, or for the purpose of stimulating or encouraging – i) sexual activity; or ii) acts of force or restraint which are associated with sexual activity; and (b) anything to which sub-paragraph (4) below applies. (4) This sub-paragraph applies- (a) to any article containing or embodying matter to be read or looked at or anything intended to be used, either alone or as one of a set, for the reproduction or manufacture of any such article; and (b) to any recording of vision or sound, which – i) is concerned primarily with the portrayal of, or primarily deals with or relates to, or is intended to stimulate or encourage, sexual activity or acts of force or restraint which are associated with sexual activity; or ii) is concerned primarily with the portrayal of, or primarily deals with or relates to, genital organs, or urinary or excretory functions.

Appendix C

3. POLICY GUIDELINES

1.1 The legislation enables local authorities to exercise control over sex establishments in various ways. These can be summarised as follows:

a) Fitness of persons to hold a licence; b) The locality/vicinity/conditions of relevant premises. c) The number of licensed sex establishments d) The conditions on which the licence is held.

a) Fitness of persons to hold a licence

The legislation enables a local authority to refuse a licence on the grounds that the applicant (or a person managing the premises or for whose benefit the business is carried on), is unsuitable due to previous convictions or any other reason. (This provides a general guideline only and the fitness of the applicant would need to be considered in detail in relation to each individual application received. Relevant issues would include: Offences in relation to obscene publications, disqualification from holding a previous sex establishment licence, offences relating to licence conditions, ability to control such premises). Therefore, a police check will be undertaken in relation to each application received.

An application for a licence will generally be refused on the following grounds, which are contained within the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982:

a. the applicant is under 18 years of age. b. the applicant has had a licence revoked in the last year. c. the applicant has not been resident in the UK for the previous six months. d. the applicant is a company, which is not incorporated in the UK. e. the applicant has had an application for the premises refused in the previous twelve months.

b) Locality/Vicinity/Condition of relevant premises

A local authority may refuse an application for the grant or renewal of a licence on the grounds that it is considered inappropriate, having regard to:-

i) The character of the relevant locality; considerations would include the dominant use of that area eg commercial, residential, agricultural, industrial and the appropriateness of the siting of a sex establishment in that type of area.

“relevant locality” means: a) in relation to premises, the locality where they are situated; and b) in relation to a vehicle, vessel or stall, any locality where it is desired to use it as a sex establishment.

Courts have held that it is not appropriate for a local authority to determine that its entire administrative area is a “relevant locality”. As a consequence it is necessary to sub-divide the area into more than one “relevant locality”. The “relevant localities” for the purposes of determining applications are “the City Centre area” as defined on the map in Appendix A and “outside the City Centre”.

ii) The use to which any premises in the vicinity are put; considerations would include the uses of nearby premises and whether or not they are considered to be compatible with the proposed premises which would focus on sex as adult entertainment.

iii) The layout/character or condition of the premises in respect of which the application is made; considerations would include health and safety issues, provision of electrical certificates, fire safety matters, provision of sanitary accommodation. (Similar in nature to the issues considered when determining an application for a Public Entertainment Licence).

c) The number of licensed sex establishments

One of the grounds for refusal of an application for a licence for a sex establishment is that the number of sex establishments exceeds the number or is equal to the number which the Council considers appropriate. The local authority may therefore determine an “appropriate number” for the “relevant locality”.

Nil may be an “appropriate number” where the character of the area is considered to be unsuitable for the siting of a sex establishment, eg where the area is predominately residential. Alternatively, Nil may not be considered an appropriate number where the character of the area is predominately commercial and the siting of a sex establishment would be in keeping with the general commercial character of the locality.

d) The conditions on which the licence is held

A local authority may grant a licence subject to such terms and conditions and restrictions as it considers necessary. This enables a considerable degree of control to be exercised and relates to the management of the premises, opening times of the premises, fire safety, external appearance, age restrictions, etc. The Standard Conditions of Licence for a Sex Establishment shall be those included in this document at Appendix B.

2.1 There are also specific issues which would need to be considered and the following are proposed for determining such applications:-

2.2 As a general rule there will be a presumption against the licensing of a sex establishment if it is:

a) near to housing; b) near to schools, play areas, nurseries, children’s centres or other similar premises; c) in family shopping areas; d) near places of worship; e) near historic buildings or tourist attractions.

2.3 Other relevant considerations:-

2.3.1 The “appropriate number” of sex establishments outside the City Centre will be nil unless varied by the Council.

2.3.2 Each individual application for a licence for a sex establishment within the City Centre will be dealt with on its merits unless an appropriate number has been determined by the Council.

2.3.3 An application for a sex establishment licence can only be refused on the following grounds:

a) That the applicant is unsuitable to hold the licence by reason of having been convicted of an offence or for any other reason; b) that if the licence was to be granted, renewed or transferred, the business to which it relates will be managed by or carried on for the benefit of a person, other than the applicant, who would be refused the grant, renewal or transfer of such a licence if he made the application himself; c) that the number of sex establishments in the relevant locality at the time the application is made is equal to or exceeds the number which the local authority considers is appropriate for that locality; d) that the grant or renewal of the licence would be inappropriate having regard to:

i) the character of the relevant locality; or ii) the use to which any premises in the vicinity are put; or iii) the layout, character or condition of the premises, vehicle, vessel or stall in respect of which the application is made. iv) type of activity proposed; v) duration of proposed licence; vi) proposed hours of operation.

2.4 Application Procedure

2.4.1 Each application will be considered on its individual merits. The Licence application procedure is specified in the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 and includes the giving of notice of application, publicity and the provision of certain particulars:- i) Applicants are required to make an application, in writing to the licensing authority and not later than 7 days after the date of application, to send a copy to the Chief officer of Police. ii) Applicants must give publicity to their applications and this must be in a prescribed form. In all cases, public notice must be given by the publication of an advertisement in a local newspaper not later than 7 days after the date of the application and where the application relates to a premises, also by notice attached on or near the premises, where it can be read. This notice must be displayed for 21 days beginning with the date of application.

2.4.2 When an application is made the licensing authority will undertake consultations with the following agencies/departments of the local authority:-

a) Police; b) Fire Authority; c) Ward Members; d) Planning Department; e) Estates Department; Corporate Properties; f) City Centre Manager for City Centre Applications Only.

2.4.3 On receipt of representations and/or the consultation responses, the application will be reported to the Licensing Committee for decision. Details of the representations and/or consultation responses will be provided to the applicant.

2.4.4 The Committee will receive observations on the issues outlined in paragraph 1.1 of this policy guideline.

2.4.5 The Committee and the applicants will be made aware of any objections received and the applicant will be given the opportunity to address the Committee. Any objectors will also be given the opportunity to address the Committee.

2.4.6 Following consideration of all the relevant factors, the Committee will then determine the application.

2.5 Review of Policy Guideline and Appropriate Numbers

2.5.1 The Council may, from time to time, review the contents of this Policy Guideline, the “relevant localities” for the purposes of determining applications for Sex Establishments and the “appropriate number” for each relevant locality.

3.0 Fees

3.1 The fees that must accompany any application submitted are attached at Appendix C.

Appendix B

STANDARD CONDITIONS

The City and County of Swansea, in exercise of the powers conferred upon them by paragraph 13 of Schedule 3 to the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 and of all other powers enabling them in that behalf make the following Regulations.

Definitions

1. (a) In these Regulations the following expressions that is to say “Sex Establishment”, “Sex Shop”, “Sex Cinema”, “Sexual Entertainment Venue”, “Sex Article”, and “Vessel” shall have the meanings respectively assigned to them by Schedule 3 of the Act. (b) In these Regulations the following expressions shall have the meanings hereby respectively assigned to them namely:

“the Act” - means the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982. “the Council” - means City and County of Swansea. “the licensed premises” - means any premises, vehicle, vessel or stall licensed under the Act.

“Licence Holder” - means a person who is the holder of a sex establishment licence.

“Sex Establishment Licence” - means a licence granted pursuant to Schedule 3 of the Act. “Approval of the Council”, or “Consent of the Council” - means the approval or consent of the Licensing Authority. “Approved” - means approved by the Licensing Authority in writing.

General

2. In the event of a conflict between these Regulations and any special conditions contained in a licence relating to a Sex Establishment the special conditions shall prevail.

3. The grant of a licence for a Sex Establishment shall not be deemed to convey any approval or consent which may be required under any enactment bye-law order or regulation other than the Third Schedule of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 as amended.

4. The Council reserves the right to amend, delete or add conditions at any time if deemed appropriate.

5. The holder of a Sex Establishment Licence shall observe such regulations and conditions as may be approved by the Council from time to time.

6. No person previously convicted of:  an offence connected to a Sex Establishment either licensed or unlicensed.  a sexual offence.  an offence relating to the sale of restricted 18 videos may be employed at the premises or be involved in supplying entertainment or goods at the premises.

Times of Operation

7. Except with the previous consent of the Council a Sex Establishment shall not be open to the public before 9am and shall not be kept open after (8pm).

8. Except with the previous consent of the Council a Sex Establishment shall not be open on Sundays, Good Friday and Christmas Day.

Conduct and Management of Sex Establishments

9. Where the Licensee is a body corporate or an unincorporated body, any change of director, company secretary or other person responsible for the management of the body is to be notified in writing to the Licensing Authority within fourteen days of such change and such written details as the Licensing Authority may require in respect of any new director, secretary or manager are to be furnished within fourteen days of a request in writing from the Licensing Authority.

10. The Licensee or some responsible person nominated by the Licensee in writing for the purpose of managing the Sex Establishment in the Licensee’s absence and of whom details have been supplied to and approved in writing by the Licensing Authority shall be in charge of and upon the Premises during the whole time they are open to the Public.

11. The name of the person responsible for the management of a Sex Establishment, whether the Licensee or a manager approved by the Licensing Authority shall be prominently displayed within the Sex Establishment throughout the period during which that person is responsible for its conduct.

12. The Licensee shall maintain a daily register in which shall be recorded the name and address of any person who is to be responsible for managing the Sex Establishment in the Licensee’s absence and the names and addresses of those employed in the Sex Establishment.

The Register is to be completed each day within thirty minutes of the Sex Establishment opening for business and is to be available for inspection by the Police and by authorised officers of the Licensing Authority.

13. Copies of the licence and the conditions attached to the licence shall be clearly displayed so that every person entering the premises can see a copy of both the licence and the conditions.

14. The Licensee shall retain control over all portions of the Premises and shall not let, licence or part with possession of any part of the Premises.

15. The Licensee shall maintain good order in the Premises.

16. No person under the age of 18 shall be admitted to the Premises or employed in the business of a Sex Establishment.

17. The Licensee shall ensure that the public is not admitted to any part or parts of the Premises other than those which have been approved by the Licensing Authority.

18. Neither the Licensee nor any employee or other person shall seek to obtain custom for the Sex Establishment by means of personal solicitation outside or in the vicinity of the Premises.

19. No tickets shall be sold and no admission money taken in a place to which members of the public, other than permitted customers of the Sex Establishment, have access.

20. The licensee shall ensure that the premises are not used by prostitutes (male or female) for soliciting or any immoral purposes.

21. No leaflet, card, paper, advertising sheet or similar matter promoting the establishment or any goods or service offered by the establishment shall be distributed in the vicinity of the establishment, unless authorisation/consent is first granted in writing by the City and County of Swansea.

22. The licensee shall make staff available to ensure good order and free passage for customers on access and egress routes and car parks belonging to the licensee.

23. The licensee shall prevent the sale, display for sale or offer for sale of any article, goods or service on access or egress routes and car parks belonging to the licensee.

24. No dancing or other entertainment of a like kind shall be provided or permitted unless authorised by the Council.

25. Only merchandise which is legally available in Great Britain from retail outlets, mail order companies or party planners may be sold, hired, loaned or supplied, displayed, advertised or demonstrated at the establishment.

Use

26. A Sex Shop shall be conducted primarily for the purpose of the sale of goods by retail.

27. No change of use of any portion of the Premises from that approved by the Licensing Authority shall be made until the consent of the Licensing Authority has been obtained thereto.

28. No change from a sex cinema to a sex shop or from a sex shop to a sex cinema shall be effected without the consent of the Licensing Authority.

29. Neither Sex Articles nor other things intended for use in connection with, or for the purpose of stimulating or encouraging sexual activity or acts of force or restraint which are associated with sexual activity shall be displayed, sold, hired, exchanged, loaned or demonstrated in a sex cinema.

Goods available in Sex Establishments

30. All Sex Articles and other things displayed for sale, hire, exchange or loan within a Sex Shop shall be clearly marked to show to persons who are inside the Sex Shop the respective prices being charged.

31. All printed matter, films and video films offered for sale, hire, exchange or loan shall be openly displayed and available for inspection prior to purchase and a notice to this effect is to be prominently displayed within the Sex Establishment.

32. No film or video film shall be exhibited, sold or supplied unless it has been passed by the British Board of Film Classification or such other authority performing a similar scrutinising function as may be notified to the Licensee by the Licensing Authority, and bears a certificate to that effect and is a reproduction authorised by the owner of the copyright of the film or video film so certified.

33. The Licensee shall without charge display and make available in the Sex Establishment such free literature on counselling on matters related to sexual problems as may be published by the Family Planning Association and by such other similar organisations as may be specified and in particular any such material relating to AIDS as may be supplied by the Licensing Authority. Such literature is to be displayed in a prominent position.

External Appearance

34. Warning signs as specified in the Indecent Displays (Control) Act 1981 must be clearly exhibited at the entrance to the premises.

35. No display, advertisement, word, letter model, sign, placard, board, notice, device, representation, drawing, writing or similar matter shall be displayed outside the premises without the written permission of City and County of Swansea, except for those signs or notices that are required to be displayed by these licence conditions.

36. Any charge for entering the premises shall be clearly and legibly displayed outside the premises so that all persons can read it before entering the premises.

37. The entrance to the premises shall be so designed and constructed as to prevent persons outside the premises having a view of the interior.

38. All windows must be dressed or designed so as to prevent persons outside the premises having a view of the interior.

39. No window shall contain any sign, advertising material, goods or display likely to cause an offence to persons passing the window.

State, Condition and Layout of the Premises

40. Lighting in all parts of the premises must be in operation continuously during the whole time the premises are open as a sex establishments.

41. The premises shall be maintained in good repair and condition.

42. All parts of the Premises shall be kept in a clean and hygienic condition to the satisfaction of the Council.

43. Doors and openings which lead to parts of the premises which are not open to the public shall be clearly marked “staff only” or by some other sign that deters the public from using such doors or openings.

44. The external doors to the Sex Establishment shall be fitted with a device to provide for their automatic closure and such devices shall be maintained in good working order.

45. The Licensee shall make provision in the means of access both to and within the Sex Establishment for the needs of members of the public visiting the establishment who are disabled.

46. All exhibits, displays, demonstrations and like activities must be open and available to all customers at no charge other than any initial entrance fee to the establishment and there shall be no individual cubicles or rooms designed to accommodate individual persons or groups of persons where exclusive demonstrations, displays, exhibits or similar activities may take place, unless authorisation/consent is first granted by the Council.

47. The Licensee shall take all reasonable precautions for the safety of the public and employees.

48. The Licensee shall comply with any fire prevention and safety measures that may be required by the Council and or Mid and West Wales Fire Authority and shall maintain and keep available for use all specified fire fighting equipment and extinguishers.

49. No alterations or additions either internal or external and whether permanent or temporary to the structure, lighting or layout of the Premises shall be made except with the prior approval of the Licensing Authority.

Appendix B (cont’d)

CONDITIONS OF LICENCE RELATING TO A SEXUAL ENTERTAINMENT VENUE PROVIDING ENTERTAINMENTS INVOLVING THE PROVISION OF LAP DANCING, TABLE SIDE DANCING AND ANY OTHER ENTERTAINMENT INVOLVING STRIPTEASE AND/OR NUDITY

1. Total nudity (the exposing of genitals) shall only be permitted on stage and at no other place in the premises.

2. No sex act shall take place.

3. The area proposed for striptease (involving complete nudity) shall:

a. be in a position where the performance cannot be seen from the street. b. Be in a designated area of the premises with segregation from the audience. c. Be in a position where the performers will have direct access to the dressing room without passing through or in close proximity to the audience.

4. The area proposed for lap dancing, table side dancing (involving partial nudity) shall be in a position where the performance cannot be seen from the street.

5. There shall be no physical contact between persons appearing on stage and the audience. The entertainment shall be given only by performers/entertainers and the audience shall not be permitted to participate.

6. Persons appearing on stage should have direct access to the dressing room without passing through or in close proximity to the audience.

7. Lap dancers/table side dancers must immediately dress at the conclusion of each performance.

8. The licensee, performer and any person concerned in the organisation or management of the entertainment shall not encourage, or permit encouragement of the audience to throw money at or otherwise give gratuities to the performers (except as permitted by condition 10 below).

9. Entertainment provided by topless dancers to customers seated at tables may only take part in those parts of the premises approved by the Council. No audience participation shall be permitted.

10. There shall be no physical contact between customers and the dancers except for the placing of money or tokens into the hands of the dancer at the beginning or conclusion of the performance. Whilst the dancers are performing there shall be a minimum distance of one metre between the dancer and the seated customers. Notices to this effect shall clearly be displayed at each table and at the entrance to the premises.

11. Should a customer attempt to touch a dancer, the dancer must withdraw and report the matter to her/his manager/supervisor.

12. There shall be no physical contact between dancers whilst performing.

13. The topless dancers shall at all times wear a g-string or similar piece of clothing that covers the appropriate part of the body.

14. The Licensee will immediately deal with any report of contact, misconduct or provocation by a customer or dancer.

15. No telephone number, address or information leading to any further meeting may be passed from customer to dancer or vice versa.

16. No dancer may perform if they are intoxicated.

17. No member of the public shall be admitted or allowed to remain in the dance area if they appear to be intoxicated.

18. All members of the public shall remain seated in the dance area other than when they arrive, depart, visit the toilet or go to the bar.

19. Members of the public should not be permitted to congregate in the bar area.

20. Signs must be displayed at the entrance to the dance area stating:

“Any customer attempting to make physical contact with a dancer will be asked to leave.”

21. No dancer shall perform any sexually explicit or lewd act.

22. Whilst dancing takes place not less than… (insertion of an agreed number)… of licensed door supervisors shall be employed in the part of the premises used for dancing unless alternative arrangements are approved by the Council.

23. a. CCTV shall be installed to cover all areas where dancing will take place. All cameras shall continually record whilst the premises are open to the public and the video recordings shall be kept available for a minimum of 28 days with time and date stamping. b. Tape recordings shall be made available to an authorised officer of the Council or a Police Officer together with facilities for viewing. c. The recordings for the preceding two days shall be made available immediately on request. Recordings outside this period shall be made available on 24 hours notice.

Appendix E C

SCHEDULE OF FEES

1. Application for the grant of a licence for a sex establishment £3,960

2. Application for the renewal of a licence for a sex establishment £3,960

3. Application for the transfer of a licence for a sex establishment £900

Item No. 12 (1)

Report of the Cabinet Member for Social Services

Council - 29 September 2011

ASSURANCE AUDIT - SOCIAL SERVICES

Summary

To respond to the Notice of Motion approved by Council on 4 August, 2011 and to provide a response to the supplementary questions raised by Councillor John Davies at the same meeting of Council.

FOR INFORMATION

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 At the Council meeting of the 4 August 2011 the following motion was approved:

“This Council will have been appalled by the shocking findings of the recent BBC Panorama investigation on a private care home near Bristol, and by the news that patients in similar NHS facilities in Cornwall are to receive 1.4 million in compensation. This itself follows a joint Healthcare Commission and Commission for Social Care Inspection investigation, which has also led to the closure of some facilities there.

“Council will understand that residents and users of such facilities in Swansea and their families will be concerned about the actual situation in Swansea.

“Council therefore resolves that, in regard to all services and facilities provided by the Authority to and for vulnerable adults, an assurance audit will be undertaken as a matter of urgency and reported back to the next scheduled Council meeting. In relation to those services, homes, institutions or facilities not owned or operated by the Authority, it also resolves that, as a matter of urgency the Cabinet Member for Social Services writes to the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales to seek their assurance that there are no such similar concerns within the City and County of Swansea. Further that the Cabinet Member will report back to Councillors once a reply has been received from the CSSIW.”

1.2 At the same meeting of Council, a number of supplementary questions were raised by Councillor John Davies:

1. “I understand we have 1 contract monitoring officer for our placements in care homes. Is that a sufficient resource?”

2. “How do the contract monitoring officers carry out their work? How do they collect their evidence to satisfy themselves that the quality of care is up to standard between the statutory visits from the CSSIW?”

3. “What evidence do you have that the new rota visiting procedure is operating successfully?”

4. “What evidence do you have that the Council’s whistle blowing policy is effective in protecting vulnerable people? How many individuals have taken advantage of this procedure to report concerns?”

5. “Are Social Workers completing annual reviews of individual’s care plans timeously? Is the resident always, as a matter of course, made fully aware of the Complaints Procedure during the annual review of the care plan? Does this practice also extend to their families? How many complaints and compliments have been received?”

6. “What evidence do you have to reassure the public that all laid down processes work well and are completed on time?”

7. “What problems are caused by the lack of resources? Is there a cross subsidy of Child and Family Services by Older Persons Services?”

2. ASSURANCE AUDIT INFORMATION

2.1 The Corporate Director (Social Services) was requested to review all of the activity that takes place given the matters that need to be reported to Council. Considerable work has been undertaken and the detail is contained within the Appendix.

2.2 It is important to recognise that a number of systems are in place across the range of social care provision for adults to enable judgements to be made about the support that is provided. These arrangements have been developed over a period of years and previous external reports have acknowledged the systematic approach taken in the City and County of Swansea.

3. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

31 There are no financial implications associated with this report.

4. LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

4.1 The key areas of legislation that are associated with this report include:

. National Assistance Act 1948

. NHS and Community Care Act 1990

. Care Standards Act 2000

5. FOR INFORMATION

5.1 This report is for information only.

Background Papers

Escalating Concerns in Care Homes - Welsh Government Guidance 2009

Wales Interim Policy and Procedures for the Protection of Vulnerable Adults from Abuse - Council March 2011

Contact Officer: Chris Maggs Corporate Director (Social Services) cm19050/sd

Legal Officer: Janet Hooper Finance Officer: Mike Hawes

APPENDIX Item No.

Report of the Corporate Director (Social Services)

Council - 29 September 2011

ASSURANCE AUDIT - SOCIAL SERVICES

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 This report has been produced at the request of the Cabinet Member for Social Services following the approval of the notice of motion at Council on the 4 August, 2011.

1.2 The well-being of vulnerable adults is a fundamental role for Social Services and it is, therefore, important that there are processes in place to enable judgements to be made about the range of support that is provided. This report, therefore, details the range of processes and activities that take place in respect of social care provision.

2. OVERVIEW OF SERVICES AND FACILITIES PROVIDED BY THE AUTHORITY TO AND FOR VULNERABLE ADULTS

2.1 Social Services directly provide a range of services to vulnerable adults in the City and County of Swansea who meet the eligibility criteria of critical and substantial needs. Residential, day and community services are provided for adults with a mental illness, a learning disability, physical disability, sensory impairment and older people. All of the Council’s domiciliary care services and residential care services (including residential respite services and rehabilitation services) are regulated and inspected by the Care and Social Services Inspectorate for Wales (CSSIW) and therefore subject to announced and unannounced inspection visits resulting in publicly-available inspection reports. Non- regulated services such as day services are subject to the Council’s own quality assurance systems and policies as detailed in sections 4.5 and 4.7.

2.2 Details of all directly provided services for adults are attached in Appendix A and a full list of services is provided in Appendix B.

3. ASSURANCE AUDIT SUMMARY

3.1 A number of mechanisms exist to ensure the safety and quality of services and facilities provided by the Council to and for vulnerable adults. The detail of these mechanisms will be described in greater detail in point 4 but in summary, these mechanisms include:

. Regulation and Inspection of Services by the Care and Social Services Inspectorate for Wales (CSSIW) under the provision of the Care Standards Act 2000 and associated Regulations. Appendix A contains details of the Council’s regulated services.

. Escalating Concerns Procedures for Care Homes which are in line with “Statutory Guidance on Escalating Concerns With, and Closures of, Care Homes Providing Services for Adults” (2009, WAG). The Escalating Concerns Procedures for care homes are overseen by an overarching co-ordination group comprising senior officers from the Local Authority, the ABMU Health Board and the CSSIW.

. Safeguarding Adults Arrangements. Adult Safeguarding Policies which are in line with the Framework of the Wales Interim Policy and Procedures for the Protection of Vulnerable Adults from Abuse, approved by Council March 2011, overseen by the Swansea Safeguarding Adults Board and implemented by the Safeguarding Adults Team who also act as the supervisory body for the Local Authority as part of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguarding legislation.

. Quality assurance procedures in place for directly provided services.

. Other assurance guidance and procedures in place for directly provided services such as the Adult Safeguarding Procedures, Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards, Social Services Complaints Process, Personal Care and Support Guidance, Whistleblowing (malpractice) and Medication Errors Protocol.

. The Council’s Social Services Complaints Procedure as set out in the Health and Social Care (Community & Health Standards) Act 2003. The Social Services Complaints procedure is dealt with via the Corporate Complaints Team.

. Assessment and Care Management Teams who are responsible for assessing the needs of individuals and agreeing with them and their families an appropriate service to meet their needs. Once services are provided an identified care manager has an on-going role in monitoring and reviewing the care and support provided to the individual. It is important to particularly recognise the role of the Care Homes Team for Older People. For those individuals who are placed in a Care Home the Care Homes Team undertake the reviews which may be scheduled or unscheduled.

4. ASSURANCE AUDIT DETAILS

4.1 The Care and Social Services Inspectorate for Wales (CSSIW)

4.1.1 The Care and Social Services Inspectorate for Wales (CSSIW) is the national regulatory and inspection body for a wide range of services including registered care home settings and domiciliary care agencies. The CSSIW is operationally independent and contributes to fulfilling the Welsh Government’s statutory obligations and safeguards those people who use care and social services. Their role includes:

. Registration – they decide who can provide services. They must by law make sure that services are of an acceptable standard. . Inspection – they assess whether the registered service continues to offer an acceptable standard of care. This includes both announced and unannounced inspections. Their findings are made public via annual inspection reports. They also report on the quality and status of regulated services on an all-Wales basis. . Complaints – they investigate and deal with complaints in regulated services which arise from services not meeting regulations. People using the service, relatives or representatives or a member of staff can complain to the CSSIW. . Enforcement – where concerns about the quality of care are not addressed, they can take enforcement action to achieve compliance.

4.1.2 A national protocol exists governing the sharing of information between councils and the CSSIW with regard to the outcome of the CSSIW regulatory function. As a result of this protocol, six-monthly meetings are held between the CSSIW regional director, the Corporate Director (Social Services) and senior officers; quarterly liaison and operational meetings also take place between CSSIW senior inspectors and council commissioning support staff. In addition CSSIW inspectors participate in a range of other statutory guidance processes such as the Safeguarding Adults arrangements and the “Escalating Concerns in Care Homes” guidance (2009, WAG). Information from the CSSIW’s regulatory and inspection process also forms part of the contract monitoring process detailed in the supplementary questions.

4.2 Statutory Guidance on Escalating Concerns With, and Closures of, Care Homes Providing Services for Adults (2009, WAG).

4.2.1 In 2009 the Welsh Government issued Statutory Guidance to local authorities to address the management of concerns with, and closure of, care homes that are registered with the CSSIW to provide services to adults, including those providing nursing care. The guidance sets out local authorities’ and local health boards’ responsibilities in these areas as well as ways in which these responsibilities should be discharged. The guidance has two principal objectives:

. To assist a local authority and/or health board to address accumulating issues relating to the operation of and/or quality of care within a particular home; . To provide guidance where such concerns could lead to a home closure (either enforced by the CSSIW or voluntary by the provider).

No equivalent statutory guidance exists in England.

Implementation of the guidance in Swansea

4.2.2 In Swansea, in line with the guidance, there are jointly agreed arrangements in place to manage both escalating concerns and home closures. These Escalating Concerns Procedures are overseen by an overarching co-ordination group that meets quarterly to review activity. The co-ordination group comprises senior officers from the Council, the ABMU Health Board and the CSSIW.

4.2.3 Joint Inter-agency Monitoring Panels (JIMP) are established where one of the partner agencies identifies concerns in a particular home. Escalating concerns arise when there are accumulating issues relating to the operation of, or quality of care provided in, a registered care home. These concerns may have been identified by a number of routes such as:

. CSSIW inspection or regulation process . Visiting professionals such as care managers or nurse assessors . Care management and assessment process . Complaints or disclosures from residents, families, current or ex- employees etc. . Safeguarding procedures . Contract management process . Provider’s quality assurance process

4.2.4 The JIMP oversees the development and implementation of Corrective and Developmental Action Plans to provide a proactive and reactive framework to secure both immediate and longer term improvements in the care home. Decisions are balanced against the potential risk of

being responsible for a home closing and strategies will be very much linked to the individual nature of the concerns and, often, the attitude and co-operation of the home’s management to make improvements. If the concerns with a care home are serious the Council can suspend placements and ultimately end contracts. If abuse is suspected the Safeguarding Policy and Procedures to protect vulnerable adults takes precedence.

4.2.5 The Escalating Concerns Procedures assist in the monitoring and improvement of homes where there are concerns; they play an important role in meeting the overriding objective of ensuring the safety of vulnerable service users in care homes.

4.2.6 Bonymaen House, a Local Authority Residential Home for 30 older people, is regulated by the CSSIW. In addition, there are a number of quality assurance procedures in place, which are described in section 4.4 and 4.5, that measure service quality, ensure residents’ needs are being met and legislative requirements are being adhered to.

4.2.7 It was due to these quality assurance procedures that issues were identified by the Safeguarding Adults Team and the CSSIW at Bonymaen House in December 2010. The most significant issues at Bonymaen House related to concerns about those individuals with complex needs and the capacity of the service to meet such needs. The Escalating Concerns Procedure was implemented to address these issues, involving a multi-disciplinary group of representatives from statutory agencies. A developmental action plan was created to address the issues highlighted and to improve the service to residents. A comprehensive action plan was implemented which has had positive outcomes for Bonymaen House as it has ensured that the quality of service has improved and that staff have received training to work with people with complex needs. Systems, procedures and communication within the service have also improved as a direct result of a multi- disciplinary approach in addressing the issues and developing solutions.

4.2.8 Extensive consultation with residents, carers, families and staff to obtain their views on progress made so far has shown that satisfaction levels are high, with positive comments on the culture within the home. Improved partnerships with local surgeries to meet the needs of residents who have complex needs have also been strengthened.

4.2.9 The latest CSSIW routine inspection report of Bonymaen House was very positive with no action required from a regulatory perspective. In addition it stated that, since the Escalating Concerns process began in December 2010, the Council has indicated a clear intention to address the concerns identified and it was evident on this inspection that significant progress had already been made.

4.3 Safeguarding Adults.

4.3.1 There has been an increase in the number of allegations of abuse and neglect of vulnerable adults recorded and investigated in Swansea, and therefore the interests of a greater number of such people are being safeguarded and protected. The elderly are particularly vulnerable, with more referrals being received concerning people over 65 years whether supported at home, in other people’s homes or within support services.

4.3.2 Effective adult safeguarding processes operate within the framework of the Wales Interim Policy and Procedures for the Protection of Vulnerable Adults From Abuse. This framework ensures a consistent application of Adult Safeguarding policies and guidelines.

4.3.3 The roles and remit of the Swansea Safeguarding Adults Board (SSAB) - previously known as the Area Adult Protection Committee - and its membership have been reviewed to reflect involvement at the most senior organisational level. The Corporate Director (Social Services) is now chair of both Swansea Safeguarding Children Board (SSCB) and SSAB.

4.3.4 There is an established Safeguarding Adults Team, (formerly known as the Protection of Vulnerable Adults Team or POVA), which also acts as a Supervisory Body for the Council as part of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS) legislation. Since the team became operational in 2002 there has been an on-going rise in the number of referrals from a wide range of sources, indicating the positive impact the various awareness-raising strategies have had. Referral information shows that the greatest number of referrals comes from provider agencies which suggest that current arrangements are embedded across the service.

4.3.5 Safeguarding/POVA training is targeted at specific groups at the most suitable level e.g. from awareness-raising to investigative procedures. Specific training has been previously provided for Councillors. Designated Lead Managers (DLMs) are trained on safeguarding / POVA procedures and meet quarterly with the Safeguarding Adults Team (SAT) to share information and good practice and disseminate policies.

4.3.6 Information from Safeguarding Adults investigations about services are considered as part of the Escalating Concerns process detailed in 4.2, as well as forming part of the contract monitoring process detailed in the supplementary questions.

4.4 Quality Assurance Procedures in place for directly provided Services

4.4.1 As well as external monitoring from regulators such as the CSSIW, all directly provided services have a range of quality assurance measures to monitor quality and identify any concerns.

4.4.2 A Quality Assurance Framework, based on the Care Council’s “Social Care Code of Practice”, is in place to guide services in monitoring delivery and standards both as an employer and employees. In order to assess whether the standards and expectations within the Quality Assurance Framework are being adhered to, managers undertake peer audits across Adult Services in the following areas:

. Health and Safety . Process (e.g. staff and service user files; service documentation to check that supervisions are completed, service user plans are undertaken etc.) . Manual Handling Procedures . Finance . Fire Safety

4.4.3 Service managers also undertake observations of activities to capture the experience of service users. Care managers, carers, staff and service users engage in these observations and record their findings. Service managers encourage involvement and comments on services by service users, carers and relatives via:

. Questionnaires (service user experience, attitude of staff, quality of activities etc.). Older People’s Services have obtained the Customer Service Excellence Award. . End of stay reports (Respite services) . Service user committees . Service Improvement/Development Groups (support for service users to advocate and participate is provided by independent organisations such as Mencap and Swansea Council for Voluntary Services) . Forums and consultation events . Suggestion boxes

4.4.4 Staff are supported to undertake their duties and adhere to policies through induction and training programmes such as National Vocational Qualifications (which demonstrate competency), positive behaviour management, manual handling, assisted eating and drinking, Autism, inclusive communication, active support to develop a culture of enablement, recovery and reablement. This training is underpinned by continuous professional development, peer monitoring, supervision and annual appraisals. Various mechanisms exist for managers and staff across client groups to share good practice and the development of services. Staff supervision and appraisal audits are undertaken to monitor adherence to the policy and the effectiveness of the sessions. Services undertake six-monthly medication and manual handling competency checks with staff wherever these are applicable to their duties.

4.4.5 Recent changes in the CSSIW inspection process for care homes have required more evidenced detail on how services meet CSSIW regulatory standards. This includes the requirement to highlight any service deficiency along with proposed solutions; good practice delivered; and multi-agency working to meet outcomes for service users. Each CSSIW- registered service must produce an annual Quality of Care report that includes details of the service provided and plans for the year ahead that reflects Care Standards Regulation 25. In addition, each directly provided CSSIW-registered service must, in line Care Standards Regulation 27, be visited at least three times per year by the responsible individual or their representative to ensure that the quality of the service is evident, and care standards are being met. A report outlining the findings is provided to either the Principal Officer or the Head of Adult Services.

4.5 Other Assurance guidance and procedures in place for directly provided Services

4.5.1 Directly provided Services are expected to adhere to all City and County of Swansea guidelines and procedures for which guidance and training has been provided. The following guidance and procedures are of particular relevance:

. Adult Safeguarding Policies. The procedures for the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (including movement or suspension of a staff team or part and Managing Non-Criminal Investigations)

. Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DOLS). This applies where there is a concern for that person’s safety and it is in their best interest for safeguards to be put in place. The manager of the care home will liaise with Assessment and Care Management and Best Interest Assessors around the need for such safeguards and what needs to be put in place. Individual support plans and guidelines reflect any safeguards that need to be put in place.

. Social Services Complaints Procedure. In line with the Council’s policy, if a complaint or concern is received directly by the service, the manager will aim to resolve the complaint as quickly as possible on an informal basis. This enables any action to be taken quickly but also to maintain a positive relationship with the complainant. The service will also inform the person of the formal complaints procedure.

. Personal Care and Support Guidance. This provides guidance to services and individual staff on personal care tasks. Individual support plans for each service user identify their needs and the outcomes the service is expected to meet. Where there are particular needs such as assisted eating and drinking, positive behaviour management or administration of medication, individual guidelines are agreed by a multi-disciplinary team. Risk

assessments are carried out in respect of any health and safety risks and plans put in place to manage the risk. Annual service user reviews also provide an opportunity to consider whether any changes are required to guidelines or assessments. Training enables staff to understand not only what the procedures are but why they are required.

. Whistleblowing (Malpractice). Staff are encouraged to raise any concerns they have on poor practice within services. This can be done via supervision, or by raising the concerns with their manager or Principal Officer or via their Union Representative. It is recognised that staff do not always feel comfortable in undertaking such action; however we aim to reassure staff that their concerns will be taken seriously and that it is seen as a positive not a negative action. Staff have been supported during investigations and given feedback (not details) so they know their concerns have been taken seriously.

. Medication Errors Protocol. This protocol gives guidance on administering medication to service users as well as dealing with any errors that may occur. . Following an investigation into the error, there may be changes to systems or support arrangements to minimise the risk of any further errors.

4.6 The Council’s Social Services Complaints Procedure

4.6.1 People can complain about any aspect of social services that the Council has the power or duty to provide. They can also complain to the Council about social services provided by other bodies if they are part of a contract with the Council. Regulation 9 of “The Social Services Complaints Procedures (Wales) Regulations” (2005) sets out who may make a complaint about services for an adult. A person may make a complaint if:

. the local authority has a power or a duty to provide, or to secure the provision of, a service for them; and . their need or possible need for such a service has (by whatever means) come to the attention of the local authority.

4.6.2 Whenever anyone makes a complaint, in line with Welsh Government guidance “Listening and Learning: A guide to handling complaints and representation in Local Authority Social Services Departments in Wales” (2005), the Complaints Officer considers the wider links to other procedures such as safeguarding policies or CSSIW regulations. Any complaint that raises concerns about the protection of a vulnerable adult is referred immediately to the adult safeguarding processes. It is for the Safeguarding Adults Team to determine whether the adult protection process should be triggered.

4.6.3 Where serious allegations are made, senior staff are involved from the outset. Where the allegations suggest that someone may have committed a criminal offence, the Council immediately considers its duty to notify the police.

4.6.4 Regulations made under the Care Standards Act 2000 require all registered services to have their own complaints procedures. These requirements apply to care homes for adults, and domiciliary care agencies. The Care Standards Inspectorate for Wales (CSSIW) expects that all registered providers will provide a local resolution stage and will make an effort to resolve any complaint as near as possible to the point of service delivery. This is the minimum requirement for discharging their duty under the regulations. The CSSIW and local authorities underline this duty by first passing any complaint they receive back to the provider for local resolution - unless they judge that this would not be appropriate. Providers must make it clear to complainants that they have the right at any time to take up their complaint with the CSSIW - or the authority that commissioned the service - if they are unhappy with the provider’s handling of their concerns.

4.6.5 Information from complaints about services both from the Council’s Social Services procedures and from the CSSIW are considered as part of both the Escalating Concerns process detailed in 4.2 and the contract monitoring process detailed in the supplementary questions.

4.7 Assessment and Care Management Teams

4.7.1 The Assessment and Care Management Teams are responsible for assessing needs and agreeing with those individuals and their families which service would best meet their needs.

4.7.2 Where an individual is placed in a residential care home an individual support agreement will be agreed with the care home provider, setting out the individual’s needs, how they will be met and what outcomes are to be achieved. The identified care manager has an ongoing role in monitoring and reviewing the care and support provided to the individual in the care home. As a minimum, a formal review should take place within three months of the placement and annually thereafter. However reviews may take place more frequently depending on individual circumstances, for example any change in need or health status, any concerns identified by the provider, family, the individual themselves or other agencies such as the CSSIW or through contract monitoring or the Safeguarding Adults process. The reviews always involve the individual service user and where possible family members, the aim of the review being to consider whether the service provided is effectively meeting the individual’s need and whether any changes should be made to the arrangements.

4.7.3 Where support is provided in a non-registered setting the arrangements are similar, with the care manager having the same responsibility for monitoring and reviewing the overall care and support plan. Where people are supported by a number of different services, and there is a need to address the detail of what is provided, then additional reviews are undertaken with individual services and the overall support plan amended to reflect those changes.

5. SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTIONS from Councillor John Davies

5.1 I understand we have 1 contract monitoring officer for our placements in care homes. Is that a sufficient resource?

5.1.1 Contract monitoring is one part of the contract management process. Contract management is undertaken by the Social Care Contracting Team who are part of the Commissioning Support Unit. The Team consists of a Contracting Manager and four Contracting Officers in Adult Services – responsible for contracting for care homes, community services for older people and physically disabled people, services for people with a learning disability, mental illness, and domiciliary care services. The Contracting Officers are supported by 4 full-time Monitoring Officers for Adult Services who are allocated to work in particular service areas but who can also work across service areas.

5.1.2 The workload of the team is allocated to ensure a fair and consistent use of staff resources to enable the contract management function to be safely carried out. This takes into consideration the:

. skill mix of the team . numbers of contracts . complexity of the contacts . complexity of the markets i.e. large global providers, number and skills of providers, service remodelling, decommissioning . value of the contracts . numbers of service users, dependency of services users etc. . turnover of service users . volume of care management teams Contracting Officers have to work with . balance of risk i.e. level of on-going and past contract compliance issues.

5.1.3 It is difficult therefore to absolutely guarantee that current arrangements provide a sufficient resource but given the totality of the system that is in place then the level of resource is considered to be reasonable by the Corporate Director (Social Services).

. Regulation and inspections by the CSSIW . Assessment and Care Management

. Contract management including contract monitoring . Providers’ responsibility under the Care Standards Act 2000 and their contractual obligations. . The role other professionals have in monitoring specific aspects of a service.

5.2 How do the contract monitoring officers carry out their work? How do they collect their evidence to satisfy themselves that the quality of care is up to standard between the statutory visits from the CSSIW?

5.2.1 The Contracting Team work in conjunction with Assessment and Care Management, the Safeguarding Adults’ Team, the Complaints Team, Financial Assessments, and Corporate Procurement as well as external bodies such as the CSSIW when undertaking contract monitoring as various organisations and people have formal responsibilities for monitoring social care services and their contracts:

. All service providers are responsible for monitoring the quality of their services, either against national minimum standards defined by the CSSIW, the Care Standards Regulations and/or contractual requirements.

. The CSSIW has a legal regulatory responsibility for ensuring all care homes and domiciliary care services for adults provide services that are of an acceptable standard. This includes assessing whether the registered service continues to offer an acceptable standard of care.

. Care managers monitor the delivery of individual care against service plans and the achievement of individual outcomes for service users as well as working with contract monitoring officers and service providers to ensure the quality of service delivered.

. Other professionals monitor specific aspects of a service, e.g. Adult Safeguarding Team for allegations of abuse, the Complaints Officer and other regulators such as Environmental Health, Fire Service for other, non-care related, aspects of the service.

. Social Care Contracting Team within Social Services who undertake contract management including contract monitoring in conjunction with other professionals.

5.2.2 Each Care Home, in addition to meeting the regulatory standards set out in the Care Homes Regulations (Wales) 2002, has a contract with the Council that provides the framework which describes the service and standards expected of providers. This contract incorporates the national minimum standards for Care Homes in Wales (2002). Monitoring is undertaken to check that the standards in the contract are met and to initiate action to address any service deficits.

5.2.3 The contract monitoring undertaken is proportional; requires service providers to accept responsibility for assuring quality; and avoids duplication by utilizing the legislative and regulatory framework that operates such as the Care Standards Act 2000, Community Care Act, Safeguarding Adults Guidance, Escalating Concerns Guidance etc.

5.2.4 The contract monitoring system uses the quality assurance, performance management and monitoring information that already exists from:

. The CSSIW regulatory and inspection process. . The safe guarding adults process, Complaints, feedback from other LA’s, care management and service user feedback via care management/ review process, and the Escalating Concerns process

5.2.5 Issues or concerns highlighted through collating and analyzing the above information are dealt with as part of rolling monitoring plans with providers on a risk assessment basis. For example issues highlighted by the CSSIW are followed up with providers for whom the Council has a contract. Depending on the outcome of the ongoing monitoring information, monitoring visits are undertaken; action is required by providers to address service deficiencies; and if necessary contract compliance action is undertaken which could result in suspension or cancellation of contracts.

5.3 What evidence do you have that the new rota visiting procedure is operating successfully?

5.3.1 Rota Visits are ultimately dependent on Councillors undertaking the agreed role. Reporting arrangements exist for Councillors if they identify any concerns and the approach is reported to the Health, Social Care and Well being Overview and Scrutiny Board. The last report was produced on 19th October, 2010 and a report is due for 2011. The process for Rota Visits is evolving but it is an important role that is undertaken by Councillors.

5.4 What evidence do you have that the Council’s whistle blowing policy is effective in protecting vulnerable people? How many individuals have taken advantage of this procedure to report concerns?

5.4.1 We do not have a record of every time the Council’s whistle blowing policy is used. It is important to note that all disclosures, for whatever reason, are considered in a professional manner. The Swansea Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report is a demonstration of the way in which the Council and its partners address Safeguarding. It is reasonable to note that the CSSIW Inspection of Adult Protection, December 2009, stated:

“Current adult protection processes provide a very effective response for vulnerable adults within the framework of the South Wales Adult Protection Procedures”.

5.5 Are Social Workers completing annual reviews of individual’s care plans timeously? Is the resident always, as a matter of course, made fully aware of the Complaints Procedure during the annual review of the care plan? Does this practice also extend to their families? How many complaints and compliments have been received?

5.5.1 Social Workers are completing annual reviews of individual care plans within a reasonable timescale. Comparison with other authorities indicates that improvement can be achieved but three in four reviews are undertaken within the required timescale.

5.5.2 In addition to the reviews of the care plans the Care Homes Team have developed a quality monitoring questionnaire. This gains information from residents, their families and the providers.

5.5.3 Service users are made aware of the Complaints Procedure, not only in respect of people using Council services, but also because a significant number of people use services provided by other organisations which have been contracted by the Council.

5.5.4 For those services purchased by the Council, there is a contractual requirement that the providers have their own complaints procedure. Care home residents are encouraged to resolve complaints locally with the service in the first instance, but they are also able to use the Council Complaints Procedure for social care.

5.5.5 The situation regarding families will depend on their individual circumstances and the degree that they are involved in the care arrangements; if people are not sure whether they have the right to complain, they are invited to check with the Complaints Officers who will advise on individual cases. Information about the Local Authority Complaints and Compliments procedure is accessible to the public in a number of ways: factsheets are provided to users of services by care managers, information booklets are provided in the Civic Centre and in the Council’s residential homes, and information is given on the Corporate Complaints pages and the Social Services pages on the Council website.

5.5.6 The detail regarding the number of complaints and compliments received is contained within the Annual Report that is produced. The latest report available is for 2009-10; it was presented to Cabinet on the 10th February, 2011. The position for Adult Services was that 100 complaints were received: 91 were received at Stage 1, 8 of which related to contracted providers; 6 at Stage 2, including 1 which related to a contracted provider; and 3 at Stage 3. 14 formal compliments were received by the Council Complaints Team, across a range of Council services. Formal compliments about contracted services are generally made directly to the service. However, it is pointed out in the report that:

“There were significantly more complimentary comments made in telephone conversations with the Complaints Officer across the service teams and for independent providers during the course of resolving concerns raised by service users or families. “

5.6 What evidence do you have to reassure the public that all laid down processes work well and are completed on time?

5.6.1 The issue of reassurance is a complex matter but the following may be of assistance:

. The CSSIW has a website and all reports for registered organisations / services are accessible.

. Independent CSSIW reports in respect of the City and County of Swansea have been positive for a number of years.

. The Swansea Safeguarding Adults Board Annual Report is produced each year.

. There is also the Annual Report by the Corporate Director (Social Services).

. Implementation of the “Statutory Guidance on Escalating Concerns With, and Closures of, Care Homes Providing Services for Adults” (2009, WAG).

5.7 What problems are caused by the lack of resources? Is there a cross subsidy of Child and Family Services by Older Persons Services?

5.7.1 The issue of resources is determined by Council and Adult Services are provided within the totality of the resources that are available. Performance for Adult Services compares favourably to a number of other local authorities.

5.7.2 It is clear that there are a number of issues that need to be addressed and these include:

. Policy direction.

. Expectations of the citizens of the City and County of Swansea.

. Demographic change.

. The financial constraints that exist.

All local authorities need to address the situation that exists and the Welsh Government Paper ‘Sustainable Social Services for Wales: A Framework for Action’ provides an explanation for the policy direction.

5.7.3 As far as the issue about cross subsidy is concerned, it is incorrect to consider that there is a cross subsidy of Child and Family Services by Older Persons’ Services. In 2009/10 both elements of service overspent and it is only in 2010/11 that Adult Services underspent. It is also the case that other areas of activity across the Council underspent.

APPENDIX A.

SERVICE DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES AND FACILITIES DIRECTLY PROVIDED BY THE AUTHORITY TO AND FOR VULNERABLE ADULTS - i) COMMUNITY SERVICES

Domiciliary care services for Older People and People with a physical disability

The in–house long term Home Care service is registered with the CSSIW to provide domiciliary care services to older people and people with a physical disability 365 days of the year. Currently they deliver services to approximately 220 service users between the hours of 7am -11pm. Weekend and Bank Holiday home care is supported by a separate team of staff. The In-House Assessment Service (DCAS) provides time-limited continual assessments for service users who have been considered as needing a package of domiciliary care.

The Council provides Residential and Day Services for older people and younger adults across Swansea which support the emotional and physical well being of people who use our services.

Rehabilitation Unit for people with a Mental illness

Llanfair House is a Rehabilitation Unit registered (CSSIW) as a Domiciliary Care Agency and run by the City and County of Swansea for adults over the age of 18 who have experienced severe and enduring mental health problems. The Unit provides support for individuals to regain skills which may have been lost, and the opportunity to develop new skills and interests. The principles of Recovery are followed and great value is placed on individual belief, choice and aspiration, promoting maximised independence and community integration within a safe, nurturing environment. Llanfair works closely with Health colleagues (Occupational Therapy), and with Cwmbwrla Day Services to provide structured, outcome-based, activities for all its residents. ii) RESIDENTIAL CARE

Older People

There are seven Residential Care Homes situated across the local authority, providing 202 Residential Beds, with a CSSIW registration category to meet the needs of people aged 65 years and over. In addition, specialist dementia service beds are available in two locations, providing long term and respite periods. 33 dementia beds are available

Rose Cross House Rose Cross house is situated in the Penlan area of Swansea and provides residential accommodation for 33 Older People in a unit-designed home. The home comprises four separate living areas. One of these units is designed to meet the needs of individuals with dementia. Activities and interests focus on individual lifestyles by adopting a person centred approach to support planning. There is a Day Service incorporated into the home providing 20 places per day for older people living in the community.

St Johns House St Johns is situated in the Cwmbwrla area of Swansea and provides residential accommodation for 29 older people. The home is traditional in style and was purpose built in 1975 with very strong links to the local community.

The Hollies The Hollies is situated in the Pontardulais area of Swansea and provides residential accommodation for 24 older people. Their aim is to ensure that individual needs are met in a safe and secure environment where independence is promoted, enabling individuals to live fulfilled lives. The Hollies also has a Day Service incorporated within its extensive grounds.

Ty Waunarlwydd Ty Waunarlwydd is situated in the village of Waunarlwydd and provides residential and respite accommodation for 48 older people. The home was purpose built in 1988 as a unit-style home with six separate living areas, respite accommodation and a Day Service. In 2008, the home opened a new respite service offering seven respite and one emergency placements for older people with dementia. In 2010 a new Residential Dementia Care Unit opened providing specialist care for 16 individuals with dementia and offering support to their carers. The aim of the service is to develop into a centre of excellence working in partnership with the Local Health Board with a strong emphasis on person centred planning.

Bonymaen House Bonymaen House is a purpose built residential care home for the elderly registered with the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales situated in the community of Winch Wen. Bonymaen House is designed on two floors and provides 24 hour care to 30 people both male and female clients. Their aim is to provide a safe and secure environment to live in which individual’s rights are recognised. The philosophy is for residents to be in control of their lives, to maintain independence, make choices, be valued and treated as an individual and maintain the right to dignity and privacy. Activities in the home include shopping; keep fit, social gatherings and art classes.

Parkway Parkway Residential Care Home is situated in the village of Sketty Park and provides residential accommodation for 36 Older People. The home has strong links with the local community, Hanover and Hazel Court, enabling residents to remain part of their local community. The aim of the home is to enable individuals to continue with their chosen lifestyles and to support them to remain as independent as possible.

Cartref Cartref House is situated in the Morriston area of Swansea and provides residential accommodation for 31 Older People. Cartref aims to provide a supportive environment to enable Older People to continue with their chosen lifestyle. They encourage all individuals to lead fulfilled lives by adopting a person centred approach by focusing on individual needs and choice.

Learning Disabilities Emergency Residential Accommodation Maesglas Community Support Unit provides emergency residential accommodation and skills assessments for up to 10 people. It is registered with the CSSIW. Staff undertake an assessment of an individual’s skills, abilities and needs in preparation for their move to future accommodation.

Residential Respite Services. The three respite services are registered with the CSSIW to offer accommodation for up to 15 people, seven days a week throughout the year to enable both the individual and their families to have a break from their home life and in times of emergencies.

Physical Disabilities Services Ty Cila is a modern, purpose-built residential care home registered with the CSSIW to provide care and accommodation for up to thirteen adults, aged between 18 and 64 years of age, whose primary need for care arises from a physical disability. The service offers eight residential and five respite places. Respite beds are also used for emergency, assessment and short-term admissions. The home is also registered to permit two named individuals over the age of 64 years to continue to live at Ty Cila for as long as they choose and for as long as their needs could be met. iii) DAY SERVICES

Older People

Day Services for Older People with a critical and substantial need are provided in five locations across the local authority with capacity to provide 609 places per week.

St Johns and Norton Lodge provide a total of 300 places per week for older people with a critical and substantial need. The aim of these Day Services is to promote individuals’ independence, health and well being, to support their carers and enable them to live at home within their own community. Norton Lodge is situated near Mumbles and provides Day Services to approximately 160 older people a week in the Main House and Annex.

The aim is to provide a service which is flexible and responsive, promotes choice, supports independence and is person centred and outcome focused. By adopting the Best Practice Model and a tiered approach to the provision of Day Services ranging from low level to critical and substantial needs, Norton Lodge has taken a lead role in the development of Day Opportunities, expanding the provision of Social Opportunities and promoting Health and Well Being, facilitating groups for approximately 150 older people in the community.

Learning Disabilities

Whitethorns Intensive Day Service Provides individual support to 14 service users who have complex needs including behaviour that challenges. Working from a base in Morriston, staff provide activity sessions and support service users on a 1:1 or 2:1 basis to access community facilities.

Flexible Support Service Provides individual support to people with a Learning Disability in the community on a short to medium term basis in order to develop their independence and coping skills, enabling them to live independently and access their community facilities. The service is currently supporting 25 people. The service also runs five social clubs in the day or evening, offering 102 places.

Special Needs Services The four services provide a day service for adults with a profound Learning Disability who may also have additional health care needs. There are 15 places available per day in each service in which a programme of activities are provided to meet the care needs of the service users and promote their quality of life. There is close partnership working with ABMU Health Board.

Alternative Day Services The two services each provide a day service for up to 30 older adults with a Learning Disability per day. The services aim to provide a programme of activities that enable service users to access community facilities, maintain their skills and health, whilst recognising the changing needs of people who are ageing.

Local Day Services The three services provide a total of 115 places per day, offering a structured programme of activities from education to work opportunities, enabling service users to access local community facilities in order to develop the necessary skills that will promote their independence and increase the opportunities available to them.

Work Development Service The service provides opportunities for adults with a Learning Disability to develop their work skills. The service runs a number of projects including Victoria Park Kiosk (Catering), Ground Force, Ground Maintenance and a nursery (gardening and horticulture), Neighbourhood Environment Action Teams, and woodland conservation in Penllergaer woods with the Forestry Commission. The service works in partnership with Mental Health Services, Gorseinon College, CCS Environment Department and the Forestry Commission. The service has 25 places per day with additional short term placements of 3, 12 and 18 months. With the additional funding under European Convergence Funding, COASTAL has been established which incorporates existing projects with the opportunity to expand these projects and develop new projects and progression routes. This has enabled the service to offer between 45 and 55 places per day.

Physical Disabilities Services Swansea Vale Resource Centre provides people with a range of physical disabilities the chance to maximise their independence and to realise their potential through tailored flexible support, learning and employment initiatives. For people with a visual impairment the centre provides an orientation and mobility service to help people get training and equipment to enable them to get around their homes, local shops or further afield. The independent living skills service aims to help people remain independent in areas such as cooking, cleaning and leisure activities. Training in communication covers everything from Braille to using specialist IT packages for people with a visual impairment enabling them access to the internet, e-mail and so on.

Suresprung The workshop provides employment for Swansea residents with a range of disabilities. It supports individuals to learn new skills which in turn helps to broaden their skills base and undertake new and varied duties in the workplace. It also helps to improve social skills.

The workshop provides employment for around 90 people through placements making beds, mattresses, furnishings such as blinds as well as recycling and delivering medical equipment.

Mental Health

Cwmbwrla Day Services supports adults with mental health problems. The service also includes input from the Occupational Therapy Department of Cefn Coed Hospital in Swansea. Activities and facilities available include: art, craft, gardening, Daily Living Skills Training and anxiety management, counselling,

beekeeping, computer skills, football, weight training, swimming, cycling, rambling, women’s fitness, relaxation and yoga. The service works closely with Swansea College and DACE (Dept of Adult Continuing Education) at Swansea University, providing courses such as Art, Personal Development, Numeracy, Literacy, Sociology etc. Groups and courses in Cwmbwrla are Recovery / Outcome focused, and designed to promote a ‘move on’ accessing community services. Approximately one third of the activities are Service User led.

Create Solutions Create Solutions is a jointly funded (via Section 33 agreement with ABMU Health Board) employment resource project. The purpose of the project is to provide a base for the creation and development of a range of supported employment projects to assist adults suffering, or recovering from, serious mental illness, to access vocational support and training to gain new, or regain previous skills and confidence to enable them to seek employment. The employment projects all have the potential for self sustainability and to add greater diversity to the social economy through development as either Co- operatives, or Social firms.

APPENDIX B

LIST OF DIRECTLY PROVIDED ADULT SERVICE PROVISION

Learning Disability and Physical Disability Residential & Respite Services

21 Acacia Road, West, West Cross 70-72 Alexandra Road, Gorseinon 2a Glan-yr-Afon Gardens, Sketty Ty Cila, Wimmerfield Avenue, Killay Maesglas Community Support Unit Adult Family Placement

Learning Disability and Physical Disability Day Services Fforestfach Day Services - Work Development, Social Development, Abergelli ADS, Abergelli Road, Fforestfach The Beeches ADS, 116 Eaton Crescent, Uplands West Cross Day Service, Tircoed, West Cross Whitethorn IDS, Crown Street, Morriston Glandwr Day Service, 225 Neath Road, Landore Birchgrove SNS, 31 Lon Gwesyn, Birchgrove Trewarren House SNS, 985 Llangyfelach Road, Treboeth Maesglas SNS, Maesglas Hostel, Maesglas Parkway SNS, 39 Parkway, Sketty Park

Learning Disability and Physical Disability Community Services Flexible Support Service, The Beeches Swansea Vale Resource, Ffordd Tregof, Swansea Vale Resource Support Team (expanded to cover Mental Health and Older People)

Mental Health Day, Community and Residential services Cwmbwrla Day Centre, Heol y Gors, Cwmbwrla Create Solutions, Unit 10, Courtney Street, Manselton Llanfair House, Norton Avenue, Norton, Mumbles

Older People's Residential / Day Services / Social Centres Bonymaen House, Cardigan Crescent, Winch Wen Cartref, School Road, Morriston The Hollies, Residential, 34 Caecerrig Road, Pontarddulais The Hollies, Day Centre, 34 Caecerrig Road, Pontarddulais Norton Lodge Day Centre, Norton Road, Norton Parkway, Residential and Day Centre, Sketty Park Estate, Swansea Rose Cross, Residential, Brenig Road, Penlan Rose Cross, Day Centre, Brenig Road, Penlan St Johns House, Residential , Cae Rowland Street, Cwmbwrla St Johns House, Day Centre, Cae Rowland Street, Cwmbwrla Ty Waunarlwydd, Residential Swansea Road, Waunarlwydd Ty Waunarlwydd, Day Centre, Swansea Road, Waunarlwydd Short Break Bureau Gorseinon Social Centre, Princess Street, Gorseinon Toronto Place Community Centre, Heol Gwyrosydd, Penlan

Older People's Community Services Intermediate Care Home Care

Support Services Social Services Transport, The Kingsway, Fforestfach Suresprung Furnishing, Clase Road, Morriston Joint Equipment Store (in Suresprung)

Item No. 13 (1)

Report of the Corporate Director (Social Services)

Council – 29 September 2011

SOCIAL SERVICES - ANNUAL COUNCIL REPORT

Summary

This report is produced to meet the requirements of the Statutory Guidance on the Role and Accountabilities of the Director of Social Services and to provide an overview of the performance of Social Services, risks and plans for improvement.

FOR INFORMATION

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 The Statutory Guidance on the Role and Accountabilities of the Director of Social Services was published by the Welsh Assembly Government in June 2009. This guidance was issued under section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970. As a consequence of the guidance it is a requirement that the Director of Social Services must report on an annual basis to Council.

2. THE ANNUAL REPORT

2.1 A detailed report is attached as an appendix and it seeks to address those areas of activity that are identified within the Welsh Government guidance. The report describes the progress achieved during 2010/11 and also the various issues that need to be considered.

3. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

3.1 There are no additional financial implications associated with this report.

4. LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

4.1 The report has been produced to meet the requirements of the Statutory Guidance on the Role and Accountabilities of the Director of Social Services. There are no other specific legal implications associated with this report.

5. FOR INFORMATION

5.1 This report is for information only.

Background Papers

Annual Council Reporting Framework grids of evidence. Child and Family Services Strategic Delivery Plan 2011/12 Adult Services Annual Report 2009-10 and Strategic Delivery Plan 2011/12 Sustainable Social Services for Wales: A Framework for Action

Contact Officer: Chris Maggs Corporate Director (Social Services) Extension: 6245

Legal Officer: Janet Hooper Finance Officer: Paul Cridland

APPENDIX

CITY AND COUNTY OF SWANSEA

SOCIAL SERVICES

ANNUAL REPORT 2010 / 2011

CONTENTS Page No.

Foreword

1. Background 1

2. Introduction 8

3. Performance 9

4. Adult Services 16

5. Child and Family Services 19

6. Protecting Vulnerable People 22

7. Promoting Independence and Social Inclusion 23

8. Carers 25

9. Planning and Partnerships 26

10. Commissioning and Contracting 27

11. Resources 28

12. Workforce 30

13. Performance Management 31

14. Leadership and Culture 32

15. Corporate and Political Support and Scrutiny 33

16. Key Priorities for 2011/12 34

Appendix - Performance 42

FOREWORD

This is the second Annual Report that I have now produced for the Social Services functions of the City and County of Swansea. I am particularly pleased to be able to comment upon the improvements in Child and Family Services during 2010/11. The progress that has been achieved resulted in the Deputy Minister for Social Services deciding to remove the Intervention Board.

The commitment of staff across Social Services and the wider Social Care sector remains a considerable strength. There is considerable effort and enthusiasm which is very important when seeking to support vulnerable people.

Transforming Adult Services has continued to be a priority for Social Services and this will certainly remain the case for a number of years into the future. The policy direction, changing expectations and demographic issues all need to be addressed. The financial position continues to be a very significant challenge and in seeking to establish a greater sense of sustainability we will need to be innovative in our approach for the support that is required by citizens of the City and County of Swansea.

Chris Maggs Corporate Director (Social Services) 1. BACKGROUND

1.1 POPULATION SIZE

Over 231,000 people live in the City and County of Swansea which makes it the third largest Unitary Authority in Wales, behind Cardiff and Rhondda Cynon Taff. Swansea has 8% of the total population of Wales (source: ONS mid year estimates). Our population is increasing each year by an average of 800 people.

1.2 POPULATION TRENDS

Swansea has experienced a seventh successive annual increase in population, and by 2030 we can expect the adult population to grow by a further 25,520 (13%), with an average annual increase of nearly 800 persons aged 65 or over.

Swansea has large, prosperous rural areas including the Gower, alongside a significant urban centre, yet by contrast it also has 10% of the most deprived areas in Wales.

65% of economically active residents are employed compared with 70% for the whole of Wales. In 2008 Swansea had the highest rate (25%) of children living in workless households in Wales. About 38% of the population is employed in the public sector.

In 2001, 98% of Swansea’s population was classified as white background. By 2009 Swansea had the third largest black and minority ethnic (BME) population in Wales, with 5% of people from a non-white background. Over 80 languages or dialects are spoken in Swansea and 16% of residents can speak Welsh, lower than the All Wales figure of 27%.

The population profile of Swansea is similar to the rest of Wales, though there is a slightly lower proportion of under 16’s and a higher percentage of people over 75.

Age Swansea Swansea Wales Population % % 0-4 12,900 5.6 5.7 5-15 27,000 11.7 12.6 16-24 34,500 14.9 12.5 25- 44 56,600 24.5 24.5 45-64 58,200 25.2 26.4 65-74 21,400 9.3 9.6 75+ 20,700 8.9 8.6 Total 231,300 100 100 Table 1 (City and County of Swansea Profile Jan 2011)

1.3. KEY ISSUES

Swansea’s diverse profile in terms of geography and population has an impact when looking at the key issues locally compared to the rest of Wales.

Swansea has the largest variation in levels of deprivation of any authority in Wales, with 12% of its local areas amongst the most 10% deprived in Wales, and others amongst the least deprived. Swansea has most deprived and least deprived areas in Wales in terms of income (Castle 2 and Killay North). In fact Swansea’s ‘Townhill 1’, ‘Castle 2’ and ‘Penderry 1’areas rank as the 6th, 11th and 14th most deprived in Wales respectively.

Deprivation contributes adversely to health and well being. 29% of people reported they had a long term limiting illness compared to 27% in Wales. The number of people of pensionable age with a life-long limiting illness in Swansea was 24,912 (2008/09).

Incidence of child poverty in Wales is among the highest in the UK, currently about 20% of children and young people in the City and County are living in poverty. However, in certain deprived areas the rate is much higher and Swansea has a higher proportion of children living in areas of deprivation.

According to latest information, the rate of teenage conceptions in Swansea has decreased since 2008 to below those of Wales and comparable authorities.

Swansea has higher levels of recorded crime than other comparable authorities, in the categories of violence against the person, burglary and drug offences. The annual number of recorded offences taking place has fallen from 23,805 in 2005/06 to 18,539 in 2009/10.

Over a quarter of households in Swansea experience fuel poverty (28.7% vs 31% for Wales), however, it has the lowest percentage of properties with severe fuel poverty (4%).

According to information provided by South Wales Police, Swansea has a high level of drug use with 47% of those arrested for specific offences tested positive for drugs compared to the national average of 29%.

In 2009-10 Swansea had the highest rate of households renting from social landlords in Wales, although the majority of tenures are owner occupied or privately rented.

1.4. POPULATION TRENDS BY CLIENT GROUP

The Health, Social Care and Well Being Comprehensive Needs Assessment 2010 and Strategy 2011-14 provides a detailed profile of Swansea across a range of population groups.

a. Children, Young People and Families The incidence of child poverty in Wales is among the highest in the UK. In 2000/01, 33% of children in Wales lived in households with incomes below half the mean income after housing costs, compared with 30% in Great Britain. The Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2008 shows that there were a higher proportion of children living in the most deprived areas of Swansea compared with Wales as a whole, and a lower proportion of people over 25 living in those areas.

Drug and alcohol misuse, parental mental health and domestic abuse have all been identified as having a significant impact on children, young people and families living in the City and County of Swansea. b. Younger Adults In the City and County of Swansea there is a population of 128,253 aged 20 – 64. According to the 2001 census there were 29,100 people of working age who are disabled; more up to date figures will shortly be available following the 2011 census. These figures may include people with physical and/or sensory impairments.

The overall unemployment rate for disabled people in Swansea is 7.3% (compared with 6.3% for non-disabled people, and 4.9% for all people in Wales as a whole).

The consequences of being unemployed are well documented and include high rates of poverty, stress and physical ill health, feelings of boredom and powerlessness, increased incidence of mental ill health, loss of confidence and self esteem and social exclusion. Access is, therefore, a fundamental issue of prime concern to disabled people and affects all aspects of life on a daily basis. Access encompasses not only problems to do with physical barriers in the built environment - such as steps, kerbs, narrow doors, lack of disabled toilet facilities, lack of disabled parking bays etc. but also information, transport and language to enable access to services.

Reports suggest that 25% of the adult population will suffer significant mental health issues at some time in their lives. That is one in four individuals living in Swansea at any one time. In Swansea, the Adult Mental Health Services receive an average 2,000 referrals per year requesting help for people believed to have a mental disorder. And, while mental health issues can be classed as mild, moderate or severe, the impact for most sufferers and their families etc. can be devastating. People can experience the loss of jobs, relationships, homes and even identity. Work is extremely important in maintaining mental health and

promoting well being amongst people who have had mental health related difficulties. The current provision of supported employment is only available to people who are care managed under the Care Programme Approach yet there are many more people who only receive treatment in the primary care setting.

Swansea currently has 800 adults (over 19) with a learning disability who are eligible for services. From population estimates we could expect a higher number of people with a severe learning disability. There appears to be more people coming into the service with significant needs. People with a learning disability are more likely to experience severe mental illness or dementia.

On past figures we estimate about 20 people a year progressing from Children’s Services to Learning Disability Services in Swansea. Of this group of 20, approximately a third will have significant support needs. c. Older People Many older people remain healthy, active and independent with little or no reliance on health and social care services. However increasing age is generally associated with increasing disability and loss of independence and functional impairments such as loss of mobility, sight and hearing, meaning that there are growing demands for health services and social care support. Currently nearly one in five people are over 65 years in Swansea. Swansea’s population aged 75 and over has increased steadily by almost 200 a year since 2004, and projections suggest that this population will continue to grow.

d. Carers Carers are unpaid and can care for relatives or friends who have an illness or disability including physical disability, long term limiting illness, learning disability, mental health problems, drug or alcohol problems.

Caring can have an impact on all areas of a carer’s life including health - both physical and mental, finances and the ability to take part in leisure activities. As a proportion of the total population Swansea has the highest number of carers in Wales.

There are 2053 carers known to social services in Swansea. Also there are 31 reported Young Carers. The need for carer support is likely to rise.

Carers are most likely to face inequalities if they are a Young Carer or from a BME background.

1.5 DEMAND AND SUPPLY IN SOCIAL CARE

This section considers current demand and the impact future changes may have on the Authority’s investment in social care services.

Swansea population by need projected to 2030 (Source: www.daffodilcymru.org.uk/ ) Age Range 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 Total population aged 0-17 45,490 47,130 50,350 53,270 54,440 Children aged 0-17 predicted to 2,729 2,828 3,021 3,196 3,266 experience sexual abuse Children aged 0-17 predicted to 3,184 3,299 3,524 3,729 3,811 experience serious physical abuse Children aged 0-17 predicted to 1,592 1,650 1,762 1,864 1,905 have a mother predicted to have a mother who misuses drugs Children aged 0-17 with a severe 211 218 233 247 252 learning difficulty Children aged 0-17 with a 52 54 57 61 62 profound learning difficulty Total population aged 18 and 187,340 193,580 199,460 205,590 212,860 over Adults aged 18-64 predicted to have a moderate or serious physical disability 14,403 14,322 14,648 14,788 14,866 Adults aged 18 and over predicted to have a moderate or severe 909 937 969 1,005 1,049 learning disability Adults aged 16 and over with any mental health problem 17,779 18,267 18,887 19,553 20,185 Adults aged 65 and over with 3,075 3,354 3,751 4,250 4,812 dementia Total population aged 18 and 5,836 6,237 6,706 7,356 7,942 over receiving community based services Total population aged 18 and 1,001 1,096 1,215 1,379 1,537 over receiving residential services Total population aged 18 and 2811 Not reliable enough for projections over receiving reablement services

a. Overall Picture Social Services are faced with major challenges. These include the severe economic climate which is resulting in less money being available to fund public services, increasing demand, an ageing population, increasing numbers of vulnerable children who need safeguarding, fuel prices, technological advances, and increasing public expectations.

Public sector expenditure and frontline services are being placed under significant pressure. Already these challenges mean difficult decisions are being taken along with taking urgent steps to ensure that our health and social care services are delivered in the most effective and efficient way.

Social Services Approved Budget 2010-11 ( based on 31st March Final Outturns £000,s)

4,600

Child & Family Services Adult Services 58,674 Directorate 30,584 Services

Swansea % of staff by area of work at 31 March 2011 (WTE) Home Care services 17.1% Day services 15.1% Social Work services 22.1%

Residential services 19.6%

Other services 26%

b. Child and Family Services Swansea has the fifth highest rate for children in need among Welsh local authorities. Swansea also has the highest number of children in care in Wales. Important risk factors such as family conflict, family history of problem behaviour, community disorganisation and neglect are very prevalent in certain locality areas. Swansea has two of the top three ranked LSOA’s 1 in Wales for overall childhood poverty. In Penderry and Townhill, the percentage of households reliant on benefits is twice the national average and over 20% of households are lone parent with dependent children compared to the Swansea average of 11%. This evidence supported by the Children in Need census is the basis for the new team structures based on locality working. Already the work in Penderry and Townhill teams is having a positive impact, notably in their restorative work in schools and health centres.

Child and Family Services has a medium term financial plan that sets out how the service will respond to demand within the resources available. c. Adult Services Within the recently developed draft Commissioning Strategic Framework and commissioning plans, Adult Services is addressing demographic changes, trends in need and areas of expenditure in more detail.

1 Lower Super Output Area

2. INTRODUCTION

2.1 This report has been produced as a consequence of the Statutory Guidance on the Role and Accountabilities of the Director of Social Services published by the Welsh Government in June 2009. The range of work undertaken by Social Services will be described and in so doing achievements will be identified along with the further improvements that are required.

2.2 It is important that information regarding the performance of Social Services is made available to Council. In so doing it ensures that service users, carers, employees and key stakeholders are also provided the relevant information.

2.3 A number of people have been involved in producing the analysis of information and evidence that supports this report. The approach of producing a Strategic Delivery Plan for both Child and Family Services and Adult Services is of particular importance. This provides the opportunity for staff across Social Services to engage with the achievements for the last year and to consider actions for the coming year.

2.4 Social Services is a key part of the City and County of Swansea. Support for vulnerable people is extremely important and this was reinforced by Council when its priorities were established. We must continue to make every effort to ensure that effective support is provided.

2.5 In February 2010 the Welsh Government published Sustainable Social Services for Wales: A Framework for Action. This document sets out the expectations for the next few years. It will certainly be important that the key issues are carefully considered by the Authority and that appropriate action is progressed.

3. PERFORMANCE

We have achieved progress in improving performance across various aspects of Social Services this year, in particular within Child and Family Services. The remodelling and reshaping of Adult Services through the Transforming Adult Social Services programme is starting show an impact on performance results this year. a. Child and Family Services

(i) Referrals/ re-referrals

Child and Family Services Referrals and Re-referrals Trend - April 2009 to March 2011 450

400

350

300 Re-Referrals 250 Referrals Log. (Re-Referrals) 200 Linear (Referrals )

150

100

9 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 09 0 0 09 09 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 l- -09 - t------t-10 - - g p n r y n ul-1 g v b Ju ec a pr- u J u c o Apr- May-09Jun-09 Au Se Oc Nov D J Feb-10Ma A Ma J A Sep-10O N Dec-1 Jan-11Fe Mar-11

This graph shows the pattern of referrals and re-referrals received by Child and Family Services over the past 2 years. There has been considerable progress to improve the contact, referral and assessment arrangements. The development work supported by Professor David Thorpe and Dr. Suzanne Regan demonstrates that there is a more consistent and sustainable pattern emerging.

Working with partner organisations, we now operate to agreed definitions, and through more effective advice and support, we have been able to reduce the number of referrals coming into the service. These arrangements ensure that we are dealing with those children and families who most need a Social Services intervention. The impact of closer working with other professionals, agreeing whether a referral for service is necessary, is reflected in lower numbers of repeat referrals.

(ii) Assessments

Initial Assessments carried out within timescale (SCC/042a) Swansea Target 2010/11 = 80% 90

78.7 80 72.3 70 62.3 60 51.91 50 Swansea Performance Wales Average 2009/10 40 Swansea Target

0 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

Core Assessments carried out within timescale (SCC/43a) Swansea Target 2010/11 = 57% 70

60 56.8 57

39.6 40 Swansea Performance Wales Average 2009/10 30 Swansea Target

11.18 10

0 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

During the year, new frontline teams were established to achieve better outcomes for children and families, and to improve performance. The above graphs show an improving performance in the completion of both initial and core assessments in a timely manner. Through regular casefile audits, feedback from the Permanence Panel, Courts and key partners, we are reassured that the quality of assessments has also continued to improve. The focus on the assessment process will continue to be a key area of work.

(iii) Population

Children on Protection Register in City and County of Swansea at year end 300

250

200

150

100

2 0 1 0 03 04 05 06 07 08 /09 1 1 9/ 01/ 10/ 002/ 20 2 2003/ 2004/ 2005/ 2006/ 2007/ 2008 200 20

This graph shows that there are more children on the Child Protection Register in the last two years. There has been a similar pattern with the number of children looked after by the Authority during the last decade. However a more detailed analysis of the last two years in the graph below shows that the measures put in place last year to improve outcomes by achieving permanence for looked after children are starting to ‘turn the curve’.

Number of Looked After Children in Swansea between Jan. 2009- March 2011

700 New Permanency measures Baby Peter Case introduced Dec 2009

600

500

400

300

200

100

0 Jan- Feb- Mar- Apr- May- Jun- Jul- Aug- Sep- Oct- Nov- Dec- Jan- Feb- Mar- Apr- May- Jun- Jul- Aug- Sep- Oct- Nov- Dec- Jan- Feb- Mar- Apr- 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 09 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 11 11 11 11

(iv) Outcomes In 2010-11, we ensured that 273 children were taken off the Child Protection register (192 de-registrations in 2009/10), with 20% fewer children (45) having spent more than 1 year on the register at year end, compared to the previous year (57). At the end of the year 3.5% more children had become looked after compared to a 30% increase the previous year.

34% more children received supervised contact with their birth families. b. Adult Services

(i) Assessment & Care Management

SCA001 Delayed Transfers of Care Swansea Target Range 2010/11 = 6 - 8 10 9 9

7 6.78

6 Swansea Performance Wales Average 2009/10 4.95 5 Swansea Target

2.97 3

0 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

As the graph above shows performance fell in 2010-11. Swansea had been performing well in reducing the rate of delayed transfers of care in the previous 3 years, and when compared to other local authorities. In 2010/11 there have been very significant challenges, accompanied by a significant rise in delays for a range of reasons and this reflects pressures across both the Council and the Health Board.

It is recognised that there is a need to achieve change in the existing arrangements so that the delays are reduced. This is proving to be very challenging but will be an important area of work in the coming year.

Reviews

SCA007 Reviews undertaken in Year Swansea Target 2010/11 = 70% 100 90 80

74.2 Swansea Performance 70 70.7 67.6 60 63 Wales Average 2009/10

Swansea Target % 50 40 30 20 10 0 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 In Swansea, the percentage of clients that had a care plan reviewed in a timely way has improved each year since 2007/08. Regular reviews of care plans are central to our ability to respond to changing needs; to ensure that care plans are centred on people’s current needs. Good performance is measured by a higher percentage of plans being reviewed as required.

(ii) Support in Community Good performance is measured by a higher percentage supported to live within the community. Swansea has generally performed well in providing a range of community-based services to adults with social care needs.

With clients aged 18 to 64, the balance of those supported in the community has continuously improved since 2005/06. Swansea’s performance is among the best in Wales.

For adults aged 65+ we still focus our commissioning plans on providing support within the community. The graph illustrates that whilst performance had continuously improved since 2007/08, this year the result reflects the challenges we are facing in meeting demand for services whilst at the same time being engaged in transforming the nature and type of services people can expect to receive.

SCA003b Percentage Adults 65+ Supported in the Community Swansea Target 2010/11 = 79% - 82% 86

84 83.67

82 82.07

80 80.27 80.43 Swansea Performance 78 Wales Average 2009/10 Swansea Target Range

70 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

This indicator reflects the balance of care between people receiving community-based support and residential forms of care. There are fewer older people receiving traditional services in the community due to the developing ethos of supporting and directing people to community resources rather than traditional paid-for services. The number of people receiving residential forms of care remains stable. There has been a move towards supported living and other approaches away from residential care.

(iii) Improving Outcomes As part of national agenda there is future scope to develop outcome-based performance measures to indicate how peoples’ lives are improved through adult social care services. Adult Services are continuing to develop a performance management framework to support better outcomes for the adult population and better performance.

We continue to support 179 people to manage their own support services through a direct payment, an increase of 8% on previous year.

Social Services also work effectively to support carers. All carers should be offered an assessment, although those that requested an assessment in their own right remains low (11.3%). There are a number of effective services commissioned by the authority which deliver services to carers on an open-access basis that do not require a Social Services referral or assessment, such as Swansea Carers Centre which receives a lot of enquiries directly from carers and provide support itself, and also signposts carers onto other services or agencies. Local carers’ organisations have expressed a high

level of satisfaction with these current arrangements.

The financial resources available for performance management and Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) development in Social Services will be considerably different in 2011 – 2012. In previous years the budget for specialist support in Social Services has been topped up by a Performance Management Development Fund (PMDF) Grant provided by the Welsh Government. This grant has been paid for many years, but from this year there will be a reduced amount available through the revenue support grant (- 30%).

The Welsh Government continues to advise authorities to develop long-term strategies which include on-going funding arrangements to ensure that authorities can continue to take this collaborative agenda forward.

4. ADULT SERVICES

4.1 The Head of Adult Services has produced an Annual Report for 2010/2011 and Strategic Delivery Plan for 2011/2012. This document provides a review of achievements during the last year and identifies the key priorities for 2011/2012.

4.2 This section will provide a brief summary of a number of areas of activity that need to be considered as part of this report.

4.3 Access to Services

. The intake arrangements are well developed and provide a clear point of contact. It is necessary to increase the knowledge about the resources in each local community so that people can be directed to the support that might be available.

. There is a Service Level Agreement with the Corporate Call Centre and this is reviewed on a regular basis. It is important to recognise the broader responsibilities of the Corporate Call Centre and further work is necessary to ensure that complementary roles exist.

. There continues to be a good range of public information available. In addition to the distribution of leaflets etc. there is an effective social care web presence which is being further developed to improve the user friendliness of the website. This has been further enhanced by the use of social media sites.

4.4 Assessment

. The provision of an assessment process is an essential function for Social Services. There are longstanding arrangements for joint working with health in respect of Mental Health Services and Learning Disability Services. Towards the end of the year some discussions took place about possible regional working, particularly in respect of Mental Health Services.

. The assessment process must align with the expectations for person centred thinking. Learning from the Assessment and Care Management personalisation pilot has been considered and this will inform the redevelopment of the Unified Assessment (UA).

4.5 Care Management and Review

. A revised approach for the UA will enable a more targeted approach for care management and in turn this should result in better management of demand for services.

. As part of the overall process improvements in care planning and risk assessment have occurred. Each year the performance for the review of care plans has improved. This needs to continue as it provides a very clear opportunity to engage with service users to establish whether there are any changes in need that should be addressed.

. Linked to the approach for care management is the issue of resource management. Whilst it is at an early stage some work has been undertaken in respect of a resource allocation system. Further work is necessary to fully establish what the potential may be of using such an approach.

. A number of discussions have taken place with our partners, particularly Health, in respect of the approach to assessment and care planning. This has resulted in an agreement to co- locate nurse assessors within the Care Homes Team.

. The Fair Access to Care Groups, now established in all service areas, provide a mechanism to monitor the quality and consistency of assessments and the decision making that takes place.

4.6 Range of Services provided

. There are a range of services provided, some directly managed by Social Services and some provided by the Independent Sector. Access to services is dependent on the assessment of need.

. Considerable progress was made in 2010/11 to alter the range of support for Older People. In particular the focus on short- term breaks and dementia services is particularly important.

. The overall range of services continues to improve and slightly more of the services are now provided by the Independent Sector. Our aim is to commission an increasingly wide range of flexible, person-centred, reabling or enabling services that produce better outcomes for adults.

. Work has been undertaken in respect of the Transformation of Adult Social Services and this has included:

 Greater use of family networks and communities.

 Preventative measures which help to maintain independence.

 More services that directly support carers.

4.7 Quality of Services Provided

. Those services that are regulated have generally received good reports from the Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales. When issues have arisen in respect of the quality of support provided then the appropriate action has been taken.

. A greater degree of consistency has been achieved in terms of the arrangements that exist to provide services, e.g. by means of the Fair Access to Care groups, and also the contract and contract monitoring arrangements. The latter continue to be an important part of our reassurance in respect of the quality of services.

. It is pleasing to be able to note that the Customer Excellence Award for Older People’s residential and day services was maintained.

4.8 Overall situation for Adult Services

. There have been improvements in the arrangements for access, assessment and care management. Greater consistency exists across Adult Services.

. Difficulties were experienced during the year in respect of the timely discharge of some people from hospital and action is required to reduce the risk of this occurring during 2011/12.

. There is an increasing range of services provided that are of good quality.

. The development work associated with the Transforming Adult Services agenda has progressed well and there is an increasing focus on person-centred support, involving communities and improving outcomes.

5. CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES

5.1 It is very pleasing to be able to report that significant improvements occurred during 2010/11. The continued support of Members, the Corporate Management Team and key partner organisations have enabled a range of initiatives to be implemented.

5.2 The Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales undertook two monitoring visits in July and September 2010. Key findings of the September visit included:

. The authority and its partner agencies have worked hard to drive forward service improvement for children in need and those deemed to be at risk of possible harm in Swansea.

. There is a shared vision for delivering such improvements that is fully endorsed by the authority and its partners. There are established overview and accountability arrangements in respect of Child and Family Services provided by the Child and Family Services Overview and Scrutiny Board, the Chief Executive’s Improvement Board and the Corporate Management Team. This is supported by improved performance management information, used by the authority to more effectively manage its core business. Cross party political support continues for Child and Family Services.

. Whilst it is still too early to evaluate the full impact of some of the recent changes and improvements made by the authority, there is evidence of continuing improvement in important areas of work and some encouraging signs that some of the more recent actions taken by the authority are beginning to take effect.

. Overall, the inspectors concluded that the authority is now better placed to continue to deliver further improvements in children’s services in the future.

5.3 As a result of the improvements that were demonstrated to the CSSIW the Deputy Minister for Social Services decided to remove the Intervention Board. The progress noted by the CSSIW in September 2010 has continued and this is further identified in the overall performance that has been achieved.

5.4 There are a number of areas of activity that achieved progress and these include:

a. Assessment and Care Management . Recruitment of forty new social workers and managers to fill vacancies and enable a restructuring of the social work teams. The completion of this work has ensured that there is now the necessary social work capacity and management support.

. Practice has also improved and this is true of the specific figures relating to both the assessment process and the overall approach.

. The use of the 4Site Model is now a key foundation for the service and its partners. This has been a fundamental change in approach and will continue to be developed in the coming years. b. Provision of Services . Increased attention was given to the services directly provided by Child and Family Services and also those provided by other organisations. A major change involved the opening of facilities to support contact. The facilities were previously used as Children’s Homes but were completely refurbished.

. Arrangements for Family Support were reviewed resulting in specific plans to build on the use of Mayhill Family Centre. The detail will be implemented during 2011/12.

. Another important area of work involved Foster Swansea. Whilst some success was achieved in respect of increased recruitment of Foster Carers it was also recognised that more needs to be done.

. The Multi-Agency Support Team arrangements were established and this involved the successful recruitment of carers. Further recruitment and expansion of the support will be undertaken in 2010/11. c. Quality of Services . The Service Quality Unit has been established and it is essential that this function is able to evidence the detail for the quality of practice.

. Where services are subject to regulation the necessary inspections have taken place. The information that is provided by the CSSIW also assists in determining a view about quality.

5.5 Whilst it is the case that considerable change has occurred during the last few years and that much improvement has been achieved there continue to be significant challenges:

. Maintain successful arrangements for recruitment and retention.

. Further reducing the rate of referrals and re-referrals to Child and Family Services by continuing work with partner organisations.

. Addressing the financial management that is required within Child and Family Services.

. Continued activity to assist with the further reduction in the number of looked after children.

. Ensuring that there is a focus on improving services for vulnerable children, young people and their families.

5.6 The detail regarding the priorities and the actions that will be progressed in 2011/12 are described in the Child and Family Services Strategic Delivery Plan 2011/12.

6. PROTECTING VULNERABLE PEOPLE

6.1 An absolutely fundamental role for Social Services is to provide support so that vulnerable people are helped to maintain their safety and well being. There are clear differences in terms of legislation for adults and children but the key principles are largely similar.

6.2 Council established its priorities in October 2010 in respect of the budget for 2011/12 and this included ‘The protection of the most vulnerable people’. This was an important statement which reinforces the commitment to this complex area of work.

6.3 In seeking to reinforce the work that is required there are a number of matters that are worth noting:

a. The previous Area Adult Protection Committee is now known as the Swansea Safeguarding Adults Board.

b. The Swansea Safeguarding Children Board has further developed its role. A business plan was produced and a project management approach is now used to ensure that issues are appropriately reported to the Board.

c. Protecting the public in its wider sense is a clear priority for the Community Safety Partnership - Safer Swansea.

6.4 A greater number of adults and children have been helped in terms of safeguarding their well being and interests. The processes used are effective and training for staff is part of the schedule of staff development.

6.5 There are some important areas of work that need continuing effort and these include:

. Implementation of the new All Wales Policy and Guidance for the Protection of Vulnerable Adults.

. Further development of performance frameworks.

. Reviewing the available training to maximise its effectiveness.

. The needs of young carers.

7. PROMOTING INDEPENDENCE AND SOCIAL INCLUSION

7.1 The Authority considers social inclusion to be an important area of work and a Social Inclusion Unit provides a focus for the activity that takes place. It is absolutely essential that every effort is made to promote independence and the well being of those people who are supported by Social Services.

7.2 Council approved the Social Inclusion Strategy 2010 - 2013 in August 2010. This represents a considerable amount of work undertaken during the previous twelve months. It provides a clear framework for the Authority as a whole. There are three key objectives:

. To develop a Social Inclusion Review process.

. Mainstreaming social inclusion and anti-poverty work.

. Service improvement and development via a Social Inclusion Learning Programme.

7.3 As far as Social Services is concerned the strategic direction is described in the Strategic Delivery Plans and the key issues continue to be as follows:

. Supporting people in their own home.

. Continuing to develop arrangements for Direct Payments.

. Permanency for Children and Young People.

. Dedicated support for carers.

. Developing opportunities as a consequence of the COASTAL Project.

7.4 The Customer Services and Equalities Group, led by the Corporate Director (Social Services), has sought to progress various areas of work in respect of the associated agendas. It is necessary to recognise the change in legislation that has occurred and the Corporate Equalities Unit has provided considerable assistance and advice given the new expectations that exist.

7.5 Whilst it is the case that progress continues in respect of the overall aims for promoting independence and social inclusion it is recognised that the following issues will need to be addressed:

. Work towards the implementation of the Equality Improvement Framework.

. Continue the development arrangements for personalisation.

. Further improve the take up of Direct Payments.

. Increase the opportunities available via the COASTAL Project.

8. CARERS

8.1 Social Services has a long standing commitment to provide effective support for Carers. A clear vision has been developed with other organisations and Carers. This has enabled arrangements to be put into place that provide a degree of flexibility.

8.2 The level of support for Carers has grown over the last decade. This has been possible as a result of the targeted finance made available and the commitment of Council to support Carers.

8.3 There are some specific initiatives that exist such as support for Black and Minority Ethnic Carers and also Young Carers. These areas of work are particularly important as they can have a considerable impact on the lives of such Carers.

8.4 A key issue for Social Services to consider at this time is the possible impact of the Carers (Wales) Measure. The possible implications are not fully identified but there is no doubt that Social Services will need to ensure that the services available continue to recognise the changing circumstances that exist.

8.5 Whilst it is the case that services have been maintained and continue to be developed, e.g. the range of respite / short breaks available, there is a requirement to maintain a focus:

. To work towards further improvements in respect of the assessment process for carers.

. To implement changes to the respite arrangements for adults.

. To develop a model of support for children with a disability.

9. PLANNING AND PARTNERSHIPS

9.1 It has been possible to build on the long standing arrangements that exist during the last year. There were concerns raised about some particular situations, e.g. the work with ABMU Health Board and the Child Disability planning arrangements. In both situations improvements have been achieved.

9.2 The continuing organisational change for Health colleagues has been demanding. It has been possible to review the situation for the Health, Social Care and Well Being Strategy and as a consequence a new Partnership Board has been established.

9.3 A successful application was made to the World Health Organisation for Healthy City Status. This is part of our partnership arrangements and provides a catalyst to drive the change that is needed. There is no doubt that the focus for activities will be greatly assisted by the achievement of the Healthy City Status.

9.4 During the last year there have been improvements as follows:

. A greater level of activity with a range of stakeholders.

. An effective Children and Young People Partnership.

. Agreement reached for the Health, Social Care and Well Being Strategy 2011-14.

. Considerable improvement in respect of planning for Children with a Disability. The Children and Young People’s Disability Strategy 2011-14 has been agreed.

9.5 The publication of the Welsh Government paper Sustainable Social Services for Wales: A Framework for Action has also provided an expectation that planning and partnership must improve. It is also noted in the report that arrangements should also be simplified wherever possible.

9.6 It is anticipated that the following areas of work will be prioritised:

. Review and agree regional planning arrangements where appropriate.

. Ensure that local planning continues to be effective.

. Further develop engagement with key stakeholders.

. Continue the improvements that have occurred for Child and Family Services in terms of the planning arrangements.

10. COMMISSIONING AND CONTRACTING

10.1 There is a strong basis for commissioning and contracting across Social Services. Whilst the arrangements for Adult Services have typically been more developed the position for Child and Family Services is certainly improving with new organisational arrangements that more closely align contracting and operational functions.

10.2 The needs assessment for the Health, Social Care and Well Being Strategy provides a helpful population-based analysis. In addition the more detailed work within Social Services enables a greater degree of individual analysis.

10.3 There is a requirement established as a consequence of ‘Fulfilled Lives Supportive Communities: Commissioning Framework Guidance and Good Practice’ for each authority to develop Commissioning Plans. This work is still progressing and it will be necessary to review the situation during the coming year. As far as Adult Services are concerned it is anticipated that a Commissioning Framework be presented to Cabinet in September 2011.

10.4 The current agenda will need to take account of the expectations contained within ‘Sustainable Social Services for Wales’. It is the Corporate Director’s view that an increased level of regional commissioning will be necessary and that this is likely to involve ABMU Health Board, Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council and Bridgend County Council.

10.5 Work is already progressing in respect of arrangements for adults with a learning disability and also adults with mental health problems. It is likely that other areas of activity will need to be considered.

10.6 As a result of all of the work undertaken during the last year the following will need to be actioned:

. Establish a more definite view about regional commissioning.

. Increasingly commission services that are focussed on reablement.

. Work with partner organisations in respect of Child and Family Services, e.g. Children’s Commissioning Programme.

11. RESOURCES

11.1 The budget agreed for Social Services for 2010 - 2011 was £93.63m. This consisted of the following:

Adult Services £58.66m

Child and Family Services £30.56m

Directorate Services £4.41m

11.2 During the course of the year a number of financial pressures were identified and in particular the following are most important:

. The total expenditure for placements for looked after children.

. Legal costs.

. Use of agency staff.

. Costs associated with the provision of contact for looked after children.

11.3 The continuing significant financial pressures for Child and Family Services is of concern and it is recognised that it will take time to address the key factors that are causing the increased expenditure. Council has prioritised the protection of vulnerable people and this is reflected in the budget for 2011/12 which is £96.13m.

11.4 Although considerable effort has taken place to address the known financial pressures the actions did not result in a reduction in expenditure. The position is not sustainable and the detail regarding the financial position has been reported to a joint meeting of the Performance and Finance Overview and Scrutiny Board and the Child and Family Services Overview and Scrutiny Board.

11.5 The Senior Management Teams in both Adult Services and Child and Family Services consider the relevant budget issues on a monthly basis. A detailed report in relation to the whole of Social Services is considered by the Corporate Director (Social Services) at the monthly Performance and Financial Monitoring meeting.

11.6 During 2011/12 the following will be addressed:

. The top priority will be the financial management in Child and Family Services.

. Information will be made available to the joint Overview and Scrutiny Board meetings as required.

. All relevant financial issues will be reported appropriately.

. The involvement of all relevant managers in both financial management and any associated actions.

12. WORKFORCE

12.1 This last year has been characterised by considerable improvements in a number of areas of activity. There is still more to do but the overall situation is very much better than that reported last year.

12.2 There were some matters during the year that had wider Authority implications. In particular the pay and grading review and the position regarding terms and conditions will continue to require attention.

12.3 Adult Services and Child and Family Services have a greater clarity about the total range of services that are required in the future. This is important when the analysis of workforce planning is considered.

12.4 The Staff Development and Training Unit had experienced its own difficulties in respect of recruitment and, therefore, managing the agenda had been problematic. Successful recruitment occurred and the Staff Development and Training Unit is now fully resourced.

12.5 Some of the achievements during 2010/11 include:

. The implementation of locality social work teams.

. Successful recruitment and retention of social workers.

. Reduced use of agency staff by the end of the year.

. Redevelopment of the induction process and the successful use of induction for the social workers that commenced employment.

. Consolidation of both the Workforce Development Steering Group and the Swansea Social Care Workforce Development Partnership.

12.6 Issues associated with the workforce and workforce planning are possibly some of the most complex matters faced by Social Services. Work will continue to be addressed in respect of the following:

. Consistency in providing basic support utilising supervision, appraisal and staff development.

. Review the opportunities that might be available to work more closely with partner organisations.

. Improve the management information that is available to assist the analysis of the workforce.

. Conclude the business support review in Child and Family Services and implement the proposals.

13. PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

13.1 Considerable progress has been achieved in both Adult Services and Child and Family Services during the last year. There is considerable confidence across all service activity in respect of the quality of information that is produced.

13.2 During the last year the following has been achieved:

. Performance management framework established within Adult Services.

. Further development and refinement of monthly reporting.

. Greater involvement of staff with regard to the reporting of performance.

. Progress in respect of the implementation of the Quality Assurance Unit within Child and Family Services.

13.3 The Authority has sought to clarify expectations, for the organisation as a whole, by means of the Corporate Improvement Plan. The priorities for Social Services are clearly recognised. Transforming Adult Social Services and Improvements for Child and Family Services are identified as strategic priorities for the Authority.

13.4 It is important that efforts continue to improve the outcomes for service users. Some work is being undertaken in respect of Results Based Accountability. This is an approach used to assist the process of improving performance.

13.5 The detail in respect of performance is described in section 3 of this report and the Appendix also provides the relevant figures. Work must continue to build on the performance frameworks that now exist.

13.6 During the coming year the following will need to be considered:

. Review and further develop the performance frameworks in both Adult Services and Child and Family Services.

. Increase involvement of all relevant staff in respect of performance reporting.

. Continue to explore the Results Based Accountability approach for performance management.

. Discuss possible options with partner organisations around a shared approach to performance reporting.

14. LEADERSHIP AND CULTURE

14.1 The Authority has experienced a period of stability in respect of the senior management arrangements. This has also been the case in Social Services and those Third Tier managers in Child and Family Services who were appointed in early 2010 have been a key part in enabling the service improvements to take place.

14.2 In addition to the role of the Corporate Management Team in respect of Child and Family Services a much more explicit expectation has also been established for Adult Services. Both areas of work are identified as corporate priorities.

14.3 The Heads of Service and the Corporate Director have sought to encourage a culture of positive relationships. Our shared focus is to achieve better outcomes for vulnerable people. In so doing it is acknowledged that active listening and understanding the different views that exist is a necessary part of the leadership role.

14.4 The Transformation agenda for Adult Services is recognised at a national level and work is being undertaken with the Social Services Improvement Agency and the Welsh Government.

14.5 An innovative initiative is being developed in Adult Services to alter the expectations for the role of management. It is desirable that decision making should be made at the ‘front-line’ where possible. This approach will empower staff and also service users.

14.6 Communicating the strategic direction has been an important aim for both Child and Family Services and Adult Services. The range of methods used, e.g. staff meetings, management arrangements and newsletters have all contributed to assisting the sharing of information.

14.7 During the coming year the following will be considered:

. Raising awareness of both the local and national situations for all staff.

. Maintaining an active involvement of senior managers with relevant regional and national arrangements.

. Building on the existing strategic direction that has been established.

15. CORPORATE AND POLITICAL SUPPORT AND SCRUTINY

15.1 The Authority made further progress in 2010/11 to align its priorities and strategic planning. Both Child and Family Services and Adult Services have been recognised as strategic priorities. This is not only the case in respect of documents such as the Corporate Improvement Plan but also the manner in which both areas of work are addressed by the Authority.

15.2 The Transformation of Adult Services and the Improvement agenda for Child and Family Services have been regular features of discussion at the Corporate Management Team, Strategic Programme Board and at meetings of Overview and Scrutiny Boards.

15.3 Political consensus and support in respect of Child and Family Services continued to be a significant feature of the work progressed during 2010/11. Regular reporting to Council continued throughout the year.

15.4 The important role of the Child and Family Services Overview and Scrutiny Board was recognised by members of the Intervention Board and also by the CSSIW Inspectors. There has been considerable learning by the Authority in respect of this approach to Overview and Scrutiny. All the Boards now use some of the elements developed by the Child and Family Services Overview and Scrutiny Board.

15.5 It is particularly worthy of note that the Centre for Public Scrutiny’s Good Scrutiny Awards recognised the good work of the Child and Family Services Overview and Scrutiny Board. This led to the Board being awarded the NationaTeam of the Year award.

15.6 There are a number of matters that will need to be considered during 2011/12:

. Ensuring that the Corporate Management Team and Members are kept advised of key issues for Social Services.

. Exploring the options associated with Sustainable Social Services for Wales: A Framework for Action.

. Providing clear and objective advice to Members.

16. KEY PRIORITIES FOR 2011 / 12

16.1 There has been an increasing pace of change during the last few years which has seen the development of services to address the identified need of service users.

The overall direction for Social Services is described in Sustainable Social Services for Wales: A Framework for Action. This clearly identifies the policy requirements of the Welsh Government. In addition the following also need to be considered:

. The expectation of people living in the City and County of Swansea.

. Demographic change within the population.

. The financial position faced by the Authority.

16.2 The key priorities for action in 2011/12 are to:

. Ensure that the case for proposed change in respect of service delivery for Adult Services is clear.

. Continue the developments in respect of the assessment process for adults and work within communities.

. Improve the position, in conjunction with health colleagues, for those people that require support from Social Services when they are discharged from hospital.

. Maintain the improvements achieved within Child and Family Services.

. Address the financial situation so that a balanced budget is achieved during the next three years.

. Continue the approach to practice for looked after children so that the number of looked after children further reduces.

16.3 The detail in respect of actions for Adult Services and Child and Family Services is contained in the respective Strategic Delivery Plan.

16.4 Adult Services

. Our vision for Adult Services is to:

Create meaningful and fulfilled lives for all, through supportive relationships within sustainable communities.

. The four key aims of Adult Services are to:

 Promote social inclusion and independence  Support people at times of difficulty, vulnerability and illness  Protect people from harm, abuse or neglect.  Act as a corporate champion in local government for the most vulnerable and at risk groups.

. To achieve the vision and key aims for Adult Services it will be necessary to progress developments that transform services. The approach that will be taken will be based on three pillars that form a framework for the Adult Services transformation agenda:

Reshaping and remodelling services - both internally and externally to become more personalised and relationship centred. Services will be flexible, innovative, effective and better value for money. They will be outcome focussed and the emphasis will be on what service users can contribute as well as what they need.

Redesigning our operating model (Assessment and Care Management process) - to one of assisted self assessment and support planning, where a resource allocation system and an indicative budget are the vehicles that will give users and carers more choice and control and where the emphasis is on outcomes and achievements and not needs and requirements.

Refocusing on communities - to ensure that we are linking citizens into local resources and networks, forming strong links with other community organisations and introducing a local area co-ordination approach to lower level intervention. We will work with key stakeholders to develop mutual support systems and will test out a number of concepts around time banking, cooperatives and mutual societies.

Access

Outcome - To ensure that fair and effective access to services that improve health, social care and well being.

Priorities - . Continue to develop use of internet as an access channel for Adult Social Services.

. Develop the role and knowledge base of the Intake Team and review intake arrangements across both Adult Services and Contact Swansea.

. Work with partners to ensure that up-to-date information and joined up arrangements are in place with clear pathways to advice, support and services.

. Work with health partners to identify and reduce delays and to co-ordinate effective access to a range of local services.

Assessment and Care Management

Outcome - To ensure that assessments, support planning and reviews are timely, proportionate, personalised and outcome focussed.

Priorities - . Agree revised assessment and support planning process and structure service delivery to support a tiered approach to assessment.

. Build a revised Unified Assessment tool and support plan in PARIS system.

. Implementation of risk assessment tools and risk enablement framework across Assessment and Care Management services.

. Develop care planning module in PARIS to include service delivery arrangements.

. Develop review arrangements to monitor delivery of outcomes and inform contracting / commissioning arrangements.

. Agreement with ABMU Health Board the integration and collaboration priorities within Older People’s Services.

Range and Quality of Services

Outcome - To provide a range of services that are flexible, person-centred and focussed on improved outcomes.

Priorities - . A new business model for current directly provided services will have been presented and a way forward agreed.

. Remodel respite services for younger adults remodelled.

. Development of re-ablement services including step up, step down services.

. Make better use of assisted technology in supporting people to remain at home.

. Engagement with providers to ensure services provided reflect commissioning priorities and are outcome focussed.

Safeguarding Adults

Outcome - To continue to provide effective arrangements for the protection of vulnerable adults in Swansea.

Priorities - . Monitor effectiveness of risk assessment tool in relation to adult protection.

. Promote access to training packages and improve information sharing.

. Carry out regular meeting with community representatives.

. Ensure wider participation in the Swansea Safeguarding Adults Board.

Workforce

Outcome - To ensure staff are valued and are supported to deliver their best in order to have an appropriately skilled workforce to support transformation within Adult Services.

Priorities - . Continued consolidation of Social Care Workforce Development Partnership arrangements to improve knowledge about training opportunities and to foster better links between different stakeholders.

. The implementation of dedicated, specialist software to record workforce training and qualification data, to improve the quality of planning information.

. Development of proposals for non Higher Education Institutions based post qualification training awards for Social Workers, to improve specialist knowledge and competence.

16.5 Child and Family Services

. Our vision for Child and Family Services is as follows:

We aim to ensure that children and young people who may be disadvantaged by their needs or circumstances are supported to enjoy a happy, healthy and productive childhood and have the opportunities they need to reach their potential.

. Our main responsibilities are to protect and safeguard the welfare of children in need. This will be achieved by:

 Ensuring that staff are valued and are supported to deliver their best.

 As a key member of local partnerships Child and Family Services will work closely with other agencies to ensure that vulnerable children and young people receive the support they need at the earliest possible opportunity.

 Providing effective evidenced based services to improve outcomes for Children in Need, including disabled children, children in need of protection and looked after children.

 Ensuring we have robust systems in place to monitor what we do and which demonstrate that we provide high quality, effective services to children and families.

 Ensuring that Child and Family Services are innovative, creative and inclusive.

Access, Assessment and Support

Outcome - Providing effective evidenced based services to improve outcomes for children in need, including disabled children

Priorities - . Co-ordination of Family Support Services within City and County of Swansea.

. Lead the implementation of the Child Disability Strategy.

. To ensure Short Break services to disabled children are delivered effectively and efficiently.

Outcome - Providing effective evidenced based services to improve outcomes for children in need of protection.

Priorities - . We will continue to lead the development of the Swansea Safeguarding Board.

. We will support the development and implementation of multi-agency arrangements to ensure effective joint working arrangements in relation to neglect.

. We will support the development and implementation of multi-agency arrangements to support young people who place themselves at risk.

Outcome - Providing effective evidenced based services to improve outcomes for looked after children and young people.

Priorities - . Improve commissioning arrangements in relation to placements and services for Looked After Children.

. Recruit a further three MAST carers and return three children and young people from external placements.

. Review current arrangements to ensure that Foster Swansea is able to recruit more carers.

. Implement the recommendations of the review of services for care leavers.

Planning and Partnerships

Outcome - As a key member of Local Partnerships Child and Family Services will work closely with other agencies to ensure that vulnerable children and young people receive the support they need at the earliest opportunity.

Priorities - . Work with key partners in consultation with Professor David Thorpe and Dr. Suzanne Regan to implement the 4Site Model via the Children and Youth Partnership Programme.

Workforce

Outcome - Ensuring that staff are valued and are supported to deliver their best.

Priorities - . Ensuring that all staff are appraised and receive regular good quality supervision.

. To support cultural change in Children’s Services by promoting the use of restorative practice.

. To develop an underpinning philosophy for best practice.

. Child and Family resources are best organised to deliver effective services.

. Ensure that staff are offered opportunities to engage and participate in taking forward Child and Family Services.

. Implement the recommendations of the Business Services review.

Performance

Outcome - Ensuring we have robust systems in place to monitor what we do and which demonstrate that we provide high quality, effective services to Children and Families.

Priorities - . Key budget hotspot areas within the Child and Family Services are managed.

. An efficient and effective, user friendly information and reporting system.

. The Service Quality Unit produces comprehensive information on quality.

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APPENDIX

PERFORMANCE

Key changes in Activity to 2010/11

The following tables compare changes in workload across both Child and Family Services and Adult Services between 2009-10 and 2010-11.

Child and Family Services Activity 2008/9 2009/10 2010/11 % Percentage Change Referrals 4267 4379 2762 - 36.9 Re-referrals 1448 1786 961 - 46.2 Initial Assessments 2195 1968 1317 - 33.1 Core Assessments 581 812 1068 31.5 Strategy (SD) Discussions held 769 974 812 - 16.6 Section 47 resulting (from SD) 518 736 550 - 25.3 Child Protection Registrations 170 267 286 7.1 Child Protection De-registrations 150 192 273 42.2 Initial Child Protection Conferences 138 176 204 15.9 CP Reviews in timescale 406 461 613 33.0 Looked After children at Year end (open cases) 428 558 568 1.8 LAC Placements Started 190 266 193 - 27.4 Statutory visits carried out 1927 2967 2724 - 8.2 LAC Reviews due in year 915 1372 1500 9.3 LAC Reviews carried out in timescale 717 1039 1281 23.3

Adult Services

Activity 2008/9 2009/10 2010/11 Percentage Change Referrals 7657 10985 10814 - 1.6 Unified Assessments 8783 8974 8483 - 5.5 Reviews 4008 4469 4862 8.8 People receiving a service 7702 8518 7635 - 10.4 OT Assessments 4381 4990 4316 - 13.5 Direct Payments 122 166 179 7.8 649 Carers known to (new carers Social Services only) 2861 2053 - 28.2

Social Services are clearly facing some significant challenges. Changes within the local population and socio-economic conditions are creating more and more pressures within services.

Table showing Key Performance Results 2010-11 (Targets set for 2011-12 are provisional)

Swansea Swansea Swansea End of End of End of Wales Swansea Swansea Swansea Year Year Year Ave Target End of Year Target Ref. Service Indicator 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2009-10 2010-11 2010-11 2011-12 SCA001 Adult Rate of Delayed Transfers of Care Range (NSI) Services 6.78 4.95 2.97 6.1 6 to 8 9 6 - 9 SCA002a Adult Rate of Older People(aged 65 or over) (NSI) Services supported in Community at end of year (per To be 1000 population) determine 98.67 90.18 94.6 86.7 98 69.87 d SCA002b Adult Rate of Older People (aged 65 or over) (NSI) Services supported in Residential / Nursing Care Homes (per 1000 population) 20.1 20.94 22.71 21.8 22 22.16 22 SCA003a Adult % of Clients who are younger adults aged 18- Range (PAM) Services 64 who are supported in the community 95.36 96.37 96.42 94.2 92-95 96.9 95 - 97 SCA003b Adult % of Clients who are younger adults, aged (PAM) Services 65or over who are supported in the Range community 80.27 82.07 83.67 83.8 79-82 80.43 80 - 84 SCA007 Adult % of Clients whose care plans were reviewed Range (PAM) Services during the year 63 67.6 70.7 71.5 70 74.2 75 -77 SCA015 Adult Average number of days from completion of (New) Services care plan to Installation of aids/equipment (working days) New 5 5 NA x SCA018a Adult % of Carers known to social services who (PAM) Services were offered assessment or review New 97.1 100 80.8 N/a 100 N/a SCA019 Adult % of Adult Protection referrals where the risk (PAM) Services has been managed New 69.38 under review

Ref. Service Indicator Swansea Swansea Swansea End of Wales Swansea Swansea Swansea End of Year End of Year Year Ave Target End of Year Target 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2009-10 2010-11 2010-11 2011-12 SCC/001a Child and % of First Placements of looked after children (PAM) Family with care plan in place Services 78 75.3 100 92.28 80 100 100 SCC/001b Child and % of Looked after children at 2nd review with Family a plan for permanence Range Services 85.3 84.1 72.4 91.88 90 96.7 90 -97 SCC/002 Child and % of Looked after children experiencing one (NSI) Family or more changes of school Services 32.8 16.2 19.2 13.08 <15 15.3 <15 SCC/004 Child and % of Looked after children with 3 or more (PAM) Family placements in year Range Services 8.6 40.5 8.94 10.19 <15 13 5 - 15 SCC/006 Child and % of Referrals on which decision made within (SID) Family 1 working day Services 100 10.9 98.4 95.24 99 98.3 99 SCC/007a Child and % of Referrals allocated to social worker for (SID) Family initial assessment Services 74 48.6 41.4 41.73 <50 42.5 <50 SCC/007b Child and % of Referrals allocated to someone other (SID) Family than a social worker Services 6.2 33.9 4.2 11.88 <10 5.1 <10 SCC/007c Child and % of Referrals which did not proceed to (SID) Family allocation Services 19.8 40.5 54.4 46.17 >40 52.3 >40 SCC/010 Child and % of referrals that are repeat referral within (SID) Family 12 months Services 24.5 33.9 40.8 31.67 <30 34.8 <30 Child and % initial assessments carried out where SCC/0011 Family evidence that children seen a (PAM) Services 81.4 57.9 55.2 59.97 80 72.9 80

Ref. Service Indicator Swansea Swansea Swansea End of Wales Swansea Swansea Swansea End of Year End of Year Year Ave Target End of Year Target 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2009-10 2010-11 2010-11 2011-12 Child and % initial assessments carried out where SCC/0011 Family evidence that children seen alone b (SID) Services 11.5 10.3 17.9 25.45 NA 32.6 NA SCC/013a Child and % open cases of children on CPR allocated to i (SID) Family a qualified social worker Services 100 97.6 96.1 98.99 100 99.9 100 SCC/013a Child and % open cases of children looked after ii (SID) Family allocated to a qualified social worker Services 92.2 91.4 93.6 95.29 100 97.3 100 SCC/013a Child and % open cases of children in need allocated to iii (SID) Family a qualified social worker Services 64.69 69.7 64.3 67.73 57-62 57.9 57-62 SCC/013b Child and % open cases of children on CPR allocated to i (SID) Family someone other than a qualified social worker Services 0 1.7 2.6 0.72 0 0.1 0 SCC/013b Child and % open cases of children looked after ii (SID) Family allocated to someone other than a qualified Services social worker 5.55 4.9 3.5 7.32 0 2.6 0 SCC/013b Child and % open cases of children in need allocated to iii (SID) Family someone other than a qualified social worker Services 7.67 19.2 27.3 26.4 <15 30 <15 SCC/014 Child and % of Initial Case Conferences held within 15 (SID) Family days of strategy discussion Services 94.8 72.6 61.1 79.33 80 65.2 80 SCC/015 Child and % of Initial Core group meetings held with 10 (SID) Family days of Initial Case Conference Services 56.5 33.5 41.9 82.42 60 69.2 60 SCC/016 Child and % of Reviews of Children in Need plans in (SID) Family accordance with statutory timescales Services x x x 56.07 x x SCC/020 Child and % Looked after children who have teeth Family checked by dentist in year Services x x x 84.02 x 87.6

Ref. Service Indicator Swansea Swansea Swansea End of Wales Swansea Swansea Swansea End of Year End of Year Year Ave Target End of Year Target 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2009-10 2010-11 2010-11 2011-12 SCC/021 Child and % LAC reviews carried out within statutory Family timescales Range Services 90.28 78.4 75.7 90.87 80 85.4 85 - 87 SCC/022a Child and % Attendance of looked after children whilst Family in primary school Services x 93.2 88.5 93.34 95 92 95 SCC/022b Child and % Attendance of looked after children whilst Family in secondary school Services x 88.1 84.8 88.66 90 86.2 90 SCC/024 Child and % Looked after children with a Personal (SID) Family Education Plan Services 85.2 81.5 62.4 61.38 83 70.4 83 SCC/025 Child and % Statutory visits to looked after children in (PAM) Family accordance with regulations Services x 79.3 85.7 82.23 80 91.1 80 SC/028 Child and % children looked after with Assessment and (New, Family Progress Record at 3rd review SID) Services x 16.87 67.3 SCC/030a Child and % Young carers known to social services who (PAM) Family were assessed Services 100 100 80 84.99 100 75.6 100 SCC/030b Child and % Young carers who were provided with a (SID) Family service Services 100 100 80 84.89 100 75.6 100 SCC/033a Child and % Young people formerly looked after still in (NSI) Family contact with Social Services at 19th birthday Services x 81.8 96.3 95.14 85.2 SCC/033b Child and % Young people formerly looked after in (NSI) Family suitable, non-emergency accommodation Services x 83.3 100 92.74 91.3 SCC/033c Child and % Young people formerly looked after (NSI) Family engaged in education, training or employment Services at 19 66.7 61.54 49.19 39.1

Ref. Service Indicator Swansea Swansea Swansea End of Wales Swansea Swansea Swansea End of Year End of Year Year Ave Target End of Year Target 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2009-10 2010-11 2010-11 2011-12 SCC/034 Child and % of CPR reviews carried out within statutory (SID) Family timescales Services 96.84 98.5 93.7 96.07 95 96.7 98 SCC/035 Child and % Looked After children at Key Stage 2 (SID) Family achieving core subject indicator Services 45 42.11 44.19 50 37.5 50 SCC/036 Child and % Looked After children at Key Stage 3 (SID) Family achieving core subject indicator Services 18.5 30 25 25 21.21 25 SCC/037 Child and Ave. qualifications points score for 16 year (NSI) Family old children who are looked after by the Services Authority 127 151.65 156 SCC/039 Child and % Health Assessments for looked after (SID) Family children undertaken Services 95.7 89.3 81.95 96 89.6 96 SCC/040 Child and % Placements started where child is registered (SID) Family with GP within 10 days Services 60.8 62.2 80.79 96.8 SCC/041a Child and % Eligible children looked after or formerly (SID) Family looked after with pathway plans Services 60.81 92.2 89.12 96 93.2 95 SCC/041b Child and % Eligible children looked after or formerly (SID) Family looked after allocated a personal advisor Services 95.83 96.1 92.85 96 96.3 95 SCC/042a Child and % Initial Assessments completed within 7 Family working days Range Services 51.91 62.3 72.3 65.45 70 78.7 80 -85 SCC/042b Child and Ave. time taken for those initial assessments Family that took longer than 7 working days Services 16.67 14 14.1 25.23 <12days 13 <12 days

Ref. Service Indicator Swansea Swansea Swansea End of Wales Swansea Swansea Swansea End of Year End of Year Year Ave Target End of Year Target 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2009-10 2010-11 2010-11 2011-12 SCC/043a Child and % Core Assessments completed within 35 Family working days Services 11.18 39.6 56.8 63.4 50 57 60 SCC/043b Child and Ave. time taken for those core assessments Family that took longer than 35working days Services 69.42 66 74.6 days 78.84 <50days 66 <50 days SCC/044a Child and % children looked after who were (New) Family permanently excluded from school in the Services previous academic year - - - - 0.4 0 SCC/044b Child and Ave. no. of days spent out of school on fixed- (New) Family term exclusions for children looked after Services - - - - 8.5 <10

ADULT SERVICES

GRAPHS SHOWING PROGRESS WITHIN KEY INDICATORS SCA/001 Delayed Transfers SCA001 Delayed Transfers of Care 10 Swansea Target Range 2010/11 = 6 - 8 (Rate per 1000 population) 9 9

7 6.78

Swansea Performance 6 Wales Average 2009/10 4.95 Swansea Target 5

2.97 3

0 Comment: 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 This figure is reported as a rate of delays for social care reasons per 1000 population as taken at 12 census dates carried out during the year. We have remodelled the way we provide long-term support to people being discharged from hospital. In the longer term this will result in a more efficient, effective and responsive service; in the short-term there have been issues in relation to supply and demand. Now that the new systems have been fully implemented performance will improve over the year. We are working with health partners and our domiciliary care assessment service to establish the most cost effective and sustainable hospital-discharge arrangements.

SCA/003b Supported in community (18-64) SCA003a Percentage Adults 18-64 Supported in the Community Swansea Target Range 2010/11 = 92 - 95% 100

96.94 96.37 96.42 95 95.36

90 Swansea Performance Wales Average 2009/10 Swansea Target 85

70 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

Comment: This indicator reflects the balance of care for adults under 65, receiving community-based support and residential forms of care. Our focus remains on providing a range of community based services. This approach is reflected in a steady improvement in this indicator over the last four years.

SCA/003b Supported in community (65+)

SCA003b Percentage Adults 65+ Supported in the Community Swansea Target 2010/11 = 79% - 82% 86

84 83.67

82 82.07

80 80.27 80.43 Swansea Performance 78 Wales Average 2009/10 Swansea Target Range

70 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

Comment: This indicator reflects the balance of care between people receiving community-based support and residential forms of care. There are fewer older people receiving traditional services in the community due to the developing ethos of supporting and directing people to community resources rather than traditional paid-for services. The number of people receiving residential forms of care remains stable.

CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES SCC/006 Referrals

SCC006 Referrals on which decision made within 1 working day Swansea Target 2010/11 = 99% 105

100 100 98.4 98.3 96.7

90 Swansea Performance Wales Average 2009/10 85 Swansea Target

70 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

Comment: During the year, social work teams have been restructured and new referral processes have been introduced. Despite these significant changes, and the attendant pressures it creates, performance remains strong and close to target. We will continue to monitor and review practice within teams to ensure referrals are dealt with promptly and effectively.

SCC/042a Initial Assessments

Initial Assessments carried out within timescale (SCC/042a) Swansea Target 2010/11 = 80% 90

78.7 80 72.3 70 62.3 60 51.91 50 Swansea Performance Wales Average 2009/10 40 Swansea Target

0 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

Comment: During the year social workers have been restructured into new locality based teams, and a new referral process have been introduced. In spite of these significant changes, and the attendant pressures it creates, performance has improved from 72.3% at the end of last year to the current PI result of 78.7%. We will continue to monitor and review the timeliness of initial assessments within CCARAT and locality teams.

SCC/43a Core Assessments

Core Assessments carried out within timescale (SCC/43a) Swansea Target 2010/11 = 57% 70

60 56.8 57

39.6 40 Swansea Performance Wales Average 2009/10 30 Swansea Target

11.18 10

0 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

Comment: Performance in completing core assessment in timescale has improved significantly from the 2007-08 result. During the past year assessment and care management teams were restructured to improve outcomes for children and performance in this area. We will continue to monitor the impact of these changes across the new teams.

SCC/010 Re-referrals

Re-referrals (SCC/010) Swansea Target 2010/11 = < 30% 45 40.8 40

34.8 35 33.9

24.5 25 Swansea Performance Wales Average 2009/10 20 Swansea Target

0 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

Comment: During the past 12 months the Children’s Central Advice and Referral Assessment Team (CCARAT) has been created and new referral procedures have been introduced to improve practice and to create a more effective response to any concerns we receive about a child’s welfare. This has resulted in improved performance from 40.8% at the end of year 2009-10 to 34.8%

SCC/013ai Children on Protection Register with allocated Social Worker

Children on Protection Register with Allocated Social Worker (SCC/013ai) Swansea Target 2010/11 = 100% 100 99.9 100 97.6 96.1

Swansea Performance Wales Average 2009/10 85 Swansea Target

70 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

Comment: We aim to ensure that all children on the protection register are being managed by a qualified social worker. There is a daily monitoring of Child Protection Caseloads has meant that cases of children are re-allocated at the earliest opportunity. Due to a very short-lived staffing issue with one of our teams, one child was unallocated for a brief period. All statutory responsibilities were met by the team manager until the case could be reallocated.

SCC/013aii Children looked with allocated Social Worker

Children looked after with Allocated Social Worker (SCC/013aii) Swansea Target 2010/11 = 100%

100 97.3

95 93.6 92.2 91.4

Swansea Performance Wales Average 2009/10 85 Swansea Target

70 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

Comment: We aim to ensure that all children looked after by the Authority are being managed by a qualified social worker. However some long-term stable cases of LAC may be allocated to experienced but unqualified support workers; their work is closely monitored by qualified staff: We report and monitor case allocations on a weekly basis within the Senior Management Team.

SCC/013aiii Children in Need with Allocated Social Worker

Children in Need with Allocated Social Worker (SCC/013aiii) 2011/12 Target Range = 57%- 62% 80

69.7 70 64.69 64.3

60 57.9

50 Swansea Performance 40 Wales Average 2009/10 Swansea Target

0 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

Comment: We are currently achieving the agreed target range. We aim to ensure that all children in need are being supported in the most effective way. Although the proportion of children in need cases supported by qualified worker has fallen in the last three years, we continue to monitor each case closely to prioritise allocations and manage caseloads within teams. Some children are supported by experienced but unqualified support workers whose work is closely monitored by qualified staff:

SCC/021 Looked After children reviews

Looked After children reviews (SCC/021) Swansea Target 2010/11 = 80% 100

90 90.28 85.4 80 78.4 75.7 70

60 Swansea Performance 50 Wales Average 2009/10 Swansea Target 40

0 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

Comment: Significant improvement in performance in the context of a high number of looked after children in Swansea. We aim to achieve permanence for all children looked after by ensuring that they are in the most suitable placement. Reviews are important part of ensuring a child’s placement is achieving the outcomes agreed, and thereby helping to avoid the possibility of a placement breakdown.

SCC/034 Child Protection reviews on time

Child Protection reviews on time (SCC/034) Swansea Target 2010/11 = 95% 100 98.5 96.84 96.7

95 93.7

Swansea Performance 85 Wales Average 2009/10 Swansea Target

70 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11

Comment: The graph shows a significant improvement in performance this year. Within the Service Quality Unit Reviews, Case Conference Chairs work closely with social workers to ensure that, where possible, reviews take place in a timely way. cm14030/sd

Item No. 14 (1)

Joint Report of the Chair of Council and Monitoring Officer

Council – 29 September 2011

APPLICATION TO EXTEND A SCHEME OF ALLOWANCES IN RESPECT OF SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITY ALLOWANCES (SRAs) FOR THE CHAIR OF THE PETITIONS COMMITTEE

Summary

Purpose: To seek Council’s permission to apply to the Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP) for Wales in order to apply to extend the scheme of allowances in respect of the Special Responsibility Allowances for the Chair of the Petitions Committee.

Policy Framework: None.

Reason for Decision: To obtain permission from Council in order to apply to the IRP to extend the SRAs as detailed.

Consultation: Legal, Finance, Constitution Working Group

1. Introduction

1.1 The Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales Annual Report of December 2009 determined that Vice Chairs would no longer be eligible to receive an SRA payment. In addition the IRP outlined the Committees that would warrant an SRA payment. The Council’s Petitions Committee would not command an SRA payment as prescribed.

1.2 However the IRP put an appeals mechanism in place whereby a Council could apply to extend the scheme of allowances in respect of Special Responsibility Allowances.

1.3 The mechanism requires that a resolution of Council supporting the application is required prior to a formal application being made to the IRP.

1.4 Council at its meeting on 4 August 2011 deferred this report in order to ensure that the Authority had not made any previous decision in relation to the proposals set out in the recommendations. It is confirmed that this report has not been previously discussed by Council.

2. Petitions Committee

2.1 During 2010 / 2011, the Planning and Petitions Committee dealt with planning and petition matters; however the length and workload of these meetings has been increasing.

2.2 During 2010 / 2011, 41 petitions were dealt with. Currently in 2011 / 2012 there are over 30 petitions waiting to be considered.

2.3 This report seeks Council’s approval:

a) To submit an application to the IRP to extend the scheme of allowances in respect of Special Responsibility Allowances for the Chair of the Petitions Committee.

2.4 The draft application to seek Special Responsibility Allowances (SRAs) as detailed above is shown in Appendix A.

2.5 The IRP consider applications on a quarterly basis.

3. The Regulations

3.1 Regulation 36(2) of the Local Authorities (Allowances for Members) (Wales) Regulations 2007 requires that “the Panel must consider any representations received from an Authority in respect of the exercise of the Panel’s functions under this regulation”. This includes the responsibilities and duties which may attract an SRA.

3.2 The Panel may set different maximum amounts for different Authorities (Regulation 36(1)).

3.3 Paragraphs 4.10 and 4.22 of the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales’ Annual Report for 2009 (for implementation in 2010 / 2011) confirms that consideration will be given to specific applications from Local Authorities to have other posts made eligible for SRAs, in addition to those detailed at paragraph 4.21 of the Panel’s report.

4. Requirements of the Regulations

4.1 SRAs are only payable to Councillors (Regulation 8(1)).

4.2 SRAs must not be paid to more than 50% of an Authority’s Councillors (Regulation 8 (2)).

4.3 A Councillor may only receive one SRA regardless of the number of positions of Special Responsibility held (Regulation 8 (4)).

5. Additional Requirements of the Panel

5.1 Details of the responsibilities and duties of the position for which an SRA is being sought (that is an explanation as to why the position in question merits an SRA).

5.2 The SRA banding which is considered by the Local Authority to be the appropriate band for the position under consideration, and why the Authority considers it to be most appropriate.

5.3 An explanation detailing how the level of responsibility equates with other positions in the chosen band.

5.4 Confirmation that the position responsibility would involve a sustained period of significant responsibility and commitment.

5.5 The Local Authority must confirm that under the new arrangements their Scheme of Allowances will continue to meet the requirements of the Regulations at “3” above.

5.6 The Local Authority will also need to provide sufficient additional information under “4” above to allow the Panel to reach a decision on the application.

6. Financial Implications

6.1 If successful and the IRP accept the application as detailed, there would be an additional cost of £9,708 to the current Councillors Allowances. This funding remains available from within existing budget.

7. Legal Implications

7.1 The proposals are in accordance with the relevant legislation.

8. Recommended that:

8.1 An application be submitted to the IRP to further extend the scheme of allowances in respect of Special Responsibility Allowances for the Chair of the Petitions Committee;

8.2 Council approves the application to the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales as detailed in Appendices A and B.

Background papers: None

Contact: Huw G Evans  01792 637347 Legal Officer: Rod Jones Finance Officer: Carl Billingsley

Appendix A

Application for SRA for Chair of Petitions Committee

Details of the responsibilities and duties of the position for which an SRA is being sought (that is an explanation as to why the position in question merits an SRA);

1. Summary

1.1 The Petitions Committee is recommended for establishment at the Annual Meeting of Council on 16 May 2011. During 2010 / 2011, petitions had been considered by the Planning and Petitions Committee and prior to that by Council.

1.2 In order to engage openly and appropriately with the public, time is a key element when considering petitions as such, the establishment of a Petitions Committee goes some way towards proving the necessary time.

1.3 The Terms of Reference of the Petitions Committee was approved by Council on 16 May 2011 as being:

“To consider report(s) from the relevant Officer in relation to petitions. The Committee will then recommend a course of action to the Cabinet Member and Director / Head of Service for them to consider.”

1.4 During 2010 / 2011, the number of petitions being considered and the interest from petitioners and local residents led the Council to ask the IRP:

a) To extend the scheme of allowances in respect of Special Responsibility Allowances for the Chair of the Petitions Committee.

2. Context

2.1 The Petitions Committee is critical to the success and continued best practise perceived between this Authority and its residents / stakeholders especially those linked to petitions and community engagement.

2.2 In addition to the meeting itself, the Chair would be required to liaise with Council Officers at all levels, the public and other relevant stakeholders, probably leading to a large number of meetings.

3. Responsibilities and Duties

3.1 The specific responsibilities and duties of the Chairs of the Regulatory Committees are laid out in the Council Constitution. The Council sees no difference to the duties, role description and person specification for the Chair of Petitions Committee and as such will incorporate Petitions into this category.

4. The SRA banding which is considered by the local authority to be the appropriate band for the position under consideration, and why the authority considers it to be the most appropriate;

4.1 Band 3 – This places the Chairs into the same category as all other Chairs of Committees. This is inline with the IRP Recommendations of December 2009.

4.2 The Authority feels that this is the most appropriate level as it compensates the Chair in a fair and equitable way at an equal level.

5. An explanation detailing how the level of responsibility equates with other positions in the chosen band; and

5.1 The level of responsibility for this Chair is at the same level as that expected of each other Chair of Committees which commands an SRA. The frequency of the meeting, the complex nature of petitions are all real issues that equate this to all other Chairs in Band 3.

6. Confirmation that the position would involve a sustained period of significant responsibility and commitment.

6.1 Chairs are appointed by the Committee for a maximum term of 1 year. The Committee has the right to remove Chairs having given appropriate notice. History clearly shows that community engagement readily stems from petitions and issues that aggrieve the residents. It is proposed to hold this Committee 8 weekly. The workload of petitions can be further evidenced by looking at minutes of the meetings clearly showing the lengthy hours involved.

Appendix B

CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR OF A REGULATORY COMMITTEE ROLE DESCRIPTION

1. Accountabilities

. To Full Council . To the members of the regulatory committee

2. Role Purpose and Activity

2.1 Providing leadership and direction

. To provide confident and effective management of meetings to facilitate inclusively, participation and clear decision making . To ensure that applicants and other interested parties are satisfied as to the transparency of the regulatory process . To demonstrate integrity and impartiality in decision making which accord with legal, constitutional and policy requirements . To delegate actions to sub committees as appropriate

2.2 Promoting the role of the regulatory committee and quasi-judicial decision making

. To act as an ambassador for the regulatory committee, facilitating understanding of the role . To act within technical, legal and procedural requirements to oversee the functions of the committee fairly and correctly . To ensure thoroughness and objectivity in the committee, receiving and responding to professional advice in the conduct of meetings and in individual cases/applications before formal committee meetings

2.3 Internal governance, ethical standards and relationships

. To develop the standing and integrity of the committee and its decision making . To understand the respective roles of members, officers and external parties operating within the regulatory committee’s area of responsibility . To promote and support good governance by the Council.

CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR OF A REGULATORY COMMITTEE ROLE DESCRIPTION Cont’d

3. Values

3.1 To be committed to the values of the council and the following values in public office:

. Openness and transparency . Honesty and integrity . Tolerance and respect . Equality and fairness . Appreciation of cultural differences . Sustainability

4. Vice Chair of a Regulatory Committee

. To fulfil the duties of the Chair of a Regulatory Committee in his or her absence . To assist the Chair of a Regulatory Committee in specific duties as required

CHAIR & VICE CHAIR OF REGULATORY COMMITTEE PERSON SPECIFICATION

1. To fulfil his or her role as set out in the role description, an effective regulatory committee chair requires:

Providing leadership and direction

. Ability to conduct meetings to ensure that applicants feel that they have been dealt with fairly and fully even if their application is refused . Understanding of the Council’s role and ability to ensuring that stake holders are aware of that role . Communication skills . Knowledge of local issues . Ability to manage the work of the committee . Ability to support and develop necessary skills in fellow members of the committee

1.2 Promoting the role of the regulatory committee and quasi-judicial decision making

. Understanding and appreciation of the regulatory framework . Ability to inspire and enthuse committee members for the work of the committee . Integrity and the ability to set aside own views and act impartially . Knowledge and understanding of the relevant code(s) of conduct and protocols and the ability to champion them

1.3 Internal governance, ethical standards and relationships

. Knowledge and understanding of the Code of Conduct(s) and protocols . Knowledge of and commitment to the values of the Council

Item No. 15 (1)

Report of the Chief Executive

Council - 29 September 2011

CORPORATE ASSESSMENT LETTER 2011/12

Summary

The report presents the findings from the Corporate Assessment to answer the question ‘Are the arrangements of the City & County of Swansea likely to secure continuous improvement?’

FOR INFORMATION

1. Introduction

1.1 For each financial year, the Wales Audit Office (WAO) on behalf of the Auditor General Wales assesses each Council in terms of whether it is likely to comply with the requirements of the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009.

1.2 The WAO considers, among other things, the Council’s published Improvement Plan, which contains its Improvement Objectives and plans for meeting them as well as the general duty to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement.

1.3 For each financial year, the Auditor General issues a Corporate Assessment letter to each Council. The Auditor General’s letter states whether he believes that the Council is likely to comply with the statutory duty to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement during the current financial year.

1.4 The letter also summarises:

1.4.1 the Council’s progress on areas for improvement and recommendations identified in the 2010 assessment;

1.4.2 a brief commentary on any relevant issues that may have emerged since the last report, including comments on how the Council is addressing financial challenges; and

1.4.3 updates to the work plan and timetable for delivering the Auditor General Wales’ Improvement Assessment work.

2. Main Conclusion

2.1 The main conclusion arising from the Corporate Assessment contained within the letter is that the Council is discharging its duties under the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009, and that the Council is likely to comply with its requirements during this financial year.

3. Legal Implications

31 There are no legal implications.

4. Financial Implications

4.1 There are no financial implications.

FOR INFORMATION

Background Papers: None Contact officers: Jeremy Stephens – Head of Performance & Strategic Projects, Tel: 636849 Richard Rowlands – Business Performance Manager, Tel: 637570

Legal Officer: Tracy Meredith Finance Officer: Mike Hawes

Mr Jack Straw, Chief Executive, Date 18 July 2011 City and County of Swansea, Civic Centre Our reference 327A2011 Oystermouth Road Your reference Swansea Tel No SA1 3SN E-mail Pages 1 of 9

Dear Mr Straw

Improvement Assessment: Including Corporate Assessment Update

As I explained in my letter of consultation on this year’s Improvement Assessment, I am fulfilling my responsibilities under section 19 of the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009 (the Measure) in this letter to the Council. As required under the legislation this letter will also be sent to Welsh Ministers.

During the transition year we prioritised the establishment of a general baseline which included the views of other inspectorates and regulators, and from which we could more accurately and proportionately assess improvement arrangements in future years. Having established that baseline, a comprehensive assessment will not be necessary in most councils in any one year. This year, my letter summarises:  the Council’s compliance with its statutory obligations to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement;  the Council’s progress on areas for improvement and recommendations identified in the 2010 assessment;  a brief commentary on any relevant issues that may have emerged since my last report, including comments on how the Council is addressing financial challenges; and  updates to the work plan and timetable for delivering my Improvement Assessment work.

Our reference: 327A2011 Page 2 of 8

The Council’s arrangements to secure continuous improvement

The Council leadership is continuing to drive change and address areas for improvement that were identified in the Corporate Assessment report of July 2010. Priorities for the coming period include ensuring compliance with statutory duties whilst making the necessary savings, raising the profile of the area and creating a clear vision for the Council.

The Council’s improvement objectives and the improvement plan (called Delivering Results that Matter the Corporate Improvement Plan 2011-12) meet the requirements of the Local Government Measure (2009) and the guidance issued by the Welsh Government.

In line with our suggestions in our corporate assessment in 2010-11, the Council’s improvement objectives for 2011-12 are much better informed by public consultation and engagement than last year. It is clear how consultation has influenced both the selection of improvement priorities and their scope, for example in linking what the Council plans to do on skills and training to its strategic approach to regeneration. Again, in line with our suggestions, the Council has replaced the very broadly based improvement objectives it set last year with five that focus on key service areas, the rationale for their selection is clear and reflects the shared vision for the community.

The Council has tried to set out what it wants to achieve in a format that is easy to follow, and this year’s improvement plan is better than last year, however the inclusion of extensive background information and some inconsistencies detract from the key messages the plan is trying to convey. The Council published its plan earlier this year and is now working hard to align it better with the budget and business planning cycles. The plan is readily accessible to the public and like last year a user friendly summary has been published in the local residents’ newspaper.

Although the plan covers the period 2011-12 it is evident that many actions will take longer to deliver, the plan makes no distinction between longer and shorter-term actions or the level of challenge that the actions represent. The Council decided to omit detailed milestones from the plan in an attempt to make the plan more accessible to the public. However, in our view, actions are not always described in sufficient detail to understand what the Council is going to do differently; so it is not clear to citizens, without referring to directorate business plans, which actions are to be completed during the year.

Many of the indicators are not related closely enough to the improvement the Council is seeking to make to the lives of local citizens. The Council, along with others in Wales, responds to a national framework based on measuring processes and outputs rather than outcomes. While there are some outcome-based measures in place there need to be more, and they need to be supplemented by more results-based indicators that paint an accurate picture of progress towards the desired outcome. Such a mix of measures will enable the Council to better judge the effectiveness of its actions and make it easier for local people to hold the Council to account. The current work towards the development of results-based accountability should help the Council develop its approach, in particular

Our reference: 327A2011 Page 3 of 8

with target setting and with the identification of appropriate and relevant success measures to underpin its improvement objectives.

I am satisfied that the Council is discharging its duties under the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009, and that the authority is likely to comply with its requirements during this financial year. I have reached this conclusion because my audit and assessment work has found that:  good progress is being made on the areas for improvement identified in my corporate assessment of 2010;  weaknesses in human resources arrangements are being addressed, and good progress is being made, although much remains to be done on workforce planning;  the Council has successfully implemented business planning and is in a good position to ensure that business planning drives the integration and alignment of strategic planning functions; and  the Council is well placed to address its financial challenges.

Progress on the areas for improvement identified in the 2010 assessment

The Preliminary Corporate Assessment, published in July 2010, said: ‘Some arrangements are positively supporting improvement and there is a stable Corporate Management Team, however, there are some governance problems and flaws in some business arrangements.’ The report identified a number of areas for improvement and also noted some areas where we would undertake further work. Progress on these matters is summarised below and described in more detail in Appendix 1.  The Council has implemented a new business planning approach which has improved the integration between service, financial and workforce plans.  Good progress has been made in developing arrangements to strengthen accountability for member behaviour.  The Council has clarified its ICT decision-making structures.  The Council has developed a clear strategic vision for Human Resources (HR) and is developing a formal documented HR Strategy. Further information about our findings in some of these areas is provided separately in interim updates where appropriate.

Emerging issues

Last year a number of common areas for further improvement emerged from my improvement assessments across local government. Findings about the Council’s progress in some of these areas are summarised below and more detail has been provided separately in interim updates where appropriate.

Our reference: 327A2011 Page 4 of 8

The Council has made some good progress in developing effective arrangements to manage and utilise its workforce. A cohesive approach to workforce planning is being developed but is at an early stage.

The Council has made good progress in those areas it prioritised for 2010-11; in particular the implementation of a new payroll system, preparation of a new pay and grading structure and the development of comprehensive Human Resource policies and procedures. The priority of implementing the new payroll system and making significant staff cost savings has meant that the balance of effort has yet to shift to longer-term planning to the extent that will be necessary. However, through the actions above it is creating a platform to do so.

Workforce planning is at an early stage, but its inclusion in the business planning process has meant that a cohesive approach is being taken forward. It should gain momentum as the business planning process is refined in future years. Organisational development within the Council remains relatively under developed. This needs to be strengthened to give the Council a greater understanding of the capacity and capability of the workforce. This understanding will enable the Council to make the right interventions to meet its needs.

The Council is well placed to address its financial challenges, although the scale of change required will inevitably continue to require clear leadership and direction

The Council has a well-established process of updating the Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) annually as part of its suite of financial papers, which are approved at Council each spring, and include the annual revenue and capital budgets and the council tax.

In its budget papers the Council forecasts a shortfall of £15 million on its 2011-12 revenue budget. The Council has a challenging programme of schemes, totalling £11.3 million, to implement to achieve its 2011-12 revenue budget, but is able to build upon the work initiated in 2010-11 to progress savings in specific areas. An increase from the council tax of £3.7 million is projected to meet the remainder of the shortfall.

A key focus for the Council continues to be the substantial overspends it is experiencing on its Child and Family Services within the Social Services budget. A specific financial recovery plan has been developed for the service to address these challenges. It is noted in the budget papers that there is a risk that the budget provision for Child and Family Services in 2011-12 will not be adequate. The Council has a contingency fund to enable it to manage the impact of risks and uncertainties, such as this.

Our reference: 327A2011 Page 5 of 8

Further proposals for improvement

In addition to the further work required to fully meet a rationalised set of Areas for Improvement identified in my July 2010 report, and to supplement proposals contained in the Annual Improvement Report of January 2011, I make the following proposals for improvement.  Clarify the difference the Council is aiming to achieve through its improvement programme and the actions it needs to take to achieve them.  Ensure that improvement objectives and actions are, wherever possible, underpinned by relevant, tailored performance measures that enable the Council to monitor the difference it is making to the lives of local people.  Simplify the presentation of the Plan to make it easier to follow.

Updates to the work plan and timetable

My Improvement Assessment team will keep the Council informed of the detailed arrangements for the delivery of the Annual Improvement Report later in the year. The regularly updated work plan and timetable provides more detail on how we intend to focus resources in this year’s assessment and in particular how we will add value by focusing on jointly identified areas or services. The work plan and timetable takes account of my response to the consultation over my proposals for 2011-12 performance audit work. I will also be asking the Improvement Assessment Team to consider the reliance that can be placed upon the self-assessment processes (including the Annual Governance Statement and the Annual Performance Report). I will comment on this approach in the Annual Improvement Report.

I am grateful to the Council for the way in which it has helped to facilitate our work and hope to see even more effective and efficient arrangements developing over time. I remain committed to providing appropriate levels of public assurance while supporting you in mitigating the inevitable risks to services and accountability that stem from reducing resources and consequential change.

Yours sincerely,

HUW VAUGHAN THOMAS

AUDITOR GENERAL FOR WALES

CC: Chris Holley, Leader City & Council of Swansea Carl Sargeant, Minister for Local Government and Communities Rod Alcott - Improvement Assessment Lead Jeremy Evans - Improvement Assessment Co-ordinator

Our reference: 327A2011 Page 6 of 8

Appendix 1

Proposals for improvement Progress 1. Engage further with partners to The Council has worked with partners to evaluate the identify shared outcomes, and progress being made in relation to its Community develop success measures and Strategy. The report of the Partnership Evaluation performance indicators. Panel made a number of recommendations which include actions for the Better Swansea Partnership such as developing citizen engagement, and working harder to understand how the Better Swansea Partnership and other strategic partnerships in the area relate to one another. The report also suggested improvements to the Community Strategy Annual Report to make it easier to evaluate deliveries including outcomes for citizens. All recommendations have been accepted by the Better Swansea Partnership. We will explore progress as part of the Wales Audit Office themed study later in the year. 2. Ensure that strategic plans are The MTFP approved by Council on 28 February 2011 carefully aligned to, and integrated was further improved from prior years with the with, the MTFP to strengthen inclusion of a Service and Financial Overview. The corporate business planning. MTFP highlights, service by service, the strategic plans, priorities and projects which will need to be funded over the short to medium term. Similarly, the approved Capital Budget provides for a number of strategic priorities, such as Quality in Education 2020. The above documents include proposals for funding the identified spending requirements. The 2011-12 business plans, which have subsequently been prepared by each Head of Service, are aligned to the MTFP. 3. Ensure that financial planning and Business planning roll-out commenced in January service planning are better 2011 and good progress has been made during this integrated to improve ownership of first year of roll-out in integrating some previously budgets and the actions required to disparate strategic planning requirements. achieve savings. Further work is planned to increase the integration of financial and service level planning. The next business planning cycle starting in October 2011 will now be aligned to the budget cycle, which will help to achieve this. The Authority plans to undertake a ‘lessons learnt’ exercise to improve the process further.

Our reference: 327A2011 Page 7 of 8

Proposals for improvement Progress 4. Explore ways of strengthening The Council has responded positively to our accountability for member behaviour recommendation and has proposed new arrangements and reducing the rate of referral to to strengthen accountability for member behaviour. the Ombudsman. This might include The Council’s Standards Committee is proactive in consideration of a more active role helping to strengthen accountability for member for the Standards Committee and/or behaviour. All the Council’s Group Leaders have developing internal mechanisms for expressed a commitment to making the proposed new resolving complaints. internal dispute resolution arrangements work; and to resolve member behaviour issues earlier and internally where at all possible, so avoiding the need to refer to the Ombudsman. The Council is awaiting the formal agreement of the Ombudsman although his initial views are favourable. The challenge for the Council now will be to put the new arrangements into practice in order to reduce the number of referrals to the Ombudsman. 5. Ensure that there is a clearer The Council has clarified its ICT decision making structure for decision making in ICT structures and further consideration of the governance and consideration of options for arrangements for technology and information future ICT delivery. management will be included in the Wales Audit Office themed studies in these areas later in the year. 6. Shift some of the balance of HR The Council has made good progress in those areas it effort to future-oriented planning prioritised for 2010-11. As the work on these priorities and action to help the Council is finalised, it will be important to take the opportunity prepare for and mitigate significant to transfer effort to a more balanced approach to risks before they develop. dealing with immediate risks with plans that should Specifically, the Council needs to help prepare for and mitigate such risks before they focus on the following areas: significantly develop.  HR strategy Specifically, in the following areas:  Strategic workforce planning  The Council has developed a clear strategic  Individual performance vision for HR, which is understood by the appraisals leadership team and senior management. Further progress should be made by establishing a formal documented HR Strategy.  A cohesive approach to workforce planning is emerging but is at an early stage. Organisation Development is required to assess the Authority’s capacity and capability ensuring the best interventions to meet its needs.  A performance appraisal process is in place but is not monitored centrally. The Council has developed a standard template to document the process and plans to roll this out when the new pay and grading structure comes into operation.

Our reference: 327A2011 Page 8 of 8

Proposals for improvement Progress 7. Improve the integration between The Council has implemented a new business service, financial and workforce planning approach which is aimed at aligning the plans to create a strategic approach overall corporate objectives with financial and to staff cost reduction that reduces workforce planning. This has improved the integration the risk of a future mismatch between service, financial and workforce plans. between resource requirements and Although there has been progress with introducing skills supply. basic workforce planning into the business plans, this will need to be developed further in future updates of the plans. The Council has recognised that the timing of the preparation and completion of these plans can be improved in future years. It is aiming to align their preparation with the annual budgets and to finalise the 2012-13 business plans prior to the start of the financial year.

Item No. 16 (1)

Report of the Health Social Care & Well Being Overview and Scrutiny Board

Council – 29 September 2011

SCRUTINY REVIEW: HOW CAN WE SUPPORT OLDER PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY?

Summary

Purpose: This report presents the findings, conclusions and recommendations resulting from the Board’s Review of support for older people in the community City and County of Swansea.

Policy Framework: Council Constitution

Reason for Decision: To agree the recommendations made by the Health Social Care & Well Being Overview and Scrutiny Board.

Consultation: Legal, Finance.

1. Introduction

1.1 This report presents the findings, conclusions and recommendations resulting from the Board’s review of support for older people in the community, which was completed at the end of the previous municipal year (2010/11).

2. Follow Up

2.1 To facilitate effective monitoring of the implementation of agreed recommendations, the relevant Cabinet Member will be required to provide to the appropriate Board:

 Within 2 months of the Cabinet decision – a report on progress from the relevant Cabinet Member detailing the Action Plan drawn up to address the accepted recommendations.

 Within 6 months of Cabinet decision – a follow up report on progress with the implementation of recommendations against the action plan.

2.2 The Health Social Care & Well Being Overview and Scrutiny Board will be responsible for the monitoring of the action plan and implementation at these key stages and at appropriate intervals.

3. Financial Implications

3.1 Any costs arising from the recommendations would have to be met from existing resources or from additional funding. . 4 Legal Implications

4.1 There are no legal implications arising from this report.

5. Recommendations

5.1 It is recommended that Cabinet consider its response to the Board’s report and make a decision on the recommendations.

Background Papers: See review report attached at appendix 1.

Contact Officer: Delyth Davies, Overview & Scrutiny Officer  01792 637491

Legal Officer: Janet Hooper Finance Officer: Mike Hawes

Appendix 1

TRANSFORMATION OF ADULT SOCIAL SERVICES: COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PILLAR.

Draft Final Report April 2011

A Review by the Health Social Care & Well Being Overview & Scrutiny Board City and County of Swansea - Dinas a Sir Abertawe

Why This Matters

(Chair) (Vice Chair)

‘Transforming Adult Social Care – developing community capacity’

Summary

1. Aims of the Review

1.1 The aims of the review were:

 To test and challenge the work of the community capacity pillar (one element of the transformation of adult social services project);

 to help the Board understand how the work within this pillar would increase capacity in communities to maximise informal support and minimise the use of commissioned services.

2. Evidence Considered

The evidence considered by the Board has been summarised as follows:

 Community Capacity Pillar Presentation to the Board, Board meeting, September 2010  Visit to Blaengarw Time Banking, Task & Finish Group site visit, October 2010  Engagement with Gorseinon Time Together Steering Group, round table discussion, October 2010  Visit to Gorseinon Time Together Project, Task & Finish Group, November 2010  Engagement with the Time Together Co-ordinator, Task & Finish Group, November 2010  Engagement with officers involved in the development of community capacity pilot projects in Swansea, Task & Finish Group, April 2011  Research into time banking projects in other local authority areas, report presented to the Board, April 2011  Locality Network Development – presentation to the Board from Dr Chris Johns, Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board, December 2010  Research into community capacity development as part of the transformation of adult social care in other local authorities, September 2010  Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Centre for Policy on Ageing, “How can local authorities with less money support better outcomes for older people”, provided to the Board March 2011  Adult Social Services, “Day services strategic intent and action plan”, provided to the Board April 2011  Adult Services Strategic Delivery Plan  All Together Now Evaluation report, provided to the Board October 2010

3. Conclusions

3.1 The Council should act as a facilitator and an enabler to assist adult social care and other agencies in the development of day opportunities, community groups and support networks

3.2 A flexible approach to health and safety regulations and legislation will help develop community capacity

3.3 Successful time banks worked in service specific areas and where designed around a defined area of need

3.4 Consistent, fair and equitable access to community support must remain a driving feature of this pillar of the transformation project

3.5 Councillors have good local knowledge of their communities and must be integral to the development of community groups, support networks

3.6 Tough economic times means departments and organisations will need to work in more creative ways to provide the level of support that is needed to meet growing expectations and the increase in the ageing population

3.7 Localities as defined by the Council and health partners should be co- terminous

4. Recommendations

The Board recommends that the Cabinet Member:

4.1 Undertakes a review to identify under usage of community resources and buildings and offers these at low or no cost to stimulate growth in such support groups and networks.

4.2 Undertakes a review of the implementation of health and safety legislation.

4.3 Any future engagement by Adult Social Services in time banking include a business case which considers the lessons learned from Gorseinon Time Together and successful time banks.

4.4 Increases community development projects to build low-level support groups, networks and develop day opportunities in deprived areas of Swansea.

4.5 Ensures that project co-ordinators communicate with ward councillors about the low-level support groups, networks and day opportunities in their wards.

4.6 Works with the Corporate Management Team to make further improvements to inter- and intra- departmental working in order to make better and more efficient use of resources.

4.7 Undertakes a review of the Day Services Strategic Intent and Action Plan to achieve fair and equitable access to low-level support groups, networks and day opportunities across Swansea.

4.8 Makes proposals to Health Challenge Swansea that Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board’s GP localities should be co-terminous with adult social services localities.

1. Aim of the Review

1.2 The aims and objectives of this review was:

 To test and challenge the work of the community capacity pillar (one element of the transformation of adult social services project);

 to help the Board understand how the work within this pillar would increase capacity in communities to maximise informal support and minimise the use of commissioned services.

2. Evidence Considered

2.1 Introduction and context

2.1.1 Swansea has a population of 231,300 (2009) making Swansea the third largest council in Wales 229,100 (2008) an increase of 2,200 since 2008. This is the seventh successive annual increase in population for Swansea since 2001, and by 2030 we can expect the adult population to grow by 25,520, an increase of 13 per cent, with an average annual increase of nearly 800 persons aged 65 or over.

Table 1 Swansea population aged 65 and over, by age, projected to 2030

Age Range 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 People aged 65-69 11,560 13,800 12,220 13,260 14,070 People aged 70-74 10,120 10,680 12,850 11,440 12,460 People aged 75-79 8,560 8,920 9,560 11,610 10,390 People aged 80-84 6,400 6,830 7,390 8,080 9,920 People aged 85 and over 6,000 6,780 7,930 9,370 11,030 Total population aged 65 and over 42,640 47,010 49,950 53,760 57,870 Total population aged 18 and over 187,340 193,580 199,460 205,590 212,860 (Source: www.daffodilcymru.org.uk/ )

2.1.2 The current recession is likely to create even more pressures on individuals, families and communities, and the growing, ageing population creating an additional demand for social care services.

Table 2 Swansea population by need projected to 2030

Age Range 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 Total population aged 18-64 predicted to have a moderate or serious physical disability 14,403 14,322 14,648 14,788 14,866 Total population aged 18 and over predicted to have a moderate or 909 937 969 1,005 1,049 severe learning disability Total population aged 16 and over with any mental health problem 17,779 18,267 18,887 19,553 20,185 Total population aged 65 and over 3,075 3,354 3,751 4,250 4,812 with dementia Total population aged 18 and over 5,836 6,237 6,706 7,356 7,942 receiving community based services Total population aged 18 and over 1,001 1,096 1,215 1,379 1,537 receiving residential services Total population aged 18 and over 2811 Not reliable enough for projections receiving reablement services

(Source: www.daffodilcymru.org.uk/ )

2.1.3 Adult Social Services embarked upon an ambitious transformation agenda driven by demographic changes, limited public finances, changing expectations of people who needed support and increased regulatory regimes and legislation.

2.1.4 The transformation project was focussed on the development of services that were more responsive, flexible and more person centred and focussed on prevention and well-being. Services re-modelled with that focus would enable and empower the service user, be of high quality, provide value for money and be sustainable.

2.1.5 Both Fulfilled Lives, Supportive Communities (2007) and the CSSIW of Access and Eligibility (2010) highlighted the importance of social inclusion and the need for local authorities to address the prevention and well-being agendas.

2.1.6 The Board was informed that there were three elements to the transformation project – person centred services, outcome focussed assessment and care management and developing the community.

2.1.7 Person centred services asserted that the individual was the best placed to make decisions about their life, with advice and support from others. It recognised an individual’s strengths, preferences, networks of support and friendships and tailored support to suit these. It

challenged discrimination and inequality. Good access to information and advice was part of person centred services as was fair and consistent allocation of limited resources.

2.1.7 Essential to the transformation of adult social services was for the Council and partners to find new collaborative ways to work together and to develop partnerships which produced a range of support for people to choose. Being less risk averse was also a feature of the development and transformation of services.

2.1.8 What was different in the new model of service provision was that there was a much greater role for informal low-level support mechanisms within an individual’s community. The Day Services Strategic Intent Report and Action Plan demonstrated how this would be achieved. This report can be found in appendix 1

2.1.9 The community development element of the transformation project sought to build communities in which people took ownership, control and responsibility of decisions that affected their lives. It was to be developed against a backdrop of a significant reduction in public spending, an ageing population and increasing life expectancy, resource shortages and fragile communities.

2.2 Consultation

2.2.1 Time Together Gorseinon Steering Group The Board held a round table discussion with the Time Together Steering Group on November 9th 2010. Against the backdrop of reduced spending on public services, the Board was keen to understand what sort of support networks were to be developed, how Adult Social Services worked with the voluntary sector, how the project was to be sustained and how and to whom it would be accountable.

2.2.2 The full findings report is in appendix 2. The key findings from the consultation were:

2.2.3 Time Together Gorseinon aimed to bring together community groups, citizens, professionals and agencies to maximise the well-being of people in Gorseinon. The City and County of Swansea Social Services began this process in partnership with Gorseinon Development Trust, Time Banking Wales, Community Lives Consortium and Swansea Council for Voluntary Services. Time Together Gorseinon aimed to “make new connections so that through collaborative effort communities became healthier and stronger”1.

2.2.4 The model of working that had been developed by Time Together Gorseinon had moved away from traditional “siloed” ways of service provision and had sought to think differently about how organisations, communities and citizens could organise themselves to build networks

1 Time Together Gorseinon Concept Paper

of well being and support. Delivery did not focus on one particular problem and resources were pooled to enable more effective working.

2.2.5 During the round table discussion the Board found that Swansea Council for Voluntary Services (SCVS) was positive about the links that agencies had made through the Time Together project. SCVS explained that this could be of benefit to Adult Social Services because it raised their awareness of community groups and activities which already existed in Swansea that they can link up to. SCVS likened the Time Together steering group as a brokerage and stated that Swansea already had a vibrant community sector. The challenge would be to see if citizens began to establish groups and activities themselves.

2.2.6 The Board was pleased to find that the Time Together steering group was clear that vulnerable people still needed access to trained professionals, such as social workers, who identified their needs and undertook statutory assessments.

2.2.7 Time Together aimed to give people a framework and opportunity to make connections and build relationships and trust. The Board felt that this was important particularly in relation to sustainability.

2.2.8 The Board found support amongst the Time Together steering group for better and more flexible use of community and council resources. The Board also found support for the development of local area co- ordination which would help citizens and professionals in a particular area understand what support groups and well-being networks were available locally.

2.2.9 The Board was interested to hear how a project of this nature would be accountable and to whom. The Board found that at the time the steering group had started to develop a set of performance indicators and that the group wanted to identify an organisation that would undertake a formal evaluation of the project.

2.2.10 From this engagement with the steering group the Board concluded that:

o there was firm agreement that this type of network, community engagement and active citizenship should be an adjunct to and not a substitute for services provided by adult social services o working in genuine partnership and not in silos was necessary for the project to succeed o growth and sustainability of volunteers would be challenging as it required a shift in culture and thought about how support was provided and accessed.

2.3 Consultation with Time Together Co-ordinator

2.3.1 The Board visited Gorseinon Time Together and engaged with Co- ordinator. The full findings are in appendix 2, a summary of the Board’s findings and conclusions are listed below:

 The Time Together co-ordinator was employed by SCVS and at the centre since 2009. Funding ran until 31st March 201 and alternative funding was being sought.  There was a wide range of people who accessed the project: offenders, people with learning disabilities, older and young people.  People were referred to Time Together from social services  The project needed to work with people to build self esteem which will help them run groups themselves.  The co-ordinator had met with 120 groups and had undertaken an audit of activities and groups in the area and encouraged them to get involved with Time Together  Time Together aimed to link with community groups in the area to build a picture of what is available for citizens  Sustainability of Time Together: o from a practical point of view the co-ordinator stated that core people were essential to the sustainability of Time Together, for example a facilitator, IT, marketing. o Volunteering will also help to sustain Time Together, an example cited was the last food festival. o People were attracted to Time Together because they had a sense of belonging, of feeling less isolated. The co-ordinator had trained a volunteer as a liaison officer to help encourage more people to become members of the project.  There was a possibility of overlap and duplication between Time Together and other local community centres like Penyrheol. The co-ordinator planned to meet with the manager at Penyrheol centre to see if the two can work together in the time bank.

2.3.2 From this engagement with the Time Together co-ordinator the Board concluded that:  The Council should re-think its building usage and charging policies to community groups to encourage more community engagement. There were too many community buildings and council buildings that are shut at evenings and weekends  If the co-ordinator’s post did not acquire funding, who would drive the project and sustain membership? If there were no professionals involved to champion the interests of the project and the volunteers this could have an impact of sustainability  Better joined up thinking between departments, communities, groups and the voluntary sector would minimise overlap and duplication and improve levels of sustainability  The Council should act as a facilitator and an enabler, minimising bureaucracy and obstacles.

2.4. Engagement with officers involved in the development of community capacity projects in Swansea.

2.4.1 The Board learned that the Gorseinon Time Together time bank project did not succeed in its bid for funding for the co-ordinator post and this project was unable to continue to operate. Officers still remained in contact with groups and organisations in the area and encouraged and improved co-ordination and joint working. However, officers stated that whilst the concept of time banking was good, there was a need to re- focus on adult social care, to facilitate development of groups and support networks in the localities, to engage with communities in a more sustainable way and work together more effectively.

2.4.2 The Board learned that the initial project of the community development pillar, All Together Now, was located in the West of Swansea and was set up to develop existing and new day opportunities for the over 50s who had not meet the eligibility criteria of critical or substantial need. The project was allocated £3,000. All Together Now was evaluated and received positive feedback from participants. The full evaluation report is in appendix 3 and pages 41- 49 contain the feedback from participants. Part of its success had been attributed to the local knowledge of the co-ordinator. The Board felt that local knowledge of groups, communities and people should be an important feature of community development.

2.4.3 Adult Social Services agreed to roll out this model of working across other areas of Swansea. The Board was informed that no additional funding was available and projects were funded from within existing resources. New projects were up and running in Clydach, Bishopston, Sketty, Gowerton, Manselton and Morriston.

2.4.4 The Board understood that groups were offered initial start up help from adult social services but that they were not in any way managed by the authority. Rather, officers worked as enablers and facilitators and mapped groups and linked them to day centres so that groups became part of the “family” of day opportunities. This helped officers remain aware of what groups existed and the type of opportunities they provided.

2.4.5 The Board was concerned that service provision developed in this way could lead to inequality of provision across the different areas of Swansea, as more affluent areas could be better organised with setting up and running groups than less affluent areas. Officers stated that equity of service provision would be achieved by working with local people to provide support for groups to be sustained and by remaining flexible. Merely replicating models that had worked in one area of Swansea in other areas would not in itself produce equity of provision. Consideration is given to what groups already existed in an area, the relative affluence of the area, the demographics and need. Officers impressed upon the Board the importance of focussing on outcomes if equity of provision was to be achieved across Swansea. The Board

agreed that this required a change in culture and a shift in thinking – the need to respond differently and flexibly to different needs. The Board understood there were some community development projects in the more deprived areas of Swansea and that this would be addressed further under the local area co-ordination element of the transformation of adult social services project. The Board however, was keen that community development projects were undertaken in equal numbers in the deprived areas of Swansea.

2.4.6 The Board learned that key partners of adult social services did not necessarily work to the same locality “footprints” as adult services. Adult services organised its localities into three areas – west, central and east. When the Board engaged Dr Chris Jones, the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board Locality Director, it found that the Health Board had organised its GP localities into five areas which were not coterminous with the Authority’s localities (the full findings of the presentation on the five GP localities is in appendix 2). The Board also learned from officers that mental health provision is organised in a different way again. The Board felt that this added a further layer of complexity to an already complex area of service provision and delivery.

2.4.7 The Board understood from their engagement with officers that access to good quality information was an important part of the community development pillar. Adult social services set up an information Centre at Norton Lodge Day Centre which is open to the public from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm each weekday. The Centre specialised in information and advice for the over 50s, though any adult living in the local area was able to use it. The focus was on health and well-being in its broadest sense, covering health and social care, finance and benefits, home safety and community events and activities. Visitors can pick up leaflets on a range of subjects, and can also use computers to check out information on-line. Staff were available to offer advice and signpost people to different services, activities and groups. On Thursdays there were specialist sessions where professionals from a range of organisations visit to offer advice and assistance.

2.4.8 Adult social services concluded it was of greater benefit to work with partners agencies and use their resources and information rather than creating the information themselves and keeping it up to date. Officers placed importance on identifying key contacts within partner agencies which enabled them to link directly to understand what was available in certain areas.

2.4.9 The Board learned that adult social services undertook work with Heads of Service in other directorates and examined how officers worked together to share resources and worked more effectively together for mutual benefit. Regeneration, social services and health took a strategic overview of current services and identified where overlap existed and shared knowledge and information. It was hoped that the “silo” mentality, which became a barrier to genuine joined up

working, could be broken down with better co-ordination. Officers provided the Board with some recent examples of joined up working:

 Adult social services had mapped the spread of older people in Swansea and then worked with Regeneration to find out what community resources were available.  In their own unit adult social services had come together as a whole unit, which included mental health, older people, learning disabilities, to work closely together.  Morriston day opportunities have linked up with the local comprehensive school and Communities First in the area to undertake intergenerational work.

2.4.10 The Board heard on a number of occasions during its evidence gathering that health and safety regulations and legislation was a barrier to community development and engagement. Examples were given of residential care homes which were keen to become vibrant features of the local community by opening up for events such as garden parties and fetes, but that health and safety regulations often prevented these events from taking place. Officers stated that they wanted to facilitate events like this which contributed to people’s well- being and sense of purpose within a community and to encourage a less risk averse culture.

2.4.11 The Board learned that adult social services had started to review its provision of social centres under the transformation project. The review will ask how groups at the social centres can be facilitated to support themselves or whether users can be signposted to other groups and resources. The review will also ask whether a user actually has a higher need that should be met. Each individual will be assessed and directed to the appropriate level of support. Transitions will be supported by transition plans which will examine the needs and aspirations on the individual. Adult social services will work with Swansea Council for Voluntary Services to achieve this.

2.6 Site Visits

2.6.1 The Board visited the Blaengarw time bank see first hand how a successful time bank operated. The time bank was established 6 years ago and had three full-time and one part-time members of staff. It was initially funded through a Big Lottery Grant of £0.5m for 3 years, and a further 3 year grant was recently awarded.

2.6.2 The time bank had 740 active volunteers and had generated 22,500 hours of volunteering last year. The Project ran the Working Men’s Hall in Blaengarw, it set up a café and sculpture workshop in empty buildings in the village and it planned to expand the café into the property next door and create holiday lets in the same building. A new aim of the project was to increase tourism in the area.

2.6.2 For every hour of time that someone spends volunteering they were awarded one time credit. One credit gave access to one hour at a time centre event, or it can be exchanged with other community members for voluntary work. This has meant that the time credits became a sort of “community currency” that was widely used in Blaengarw.

2.6.4 The Co-ordinator kept a record of the time credits that were issued by the time bank, although the further circulation within the community was not monitored (as it would not be possible to monitor the large number of transactions that take place). There were no limits or restrictions on what can be done to earn time credits. It was a way of acknowledging the contribution that people make.

2.6.5 There was a feeling that the project has been a success and has enhanced the feeling of community sprit and the ethos of volunteering is now firmly embedded in the village’s culture. There were significant improvements in anti-social behaviour, as time bank developed a new and innovative approach to youth work. Young people were encouraged to “earn” credits which enabled them to take part in fun activities such as trips and sporting events. Instead of being passive recipients of services young people were encouraged into active citizenship.

2.6.6 The Board was keen to understand more about the development of time banks in the United Kingdom and time bank good practice. As a result of the Board’s visit and its engagement with Gorseinon Time Together the Board undertook its own research into time banks and time bank good practice. The results of this research can be found in section 2.7 below.

2.7 Research – desk based research

2.7.1 The Board carried desk based research on the development of person centred services in other local authorities in the UK. The aim of the research was to examine how other local authorities had developed more person centred services which could be accessed by a greater number of people and had helped to move people away from intensive interventions. The local authorities were selected after officers in adult social services recommended them as examples of good practice.

2.7.2 The Board considered the Gwent Frailty Programme, Hartlepool Connected care and Wokingham’s Putting People First Initiative. The full findings of this research can be found in appendix 2. The main findings from this research were:  Each project had a strong focus on partnership working between residents, councillors, local services, local authorities  There was an increased community focus for service delivery  Recipients were engaged from the start to understand their needs  Access to good quality, up to date information for recipients of support in one place

 Projects focused on prevention and maintaining independence of recipients of support  Some level of co-ordination by a paid employee was evident in each project.

2.7.3 The Board examined five time banks in the United Kingdom to understand good practice and learning points. The full findings of the research can be found in appendix 4.

2.7.4 The main findings from this research were:  Time banks that were established within defined areas of need and with a clear focus on outcomes seemed to be successful  It was important to have sufficient capacity from the outset to develop reciprocity and co-production needed for a successful time bank  Some element of co-ordination, brokering and recording of contributed hours was apparent in most of the time banks  Strong partnership working appeared to be important in the success of time banking projects and involvement of the wider community such as local groups, service providers and other partners to grow the network, volunteer numbers and develop a culture of reciprocity.  Group activities helped to develop trust and relationships which were crucial to the success of the time bank examples

2.7.5 The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Centre for Policy on Ageing Solutions produced a paper in January 2011 which asked “how can local authorities with less money support better outcomes for older people”. The full paper is in appendix 5.

2.7.6 The paper presented the issue that older people wanted and valued low-level support that enhanced their lives and maintained their independence in communities where they wanted to live. It outlined the consensus on the need for reform as:  Public sector cuts will impact on social care at a time when the ageing population is growing  The benefits of investing in low-level support and prevention take time to be realised yet cutting prevention will have negative impact on demand for services  Third sector organisations may struggle to survive in the next year or so.

2.7.7 The paper suggested that there were a number of ways forward to address the need for reform:  Involvement – involve people who used support and services to shape them. Evidence suggested this improved outcomes and effectiveness  Investment – support and stimulate provision of low-level community support which sustained health, well-being and relationships. This included collective solutions, seed-funding for self-help groups

 Re-focussing – to move away from conventional social care towards thinking about the assistance older people needed and their experiences  Connecting – development of place-based approaches which reflected the whole of people’s lives

2.7.8 The paper provided the Board with imaginative, affordable and effective examples of the range of assistance that support health, well- being, social engagement and independence. The examples covered schemes and initiatives that:  Involved older people in decisions about future support  Provided practical support at home  Addressed housing needs through adaptations  Promoted health and well-being  Reduced social isolation and exclusion  Provided information, advice and advocacy  Used technology to support older people  Used co-operative and mutuality based approaches  Used place-based approaches

2.7.9 The paper concluded that in the current economic climate, and with the increase in the ageing population, both local authorities and the third sector will be faced with difficult decisions with regards to social care. The research showed that older people valued practical assistance and low level support to maintain their well-being, independence and relationships. This meant that local agencies and the third sector will need to work together to provide this kind of support that older people want. To do so, they will need to focus on the type of support older people want, their experiences and on involving them in the design of support.

3. Conclusions

3.1 The Council should act as a facilitator and an enabler to assist adult social care and other agencies in the development of day opportunities, community groups and support networks

3.1.1 The Board welcomed the development of the tiered approach to sustainable day service provision in Swansea to support the needs of a diverse population, which they heard about from officers and which was contained in the Day Services Strategic Intent Report. The Board also welcomed increasing community participation to build communities in which people can take ownership, control and responsibility of decisions that affect their lives. The Board found agreement amongst the agencies represented on the Gorseinon Steering Group and amongst adult social services officers that with tighter budgets organisations need to find better ways to organise and work together to provide support. To this end the Board concluded that the Council should act as a facilitator and an enabler to assist with the

development of day opportunities, community groups and support networks through the removal of barriers and obstacles, more flexible and low cost use of its community resources such as buildings, leisure and cultural opportunities. The Board therefore proposes that a review is undertaken to identify under usage of community resources and buildings and that these are offered at low or no cost to stimulate growth in such support groups and networks.

3.2 A flexible approach to health and safety regulations and legislation will help develop community capacity

3.2.1 The Board found frustration amongst a range of stakeholders at the impact strict and dogmatic adherence to health and safety regulations and legislation has had on the development of community groups, activities and support networks. Indeed some of the Board members had witnessed a decline in community activities such as garden parties and fetes at residential care homes in Swansea which were attributed to the development of a risk averse culture. The Board found examples of residential care homes that wanted to become vibrant features of their local communities and open up for community events which saw local residents and care home residents socialising and interacting. However, the risk averse culture that had developed as a result of an increase in health and safety regulation and legislation had acted as a barrier to community engagement. The Board welcomed the development of Adult Services Choice and Positive Risk Taking Framework. The Board concluded that a more flexible approach was needed to health and safety regulation and legislation so that community groups, networks and day opportunities could flourish. The Board therefore proposes that a review of the implementation of health and safety legislation is undertaken.

3.3 Successful time banks worked in service specific areas and when designed around a defined area of need

3.3.1 The Board broadly agreed with the principles and concept of time banking. It was disappointed to learn that Gorseinon Time Together time bank had been unable to secure funding to continue the project. From its own research into time banks in other parts of the United Kingdom, the Board concluded that successful time banks were more often than not established around a defined area of need, with a relatively small number of participants. Another feature of successful time banks was the location, often found in rural areas rather than large urbanised areas. The Board was keen to stress that projects that developed community capacity and provided people with the support and networks needed to sustain health, well-being and independence were to be welcomed, but that they should be an adjunct to, and not a substitute for, the statutory services that were centrally provided by the Council. The Board therefore proposes that any future involvement by adult social services with the development of a time bank should include a business case which considers the lessons learned from Gorseinon Time Together and successful time banks.

3.4 Consistent, fair and equitable access to community support must remain a driving feature of this pillar of the transformation project

3.4.1 The Board heard evidence from officers and agreed that increased community participation to provide low-level support that was person- centred and helped maintain independence, health and well-being was to be welcomed. However, the Board was concerned that community development may not be as well developed in some less affluent areas of Swansea and as such may lead to an inconsistent spread of community support. Some of the Board drew on their own experiences in Community First areas and highlighted the difficulty in attracting volunteers to engage in community projects.

3.4.2 The Board welcomed the points in the Day Services Strategic Intent Report and Action Plan that addressed equity of access and consistent spread of community support groups, networks and day opportunities (the full report is in appendix 1). The Board supports the importance placed on equity of access and consistency of support provision across all areas of Swansea. To achieve this, consideration must be given to the type of groups that already existed in an area, the relative affluence of the area, the demographics and level of need. There must also be a strong focus on outcomes and there must be the ability to respond differently and flexibly to different needs if equity of provision was to be achieved across Swansea. The Board therefore proposes an increase in community development projects in the deprived areas of Swansea.

3.5 Councillors have good local knowledge of their communities and must be integral to the development of community groups and support

3.5.1 The Board believes that the importance of local knowledge in the development of community support, groups and networks should not be underestimated. The Board learned that a contributing factor to the success of the All Together Now project was the local knowledge of the project co-ordinator. The co-ordinator was herself from the west of Swansea, had excellent knowledge of the local community and the kinds of needs that had to be met and was also well known in the area. The co-ordinator encouraged socialising, engagement, relationship building and trust through her grass roots work. The Board proposes that councillors, through their individual roles as ward councillors, would be well placed to liaise with the community development projects in their wards to help promote and sustain these kinds of support networks.

3.6.1 The Board found evidence to demonstrate that departments within the Council and indeed teams within adult social services had come together to work in a less stratified way to share information, knowledge and resources. The evidence did not convince the Board that the “silo” way of working had been completely broken down and that there remained a long way to go until this was achieved. The Board agreed that action needed to be taken to address this immediately. It concluded that levels of joint working between and within departments and between the Council and it’s partners should be increased to allow for more creative ways to provide the level of support that will be needed to meet growing expectations and the increase in the ageing population in an era of increasingly smaller budgets. The Board therefore proposes that the Cabinet Member work with the Corporate Management Team to make further improvements to joint working.

3.7 Localities as defined by the Council and health partners should be co-terminous

The Board agreed that the different ways in which the Council and health partners had mapped localities added a further layer of complexity to an already complex area of service provision and delivery. The Board agreed with officers that localities mapped by the Council and health partners should be co-terminous to help promote efficient and effective joint working and collaboration.

4. Recommendations

The Board recommends Cabinet to consider all issues and ideas raised by this review and, in particular, the recommendations set out below.

The Board recognises that the Authority (a) will need to ensure that any subsequent actions are legal and meet the requirements of any relevant legislation; (b) has a responsibility to make the best use of limited resources and that any additional costs will need to be considered carefully as part of the annual budget setting process.

The Board has kept these principles in mind in the course of its investigations.

The Board recommends that the Cabinet Member:

4.1 Undertakes a review to identify under usage of community resources and buildings and offers these at low or no cost to stimulate growth in such support groups and networks.

4.2 Undertakes a review of the implementation of health and safety legislation.

4.3 Any future engagement by Adult Social Services in time banking include a business case which considers the lessons learned from Gorseinon Time Together and successful time banks.

4.4 Increases community development projects to build low-level support groups, networks and develop day opportunities in deprived areas of Swansea.

4.5 Ensures that project co-ordinators communicate with ward councillors about the low-level support groups, networks and day opportunities in their wards.

4.6 Works with the Corporate Management Team work together to make further improvements to inter- and intra- departmental working in order to make better and more efficient use of resources.

4.7 Undertakes a review of the Day Services Strategic Intent and Action Plan to achieve fair and equitable access to low-level support groups, networks and day opportunities across Swansea.

4.8 Makes proposals to Health Challenge Swansea that Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board’s GP localities should be co- terminous with adult social services localities.

Acknowledgements C Maggs, City & County of Swansea D Driffield, City & County of Swansea N Andrews, City & County of Swansea J Tonks, City & County of Swansea V Gregory, City & County of Swansea D Hobby, City & County of Swansea C Murray, City & County of Swansea J Turner, City & County of Swansea P Whapham, City & County of Swansea M Hewitt, City & County of Swansea P Hughes, City & County of Swansea J Burroughs, City & County of Swansea R Wilson, Community Lives Consortium C Green, Swansea Council for Voluntary Services E Evans, Swansea Council for Voluntary Services A Carr, Swansea Council for Voluntary Services J Whitman, Swansea Vale Resource Centre G Thomas, Time Banking Wales W Henderson, Gorseinon Development Trust

Further Information

Background Papers:

Briefing Scope Findings Report Time Bank Research & Good Practice Report Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Centre for Policy of Ageing, Solutions Lessons for policy & practice Day Services Strategic Intent Report & Action Plan All Together Now Evaluation Report

About the Health Social Care & Well-Being Overview & Scrutiny Board

The Health Social Care and Well Being Overview & Scrutiny Board is a body of Councillors who are not members of the Cabinet. Their role is to scrutinise the performance of Council services and to make recommendations about how services can be improved. The Health Social Care and Well Being Overview & Scrutiny Board, one of five Scrutiny Boards, has responsibility for scrutinising:

 Holding the Executive to account  Monitoring the performance of public services and policies  Contributing to corporate policy and strategy development  Contributing to the development of partnership strategies  Conducting in-depth reviews of service policy areas  Involving the public in service improvement & policy development

Members of the Board 2010/11

Cllr R Francis-Davies (Chair) Cllr. J Jones (Vice Chair) Cllr. S Jones Cllr. J Davies Cllr. P Meara Cllr. I richard Cllr. E Kirchner Cllr. B Owen Cllr. V Bates-Hughes Cllr. M Thomas Cllr. N Holley

For further information contact:

Delyth Davies Overview & Scrutiny Officer City and County of Swansea [email protected] 01792 637491

Appendix 1

Day Services Strategic Intent and Action Plan - November 2010

Day services in the context of current WAG policy and guidance

Both Fulfilled Lives, Supportive Communities (2007) and the CSSIW National Review of Access and Eligibility (2010) highlight the importance of social inclusion and the need for local authorities to address the prevention and well- being agendas. The Carers Strategy in Wales also stresses the importance of respite support for carers. Day services in City & County of Swansea are well placed to meet these needs

Developing a tiered approach

We want to support the development of a wide range of sustainable day services suited to needs of a diverse population, including:

 Physically able, but socially isolated older people  Older people who have lost confidence in social and domestic activities who might benefit from reablement support.  Physically disabled older people with long term complex needs  People living with dementia  Carers

In order to achieve this, we are developing a tiered approach to day service provision in City & County of Swansea:

Person centred day centres for people with high

dependency needs

Short term reablement service

provision within day centres

Day opportunities in the community linked to day centres

The model we are developing is one of core and cluster, with a range of community based day opportunities linked to a smaller number of day centres for people with complex needs and/or those with potential for reablement.

The aim of the day centres is:

 To provide a high quality day service for people with eligible needs that cannot be met in other ways in the community. This includes disabled older people with complex support needs and people living with dementia.

 To provide reablement support for people who have lost confidence and abilities in activities of daily living and community involvement who have the potential to regain their skills and confidence

 To provide flexible respite care for carers of people with eligible needs

 To provide a community based information and advice service linked to the Intake Team and also working closely with local ACM Teams who ‘share the patch’

 To support the development of sustainable day opportunity within the locality, including the co-ordination an strengthening of existing groups and activities run by other agencies

 To address issues of equality and diversity

The aim of the day opportunities is:

 To provide open access social and recreational activities for older people (and adults from other service areas, e.g. LD/YPD) who are socially isolated, but whose needs do not require the intensive support of a day centre

 To provide respite care for carers

 To stimulate the development of peer support networks, and encourage self management of day opportunities

 To provide a community link for people who are receiving short term reablement support in a day centre

 To provide an environment for the sharing of information and advice, especially with respect to the promotion of independence, health and well being and to support the prevention agenda.

A number of current day opportunities are being run by in-house day service staff. However, the sustainability of this approach, especially as the numbers expand is questionable. The current emphasis is therefore on working with

other agencies to establish further day opportunities. This includes Contact the Elderly, the Alzheimer’s Society and a number of local churches.

The following diagram illustrates the core and cluster model as it stands in November 2010:

Red Cafe Willow Contact Court Linden the Elderly Tree

Norton Lodge Singing for the Brain

Ty The Waunarl- Hollies wydd

Morriston

City temple

St Johns Rose Cross Cockett

Plasmarl

Clydach Manselton Hazel Court

Fig. 2: Day opportunities linked to day centres as of November 2010 (green = facilitated by SSD staff, cream = facilitated by other voluntary agencies, e.g. Alzheimer’s Society, churches)

The future of ‘Social Centres’

Historically, City and County of Swansea have funded a number of social centres for people. These centres fall somewhere between day centres and day opportunities. A programme of individual service user reviews is being undertaken to identify whether individuals require the higher level of support provided by day centres or lower level of support provided by day opportunities. Other individuals may benefit from reablement.

Once this exercise has been completed it is envisaged that the social centres will be remodelled into low cost/no cost day opportunities and that people with higher dependency needs will be referred to local day centres. Every effort will

be made to involve all key stakeholders in the remodelling process, including transition plans for current service users.

The future of day services provided by other agencies

There are a number of day services run by other agencies, which are part funded by Social Services. These include Gelligron, Llysywerin, Ty Conwy

A review of these centres will be undertaken, including implications for funding. It is important that we work in partnership with other agencies to make the best use of all available resources to provide equitable support across the authority. This may require a rethink of total service provision where there is duplication or inconsistency.

Summary of strategic intent over the coming years

 Map and Increase the number of low cost/no cost day opportunities, especially those run by external community groups and agencies

 Complete individual reviews of service users to determine needs and most appropriate service including transition plans

 Remodel current social centres into day opportunity groups

 Develop a model of reablement support within day centres linked to day opportunities and other community based activities

 Expand day service provision for people living with dementia, especially those with more advanced dementia wishing to remain in their own homes

 Provide more flexible respite support for carers

 Strengthen community resource, information and advice service and links with Intake and ACM locality teams

 Review building based day centres to determine whether they are cost effective, sustainable and in the right places – options appraisal.

 Review provision and funding of external day services

 Ensure equity of access to day services across City & County of Swansea

 Address issues of equality and diversity

 Review transport arrangements

 Review charging policy for day services

Tier 1: Day opportunities and prevention services Action point Timescale/date completed by Comments 1.1 Complete evaluation of first phase of day Completed November 2009 Model has proved popular and successful opportunities where piloted. Evaluation report available. Need to explore if model can be replicated in other areas of Swansea. 1.2 Engage with faith based groups and voluntary Ongoing Contact the Elderly Group established in sector organisations to explore and develop their Norton Lodge Feb 2010 – run entirely by involvement in day opportunities volunteers Meeting held with Age Concern and church leaders in Swansea on 9th June with view to develop a strategic approach to the expansion of day opportunities run by volunteers. Need to link up with SCVS 1.3 Develop additional day opportunity groups across Ongoing New group established in Manselton. Swansea, encouraging Meeting held with Members regarding locality development - Council Member Penny Matthews has expressed interest in getting involved in development of day opportunity in Trallwn. 1.4 Explore and develop job description and person September 2010 Model to be explored with ACM staff as specification for Local Area Co-ordinator in partnership specific work stream under 1.5 with ACM staff and other key stakeholders 1.5 Pilot community hub (information centre and December 2010 Two rooms have been made available. locality working) at Norton Lodge Day Centre Links with intake team established. Meeting planned for late June early July with ACM staff and key stakeholders Aim to develop surgeries

1.6 Engage with Topic House to see if work can inform September 2010 Staff from Topic house have been community hub pilot in Norton Lodge involved in ‘All together Now’ project 1.7 Pilot health and well being peer mentoring project September 2010 Richard Stafford and Sheila Thomas to in partnership with Richard Stafford/Euros Owen identify and arrange training of up to six (Strategy 50+) peer mentors from day opps members 1.8 Pilot preventative outreach work in rural Gower April 2011 Karen Gronert submitted grant application with ABMU HB (Karen Gronert) May 2010 1.9 Remodel current social centre service to bring into April 2011 line with day opportunities model

Tier 2: Reablement day service Action point Timescale/date completed by Comments 2.1 Explore development of reablement day service at St John’s linked to proposed step up/step down care home service and reablement assessment teams 2.2 Engage with ABMU HB regarding links with Intermediate Care

Tier 3: Complex needs day service Action point Timescale/date completed by Comments 3.1 Develop a methodology for single service provider Completed May 2010 Outcome focussed review form and led reviews in partnership with ACM staff review process guidance has been completed

3.2 Complete single service reviews of current day Reviews to commence June Planning meeting and discussions with centre users regarding suitability for day centres or 2010 ACM teams has been completed. alternatives Meeting with day centre managers planned for 16th June to start process 3.3 Complete evaluation of ‘Forget me Not’ dementia Completed May 2010 Pilot has been popular and successful. day service pilot in Norton Lodge Evaluation report available 3.4 Review entire day service provision across First steering group meeting This work will be included under joint Swansea for people with dementia in partnership with planned for July 2010. Dementia Service and Workforce health and voluntary sector Dec 2010 Development Plan. 3.5 As part of 3.4, consider the purpose and funding Dec 2010 See 3.4 arrangements for Alzheimer’s Society Day Centre at Garngoch 3.6 Explore possibility of linkage with home care to As part of Outcomes Agreement work develop outreach support for people with dementia 3.7 Explore day service budget arrangements to September 2010 ACM staff response to the personalisation enable Direct Payment funding of alternative day agenda has resulted in innovative day service provision to meet eligible needs service options being presented to FACS Group. Funding for these options will need to be identified 3.8 Engage with ABMU HB regarding day service Work is under way on this regarding needs of people with chronic long term conditions and dementia care, but we also need to nursing care needs – explore shared model consider other health care needs 3.9 Complete individual service reviews for building based day centres and associated options appraisal 3.10 Complete individual service reviews for external day centres funded by CSS and associated options appraisal

4. Respite day service and support for carers Action point Timescale/date completed by Comments 4.1 Explore possibility of developing flexible respite September 2010 The Review of Respite Care in Swansea day service identified the need for flexible respite day care as part of a range of services. See TOPS ‘respite care’ action plan 4.2 Pilot respite day opportunity for Bangladeshi April 2010 Pilot day opportunity funded through community as need identified in Review of Respite Carers Grant. Evaluation due in autumn Care 2010. If successful ongoing funding source to be identified – possibly respite care budget 4.3 Develop information and advice resource for September 2010 carers in pilot of locality hub (see 1.5)

5. Quality assurance Action point Timescale/date completed by Comments 5.1 Complete training on person centred QA tool 15th/16th February 2011 5.2 Develop a person centred service audit and quality March 2011 Day Services Manager completing assurance tool observational audit tool training Sept. 2010

6. Transport Action point Timescale/date completed by Comments 6.1

7. Charging for service Action point Timescale/date completed by Comments 7.1

Report of Health Social Care & Well Being Overview & Scrutiny Board Task & Finish Group

PERSONALISATION OF ADULT SOCIAL CARE – COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PILLAR FINDINGS REPORT

Purpose  To present the evidence gathered as part of the Board’s challenge to the community development pillar of the transformation of adult social services programme.

Content  This report outlines the evidence gathering activity and details the findings from each activity

Councillors are  Consider the report as part of their challenge being asked to  Draw conclusions which will help shape any recommendations to Cabinet Member / Council

Lead Robert Francis-Davies, Chair Councillor(s) Jeff Jones, Vice-Chair Lead Officer(s) Chris Maggs, Director Social Services Deborah Driffield, Head of Adult Social Services Report Author Delyth Davies, Overview & Scrutiny Officer [email protected] 01792 637491

1. Background

1.1 Adult social services has embarked on a transformation agenda driven by several factors:  Demographic changes  Limited public finance  Changing expectations of people who need support  Increasing regulatory regimes and legislation

1.2 Adult social services transformation is focussed on the development of services that will be more responsive and flexible and thus more personal; will enable and empower the service user; be of high quality, best value for money and sustainable.

1.3 There are three main elements to the transformation of adult social services which aims to put the service user or citizen at the centre of service provision:  Community development  Service provision

 Assessment and case management

1.4 The board agreed to test and challenge the community development element of the transformation as this element strives to develop and build community capacity to provide informal support services and to minimise use of commissioned services which support those with a critical or substantial need.

1.5 The board felt that this was such a fundamental shift from current and more traditional methods of service delivery that it warranted further investigation to enable it to test and challenge the community development element of the project.

1.6 The board agreed that to test out and challenge the community development pillar its aim would be to understand how the work within the community development pillar would increase capacity in communities to maximise informal support and minimise the use of commissioned services.

1.7 To do this the board drew up a list of evidence to collect and stakeholders to consult:  Reports and presentations from the head of adult social services – What is the personalisation of services and Community development so far  Practice in other local authorities on the development of personalised services community capacity building to increase access to support services  Visit to Blaengarw time banking project  Consultation with Gorseinon Time Together steering group  Visit to Gorseinon Time Together  Evidence from Dr Chris Johns on community networks in Swansea

2. Evidence - reports and presentations to the board

2.1 The board received the following reports and presentations at its public meetings between August and December 2010:  An introduction to the transformation of adult social care – Deborah Driffield, head of adult social care  What is happening in Swansea to build community capacity – Deborah Driffield, head of adult social care  Development of Community Networks in Swansea – Dr Chris Johns, ABMU Locality Clinical Director

Each presentation and evidence gathered is detailed below.

2.2 An introduction to the transformation of adult social care

2.2.1 There are three elements to the transformation project – person centred services (personalisation), outcome focussed assessment and care management and developing the community.

2.2.2 Personalisation asserts that the individual is the best placed to make decisions about their life, with advice and support from others. It recognises an individual’s strengths, preferences, networks of support and friendships and tailors support to suit these. It challenges discrimination and inequality. Good access to information and advice is part of personalisation as is fair and consistent allocation of limited resources.

2.2.3 Personalisation also means that the Council and its partners will find new collaborative ways of working and developing partnerships which produce a range of support for people to choose. Being less risk averse is also a feature of the development of personalisation of services.

What is different in the new model of service provision is that there is a 2.2.4 much greater role on informal support mechanisms within an individual’s community. Personalisation takes an holistic approach to supporting people and maximises the use of informal support.

2.3 Building community capacity

2.3.1 This element of the transformation project seeks to build communities in which people can take ownership, control and responsibility of decisions that affect their lives. It will be developed against a backdrop of a significant reduction in public spending, an ageing population and d increasing life expectancy, resources shortages and fragile communities.

2.3.2 Adult social care is running four pilots which are part of the personalisation project, one of which is the Gorseinon pilot which links 3 experiments: time banking (an initiative called Time Together), collaborative service provision and direct payments pooled budgets trial.

This pilot aims to: 2.3.3  Use services more effectively and efficiently  Ensure there are opportunities for people using statutory services to move on  To build capacity of individuals and communities via time banking

The outcome of the three aims is to develop a community that people want to participate in that will contribute to their well-being.

2.3.4 The key features of the Gorseinon pilot are:  Strong focus on co-production and community capacity building, including time banking  Integrated day opportunities across adult services  Explore possible role for local area co-ordination  Pool direct payments pilot to maximise benefit and cost effectiveness

The Time Together time banking project in Gorseinon is comprised of two bodies:

The Time Together Alliance is a grouping of service providers, groups and organisations with an interest in the Gorseinon area who share information about their services. They can be health and social care providers, community and leisure centres, voluntary sector employers and groups and other employers

The Alliance core base comprises of the Gorseinon Development Trust, Community Lives Consortium, Time Banking Wales, Swansea Social Services, Swansea Council for Voluntary Services.

The Alliance is grown by invitation and now includes Age Concern, Gofal, Gwalia, Wellbeing Wales Network and local GPs.

The Time Together Network is comprised of any citizen of Gorseinon who needs and wants to offer support or wishes to share skills, knowledge or interests with others. Currently the network has a membership of 104 citizens who have been referred from Community Lives Consortium, Social Care Services and the Gorseinon Community.

People of the network volunteer their skills and interests and the Alliance awards time credits” for free use of Alliance events and facilities.

Principal activities of Time Together since it was set up have been:  Induction mornings for new members to understand their interests to build a knowledge database of what people can do in the community. This process is time consuming but enables Time Together to identify “communities of interest”.  Development of getting to know your community  Spring programme of activities

Time Together is currently run from the Gorseinon Centre and is open daily. As the Time Together programme develops it will utilise the Centre to accommodate and advance the communities of interest. Bristol University has registered an interest to undertake monitoring and evaluation of feedback from citizens involved in the project.

The 2nd part of the Gorseinon pilot project has a focus on a collaborative approach to service provision. This means that social services providers work in partnership to:  Map resources  Develop links, network and partnerships with each other  Co-ordinate services rather than always providing  Work towards integrated day opportunities

2.3.6 The final element of the Gorseinon pilot project is a direct payments pooled budget trial. Officers explained some of the benefits of pooled budgets:  Service users can be involved in new initiatives  Reduced isolation  More efficient use of funds

2.3.7 The Board was provided with some examples of service users in other parts of the UK that had pooled their direct payments to make better use of the funds at their disposal.

Conway Children’s Services Families pooled the budgets allocated for short breaks (respite) and used them to provide regular sleepovers at each others homes. This ensured that the children had the same form of social activity as their peers.

Another project involved parents of autistic children who had set up a support groups and used the direct payment pooled budgets to employ staff who cared for the children while the parents met.

Slough Adult Mental Health Service A group of Asian adults with mental health problems pooled their small direct payment budgets which enabled them to afford more diverse activities and enjoy time together. They visited an Asian Lifestyle event and engaged in activities which were considered valuable and meaningful to them.

2.3.8 There is also a personalisation project in the west of Swansea which aims to develop personalisation within this particular community (officers referred to this as “locality working”). A number of pilot projects have been brought together with the aims to:  Reach isolated older people and carers  Use existing community facilities to revitalise and build on peoples networks  Work collaboratively with community groups and service providers.

Some of the locality working projects in the west of Swansea included:  Norton lodge information hub Internet access for local residents, access to NHS direct, pensions and welfare rights information, access to social services. Regular talks and presentations were also held

 Community social activity groups An existing member of staff became the community development worker and they developed social activity groups for older people in Mumbles, Hazel Court and Campion Gardens. The outcomes to be achieved would be: reduced isolation, increased sense of well- being, greater independence.

 Local area co-ordination This is a community facilitation role and supports people to live good lives in their communities. It places emphasis on helping people to draw support from their communities by working to increase the capacity of individuals and communities. The aim is to divert people away from big funded services.

The local area co-ordinator can: refer people to existing activities and groups, develop new activities and build networks with others

to develop groups and activities as necessary.

Some of the benefits of local area co-ordination were found to be: a quick way to fix things for people, avoids complex and intensive interventions, co-ordinators have access to local knowledge, the unified assessment process is only used when really necessary.

3. The development of personalisation in other local authorities

3.1 The Board asked the Overview & Scrutiny Team to carry out some desk based research on the development of personalisation in other local authorities in the UK. The aim of the research was to examine how other local authorities had developed more personalised services which could be accessed by a greater number of people and had helped to move people away from intensive interventions. The local authorities were selected after officers in social services had recommended them as examples of good practice.

3.2 Blaengarw Time Banking Project 3.2.1 This project was visited by councillors on the board and more detail on this visit is given in section 4.

3.3 Gwent Frailty Programme

3.3.1 The programme was established for a number of reasons:  older people expressed that it was what they wanted  Increased community focus for service delivery  Existing provision was unsustainable.

The Chief Executive of Torfaen County Borough Council chaired the programme which had representatives from the 5 Gwent local authorities (Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport and Torfaen), the voluntary sector and the Local Health Board. Guests were invited from the University of Glamorgan, Welsh Assembly Government and Wales Audit Office.

3.3.2 The vision behind this project was “help when you needed it to keep you independent”. The programme aimed to create an integrated model of care that is community based. This meant a health and social care service which included:  Access to the right person when needed  A single point of contact who can guide you through the system  Delivery of the right level of response which can change depending on how much support is needed at a particular time  Help to maintain independence  Avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions and delivers care either in your home or close by.

The programme has different layers:  Community Resource Teams  Training, development and culture change

 Work with the LSB’s  Influencing and aligning

3.3.3 The programme also had core standards which included a single point of access, access to help 7 days a week 365 days a year between the hours of 8am – 10pm, a 2-4 hour response time, onward referral when required, rapid access to specialist and diagnostic services and equipment and minor adaptations, up to 6 weeks reablement and review.

3.3.4 There were a number of strategic implementation working groups of the frai programme that were up and running:  Communication strategy  Workforce planning  Governance and structures  Performance management and evaluation  Information sharing  Financial modelling  Locality planning

3.3.5 The project set up locality implementation groups and it will be for each borough to assess local need and design their specific Community Resource Team in response to the local situation. Each locality team will include the following:  Registered general nurses  Registered mental nurses  Administrative support  Social workers  A team of support and wellbeing workers  Speciality doctors  Pharmacist  Physiotherapists  Occupational therapists  Consultant physician  Dietetics/SALT/podiatry

3.3.6 The project did not come without conditions however and these were outline as:  Resources were shifted from acute care to community and eventually the money will be paid back  Torfaen will enter into a formal legal pooled budget arrangement between the NHS and 5 local authorities  Torfaen will subject itself to external evaluation and will share the learning

3.3.7 It was anticipated that there would be a number of savings as a result of the frailty programme:  Reduction in acute beds, community beds and residential care beds which could lead to a transfer and or reduction on staff  Reduction in domiciliary care packages

 Reduction in staff travelling time through better use of technology  Slower growth in the number of complex cases

3.3.8 The Frailty Programme will be fully implemented across the five local authority areas at the beginning of April.

3.4 Hartlepool Connected Care

3.4.1 Connected Care in Hartlepool was a partnership between residents, ward councillors, community associations and local services. It’s aim was to build on the strength and infrastructure to improve delivery of health and social care to local people and to build Initiatives that tackled poverty and created employment. It was the first national pilot of connected care.

3.4.2 In order to determine the needs of the local residents a connected care audit was carried out with the community. The community was asked to identify barriers to accessibility and support. It identified information, choice, access to services, continuity and communication between services as barriers.

3.4.3 Connected care comprised:  Navigators –worked to improve access, promoted early intervention, supported choice, ensured a holistic approach and integrated with universal and long term support  A complex care team –integrated specialist health and social care and housing support  A project manager –oversaw the service and promoted change in the wider service system  The development of a selection of low level support services that focused on maintaining independence.

Connected Care was administered through a social enterprise which was managed by residents and local community organisations.

3.4.4 A community interest company2 called “Who Cares” was recently established by Connected Care which aimed to commission services directly. The community interest company’s directors were made up of representatives of community organisations.

3.5 Wokingham Borough Council

3.5.1 Wokingham’s Putting People First initiative transformed the way adult social care was delivered in the area with a focus on personalisation of

2 Community Interest Companies (CICS) are limited companies, with special additional features, created for the use of people who want to conduct a business or other activity for community benefit, and not purely for private advantage. This is achieved by a "community interest test" and "asset lock", which ensure that the CIC is established for community purposes and the assets and profits are dedicated to these purposes. Registration of a company as a CIC has to be approved by the Regulator who also has a continuing monitoring and enforcement role

services and choice.

A range of services developed under the transformation agenda in Wokingham:  Choice champions - personal budget users usde their experiences to help those who were new to the system. A choice champion DVD was produced.  Wokingham Information network (WIN) - a one stop shop for information about help, support and services for families, adults and vulnerable adults (online and on the telephone). Professionals working within the care sector used WIN to help and support people in finding local services. WIN currently has over 100 entries.

 The user led organisation project (ULO) – ULOs are local organisations that are controlled and run by disabled people and focus on disabled people, carers and other people who use and support services for disabled people. ULO’s in Wokingham had local knowledge and expertise which provided value for money. They had volunteers and access to external funding opportunities. A project worker was employed specifically to work with the ULO and a project board met every 6 weeks and oversaw the project. Benefits of user involvement included greater empowerment of people and groups and more individuals took part in and contributed to their community.

 In 2009 Wokingham Borough Council carried out a scrutiny review on the implementation of the putting people first initiative. The review concluded that the initiative had been successful and had led to improvements in the quality of service users lives. The review stated that the fundamental principles of the initiative, that service users have control over the decisions about their care, were correct and it should be used in future development of social care.

4. Blaengarw Time Banking Project

4.1 Blaengarw Time Centre was established 6 years ago. David Pugh has been employed as Co-ordinator for 4 years. His post (plus 2 other full time members of staff: Events Co-ordinator and Marketing Manager and part of the Chief Executive’s post) have been funded through a Big Lottery Grant. Initial funding was £0.5m for 3 years, and a further 3 year grant was recently awarded. The initial funding was for work just in the Blaengarw area; however David’s role was expanded to cover neighbouring areas to help other time banks to be established. Since then, his role has covered a population of around 7,000.

4.2 At the time of the visit Blaengarw time bank had 740 active volunteers. The project generated an additional 22,500 hours of volunteering last year alone. The Project ran the Working Men’s Hall in Blaengarw, it set up a

café and sculpture workshop in empty buildings in the village and it planned to expand the café into the property next door and create holiday lets in the same building. A new aim of the project was to increase tourism in the area.

4.3 For every hour of time that someone spends volunteering they were awarded one time credit. One credit gave access to one hour at a time centre event, or it can be exchanged with other community members for voluntary work. This has meant that the time credits became a sort of “community currency” that was widely used in Blaengarw. People can pay for room/hall hire or events that were put on in real money or time credits, so that those who are not involved in volunteering were still able to attend.

4.4 The village social club has started to accept time credits for people to attend their events, as they saw the benefits of increasing their audience whilst increasing their secondary take at the bar and food sales etc. The Co-ordinator at the time was in discussion with Bridgend CBC for time credits to be used to access council leisure facilities.

4.5 The Co-ordinator kept a record of the time credits that were issued by the time bank, although the further circulation within the community was not monitored (as it would not be possible to monitor the large number of transactions that take place). There were no limits or restrictions on what can be done to earn time credits. It was a way of acknowledging the contribution that people make.

4.6 There was a feeling that the project has been a success and has enhanced the feeling of community sprit and the ethos of volunteering is now firmly embedded in the village’s culture. There were significant improvements in anti-social behaviour, as time bank developed a new and innovative approach to youth work. Young people were encouraged to “earn” credits which enabled them to take part in fun activities such as trips and sporting events. So instead of being passive recipients of services young people were encouraged into active citizenship. For example during half term a group of young people asked the co-ordinator what could they do to earn some credits and he took them out on an impromptu litter pick.

4.7 The following list, although not exhaustive, shows examples of some of the activities that have been conducted through the project:  Support for community groups to apply for funding and encouragement to set up new groups (over 20 new community groups have been established since the project was started)  Anti-Arson project with young people. Six prolific fire setters were drawn into a project to create a film about the dangers of fire setting. They wrote and stared in the film (funding was obtained for this by the co-ordinator) and were able to earn time credits while doing this. The Fire service was involved and it reduced the arson problem that had previously been a significant issue in the area. A premiere night was held at the Workmen’s Hall.  Creation and maintenance of a village green on a former piece of scrub land previously owned by the Council.

 Digital story telling project, improved communication and relationships between different generations.  Annual carnival – always very well attended, last year 5,000 people attended and this year 2,500 people attended  The area’s position in the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation had gone from 128th (when it was in the 10% most deprived areas in Wales) into the 900s.  Established a Community Café (a social enterprise), employed 2 full time members of staff and there were plans to expand café.  Established sculpture workshop and involved the community in the creation of several large sculptures which recognised the history of the village.  Created mountain biking trails to encourage tourism into Blaengarw. There were also plans to create holiday let flats.  Regular entertainment events were held in Workmen’s Hall: quarterly Events Diary issued.  Regular established activities held in Workmen’s Hall, including many activities for young people which wre all well attended.  Wide variety of learning opportunities provided. Time credits could be used to pay for the courses and time credits could be earned if the course/learning activity was considered to be of benefit to the community for example First Aid course, Food Hygiene etc.  Playroom and after school crèche.  Created employment through the Futures Jobs Fund  Project has been going for 10 years and has brought over £4m into the community in terms of external funding.

4.8 Councillors raised the following questions with officers at the time banking project in Blaengarw:

4.8.1 How are older people encouraged to take part? There was a wide range of ages involved in this project. Youngest volunteer was 4 and oldest was 96. The key was that any sort of volunteer work can earn you time credits so people did whatever is within their ability. People were encouraged to volunteer to do whatever they like/can; which made it open to all to participate and no- one was excluded.

4.8.2 What will happen when the Big Lottery Funding runs out? Is the project sustainable? Co-ordinator was a very experienced fund-raiser. Plan was to re-apply for lottery funding, and to approach WAG to request funding as the project can demonstrate its successes in reducing Anti-Social Behaviour to virtually nil, supporting social services and mental health services. However even if no more funding was available the project has revived the ethos of volunteering in the community, many new groups have been set up and provided with support to obtain their own funding and this would all continue even if there was no funding to pay for professional staff.

4.8.3 What obstacles have the project faced? For example Health and Safety requirements, CRB checks? Health and safety had not been an issue, the project ensured it has complied with any relevant requirements. As a registered charity the project does not have to pay for CRB checks, so whilst they were required if people were working with children or vulnerable adults, they were not a financial burden. There was an initial feeling of suspicion in the early days of the project from some people who didn’t understand what it was trying to achieve but now relationships with all parts of the community, including the police, Community Council and all residents are excellent. For example the Community Police Support Officers used the time credit system to reward young people who took part in activities/engagement with them.

4.8.4 How many time banks are in Wales? Around 23 at the moment. Mainly concentrated in South and Valleys areas. Have mainly developed during the last 3 years. Therefore still a very new idea. It is the job of Geoff Thomas and Time Bank Cymru to support development.

4.8.5 Does the time bank approach work as well in larger urban areas as it does in smaller village areas, where there is a greater sense of community spirit to start with? Yes. Time Bank Cymru was supporting Housing Associations in Cardiff develop a time bank approach as a way of improving their tenant involvement.

4.8.6 Does the time bank approach cause friction in the community? For example if someone earns time credits by doing a painting and decorating job for someone else would that annoy local people who earn their livings this way? No because the person who had the work done and paid for it in time credits would not have been able to afford to pay someone to do it professionally. There is no conflict of interest.

4.8.7 Do you have a problem with people forging the time credits? This has never been a problem although there have been incidents of children trying to sell them, but Co-ordinator sees this as healthy entrepreneurial sprit and nothing to be worried about.

4.8.8 Have you taken over any services from the local authority? Yes now responsible for the local library which was going to be shut. Currently in negotiations with the council to take over the running of all the community centres in the areas (NB the council will still have to provide funding for them so it would be a partnership working agreement). Project is also in the process of trying to develop a community transport service to improve public transport in the area on weekends, which is currently very poor.

5. Consultation with the Gorseinon Time Together steering group

5.1 The Board agreed to provide “critical friend” challenge to elements of the transformation of adult social care project. The element currently under scrutiny is the community development pillar. The Board was keen to challenge the work underway and provide its own comment and recommendations to the project.

To date the Board has received a presentation on the work underway in the City and County of Swansea to develop community networks and grow social capital to help transform the way services are delivered and it has visited a time banking project in Blaengarw. It also commissioned the Overview & Scrutiny Team to conduct desk based research into how other local authorities provided services in a more personalised way.

5.2 The task and finish group engaged with the Time Together Gorseinon Project Steering Group for a round table discussion on November 9th. Time Together Gorseinon (for an overview of the project see appendix 1) is about “making new connections so that through collaborative effort citizens and communities become healthier and stronger”3. Public services will have less money but will still be expected to provide good quality services. In “Better Outcomes for Tougher Times” WAG recognised that the scale of the challenge is such that “we need a radical transformation in the way the public services are planned and delivered…..we are committed to meeting the needs of citizens through collaboration”. Time Together Gorseinon aims to bring together citizens, professionals, agencies and community groups to maximise the well- being of people living in the Gorseinon area.

If this model is successful it is likely that this method of well-being provision could be replicated across Swansea. The Board felt that it needed to gain a far deeper understanding of the issues which affected a project like this if this was to be the way that adult social is to be redesigned and delivered. With this in mind the Board met the Steering Group with the following aims: 1. To understand what services are available and how people can participate 2. To explore the relationship that service providers within the Council and the voluntary sector have with Adult Social Services 3. To understand how the different agencies will grow the number of volunteers and active citizens which are essential to the success of projects like Time Together 4. To question how the project will be sustainable 5. To understand how projects of this nature will be accountable and to whom

The Chair introduced each theme and opened up the discussion to the steering group.

3 Time Together Gorseinon Concept Paper

5.3 Theme 1 – services and participation The task and finish group found that:  This model of provision moved away from services provided in the traditional “silo” way and looked at how organisations can organise things differently.  Time Together sought to build a well-being network and asked active citizens what they needed and they could contribute to the network  Growing the network will help people to realise they are not alone, that they are part of a community and that they can change and shape their community  People became members of an organisation, they became active citizens, and it is about mutualisation.  Diversity of membership and being socially inclusive was important  Delivery did not focus on one particular problem, resources were pooled to enable more effective working

5.4 Theme 2 – relationships  It was difficult to say whether the task and finish group fully explored this with the Steering Group The task and finish group found that:  One of the intentions of Time Together was to develop a greater degree of community engagement.  It was acknowledged that Communities First methods have had limited success in the development of greater community engagement; these experiences would be drawn r upon to understand how greater community engagement can be achieved.  Based on the evidence from Blaengarw, Geoff Thomas stated that time banking has engaged the many and not the few; it has given people a choice as to whether they want to be a member  Paul Whapham (Physical Activity Development Co-ordinator) outlined a model that was developed in his section to empower disabled people and said that this kind of work, research and number building could be used to develop models elsewhere  The care needs of a person were not fixed and were linked to that person’s sense of well being  It was suggested by Community Lives that while people said that personal care was important a network of friends and family was equally important  It was suggested that personal care can build up levels of dependency so that the cared for person became reliant on the carer for social interaction  SCVS were positive about the links agencies made through projects such as Time Together. They stated that Social Services would benefit because they will learn about community groups and activities which already existed in Swansea that they can link up to. SCVS likened the Steering Group as a brokerage  SCVS stated that Swansea already had a vibrant community sector. The challenge would be to see if citizens began to establish groups and activities themselves  Vulnerable people still needed access to trained professionals, i.e.

social workers, who identified their needs and undertook statutory assessments

5.5 Theme 3 & 4 – building numbers and sustainability The task and finish group found:  Time Together aimed to give people a framework and opportunity to get to know each other, make connections and build trust.  New volunteers are consulted with and engaged to find out what they want and need. It was hoped that this “bottom-up” approach would encourage people to become members  Wales TUC signed up to a volunteering pact  With tighter budgets and less money organisations needed to find better ways to organise and work together. Greater co-operative thinking could help to sustain services  There were examples around the country where recipients of direct payments had pooled their budgets and built a micro home care social enterprise. This has not been possible here in Swansea so far because people with similar needs were not aware of each other. A network could help to facilitate this process so that people get to know one another and start to build trust.  Time Together were in the process of creating an infrastructure to create a sense of belonging  Leisure services had developed community activity networks  Support amongst the steering group for better and more flexible use of community and Council resources

5.6 Theme 5 – Accountability The task and finish group found:  The Steering Group had started to develop a set of performance indicators (listed below). The group was trying to identify funding for a formal assessment and evaluation of the project: o Approval of citizens o Level of community and civic engagement (measured by time credits) o Increased community asset base – growth in community groups, diversity of interest o Growth of the Alliance o Achievement of personal outcomes o Number of assessments (decline?) o Shared social care resource spend – increase, decline, static o One Plant Principles – sustainable development goals  Size of the network or alliance was very much dependent on the numbers of people and organisations in an area that have an interest in the well-being of the citizens in that particular locality.  Local area co-ordination will need to be developed  Care managers, ie social workers, wanted to ensure that their clients were safe and that their needs were addressed by the network.

5.7 Other issues not covered by the 5 themes  CRB checks – in a multi agency setting councillors enquired about where the responsibility lay to carry out and fund the CRB checks. The responsibility lies with the agency that the service user had approached to access Time Together. Each agency funded their own CRBs and will already have their own policies and procedures in place to deal with things like this. The question of “what happens when the community runs it” was not really addressed.  Community Lives felt it was important for it to be involved in Time Together because it had concerns about potential changes to eligibility criteria. If eligibility thresholds were changed, rand the result was greater difficulty in accessing services, then Time Together and projects like it could enable people not deemed as “critical” to access well-being activities.  The steering group agreed that there would always be certain things that would need to be provided by social services where people higher levels of need.

5.8 Conclusions  There was little exploration of the relationship between the voluntary bodies and adult social services and this needs further investigation  There was ambiguity around whether time credits affected benefits. SCVS and the CVS network have sought clarity on this.  There was firm agreement that this type of well-being network, community engagement and active citizenship should be an extra to what is already provided by adult social services, it should not be substitute.  There were already examples of this co-production model in existence – Blaengarw and in Culture & Tourism - that could be used by Adult Services to develop their model and learn lessons  Success of the network depends on several factors: o Number of members. Good public information and communication about the network will help to grow the numbers of members which will develop the network o Trust between members of the network to exchange time and help each other is important, building trust will be key to the success of the network o Effective partnership working - highly resource consuming and could affect the sustainability of citizen led projects  An evaluation of the project should seek to address whether users are receiving a top quality product or service; it should evaluate not only the effectiveness of the partnership but also the relationship between inputs and outputs and outcomes

6. Visit to Gorseinon Time Together

6.1 The purpose of the visit was for the task and finish group to gain an understanding of how Time Together was building community capacity through volunteering to provide well-being activities and opportunities for people living in the Gorseinon area.

6.2 From their discussions with Wendy Henderson, Time Together Co- ordinator, the task and finish group found:

 The Time Together co-ordinator was employed by SCVS and has been at the centre since 2009. Funding runs until 31st March 2011.  Alternative funding was being sought.  Funding was very much dependent on the success of the project  There was a wide range of people who access the project: offender, people with learning disabilities, older and young people.  Time Together was designing a questionnaire to evaluate the experiences of those involved in the project.  People were referred to Time Together from social services  Time Together needed to build and increase the daily activities on offer.  The project needed to work with people to build self esteem which will help them run groups themselves  The co-ordinator has met with 120 groups so far and undertook an audit of activities and groups in the area and has encouraged them to get involved with Time Together  Time Together can link up the community groups in the area to build a picture of what is available for citizens  Time Together needed a focal point, the Gorseinon Centre, but the co-ordinator was confident that it would outgrow the centre.  Sustaining Time Together: o from a practical point of view the co-ordinator stated that core people were essential to the sustainability of Time Together, for example a facilitator, IT, marketing. o Volunteering will also help to sustain Time Together, an example cited was the last food festival. One hundred volunteers gave 750 hours of time to the food festival. Events like these can generate income as well. o People were attracted to Time Together because they have a sense of belonging, of feeling less isolated. The co- ordinator has trained a volunteer as a liaison officer to help encourage more people to become members of the project.  There was a possibility of overlap and duplication between Time Together and other local community centres like Penyrheol. The co-ordinator planed to meet with the manager at Penyrheol centre to see if the two can work together in the time bank.  6.3 The task and finish group concluded that:  The Council should re-think its building usage and charging policies to community groups to encourage more community engagement. There were too many community buildings and council buildings that are shut at evenings and weekends  They were concerned that if the co-ordinator’s post did not acquire funding who would drive the project and sustain membership. If there were no professionals involved to champion the interests of the project and the volunteers this could have an impact of sustainability

 Better joined up thinking between departments, communities, groups and the voluntary sector would minimise overlap and duplication and improve levels of sustainability  The Council should act as a facilitator and an enabler, minimising bureaucracy and obstacles.

7. Community Networks in Swansea

7.1 The Board consulted with Dr Chris Johns, Locality Clinical Director, Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board on the development of community networks in Swansea. The Board wanted to understand the purpose of community networks in the context of the drive for the personalisation of services.

7.2 Once fully developed and implemented community networks would:  Ensure that services are delivered in a way that is responsive to local needs or patients and service users  Identify gaps in local service provision to inform local plans  Provide a framework for decision making to be made as close as possible to front line service delivery  Encourage multi-agency and multi professional team working to develop more integrated responses for patients and service users  Provide care co-ordination and case management for people with complex needs  Provide a range of services from single interventions to continuing health care  Provide a clear interface with the hospital system to pull patients through in a safe and organised way  Establish effective relationships with care homes in the geographical area  Provide a clear interface with specialist community services and resources which may be needed to top-up care provided by the community network teams

7.3 Alongside the development of community networks there are three other elements that ABMU is working on:  Specialist community resource teams  Communications hub  Hospital interface

7.4 The specialist community resource teams (SCRT) would be based around community networks and there would be a single team for Swansea. Its purpose would be to provide intensive interventions to avoid admission to hospital and to facilitate discharge. The SCRT would work to complement and top-up services delivered by the community networks. It would seek to shift away from the current default position of referral to hospital for GPs.

7.5 The Board learned that rather than extra resources being made available for this it will focus on working smarter with more strategic co-ordination

between all agencies.

7.6 The community resources teams would provide the following:  GP support team  Inpatient beds – subactue care, shared care, transitional care, rehabilitation, respite  Hot clinics (rapid access to clinical expertise)  Day hospital services  Early response services  Reablement and intermediate care  Specialist therapies  Specialist nurses linked to secondary services  Discharge liaison nurses  Specialist third sector services  Community based medical resources to link with secondary care  Out of hours GP services  Community equipment & adaptation services 7.7 The communications hub will be essential to the success of the community networks. It will act as a single point of access for all health and social care users and provide a library of services for patients and health care professionals.

7.8 At the hospital interface it is envisaged that hospital attendances will be more appropriate with fewer admissions. Hospitals would provide ambulatory care and alternative pathways and access to diagnostics. There would be discharge processes and communications and reduced bed occupancy.

7.9 ABMU’s “Setting the Direction”, the primary and community strategic delivery programme, suggested that locality community networks comprise of populations of 30,000 – 50,000 base don natural groupings built around GP practices and led by primary care. Five community networks would cover Swansea:  Penderi – 37,175  Bay Health – 68, 047  Llwchwr – 45, 233  Cwmtawe – 42, 392  City Health – 55, 437

Appendix 1 illustrates the geographical groupings and details the GP practices within each community network.

7.10 ABMU set out the benefits of community networks as:  Genuine joint working and links in GP practices  Shared resources and efficiency savings  Co-ordination of services – enhanced services, special interest, shared facilities, new models of care  Closer links with other services and agencies  Shared service development  Joint working at the hospital interface

7.11 Councillors raised a number of issues with Dr Chris Johns and these and his responses are detailed below.

7.12 Accountability of the community network At the time of the meeting the governance arrangements were not fully developed. However, monitoring the outcomes of the community networks would be carried out at multiple levels: within the locality, by ABMU and the Welsh Assembly. Members suggested that the Scrutiny Board should also monitor the performance and outcomes of the community networks.

7.13 Inequality of service and need Different socio-economic areas within Swansea could produce different services and could lead to an inequality of service between the different community networks. Dr Chris Johns responded that this will require good quality data and information which will enable GPs to make good cases for resources. Disparities have existed but the community networks will have a far more local approach and will be able to focus on the specific needs in specific areas. Resources will be directed as need demands it.

An implementation board will oversee the development of the community networks. Each network will report through the governance structure and the implementation board will decide where resources are required.

7.14 Conclusions  The success of this, as with many other aspects of personalisation, is very much dependent on better joint working and information sharing between agencies.  The lack of clarity around the governance structure was of concern to the Board.  While there is elected member representation on the ABMU Health & Social Care Board which will receive reports on the community networks, the Overview & Scrutiny Board felt there should be greater elected member involvement.  It was agreed that the community network outcome monitoring reports be presented to the Board.

8. Joseph Rowntree Foundation Solutions Paper: How can local authorities with less money support better outcomes for older people?

8.1 This paper produced in January 2001 by the Joesph Rowntree Foundation asked how can life experiences of older people be enhanced while at the same time achieving less demand for intensive and costly health and social care services. The paper identified four ways to take this forward – involvement, involvement, refocusing and connecting - and used case studies to illustrate how older people’s lives had been enhanced while spending less on intensive support. The full paper is attached at Appendix 2.

9. Next Steps

9.1 The task and finish group should now use the evidence that it has gathered on the community development pillar of the transformation programme to begin to formulate conclusions and recommendations. It is important that all conclusions and recommendations are based on evidence that was collected during the course of the investigation.

‘All together now’ – supporting outcomes based assessment and care management across the purchaser provider ‘divide’

Project evaluation report

Deborah Driffield, Head of Adult Services, City & County of Swansea

Nick Andrews, Planning Officer for Older People, City & County of Swansea

Abstract

This strategic project report explores the rationale behind the project’s inception, and the progress achieved to date towards instigating a more holistic and participative approach to assessment and care management for older people in Swansea. The initiative was christened ‘All Together Now’ which reflects both the underlying philosophy and the methods employed to

actively engage older people and their families, practitioners and service providers from the statutory and third sectors to work together to break down barriers and create true partnership working using a co productive approach.

The principles behind relationship centred care and the ‘Senses Framework’

(Nolan et al, 2006) were also drawn upon as a catalyst to bring everyone together, both in body and in spirit, to agree a way forward that was equally meaningful to all involved both in terms of process and outcomes. A relationship centred approach is based on the belief that an enriched environment of care will only be created when the needs of all stakeholders are acknowledged and given attention.

This project report explores whether the principles behind relationship centred care can be successfully transferred from the residential settings in which they were formulated to the arena of Assessment and Care Management.

Contents

Abstract

Introduction Page 4

Policy context Page 7

Background to strategic project Page 11

Work already undertaken within CCS prior to the strategic project Page 14

Literature review Page 16

Methodology Page 26

Findings Page 41

Conclusion Page 50

Bibliography Page 51

Introduction

The intention of this strategic project report is to identify the current issues inherent within the Assessment and Care Management (ACM) process within older people’s social services and to explore whether a relationship centred approach would be more effective than the current system in ensuring positive outcomes for older people, their families and key stakeholders.

Recent research and feedback from practitioners and service users seems to be indicating that the current ACM system is presenting a block to good practice rather than providing a vehicle to drive standards higher and yet it remains unclear exactly what the problems are and how they may be addressed.

The key aspects that require further exploration and study are a better understanding of what is really important to older people both in terms of processes and outcomes and how the ACM process can be developed to reflect and support those aspirations.

The question posed by this strategic project report is whether the principles behind relationship centred care can be successfully transferred from the residential settings in which they were formulated to the arena of ACM.

The project report will outline the social policy context, followed by an analysis of current research findings to show how this influenced the direction of the strategic project: from initial thoughts that a change in (ACM) tools would by itself lead to improvements in outcomes for older people, through to the

realisation that there needed to be a wholesale review of the systems associated with the ACM process, to the final conclusions that a relationship centred approach could be more effective than current approaches in ensuring positive outcomes for older people, their families and key stakeholders.

Primary and secondary research findings have been used throughout the project to both shape the direction of the project itself and to evaluate the outcomes. It was determined from the outset that the primary success of the overall project would be measured by whether service users and carers were receiving a more appropriate service via better ACM processes and consequently achieving better outcomes.

It was also noted that the success of the project for stakeholders could also be measured in terms of:

. professional development, improved knowledge and skills and more

flexible working practices,

. a greater sense of achievement and an ongoing culture of learning and

development.

. the availability of learning and tools for professional development,

particularly assessment and care management;

. improved consistency, integration and collaboration;

. the modernisation of services, including improvements in service

efficiency, service quality and effectiveness.

However, for the purposes of this strategic report the level of success will be measured by how effectively the principles behind relationship centred care were successfully transferred from the residential settings in which they were formulated to the arena of ACM.

The processes involved in building up a co productive and collaborative approach to the project and the frameworks used to both plan and evaluate the project will then be described prior to an analysis of the initial findings and subsequent recommendations for taking forward lessons learnt.

Social Policy Context

ACM is one part of the systemic changes associated with adult social service reorganisations and policy reforms in many countries (Challis et al., 1994;

Davies, 1992). As early as 1989 The White Paper: ‘Caring for People’, stated that proper assessment of need and good case management should form the cornerstone of high quality care.

‘The National Health Service and Community Care Act’ of 1990, laid down the foundations for the development of ACM arrangements in social services within Britain. Challis, (1992) described this development as having ‘a pivotal role as the setting where the integration of social and economic criteria must occur at the level of service provision, where the balancing of needs and resources, scarcity and choice must take place’

Although Care Management had been implemented with a raft of detailed policy, management and practice guidance over the years, there has always continued to be a level of dissatisfaction that the elements around prioritisation and rationing of services have over shadowed some of the more intrinsic principles of needs led

assessments, proportionality of intervention and creating a mixed economy of care. (Parry Jones and Soulsby 2001).

In October 2001 the Unified Assessment Process (UAP) was published in

Wales with full implementation taking place by October 2006. The aim of the

UAP was to create a Unified and Fair System for Assessing and Managing

Care. It applied to all Local Authorities, and National Health Service Trusts, and Local Health Boards in England, Scotland and Wales. The main

Guidance was issued under section 7(1) of the Local Authority Social Services

Act (1970) and updated and consolidated the former Welsh Office Guidance

‘Managing Care’ (April 1991).

The purpose of the UAP was to ensure that both the NHS and Local

Authorities worked together to take a holistic approach to assessing and managing care so that:

• Assessments and Care Planning is person-centred and proportionate to need

• Services are co-ordinated and integrated at all levels

• Duplication of information, assessments and paperwork is minimised with advantages for individuals, practitioners and services

• Eligibility criteria are fairer and standardised across Wales.

The Chief Inspector’s Report on Social Services in Wales in 2006-07 restated the earlier message that ‘robust assessment, care planning and care management arrangements lie at the heart of meeting the objectives of the

Welsh Assembly Government’s 10 year strategy for Social Services in Wales

(Fulfilled Lives, Supportive Communities 2007)

A closer look at the principles on which the Welsh Assembly Government based its guidance in relation to assessment and care management, would indicate that they were very much in tune with the underlying values inherent within the social work profession:

 A person centred approach to assessment of need with the service

user and the carer being at the centre of the process.

 A proportionate approach to assessment, which is responsive, efficient

and non bureaucratic

 An outcome approach to assessment and care planning where

outcomes are clearly identified and each person has their own

Personal Plan of Care.

It would appear that somewhere along the line the principles enshrined within the guidance appear to have taken second place to the process, which has become overly bureaucratic and target driven. Seddon (2008) reinforces this view ‘……..whilst local agencies have given a lot of attention to forms and processes, the national guidance does not proscribe an assessment tool, as the focus of attention should be upon the underlying principles and values’.

Background to strategic Project

Due to the increasing concerns expressed by practitioners, the Association of

Directors of Social Services (ADSS) and Welsh Assembly Government (WAG) around the implementation of the (UAP), it was agreed by the ADSS and the

Social Services Improvement Agency (SSIA) that this should be a priority area for improvement. (The SSIA was established to support councils in Wales to deliver continuous improvement in social services, and deliver high quality and responsive services to people and communities.)

However it was recognised that any review of the UAP would have further implications for ACM practice, therefore a number of aspects of ACM were identified as priority areas for improvement and development. These were:

 Processes and models of assessment and review (including quality

assurance)

 Role of the social worker: changing staff culture and skills to facilitate the

shift to greater independence and choice and different forms of provision

 Obtaining the service user’s perspective and involvement

 Risk assessment and the shift to independence and prevention

It was acknowledged that an underlying theme relevant to each area was the need to develop an outcomes focus in the ACM process.

The approach adopted by the SSIA and ADSS was to bring together a number of ‘pioneer’ authorities from across Wales, who would receive peer support in a shared learning environment through coming together regularly in an action learning setting to share learning and support each other in driving change at a local level.

It was recognised that the improvement programme would have to align closely with work already being undertaken by the Care and Social Services

Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) on developing an outcome-focused approach to planning and delivering services in Wales and to other key initiatives underway including Value Wales work on outcomes based contracting, and the SSIA work on Outcome Based Accountability and performance management.

Emphasis was placed on the need to address the issues within ACM not as a small scale process issue but as a fundamental driver that addresses the needs of the wider integration, prevention and independence agenda.

It was determined from the outset that the primary success of the project would be measured by whether service users and carers were receiving a more appropriate service via better assessments and care management processes and consequently achieving better outcomes.

Expressions of interest were invited from local authorities to identify a

piece of work, linked to one of the four areas that had been identified as

priorities for improvement and development.

Adult Social Services (Older People) within Swansea were successful in their bid to become one of the pioneers and were asked to concentrate their efforts on reviewing processes and models of assessment, care management and review (including quality assurance). This linked in with work already being undertaken within the service area that had highlighted growing dissatisfaction amongst service users, staff, partner organisations and service providers around the ACM processes.

Work already undertaken within Swansea prior to the

strategic project

A task and finish group had been convened in 2007 to review how

information was recorded within the UAP. This group looked at a number

of assessments across the teams and identified some key issues and

areas for improvement.

In reviewing the current electronic assessment pro forma (UA) it was

acknowledged that there were some sections which were difficult to

interpret, time consuming to complete and appeared to be of little value in

terms of informing the assessment and care planning process. This view

was verified by recent national research completed by Bangor University

(Seddon D. 2008), around UA policy, implementation and practice, which

identified a number of recommendations and issues including:

 The domain and sub-domain approach may benefit from being

consolidated

 Risk assessment may be more beneficial if global, rather than sub-domain

specific

 Information sharing protocols across agencies needs to be clarified

 Different IT systems across agencies are a major obstacle to progress

Having identified some difficulties with the current pro forma (UA), we also found that there were useful sections which were not being completed correctly and there were missed opportunities to record pertinent clear

information that providers would benefit from and which could evidence eligibility.

It was always acknowledged that any review of local procedures must be in keeping with national guidance. With respect to this, Seddon D. (2008) highlights the fact that care managers must complete assessments which are proportionate to the issues identified and be easily understood by service users and families.

Amended and updated guidance was produced locally in 2008 by a working group of front line practitioners that kept within the underlying principles and values of Unified Assessment. The aim was to shift the focus from bureaucratic form filling to a person centred and outcomes focussed approach to ACM. It was envisaged that this would free up time for practitioners currently preoccupied with data processing to develop good working relationships with service users, carers, partners and local communities in line with the intentions of Fulfilled Lives, Supportive Communities (WAG 2007).

Literature Review

To date, there has been limited published evidence about the effectiveness of the Unified Assessment process (UAP) Seddon D. (2008). Research conducted in England (Christiansen and Roberts, 2005; Mackenzie et al.,

2005) suggests that the Single Assessment Process (SAP) is helpful in reducing duplication of assessments and encouraging timely responses to individuals in need.

Challis et al. (2007) suggest that following the implementation of the SAP, needs are more effectively identified, especially those relating to cognitive functioning and mobility. However, difficulties engaging general practitioners and specialist clinicians (Dickinson, 2006; Ridout and Mayers, 2006) and sharing information between health and social care organizations (Glasby,

2004) prevail, as do concerns about the erosion of professional roles and identities (Cornes and Clough, 2004).

However, little mention is made of the other important interface, that of

‘purchaser-provider’. Whilst partnership working with health services is undoubtedly a priority for Social Services, the reality in Swansea is that approximately 75% of the budget for older people’s services is spent on long term care homes and domiciliary care and over 50% of that care is purchased from the private sector.

Research in the field of mental health (Huxley et al., 2007) suggests that the implementation of the Fair Access to Care (FACS) Guidelines is problematic because of limited inter-agency and intra-agency communication and

insufficient staff training relating to the purpose and operation of these

Guidelines.

Despite the importance of information technology to single and unified assessment procedures, there is little evidence of documents being made available electronically (Challis et al., 2007). Most communication is paper based, as health and social care computer systems do not provide the functionality that is required to implement this new approach to the assessment and management of care (Mouratidis et al., 2003)

The lack of a common understanding of key principles amongst professionals and how these relate to service provision, in particular, needs, outcomes and person-centred care, is also problematic (Challis et al., 2007). A considerable amount of work is required to embed an outcome-focused approach into practice (Marsh et al., 2005). Indeed, what constitutes an outcome remains a conceptual challenge for practitioners. Consequently, support may be inconsistent with service user expectations and defined outcomes (Hanson et al., 2006).

In a review conducted for the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE),

Glendinning et al (2006, p2) defined outcomes as:

‘The impacts or end results of services on a person’s life. Outcomes-focussed services therefore aim to achieve the aspirations, goals and priorities identified by service users’.

An outcomes focussed approach to assessment and care management is central to UK wide government policy, and is seen to have clear benefits as

highlighted in a detailed study by researchers at York University (Nicholas et al, 2003), which suggest that an outcome focussed model supports:

• A person centred approach

• Effective partnership working

• Best value

Glendinning et al (2006) also express concern that whilst the York University model identified three sets of outcomes, there has been a relative overemphasis on change outcomes with older people, linked to the promotion of the independence and autonomy agenda. Whilst there is certainly an important role for re-ablement services (Kaambwa et al, 2008; Ryburn et al,

2009), many older people are as, if not more, concerned about maintenance or ‘quality of life’ outcomes, than they are about change (Glendining et al

2006).

This is consistent with the suggestion of Nolan et al (2006), who argue the application of an individualistic model of services based on notions of independence for older people, is often less appropriate than an approach that recognises the importance of interdependence within the context of relationships, especially for those with long term chronic conditions that are unlikely to benefit from re-ablement.

The approach being taken on the ‘All Together Now’ project in Swansea is also attempting to address the concerns raised by Glendinning et al (2008), in their analysis of why the relatively simple concept of delivering outcome focussed support may be more complex than might be first thought.

If as Glendinning et al (2008) state, a ‘whole system’ approach to reform is needed, then the relationship centred and collaborative approach may be one way of getting the degree of understanding and ‘buy-in’ required to do this. It is hoped that the focus on locality planning and community capacity building within the ‘All Together Now’ Project may also help in addressing the need to prioritise the outcomes identified by older people themselves, rather than just strategic outcomes or those deemed eligible for local authority funding.

Peter Huxley et al. (2007) identified a real ambivalence amongst the staff they interviewed about the notion of “care management”. Most argued that decisions concerning the management of care could not be abstracted from the actual work of providing care and the unfolding relationship with the client that is established in that work. They recognised the importance of the development of care management plans, and that in practice some care tasks should be devolved onto support staff, either within the team or other agencies, but were concerned about arrangements which rigidly separated care management from the provision of that care.

The ‘All Together Now’ strategic project was developed as a collaborative/co productive process to try and redress the power imbalance inherent within the current assessment and care management processes with a view to enabling all key stakeholders to have a more equal stake in their own individual support planning and locality planning. From the outset of the project, we were determined not to take a ‘command and control’ bureaucratic approach to improving assessment and care management, but to make a commitment to

collaborative working, valuing and involving all key stakeholders in a ‘whole system’ approach to reform that is set within a framework of co production

Unlike the UAP, Co creation or Co production have been written about extensively and appear to be very much flavour of the month at present.

These terms have been coined to describe the attempts to use people from out with an organisation or service area to develop new ideas and new ways of working – to steer the new direction of travel. A key component of this model is the emphasis placed on the value to the citizen or community rather than the organisation itself.

Citizens become part of the collaborative process and are not viewed as the passive recipients of services, but are seen as knowledgeable with valuable contributions to make. However for this collaborative model to work there must be agreed ground rules with clear lines of accountability and leadership.

This may be more difficult to achieve within a collaborative co creating model that in the traditional hierarchical command and control type of governance arrangement.

‘Co production attempts to create actualised communities within which individuals are empowered’ - Cahn 2000

The ethos of co production fits well with recent social policy initiatives that are geared towards citizen directed support, working across organisational boundaries and community development approaches. (Putting People First,

Fulfilled Lives Supportive Communities)

Co-production requires professionals and service managers to move out of traditional roles as ‘experts’ and ‘providers’ into partnership models that work with ‘clients’ and ‘communities’. This enables them to find a solution together to the complexity of their problem and sometimes requires that the ‘problem’ be redefined.

The New Economics Foundation (2008) pointed out that social care reform will fail to be successful unless it grasps the concept of co-production, and recognises that the contribution made by each individual is invaluable. It suggests that Social Care needs to be a shared responsibility for the whole community with mutual support networks not just the preserve of professionals or commissioners’. In today’s financial climate it is no wonder that this model of social care support is attractive to government.

However the Public Administration Select Committee report – ‘User

Involvement in Public Services’ recently concluded that It is as yet unclear whether user driven public services offer better value for money or improved outcomes for all or most service users. It was able to determine that stronger variants of user participation and control would have far-reaching effects on the shape of some of our public services. In particular, there would be fundamental implications for the role of public service professionals, their relationship with service users, and the way that public services are organised and accessed.

It is this perceived threat to the role of the professional by the professional that appears to be the biggest stumbling block when trying to make the shift to citizen directed support and collaborative governance arrangements.

The approach being developed in this project does have similarities with the wider ‘personalisation’ agenda in England (HM Government 2008), although one of the major catalysts for change in England appears to be the introduction of Individual Budgets to fund what is termed as ‘self directed support’. However, a recent evaluation report on the Individual Budget pilots in

England stated that:

‘The evaluation indicates that a potentially substantial proportion of older people may experience taking responsibility for their own support as a burden rather than as leading to improved control. Older people satisfied with their current care arrangements – particularly when this involved an established relationship with a current care worker – were reported to be reluctant to change, so differences in outcome would be minimal’ (Glendinning et. al

2008b)

This reinforces the view taken by Nolan that relationships are at the heart of what we do and again goes back to the core principles of social work. The importance of relationships and the ‘Senses’ to older people, carers and staff is widely evidenced in the literature (Beresford et al, 2008; Hanson et al,

2006a; Jones and Wright, 2008; Manthorpe et al, 2007; McGarry, 2009;

Seddon et al, 2006; Sheard, 2007), as is the general failure to address them

(Borthwick et al, 2009; Flemming and Taylor, 2006; Kydd, 2008; Swinkels and

Mitchell, 2009).

Nolan et al (2006) present the ‘Senses Framework’ as a model to promote the well-being, not only of older people, but also of their carers and the staff who work with them, all of whom should experience a sense of:

 Security – to feel safe within relationships

 Belonging – to feel ‘part of things’

 Continuity – to experience links and consistency

 Purpose – to have a personally valuable goal or goals

 Achievement – to make progress towards a desired goal or goals

 Significance – to feel that ‘you’ matter

He refers to the development of ‘enriched environments of care’ in which the

‘Senses’ are achieved for older people, carers and staff. Whilst this approach was originally developed for use in Care Homes and similar settings, CCS were particularly interested to see if they could develop ‘enriched environments of care’ across the wider community care sector, and in particular within the ACM arena, where there is increasing local concern that bureaucratic processes might be undermining best practice and demoralising everyone as a result.

Methodology

A launch event was organised for all key stakeholders to publicise the project and to identify participants. There followed a series of stakeholder workshops that scoped out the project into four work streams (the ACM project being one), agreed key outcomes for the project and indicators of success and identified a suitable planning framework for the project and an evaluation tool.

At the very start of the project a person profile was distributed to all stakeholders to complete outlining their personal interests, aspirations for the project and for older people in general. They were also asked to give examples of how they felt they could contribute to the project.

Following on from this, further questionnaires were distributed to collate information on what key stakeholders saw as the current problems within the

ACM process and possible solutions. These would form the basis of the project action planning process and where based on John Seddon’s (2008)

‘Systems Check’

As part of the project a number of academics with an interest in older people’s health and well being were invited to Swansea to inform our discussions on how to improve the ACM system. Professor Mike Nolan presented information on the ‘senses framework’ and ‘relationship centred’ model of practice. He also provided us with a ‘collectivist evaluation’ model for participatory and constructive research (HANSON) which we agreed would compliment the work of the project.

A simple tool was developed from this to evaluate the success of the pilot project which would link the ‘senses framework’ with the participative research findings. The hope was that there would be evidence within the evaluation tool to suggest that the 6 senses had been achieved by all key stakeholders by asking the following questions:

 Equal access – Do you feel that your voice is being heard and your

contribution welcomed ?

 Enhanced awareness of self – Is the project helping you to reflect on

your role and what you do?

 Enhanced awareness of others – Is the project helping you to better understand the position of other participants?

 Encourage action – Is the project encouraging/stimulating ideas for positive change?

 Enable action – Is the project actually enabling positive change?

Whilst the ‘senses framework’ provides an underpinning value base to the project, it was decided to also incorporate an outcomes framework for the

ACM process using a tool devised by the Joint Improvement Team in

Scotland , and based on the outcomes identified by users and carers.

This User Defined Service Evaluation Tool (UDSET) (Joint Improvement

Team Scotland) identifies a number of outcomes for older people and was also used as a tool to encourage staff to start to shift their thinking away from service led resolutions to outcome focused thinking. The framework suggests that older people should:

 Feel safe

 Have things to do

 Have good contact with other people

 Stay as well as they can

 Have any symptoms controlled

 Have control over living life the way you want, including how support is

provided

 Live where you want

 Have your carer(s) well supported

 Have improved skills and confidence

 Have improved mobility

 Have your income maximised

 Feel listened to

 Feel valued and respected

 Have support that is flexible and provides choice

 Have support that is reliable

 Have support that is responsive to changing need

The UDSET Outcomes Framework has also been used to support ACM staff to hold semi-structured and outcomes focussed narrative with older people, encouraging a focus on strengths as well as outcomes, rather than concentrating on needs and deficits. It is planned to develop the use of the

UDSET framework further to identify service specifications, with a view to bringing ACM and Commissioning and Contracting together under a common outcomes framework.

It was recognised early on in the project that this tool was in danger of becoming yet another tick box exercise and was therefore only used in conjunction with the SENSES framework and the LEAP planning model.

Taking the Senses Framework (Nolan) as an underpinning value base for the project, based on his work around developing enriched environments of support, the City and County of Swansea also adopted the use of a collaborative outcomes-focused project planning and evaluation model used in community development known as LEAP, an acronym for Learning,

Evaluation and Planning, not only because of its commitment to outcomes- focused planning and evaluation, but also because of its focus on collaborative learning.

A strength of the LEAP model is that it supports making the best use of limited resources, by bringing together all key stakeholders, including older people themselves, to see what can be done to improve communities (Barr and

Dailly, 2008). Within Swansea, it was felt that although there are a large number of agencies and groups working to support older people and carers, awareness of each other’s activities can often be poor. There was particular concern expressed by ACM staff that an increased emphasis on office based data inputting and administration over the past few years, had actually undermined their knowledge of community resources and ability to support creative and cost effective care planning.

A further benefit of the LEAP model is that it places a strong focus on

‘visioning’ in developmental planning, before considering activities and the use of resources. This approach is very similar to many of the frameworks that have been developed around innovation, which outline the processes from creative thinking through to concrete planning.

The LEAP model suggests the following approach to planning (Barr and

Dailly, 2008):

Not:

Resource Act Plan

But: Investigate Plan Act

Envision Resource

In addition to this basic principle, the model suggests the need to:

 Clarify exactly what you are trying to achieve

 Be clear about whose needs are being addressed

 Recognise that there is more than one way of thinking about what a

need is

 Consider all the dimensions of what the need is about (‘whole system’)

Taking this approach, City and County of Swansea, chose to name the SSIA project ‘All Together Now’, because of its emphasis on pulling together a wide range of stakeholders from the health and social care ‘community’, along with

older people and carers to begin to explore what older people’s services should be about, and how they can be improved by making the best use of everyone’s time and resources.

Nine key outcomes to measure the success of the project were determined by service users, carers, staff and providers during a number of participative workshops over the initial three month period of the project:

 What matters to older people and their carers will be at the heart of everything we do

 Stakeholders have a shared vision and common language for supporting older people.

 There is a relationship of trust and mutual support between all stakeholders

 Stakeholders have a clear understanding of each others role

 Staff time is used to best effect in supporting older people

 Individualised outcomes for older people are identified and ‘tracked’ for achievement across the purchaser -provider ‘divide’

 Creative, individualised, holistic and cost effective support/care plans

are designed and implemented

 There is no unnecessary duplication of recording

 Staff are motivated and feel good about their work

Consultation workshops were then held with staff from all eight Older People’s

ACM teams. The focus of these workshops was not to train staff in outcomes focussed support (as if the problem lies with them), but to work with them on a

‘vision’ for older people’s services in Swansea and begin to explore how the

‘system’ might need to change to enable them to practice in ways which support outcomes focussed and person centred support for older people and their carers.

The most frequently raised issues in respect of the ACM process were:

 ‘Time and task’ care plans being issued to providers, which stifle

flexibility and create a chain of unnecessary and tedious work when

simple short term needs arise (e.g. applying cream to a leg)

 ‘Tick box’ social work and the layout of UA in PARIS (IT system)

 Different systems for data inputting

 Tedious, time consuming, unnecessary and uninspired form filling, with

very little reference to the aspirations and strengths of older people

 Having to state the obvious in recording – again and again

 No proper review form

 No life history section in the UA form

 Failure to assess people within the context of their relationships – e.g.

splitting up couples when one has to go into a care home, but the

other is not eligible for funding

 Drop down’ pick lists for care plans – it’s like factory farming. Narrative

is best

 An over-emphasis on functional assessment, which neglects the

feelings and wishes of the person being assessed

 Every need is linked to an eligibility score, which makes us worried

about raising people’s expectation

In relation to partnership working, the common blocks identified most

frequently were:

 Bureaucracy not only affects us, but also all our working relationships

 Our work is often ignored, e.g. UA forms, which providers do not read

 Not enough time to sit down and listen to older people and their carers

and to hear what really matters to them

 ‘Bad attitude’ from other professionals, e.g. towards people with

drug/alcohol problems

 Increasingly lengthy referral forms to the voluntary sector, which are

often ‘generic’ and inappropriate

 When we go to agencies like Age Concern for the needs that are not

eligible for CCS funding, they are often unable to help due to their own

capacity issues

 Sometimes poor working relationships with health – we are at their

‘beck and call’ to get people out of hospital, whether that is in the best

interest of the older person or not – social work practice is not valued.

Targets are more important than people

There were a number of process issues also identified:

 Pressure from managers to close/transfer cases

 Cumbersome processes which cause delays –These are most

upsetting when dealing with people who do not have long to live and

whose end of life experience is not what they want

 Rush to solutions, which may have negative consequences in the

longer term, both in terms of cost and outcomes

 Focus on mechanistic processes and activities, not people

 A lack of continuity of worker – older people are being processed not

supported, in the name of ‘efficiency’

 The people who do the reviews are often different from the people who

do the assessment – as well as continuity issues for the older person,

there is a danger that reviewers won’t pick up all the issues that were

identified during assessment

Staff raised a number of issues in relation to their professional role:

 Deskilling and overemphasis on administration and PIs

 A lack of clarity about the social work role – confused and pulled in

different directions

 Low staff morale - failure of management to recognise the complexities

of our work

 Poor knowledge of support services outside of ‘social services’, and a

lack of time to explore the communities within which we work

 A lack of understanding of what services cost, and what budget we

have. If we knew both of these, it might help us to think creatively, as is

the case when we plan our own activities (e.g. holidays) on a limited

budget

 Not everyone understands what we do, even service users – they often

want what I can’t provide

The current aversion to risk taking was also noted as being a barrier:

 Policy that blocks Direct Payments to people with dementia

 Fear of litigation - back covering and ‘what if?’ which makes it difficult to

make a ‘risky’ decision, even if this is what the older person wants.

 The health and safety culture of provider services, which means that

older people may be protected from harm, whilst their human rights

and well-being are trampled on

 ‘Tunnel vision’ in some provider agencies

And not surprisingly managers themselves were also seen as a barrier to developing more outcomes focused and person centred approaches with some comments being:

 Too much ‘top down’ and imposed change

 Being allocated large case loads, which can be depressing and

overwhelming at times

 We are always being told there is no money, so we prioritise certain

needs like ‘personal care’ and ‘meals’, even before we have asked the

person what is important to them

 Unreliable and inconsistent funding to voluntary sector

 We are measured on our outputs, not creativity and person centred

approaches!

 Poor communication, leading to inconsistent practice in different teams

– especially when keep changing policy and procedures

 Assumptions!

 Management seem stressed!

 Change happens, without being thought through,

A central theme of this project is the collaborative and relationship centred approach to outcomes planning, evaluation and learning, based upon the

LEAP model. In order to support the evaluation of the project, it was decided to use an individualised evaluation tool for participants based upon a model of participatory and constructive research (Hanson et. al. 2006), which supports the concept and value of ‘co-production’. This evaluation tool would take the form of a questionnaire and would need to be completed with all key stakeholders at the beginning, middle and end of the project by asking them to describe their experiences of the following:

 Equal access – was everyone’s voice heard (i.e. listened to and

valued)?

 Enhanced awareness of self – did the project provide participants with

new insights into their own situation?

 Enhanced awareness of others – Did the project help participants to

better understand the position of other participants?

 Encourage action – Did the project stimulate or identify areas for

change?

 Enable action – Did the project facilitate, enable or empower change?

The mid stage of the strategic project has been timed to coincide with the

preparation of this report, key findings will therefore only be available up

until that stage, but these interim findings will determine the focus and

scope of the remaining period of the project and will feed into the final

national report.

Findings at the mid point review stage

For the purposes of this strategic project feedback from questionnaires was to be collated from across all key stakeholders (approximately 40) at the mid point review. However, only 20 questionnaires were returned in time to be considered as part of this report.

 Equal access – Do you feel that your voice is being heard and your

contribution welcomed?

 Enhanced awareness of self – Is the project helping you to reflect on

your role and what you do?

 Enhanced awareness of others – Is the project helping you to better understand the position of other participants?

 Encourage action – Is the project encouraging/stimulating ideas for positive change?

 Enable action – Is the project actually enabling positive change?

Strong themes emerged from the questionnaires with all responders stating that they had felt positively included in the project and that decisions were made together through discussion (Equal Access)……’a culture of mutual understanding and appreciation seems to be developing’……. ‘Issues were debated rather than argued.’ (Practitioner

Social Services)

Importantly many responders stated that the project had influenced how they were taking forward other areas of work especially in relation to outcomes based approaches. A greater understanding of each others roles and responsibilities also seemed to be emerging (Enhanced awareness of self) ….. ‘Yes, it has highlighted the amount of paper work people in the statutory sector are bound to. It has also highlighted the constraints, such as time, that have affected social services’ ( Private

Provider)

One of the areas that was commented most on was the interface with private providers, There was an acknowledgement that this was an area that had previously been neglected, (Enhanced awareness of others)

….‘Yes, the project is encouraging organisations that would not normally develop working relationships to understand the mutual benefits of information sharing and positive sign posting e.g. private business and the voluntary sector’ (Manager Voluntary Organisation)

The overwhelming view was that the welcome extended to the private sector providers to ‘come the table’ at an early and formative stage, was not prevalent in previous developments and had been positive and refreshing. One responder noted ‘The ability of domiciliary care to adapt to change has also surprised me’ (Practitioner Social Services)

Most responders commented that the regular fortnightly meetings with the

Provider Agencies had been particularly useful, confirming that they had promoted positive communication with the Agency and highlighted that the pilot project had encouraged staff (both direct care staff and Social

Workers) to think together about what could be possible for individuals.

‘The flexible approach to care delivery and the increased communication between ACMS staff and the Care Agency has encouraged this.’

Responders believed that the fact that the private providers continued to participate throughout the pilot signalled how rewarding it was for them and endorsed the relevancy and benefits to them……’I welcomed the start of this project as I felt that “at last a sounding board for private providers” yes I feel that my voice is heard loud and clear, also I feel that my input is valued’. (Private Provider)

…..’Yes, its injected new life into providers. Important we met with them to create positive change and see them trying to be creative and tapping into local resources. (Social Services Team Leader)

…….’ Yes, it has helped us see how crucial it is to be really collaborating with social services to meet the needs of our clients, just being the provider is not enough. (private provider)

The project has heightened the awareness around the disparate processes that each agency is required to follow within the ACM process and has identified ways of working together that could reduce some of the duplication for all stakeholders, including identifying which additional information could be included within the ACM forms which would give the

Providers much more of the information that they require. (Encourage action) However the current system still requires the two sets of paperwork. This continues to be frustrating for all involved.

One of the great spin offs from the pilot has been a much greater awareness and understanding of the role and extent of involvement of a variety of community organisations within the specific geographical area.

…..’The project has highlighted I did not have an entirely full appreciation of what contribution the wide spectrum of partners in this project could have and their enthusiasm and capacity or of the work already done in this area – I now have an increased awareness of services available to the patients living in mumbles.( District Nurse)

…..’Quite a revelation about the work that is going on and who we can tap into’.

However it was evident from some responders, predominantly within social services, that the cultural shift required by staff was frustratingly slow.

….’however I feel it has taken some time to encourage staff at all points, to think differently.’(Team Leader within Social Services)

This comes as no surprise and can be directly related to fear of change but also to their perceived loss of power and status. ….’yes definitely It has taken a while for me to consider that there are alternative ways of doing things (I can be a bit stubborn) But since attending some of the conferences and workshops I feel more open to explore new ways of working. I now feel-l energised by the prospect of change (Senior

Practitioner Social Services)

However there did appear to be an overwhelming sense that there was a real possibility that large scale change would happen as a result of this pilot and that those involved realised that they could make it happen

(Enable action) ….’I think participants feel that something might actually happen on the ground this time as it is in the gift of those involved to

implement and can see their ideas and inputs adopted into some of the early products. (Contract Manager Social Services).

….’we just want all contracts to be outcome based now, to give us the flexibility our clients needs us to have.’

Other responders agreed ….’I feel this is the start of a huge cultural shift in the way we work with service users and also with our partners e.g. health.

It will also enable greater links/understanding between the social worker and providers. I remain hopeful that staff will also see this as a huge opportunity for change.’

…….’The projects have opened up the door to be more creative in our thinking and provided an opportunity to reconsider how we evidence information keeping the s/user central to this process. It will hopefully affect the way services are also provided as this is very task orientated and linked to eligibility.

To sum up flexibility and creativity is the way forward and very much in keeping with the ethos of the CC Act 1990.’ (Social Services Team

Leader)

…..’Person centred approach and seeing people try and work flexibly to meet what is important to the person, injects new enthusiasm as you feel you can make a difference to someone.’ (Social Services Team Leader)

However several responders identified that without the drive, dedication

and imagination of the key individuals (in this case the planning officer

within Older Peoples Social Services) the pilot may not have got off the

ground. This again comes as no surprise as we know it is critical to have

inspired and inspiring leaders throughout any organisational change and

that this will be crucial if this pilot is to be transformed into mainstream

practice.

Themes arising from the feedback from Uses and Carers who had been

recipients of the outcome focused model of support indicate that:

 Carers and the cared for person require active support to manage this

model effectively. Service users require time to develop a working

relationship with the care workers and help to determine what else they

need to achieve their outcomes.

 A continuity of care has produced good results for service users,

particularly those with dementia, mainly because there has been a

continuity of approach between the team of care workers.

 A number of service users went out with support from the care workers

and this produced good results in terms of improved mood and raised

confidence levels.

 Care workers found that having time to engage service users in more

social activities( like joining in with their hobbies or sitting with them

whilst they ate their lunch/tea) enabled them to gain their trust and

resulted in service users agreeing to engage in some personal care

tasks that they had resisted previously.

 Due to the short length of the pilot, family carers commented that they

were only just beginning to see the impact of the new model on their

situation.

The interim findings from the Hanson participative evaluation tool

evidenced conclusively that the 6 ‘senses’ had been achieved by all key

stakeholders, this was in contrast to the initial ‘systems check’ findings

where stakeholders described feeling deskilled, undervalued, not

listened to and not fully involved.

On reflection this conclusion seems self evident, as you would expect that if you involved people more, they would feel involved more and therefore become involved more. However the various policies, frameworks and practice guidance around ACM and more latterly UAP have not addressed this systems failure successfully over the last 20 years.

It would appear that the success of this pilot may lie in the parallel approach taken to effecting change at both the whole systems level and individual stakeholder levels, by utilising the ‘leap’ approach to developmental planning alongside the ‘senses framework’ as a catalyst for change at an individual level.

Conclusion

A relationship centred approach is based on the belief that an enriched environment of care will only be created when the needs of all stakeholders are acknowledged and given attention. This project report explored whether the principles behind relationship centred care could be successfully transferred from the residential settings in which they were formulated to the arena of ACM.

For the purposes of this strategic project report the hope was that there would be enough evidence within the evaluation tool to suggest that the 6 senses had been achieved by all key stakeholders. This would confirm our belief that the senses framework could be used as a value based model, to develop good practice across the purchaser – provider divide within the

ACM system, to ensure improved outcomes were achieved for older people.

The interim findings from the Hanson participative evaluation tool evidenced conclusively that the 6 ‘senses’ had been achieved by all key stakeholders and verified that ‘enriched environments’ of support are as crucial to the ACM system as they are to residential settings.

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Report of the Task & Finish Group

Health Social Care & Well Being Overview & Scrutiny Board – April 5th 2011

TIME BANKING GOOD PRACTICE

Purpose  To provide a briefing requested by the Board about time banking projects in the UK as part of the Board’s work on the community capacity pillar of the transformation of adult social services project Content  This report includes examples of time banking projects in UK, evaluation of some of the projects and case studies.  This report will be of interest to board members and officers working on the transformation of adult social services project  The report concludes that: o Time banks can operate in a variety of settings to provide support to a diversity of users o building volunteer numbers can sometimes be a slow and intensive process o Time banks can help to improve the well- being of participants Councillors are  Consider the report as part of their challenge work being asked to on the community capacity pillar of the transformation of adult social services project Lead Robert Francis-Davies, Chair and Jeff Jones, Vice-Chair Councillor(s) Lead Officer(s) Deborah Driffield, Head of Adult Social Services Chris Maggs, Corporate Director (Social Services) Report Author Jenna Tucker & Delyth Davies

1. Background

1.1 The Board agreed to test and challenge the work of the community capacity pillar to understand how the work within this pillar would increase capacity in communities to maximise informal support and minimise the use of commissioned services.

1.2 A key initiative within the transformation of adult social services project is Gorseinon Time Together which will build an alliance of service providers and a network of citizens who can trade their time for access to support, events, educational and cultural experiences.

To understand more about time banking the Board visited the

Blaengarw time bank, met with the Gorseinon Time Together Co- ordinator and engaged with the Gorseinon Time Together steering group.

2. Purpose

2.1 The Board was also interested to find out more about other time banking projects across the UK to see what kinds of services, support and activities they provide; the types of people engaged and how time banks are sustained.

3. Evidence Gathered

3.1 Time banking projects in the UK have been on the rise since the concept was introduced 1998.

According to Time Banking UK, the national umbrella charity which links and supports time banking, there are:

 92 active time banks  122 developing time banks  2 neighbourhood time banks  14, 880 participants actively involved in time banking  808, 334 hours traded between participants to date

There are a number of examples of time banks detailed below.

4. Rushey Green Time Bank

4.1 The Rushey Green time bank was set up by Dr. Richard Byng of the Rushey Green Group Practice in partnership with the New Economics Foundation in 2000. It was the first time bank in the UK to be based in a health care setting. It is located inside the Rushey Green Group Practice in Lewisham and it works in partnership with health professionals who promote the time bank activities and refer patients to the time bank.

Dr Byng was convinced that many of his patients, who presented with symptoms of depression and isolation, could be helped by increasing their contact with other people and finding a framework in which they could feel useful to society and needed by others. This time bank aimed to reduce isolation and increase well being in an area of social and health need.

4.2 Rushey Green Time Bank allowed participants to give and receive a wide range of neighbourly support — gardening, decorating, small DIY, befriending, lifts to hospital, wheelchair-pushing on excursions, music lessons, companionship, accompanied shopping trips, and envelope-stuffing for local voluntary groups. However, the qualitative impacts of participation were found to be greater than the levels of activity.

4.3 The time bank pioneered a DIY skills team, where a co-ordinator taught basic DIY skills to participants and accompanied them on time-bank assignments and ensured that their training had been effective.

The time bank has:

 200 members many of whom are elderly, or are on low incomes. Many are from ethnic minority groups with 95 per cent participating at least 3-4 times per year  Exchanged a wide variety of skills such as: befriending, running errands, giving lifts, arranging social events, woodwork, poetry writing, teaching sewing, babysitting, gardening, lifting that requires muscle, swimming, fishing, teaching the piano, catering, form-filling, design work, drawing, assisting local voluntary groups, and sharing local knowledge.  Set up a diabetes support group, which meets every six weeks and has 12 attendees. It is considering setting up a bereavement support group.  Exchanged a total of 32,000 hours to date

4.4 Table 1 below provides information on the frequency of time banking activity by members. Table 2 provides demographic data on the time bank members and compares this to the UK population as a whole.

Table 1 - Frequency of time banking activity

frequency of activity % of members

Once or more a week 25% 1-2 times per month 60% 3-4 times per year 10% Never 5%

Source Co-production Works – the win:win of involving local people in public services” Time Banking UK publication

Table 2 – Characteristics of time bank members

Rushey UK Green Population Pensionable age or over 47.1% 21.7% Not in paid employment 64.7% 51.3% Female 58.8% 52.3% Household income <£100/week 20.0% 11.0% Household income <£249/week 50.0% 38.0% Limiting long-term illness 12.5% 12.7% No qualifications 25.0% 31.0% Degree education or higher 25.0% 13.0% Voted in last local election 80.0% Voted in last general election 80.0% Years lived in the area 24.5 Source Co-production Works – the win:win of involving local people in public services” Time Banking UK publication

4.5 Rushey Green Time Bank Evaluation

4.6 Dr Tirril Harris of the Socio-Medical research group at St Thomas’ Hospital conducted a two-year evaluation of the health impacts of the Rushey Green Time Bank. This started after a preliminary study by Dr Isabel Garcia, a doctor at the surgery.4

4.7 The study made the following discoveries:

4.7.1 1) Health-related participation After a big recruitment drive to involve younger and more active members in the bank, the proportion of members with severe physical health problems is 25 per cent (as compared with 30 per cent among the first intake) and those with significant current depression/anxiety at intake is now about 25 per cent rather than 30 around half. The proportion with both severe physical and severe mental health problems is 18 per cent. Among those without current problems, a sixth had undergone a previous episode of depression/anxiety in recent years, and showed some insight into the possibility that time bank membership might be relevant for preventing a recurrence of these disorders.

4.7.2 2. Positive impacts on health Participants emphasised how the social networks surrounding the time bank lessened the loss of function resulting from their physical illnesses, not only in terms of the obvious improvements, say, in getting around because of the transport provided or in having goods brought to their homes, but also in terms of the additional social interaction diverting attention from pain or from the frustration of being house-bound. For those with psychological symptoms, improvements were seen in around 70 per cent of participants, although it is difficult to say how much of the

4 “Co-production Works – the win:win of involving local people in public services” Time Banking UK publication

improvements relate to the time bank. Patterns did emerge, however, that many of the time bank exchanges resemble those of friendly neighbours rather than of close relationships, and that the time bank has afforded some participants a new intimate relationship of the type which has been found protective against depression.

4.8 Rushey Green Time Bank Lessons Learned

4.9 The evaluation report set out a number of learning points which could be borne in mind when setting up a time bank:

4.9.1 Make sure you have enough capacity to begin with. Invest enough capacity in the scheme from the outset, so you can develop and embed ‘reciprocity’ and coproduction with health centre and staff as much as with the community and patients. Set up regular meetings between practice staff and the time bank to share developments, and maintain good communication. Having accessible space where participants can drop in is a real bonus.

4.9.2 Co-production takes time and skills. Recognise the time and skills needed to reverse the traditional one-way ‘service’ relationship with vulnerable, socially excluded groups. Develop and support opportunities to explore the co-production approach, for example, train reception staff so they can identify possible participants and tell them about the time bank. Receptionists won’t know patients medical problems but they do know the patients socially, which is a big advantage. Make an effort to involve as many different kinds of people as possible.

4.9.3 Minimise the time between participants joining and being offered a task. Get participants active as soon as possible.

4.9.4 Involve participants in the running of the time bank. Make sure participants are actively engaged in the time bank. This may mean capping the number of participants (80-100 people), and designing the scheme so that participants move through it, creating space for new members. In this way, the time bank is kept active and avoids the trap of falling into a passive membership.

4.9.5 Focus on group activities. Group activities, as opposed to simply one-to-one exchanges, are a way to generate trust, opportunities and ongoing relationships. Groups currently running at Rushey Green include, diabetes support group, computer classes, phoning ‘at risk’ patients' group, and ESOL (English Speakers of Other Languages) classes. Groups also provide the opportunity to devolve more of the

organisational work and responsibility to participants as well as giving participants the opportunity for personal and skills development.

4.9.6 Evaluate to learn, and to show benefits. Evaluate and monitor to demonstrate the benefit of the project on an on-going basis and at all levels — to participants, staff, and local organisations.

4.9.7 Use the time bank to join up resources and services. Setting up a stand-alone time bank does not work. Embed the time bank in services, and link up resources and capacities across different sectors and cultures. This helps to build a culture of partnership and reciprocity so that the wasted talents and skills within communities are put to good use.

4.9.8 Involve a diversity of participants. Just involving patients with severe physical and/or mental health needs does not give a broad skills base. Mixing young and old, those with transport, those with a variety of needs, and having a critical mass of participants (at least 100), will help to overcome these difficulties.

4.10 Rushey Green Time Bank Conclusions

4.11 The Rushey Green time bank successfully demonstrated that it reached those hard-to-reach and socially-excluded groups that most other related schemes were unable to reach.

4.12 It involved patients in activities and by doing so had positive impacts on their physical and mental health, and helped develop personal confidence and organisational capacity. This was achieved by focusing on what people were able to do, rather than on what they were not able to do.

4.13 The Rushey Green time bank required resources, energy and commitment and was not without its difficulties, as the evaluation found out. However, the effort was outweighed by the health and social benefits which were derived from the co-produced health services. It helped to solve some of the most difficult problems facing frail older people, isolated young families and carers, refugee communities and those with mental illness.

4.14 The cost savings were hard to calculate, but it was clear that it would make a major impact on the costs of bed-blocking, emergency readmissions, chronic problems like asthma, diabetes and depression, and in social care by enabling older people to live in their own homes for longer.

4.15 Experience at Rushey Green suggested that 70% of participants who experienced a combination of physical and mental difficulties

— the most expensive people to treat in primary care — felt some remission within six months of joining the time bank.

4.16 Research by Elderplan (a New York based health care organisation) into the cost effectiveness of their time bank programme showed a clear correlation between lower levels of loneliness and health — in particular fewer prescriptions and fewer hospitalisations.

Other investigations in the USA have suggested that time dollar programmes have a return on investment of about 6:1. Equivalent UK figures assume that each hour of donated time provides an injection into the economy of about £10.42 per hour. There would also be considerable knock-on effects in savings on drugs and ill-health.

5.1 Fair Shares Time Bank, Gloucestershire

5.2 Fair shares was established in January 1998 and was the UK’s first time bank. It sought to explore ways of using time to rebuild communities. It’s fundamental principle is that of being a good neighbour.

At present there are 6 time banks in Gloucestershire based in Gloucester, Newent, Moreton, Stroud, Cirencester and Stonehouse. The most recent was set up in March 2011.

According to the data held by Timebanking UK, in 2010 the Fair Shares time bank had brought together 835 volunteers and 168 organisations in a mutual network of support. This has created 55,000 hours of community support. Support and activities are varied and some examples are given below.

 Drop in for individuals with a learning difficulty and vulnerable adults –drop in activities run throughout the week and offer advice on housing, employment, and advocacy. It also gives the opportunity to meet new people and friends and reduce social exclusion.  Teaching – members have expertise in adult literacy, languages, maths, reading and music  Working with Gloucester prison to get bikes refurbished and sent to health workers in third world countries  Help for members to find estranged family members  Other activities have included lunch clubs, cookery classes, community meals and coffee mornings

Fair Shares is affiliated with the following groups:  Allsorts – charity that supports children with additional needs and their families  Skills gain – The aim of this group is to increase Stroud Valleys resilience to climate change and peak oil

Appendix 1 contains some case studies and testimonies from a variety of Fair Shares time bank members and volunteers

5.3 The Fair Shares time bank developed the Time For Families pilot project in direct response to Gloucestershire County Council’s concerns to find additional ways to meet the needs of families with disabled children and young people. Time for Families was evaluated last year and the full evaluation report (appendix 2) examines the 1st year of the project. The main findings are summarised below5.

5.4 The objectives of the Time for Families pilot project were:  Parents to have a support network of people in similar situations Families to have access to support and help in their community  Families to feel supported by their neighbours and community members, rather than having to ask social services for formal support.  Parent volunteers would change from passive users of services to active providers of support and this would increase confidence and empowerment.

5.5 Initially Time for Families:

 Developed promotional materials that explained time bank principles and operations to families  Held coffee mornings to raise awareness of the project, follow up visits to families homes  Worked local agencies and charities to identify local families with disabled children and young people  Established a peer support network through the time bank  Enabled the participation of families with disabled children and young people in Fair Shares time bank activity

5.6 Fair Shares set a number of targets for Time for Families project over 3 years:  The project was to take place on a regular (weekly basis) dependent on the needs of the families  Each family was to benefit from 2 hours of support each month  25 families were to be identified in the pilot year, 50 in year 1 and 75 in year 2  By year 2 there were to be 36 hours of activity each week.  In total, it was envisaged that the project would help 75 families (approximately 300 individuals) and provide 3,375 additional

5 Time For Families Evaluation Report, Jean Erskine, Transform3, 2010

hours of support over the 3 years of the project. 5.7 The development worker undertook some initial ground work to identify families and raise awareness of Time for Families, the support it could offer and the principles of time banking. This included:  Promotional leaflets  Attendance at network meetings of the voluntary sector, public sector, partnerships  Liaised directly with 35 organisations, and families to identify issues and plan work

5.8 During the initial work the development worker encountered a number of obstacles.  Making contact with individual families was difficult as Time for Families and Fair Shares was almost unknown to the target group. Data protection also impeded contact with families.  Feedback from some potential participant families included the view that they were too busy caring to be able to offer their time in exchange for time they might receive.  Two mutual support network meetings were organised but turnout was low.

5.9 The development worker put in place a number of initiatives to help overcome the obstacles he had encountered.  Outreach work was developed through attending activities of organisations which already had established and trusting relationships with target families  Participants were given 5 hours of time bank credit as an incentive to join and start them off.

5.10 Families who joined the time bank were asked to provide feedback about their participation and this is detailed in the appendix. However, the questionnaire responses demonstrate that:  The decision to change the process of promoting Time for Families/outreach to potential participants through the groups they already attend had good results; only 1 participant learned about Time For Families through the, 8 joined through a local group and 4 learned about the project through word of mouth.

 Regular participants disabled children and young people feel they know their neighbours better, and the project is very important to them.  It is expected that participants would not share skills and knowledge until full years 1 and 2  There was variation in the degree of participation and experience of families in each of the three districts in which Time For Families has developed.

5.11 Fair Shares has also taken part in a number of other initiatives

including:

5.12 Prisoners and families – It aimed to help prisoners maintain links with their families; reduce re-offending and improve rehabilitation. Prisoners earned credits by working or volunteering in the prison. The credits were used by prisoners in a number of ways: helping families, saving them for support at a later date or donating them to others. This project has been running since 2005 and 3 prisons are involved.

5.13 Rest Assured – This project was in development at the time of writing. It aimed to guarantee members of the time bank 2 weeks of support following an accident or an unexpected stay in hospital with other members providing support such as running errands, visiting or doing the shopping.

6. Further examples of time banks

6.1 Clacks Youth Time Bank

6.1.1 This time bank was launched in 2007 by Clackmannanshire Youth Council and was supported by Clackmannanshire Council’s community learning and development services and the national youth time bank.

6.1.2 Clacks Youth Time Bank involved young people aged between 12 – 24 years and encouraged them to become involved in volunteering activities. At the time of writing there were 130 members in this time bank. Young people created and managed their own volunteer projects which encouraged them to take part in the wider life of the community.

6.1.3 It supported and encouraged youth led community action. Members of the time bank gained credits through volunteering at local youth clubs, community projects, local charities and other local projects. Clackmannanshire Youth Council was responsible for recording hours and issuing statements. Credits were spent on activities such as outings, events, training and gigs.

6.2 HM Shotts Prison and Castlemilk Time Bank

6.2.1 This volunteering initiative between HM Shotts and Castlemilk time bank was set up just over 2 years ago. It enabled prisoners to make positive contributions to local communities as part of their ongoing rehabilitation.

6.2.2 All credits accumulated by the prisoners were donated to those most in need in the local community at the discretion of the time bank. In some cases prisoners had family and friends who are members of the time bank.

6.2.3 One of the projects within the time bank was the listeners project.

Prisoners were trained by the Samaritans as sympathetic listeners to help fellow prisoners, who psychologically found it difficult to be prison.

6.2.4 The listening hours were recorded and exchanged for time credits. Other ways of gaining credits included ironing services, DIY and errand running.

6.2.5 Volunteer Development Scotland noted the success of this project and had become more involved to further promote this project. There are now 6 prisons actively involved in the project as well as a further 2 time banks.

7. Oban Lorn and Isles Time Bank

7.1 This time bank began in 2009 and it has 60 individual members and 11 organisations registered with the time bank. In 2010 individuals/volunteers undertook various activities which included baking, shopping, helping out at events and festivals, computer use, book work and de-icing pathways for neighbours. Some of the events that volunteers have included promoting the digital switchover, Local Origins Rural Networks local markets and the festival of the seas.

8. Local Exchange Trading Systems

8.1 The idea of community currency and exchanging time is not a new concept and prior to time banking there were – LETS.

8.2 Time banking views each contributor’s time in equal value, that is an hours volunteering time earned the volunteer an hour time credit. LETS however, chose to recognise that some skills were worth more than others. Examples include:

8.3 South Powys LETS - This began in 1993, was run by volunteers and had one funded post. Based in and around the Brecon Beacons National Park, it enabled local people to receive all kinds of goods and services from one another without the need to spend money. There was a directory of goods and services which members browsed through.

8.4 New Moray LETS – Scotland - Started back in 1997, local exchange tokens were paid to a member in return for a social favour. These were then spent with any other member in the network. The tokens circulate within the community and have helped build trust and goodwill. There were around 370 members within this LETS and more than half a million LETS tokens have been exchanged since this project started. Within 5 years this system was almost entirely cash free. All the resources and skills needed to sustain this project are now provided by local people and organisations for LETS. They are no longer reliant on external funding.

9. Conclusions from the evidenced provided

9.1 The number of time banks in the UK has risen since the first one began in 1998. Time Banking UK recorded 92 active time banks and 122 were in development.

9.2 From the examples provided above, time banks have been used in a wide variety of settings, for example health and well-being, the criminal justice system, youth work, cultural and educational, combating social exclusion to create benefits for the wider community and the volunteers themselves.

9.3 There appeared to be a good level of capacity from the outset of the Fair Shares / Time for Families and Rushey Green time banks and although this helped to develop reciprocity and co-production.

9.4 Some element of co-ordination, brokering and recording of contributed time was apparent in most of the examples given above.

9.5 Strong partnership working appeared to be important in the success of time banking projects and involvement of the wider community such as local groups, service providers and other partners will help grow not just the network and volunteer numbers but also a culture of reciprocity.

9.6 Group activities helped to develop trust and relationships which were crucial to the success of the time bank examples.

9.7 Evidence from the examples suggested that time banks can function with large or small numbers of volunteers. Volunteer numbers ranged from just 15 to 835. However, it appeared that growth in volunteer numbers was a gradual process that sometimes required intensive efforts.

9.8 A number of the time banks had been in operation for 10 years, which suggested that they can be sustainable method to create networks of support and well-being for people within communities.

Background Papers and web resources:

David Boyle, Local Economics and Co-Production, Development (2010) 53(3), 319–324

Jean Erskine, Time For Families Evaluation Report, Transform3, 2010

Sarah Burns & Karen Smith, Co-production Works – the win:win of involving local people in public services, Time Banking UK, 2004

Fair Shares Case Studies

http://www.timebanking.org/ http://www.fairshares.org.uk/

Contact: Delyth Davies, Overview & Scrutiny Officer

Date: 24th March 2010

Fair Shares Case Studies

Robert Robert is in his early 50s and has Learning Difficulties. He has been a participant of Fair Shares for several years. He started out helping people with their gardens and now helps out with one of the National Trust gardens. He also has been delivering newsletters for us for some time and helps out at the Rural Cinema that we run. On one occasion when out delivering newsletters he was stopped by the local newsagent and was asked if he would like a newspaper round. Robert was delighted; his first paid job he had ever had. "Paper delivery and helping out Fair Shares is more normal than the Club as they have slow learners there they are good clubs but this is more normal socialising with the community. Plus helping at the cinema. I just can't think of a better life than this."

Ruth A local council passed on to us details of an 85 year old disabled woman who had lived on the ground floor of her cottage. Her home had been flooded. She had managed to drag herself to the first floor but she was not insured and needed help. We sent people out to remove sodden carpets and furniture. A Time Brokers went to visit her to see how she was doing. She had not been out of her cottage for four months. It was suggested that she came along to one of or regular coffee mornings. She apparently broke down in tears. We regularly pick her up to meet with her new friends, who she also now talks to on the phone. She has a social network; she is no long on her own. Although we regard going to social events as participation, that was not enough for her; she wanted to give more back. She has turned out to be a great stuffer of envelopes!

Alan Alan had developed Clinical Depression, had lost job and was hospitalised. He has been discharged to sheltered accommodation when he joined Fair Shares. He found it very difficult to talk to people, so we started taking him dog walking with a group of participants. Many people, like Alan, find it easier to talk to others through the dog. We then discovered that he had computer still and Alan agreed to help people set up PCs and to give some Basic training to access the internet. He could also drive; he used our van to help other move furniture or to give lifts. His confidence began to grow. He was found a placement at a residential home for adults with autism. After a few months he was offered part-time work. Within a year this had become full-time. During this time he moved out of his sheltered accommodation, initially into a rented flat. With some support that we arranged on budgeting he realised that now that he had a good income, he made could afford to buy his own home. He moved into his new home, using our van and the help of other participants. Over the 4 years that Alan has been working with us his confidence has grown. He has told his story at several conferences and went to 10 Downing Street, met the Prime Minister and told him all about Time Banking!

Case Studies from HMP Gloucester time bank project

I’m a life sentence prisoner and found myself stuck at HMP Gloucester waiting for a parole hearing. I decided I wanted to something constructive with my time and came to work in the bike shop. During my sentence and over the years I’ve found I’m quite skilled with my hands doing art, crafts, wood & metal work and most other things I put my hands to. So starting in the bike shop meant I had a chance to put a lot of these skills to good use, the first thing I found was that bikes had changed a bit since I was a kid, however I found it fun to make something old and tatty look good again. I then started to push the limits in what I could achieve with a bike and came up with the Dragon Bike idea, the chopper then arrived and again I had fun thinking and planning ideas for it. I’m now waiting to go to a cat D prison, but I think I’ve put my time at Gloucester to good use and done some good work for the Charity which in turn is also doing some good work.

Over the last few months we have been able to help a few families through the scheme and the feedback we have had has been really positive. The most recent job we did was we helped out a prisoner’s family in Coleford. We sent up 3 new volunteers to help him in the garden doing a combined 18 hours volunteering that day. They hope to go up again after Christmas. The family were really pleased and phoned the next day to say thanks. One of the volunteers will use his hours to go to the gym and the others will prob use to come on the next few trips.

Make sure you get a good education and good jobs that pay well. Life in Prison is really bad because we have to work a lot and we get paid next to nothing. But I’m working with a Fair Shares project that fixes bikes up and they get sent to Africa to help people in need. It’s really good to know that the work I’m doing is helping other people, and it’s something that I’m very proud of.

Case studies of young people involved in Fair Shares time bank

Hi! when i heard about voluntary work and how it helps you be a better person in your life and how it shines on your C.V..i decided to do some voluntary work.. firstly when i started, i did it for d sake of something good to do in my life, but now i really enjoy on what im doing now! I am known as an I.T person lol...but im jus a basic I.T skilled guy, who tries to figure things out and sometimes it does the job! :) i help out at trust centre with people who need help learning and using computers at an old age. I feel really happy that im actually being of some use to help someone. where as before i didnt have no kind of interest in doing things apart from my old boring life. i think i have changed a little in d past 2-3 months as i have been doin something usefull and something which is actually going to be worth doing.

Now about the Horse riding... when i was little i use to go on a horse ride with d guy holding d horse nd he jus takes us for a walk on d beach. but i always had a wish to ride a horse my self 1 day.. and when i heard about horse riding from Imran, as i told him im really interested and asked him to take me to the farm, he somehow fixed up a day to take me horse riding and also told me that cause of my voluntary work i have been doing, Fair Share are paying for my first four lessons worth £25 each. I thank Fair share and Imran for giving me this opportunity from the bottom of my heart. and Horse riding is amaaaaziingg LOL thnks to all Raihaan Fadra. I am 18 years old!

Appendix 2

Item No. 6 (2)

Report of the Cabinet Member for Social Services

Cabinet – 28th July 2011

RESPONSE TO OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY BOARD REPORT ON THE COMMUNITY CAPACITY PILLAR OF THE TASS PROJECT

Summary

Purpose: To outline the response of the Cabinet Member to the recommendations of the Health, Social Care and Well Being Overview and Scrutiny Board

Policy Framework: None

Reason for Decision: Council Constitution.

Consultation: Legal, Finance.

1. Introduction

1.1 Swansea Social Services are facing increasing pressures in terms of demographics, raised expectations and the personalisation agenda. To try and address these issues and ensure services are fit for purpose and sustainable they have embarked on a Transformation agenda - Refocusing on Communities is one pillar in the transformation agenda.

2. Response to Board Recommendations

Recommendation 1

Works with the Corporate Management Team to identify under usage of community resources and buildings and offers these at low or no cost to stimulate growth of support groups and networks.

Cabinet Member Response: Every effort should be made to ensure that all buildings and resources are used to the optimum level. In so doing consideration must be given to the asset management plan for the Authority.

Recommendation is AGREED

Appendix 2

Proposed Action: The Head of Service within Adult Social Services will liaise with the Corporate Management Team to clarify how this process is currently managed and recommend where improvements could be made to make best use of resources.

Recommendation 2

Liaises with the Health and Safety Department to ensure that Health and Safety legislation does not prevent the development of community capacity.

Cabinet Member Response: It is crucial that a balance is reached between ensuring that the Local Authority adheres to its responsibilities in relation to the health and safety of staff, the public and service users whilst enabling people to lead fulfilled and meaningful lives which may involve elements of positive risk taking.

Recommendation is PARTIALLY AGREED

Proposed Action: Principal Officers will meet with the Health and Safety Team to work towards the above balance being achieved.

Recommendation 3

Considers the lessons learned from Gorseinon Time Together and successful time banks before any future engagement in time banking initiatives.

Cabinet Member Response: It is important to reflect on lessons learned in any situation and to build these into any new projects / developments.

Recommendation is AGREED

Proposed Action: Officers within Adult Social Services will undertake an exercise to consider the lessons learned from Gorseinon Time Together and successful time banks and will ensure any relevant learning is built into future project plans.

Appendix 2

Recommendation 4

Increases community development projects to build low level support groups, networks and develop day opportunities in deprived areas of Swansea.

Cabinet Member Response: It is part of the strategic plan to continue to expand day opportunities across all areas of Swansea.

Recommendation is PARTIALLY AGREED

Proposed Action: Adult Social Services will Increase community development projects to build low level support groups, networks and develop day opportunities in all areas of Swansea. Any actions taken will need to take account of the available resources.

Recommendation 5

Ensures that project co-ordinators communicate with Ward Councillors about the low level support groups, networks and day opportunities in their Wards.

Cabinet Member Response: It is crucial that Ward Councillors are kept up to date about Adult Social Services developments being planned within their communities. However, Adult Social Services Officers may not always be aware of new developments being undertaken by organisations outside of the local authority.

Recommendation is PARTIALLY AGREED

Proposed Action: Adult Social Services Officers will seek to keep Ward Councillors up to date with community developments via regular communication channels.

Recommendation 6

Works with the Corporate Management Team to make further improvements to inter and intra departmental working in order to make better and more efficient use of resources.

Cabinet Member Response: It is important that the Local Authority work across Directorates to make better use of resources and to minimise duplication and complexity.

Recommendation is AGREED Appendix 2

Proposed Action: The Corporate Director (Social Services), Head of Adult Services and Principal Officers will ensure, via the Strategic Programme Board, that the TASS agenda is understood corporately and that links are made with other Corporate strategies.

Recommendation 7

Monitors progress on the Day Services Strategic Intent and Action Plan to achieve fair and equitable access to low level support groups, networks and day opportunities across Swansea.

Cabinet Member Response: It is important that the TASS agenda is monitored and progress and outcomes are reported.

Recommendation is AGREED

Proposed Action: Progress reports regarding the development of Day Care and Day Opportunities are presented to the TASS Programme Board and the SPB to monitor progress.

Recommendation 8

Works with the appropriate joint planning committee to ensure that the GP localities of Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board and the City and County of Swansea Adult Social Services localities are co-terminous.

Cabinet Member Response: It will be important to continue to develop partnership working with ABMUHB and this will be monitored via various existing joint planning arrangements. It is of more concern to ensure that agreed protocols and communications are in place initially and that joint working on specific projects is established rather than focussing upon all of the services being co-terminous. However, this is bound to be a longer term aspiration. It is important to recognise that GP practices are not restricted by particular geographical localities.

Recommendation is PARTIALLY AGREED

Proposed Action: To continue to attend existing joint planning arrangements that will consider how services develop across ABMUHB and City and County of Swansea.

Appendix 2

3. Legal Implications

3.1 There are no legal implications to consider in respect of this report.

4. Financial Implications

4.1 There are no new financial implications associated with this report. Any actions will need to take account of the existing resources.

5. Recommendations

5.1 Cabinet notes the response of the Cabinet Member for Social Services as outlined in the report.

Background Papers:

No background papers were used in the preparation of this report.

Contact Officer: Deborah Driffield  01792 636249 dd15007/sd

Legal Officer: Alex Fletcher

Item No. 16 (2)

Report of the Overview & Scrutiny Business Committee

Council – 29 September 2011

OVERVIEW & SCRUTINY STRATEGIC WORK PROGRAMME

Summary

The report presents the Overview & Scrutiny Strategic Work Programme for 2011/12 following the agreement of work plans by each of the Boards / Committees.

FOR INFORMATION

1. Background

1.1 In order to ensure a coordinated approach to the work of overview and scrutiny, Overview & Scrutiny Board / Committee work plans operate within the framework of an overarching Annual Overview & Scrutiny Strategic Work Programme, which is overseen by the Overview & Scrutiny Business Committee.

1.2 It is expected that the work of overview and scrutiny should represent a significant and constructive programme of activities that will:

 help improve services  provide an effective challenge to the executive  engage Members in the development of polices, strategies and plans  engage the public

2. Overview & Scrutiny Strategic Work Programme

2.1 The current work programme is attached at Appendix 1.

2.2 The Work Programme summarises the main areas of overview & scrutiny work under the following headings:

 Current in Depth Reviews  Active Task and Finish Groups  Reports to the Boards and Committees (Next Two Months)  Reports for Cabinet Decision  Referrals from Council  Follow Up on Recommendations Agreed by Cabinet  Chairs Letters

2.3 To raise awareness and to encourage wider involvement in the work of overview & scrutiny, the Strategic Work Programme will also be publicised through the relevant pages on the Council’s website (www.swansea.gov.uk/scrutiny). Aspects of the work programme will also be publicised informally through the Swansea Scrutiny Blog (http://scrutiny.cityandcountyofswansea.org.uk/).

3. Role of the Overview & Scrutiny Business Committee

3.1 The Overview & Scrutiny Business Committee will consider the Strategic Work Programme before reporting it to Council.

3.2 The Committee will monitor progress with the Work Programme and provide a forum for resolving issues with regard to either processes or in tackling specific pieces of work. It will also consider experiences (positive and negative), in order to improve the effectiveness of this work and overview & scrutiny as a whole.

3.3 Specifically this committee has a role in ensuring that the work of overview and scrutiny is:

 manageable, realistic and achievable given resources available to support activities  relevant to corporate priorities and focused on significant areas  adding value and having maximum impact  coordinated and avoids duplication

4. Legal Implications

4.1 There are no legal implications.

5. Financial Implications

5.1 There are no financial implications.

FOR INFORMATION Background papers: None Contact Officer: Dave Mckenna, Overview & Scrutiny Manager  01792 636090

Legal Officer: Debbie Smith Finance Officer: Carl Billingsley APPENDIX 1

Overview & Scrutiny Strategic Work Programme (September 2011)

1. Current In-Depth Reviews

Issue Board Start Date Completion Expected Status Leaving Care Child & Family Services January 2011 October 2011 Evidence Gathering Teaching Assistants Children, Young People & Learning July 2011 October 2011 Evidence Gathering City Centre Environment & Communities July 2011 December 2011 Scoping Suresprung Health, Social Care & Wellbeing November 2011 January 2011 Scoping

2. Active Task and Finish Groups

Issue Board / Committee Date of Next Meeting Purpose Teaching Assistants Children, Young People and Learning 14/09/11; 27/09/11; Evidence Gathering 03/10/11; 19/10/11 Adult Social Care – Business Case Health, Social Care & Wellbeing TBC Evidence Gathering Affordable Housing Briefing Environment and Communities 07/10/11 Briefing City Centre Review Environment and Communities 07/09/2011 Scoping City Centre Review Environment and Communities 27/09/2011 Consultation Planning Social Inclusion Unit Performance & Finance 19/09/2011 Briefing CFS Cases Child & Family Services 19/10/2011 Briefing

3. Reports to the Boards and Committees (26th September – 18th November)

Issue Purpose Cabinet Portfolio Board / Committee Date Cabinet Member Question Session - Cabinet Member Business Improvement Performance & Finance 03/10/2011 Business Improvement & Efficiency Report & Efficiency Strategic Programme Overview Cabinet Member Business Improvement Performance & Finance 03/10/2011 Report & Efficiency Retrospective Performance Cabinet Member Business Improvement Performance & Finance 03/10/2011 Assessment 2010/2011 Report & Efficiency Preliminary Corporate Assessment Cabinet Member Business Improvement Performance & Finance 03/10/2011 Report & Efficiency APPENDIX 1

Suresprung Officer Briefing Social Services Health, Social Care & Wellbeing 04/10/2011 Older Peoples NSF Officer Briefing Social Services Health, Social Care & Wellbeing 04/10/2011 Carers Officer Briefing Social Services Health, Social Care & Wellbeing 04/10/2011 Scrutiny with Schools - Session 1 Challenge Session Education Children, Young People & Learning 10/10/2011 Progress Update on Implementation Monitoring Report Environment Environment & Communities 11/10/2011 of Alternate Weekly Collections and Recycling/Landfill Performance. Building Neighbourhood Partnerships Presentation Community Partnership O&S 17/10/2011 LSB Project Regeneration Cabinet Member Question Session Cabinet Member Social Services Child & Family Services 19/10/2011 Report Progress in relation to arrangements Officer Briefing Social Services Child & Family Services 19/10/2011 for Foster Swansea and MAST (Multi- Agency Support Team) Review of the Support for Care Draft Final Report Social Services Child & Family Services 19/10/2011 Leavers Swansea Safeguarding Children Director Report Social Services Child & Family Services 19/10/2011 Board - Business Plan Cabinet Member Question Session – Cabinet Member Community Leadership Performance & Finance 31/10/2011 Community Leadership & Democracy Report & Democracy Community & Town Councils Cabinet Member Business Improvement Performance & Finance 31/10/2011 Report & Efficiency Health Social Care & Well Being Monitoring Report Social Services Health, Social Care & Wellbeing 01/11/2011 Strategy - Progress Progress and Action Plan – Literacy Cabinet member Education Children, Young People & Learning 07/11/2011 Review Report Scrutiny with Schools - Session 2 Challenge Session Education Children, Young People & Learning 07/11/2011 Welsh Public Library Standards Monitoring Report Culture, Recreation Environment & Communities 08/11/2011 and Tourism Possible New Overview and Scrutiny Chair's Report All O&S Business 09/11/2011 Structure - Options Report Child & Family Services Strategic Monitoring Report Social Services Child & Family Services 16/11/2011 Delivery Plan - Progress Report (2) APPENDIX 1

Child & Family Services Performance Monitoring Report Social Services Child & Family Services 16/11/2011 Report (2) Child Disability Services Officer Briefing Social Services Child & Family Services 16/11/2011

4. Reports for Cabinet Decision

Issue Board / Committee Portfolio Review Completed Date Shared Services Performance & Finance Community Leadership April 2011 22/09/2011

5. Referrals from Council

Issue Board / Committee Date First Referred Purpose Scheduled for Council Social Inclusion Unit Performance & Finance 3rd February 2011 Further consultation TBA

6. Follow Up on Recommendations Agreed by Cabinet

Review Board / Committee Cabinet Portfolio Review Completed Date Scheduled Medium Term Financial Planning Performance & Finance Finance November 2010 08/08/2011 Waste minimisation, recycling & Environment & Communities Environment April 2011 11/10/2011 composting Review of Literacy Children, Young People & Learning Education April 2010 07/11/2011 Community Alarms Health Social Care & Well Being Social Services August 2010 29/11/2011 Supporting Older People in the Health Social Care & Well Being Social Services April 2011 10/01/2012 Community Child Poverty and Educational Children, Young People & Learning Education, Business April 2010 23/01/2012 Attainment Improvement & Efficiency Youth Support Services Children, Young People & Learning Education April 2010 06/02/2012 Role of Councillors as Corporate Social Services Social Services November 2010 08/02/2012 Parents Communities First Environment & Communities Community Regeneration June 2010 21/02/2012

APPENDIX 1

7. Chairs Letters (May 2011 – April 2012)

Issue(s) Board / Committee Cabinet Portfolio Letter Sent Response Received Cabinet Member attendance at Board meeting & Performance & Finance Business Improvement 20/06/2011 05/07/2011 provision of written Cabinet Member reports & Efficiency Cabinet Member attendance at Board meeting & Performance & Finance Finance 20/06/2011 27/06/2011 provision of written Cabinet Member reports Cabinet Member attendance at Board meeting & Performance & Finance Community Leadership 20/06/2011 provision of written Cabinet Member reports & Democracy Work Planning and scoping of review of Children, Young People Education 20/06/2011 Not required Teaching Assistants and Learning Proposed Closure of ChildLine Service in Child & Family Services Social Services 21/06/2011 01/07/2011 Swansea (to NSPCC) Cabinet Member attendance at Board meetings Health Social Care & Well Social Services 28/06/2011 27/07/2011 and work plan decisions Being Children and Young People Plan views and Children, Young People Education 18/07/2011 Not required Progress Update on Review of Child Poverty and Learning Proposed Closure of ChildLine Service in Child & Family Services Social Services 13/07/2011 14/07/2011 Swansea (to NSPCC) Strategic Delivery Plan / May’s Performance Child & Family Services Social Services 20/07/2011 Not required Strategic Programme and the Improvement Performance & Finance Business Improvement 21/07/2011 Not required Objectives & Efficiency Proposed Closure of ChildLine Service in Child & Family Services Social Services 24/07/2011 Swansea (to NSPCC) Youth Support Services progress Children, Young People Education 15/08/2011 Not required and Learning End of Year Performance Monitoring relating to Performance & Finance Business Improvement 17/08/2011 19/08/2011 - a number of different Cabinet portfolios & Efficiency Environment Informal meetings with Cabinet member & Chair Health Social Care & Well Social Services 09/08/2011 & Vice-Chair, business case position statement Being Budget outturn for 2010/2011 Performance & Finance Finance 17/08/2011 Invitation to Board Meeting to discuss Progress Environment & Community Leadership 22/08/2011 Not required APPENDIX 1 on City Centre Action Plan & the Board’s review Communities & Democracy and Economic & Strategic Development Follow up on Communities First Scrutiny Environment & Community 22/08/2011 Recommendations - Action Plan Communities Regeneration

Contact: Dave Mckenna, Overview & Scrutiny Manager, 636090, [email protected] For more information see www.swansea.gov.uk/scrutiny

Item No. 16 (3)

Report of the Overview & Scrutiny Business Committee

Council – 29 September 2011

OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY ANNUAL REPORT

Summary

This report presents the annual report of the work of the Council’s overview & scrutiny boards for the municipal year 2010/11 as required by the constitution.

FOR INFORMATION

1. Every year Council requires that an annual report is produced for the work of Overview & Scrutiny for the previous municipal year.

2. The Overview & Scrutiny Annual Report is used to:

 Highlight the work of the Overview & Scrutiny Boards / Committees  Show how overview & scrutiny has made a difference  Show how the overview and scrutiny function is being improved  Highlight planned work and future priorities

3. Importantly the annual report can be used as a way to raise awareness of the work of overview & scrutiny to a wider audience. For this reason the Overview and Scrutiny Business Committee has decided that the report should be as short as possible and focus on the practical benefits of overview and scrutiny.

4. The report, titled ‘Ten Ways We Made a Difference’, summarises the achievement of overview and scrutiny for the year into 10 short statements:

1. Better ways of involving the public in recycling 2. New ways to help older people maintain their independence 3. Improving how we share services with partners and other councils 4. Improving councillors’ corporate parent role for children in care 5. A range of new ways of improving literacy in schools 6. A national award for the scrutiny of Child and Family Services 7. Using social media to increase public awareness and engagement 8. Contributing to the development of the Community Safety Strategy 9. Councillors and staff say scrutiny is making more of a difference 10. Continuing to improve what we do

5. The Annual Report 2010/11 is attached at appendix 1.

Legal and Financial Implications

6. The Council Constitution requires that an overview & scrutiny annual report is presented to Council each year although the style and content of the annual report is not prescribed.

7. There are no additional financial implications at this stage. The annual report will only be produced electronically and that there will be no additional printing or publicity costs.

Background papers: None

Contact Officer: Dave Mckenna, Overview & Scrutiny Manager,  01792 636090

Legal Officer: Debbie Smith Finance Officer: Carl Billingsley

Appendix 1

Ten Ways We Made a Difference

Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2010-11

A Report by the Overview and Scrutiny Business Committee City and County of Swansea - Dinas a Sir Abertawe

August 2011

Foreword

Cllr Rob Speht (Chair) Cllr John Newbury (Vice Chair)

We are delighted to be able to present this annual report which highlights some of the work done by Overview and Scrutiny between May 2010 and April 2012. With this year’s report we have made an extra effort to keep it as short as possible. In this way we hope it will be easier to read and more accessible. What we have done is picked out what we think are our top ten achievements for the year. Of course these achievements reflect only a small proportion of the work that was done and if you would like to find out more then please take a look at our WebPages and our blog.

We would like to thank all of the councillors who worked so hard to make scrutiny a success throughout the year and all of the officers from right across the council who provided so much valuable support. We are particularly grateful to those members of the public who contributed to various pieces of work and we hope that more people can be involved in future.

Councillor Rob Speht and Councillor John Newbury

Chair and Vice Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Business Committee

Ten Ways Overview and Scrutiny Made a Difference

1. Better ways of involving the public in recycling

The Environment and Communities Overview and Scrutiny Board spent a significant amount of time last year investigating the issue of waste minimisation and recycling in Swansea; including eight separate evidence gathering sessions over a period of several months.

Proposals that will go forward as a result of the review include; reviewing the provision and availability of information to the public on recycling and refuse services, ideas for further work with schools such as a recycling competition, extending partnership working with community recycling organisations and addressing the problem of lack of storage space for recycling.

2. New ways to help older people maintain their independence

The Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Board produced a major piece of work on how communities could better support older people to live independent lives. The Board visited and researched a number of different projects and heard evidence from officers from the Council, health board and the voluntary sector.

The Board’s ideas, subsequently taken up by Cabinet, included; identifying under usage of community resources and buildings that could be offered at low or no cost to support groups and networks; learning from previous projects; increasing community development projects; and ensuring better joint working across the council.

3. Improving how we share services with partners and other councils

The Performance and Finance Overview and Scrutiny Board did a major piece of work on how the council can make the most out of sharing some of its services with other organisations. They did research about good practice and heard evidence from a number of key people involved in this across Wales. The Board also spoke to local partners and heard the views of council officers and those who have already been involved in this type of work locally.

The report proposes a number of ways in which the Council’s approach to shared services might be improved including picking the right types of services for projects, building formal relationships with partners and neighboring councils and being absolutely clear about costs and benefits at the start of each project.

4. Improving councillors’ corporate parent role for children in care

Against a backdrop of a dramatic 50% rise in looked after children across Wales over the last 12 years, the Child and Family Services Overview and Scrutiny Board tackled the question of ‘how can we be better corporate parents’. The work, which included nine separate evidence gathering sessions, took in the views of staff, foster carers and councillors.

As a result of this work the Council will raise the profile of corporate parenting amongst councillors and strengthen the role of the Council’s Corporate Parenting Forum. One of the most significant achievements was the production of a practical guide by the Board to help councillors to meet their responsibilities as corporate parents and improve the lives of children in care.

5. A range of new ways of improving literacy in schools

During the course of this review, councillors on the Children, Young People and Learning Overview and Scrutiny Board spoke to literacy advisors, head teachers, school governors, local teacher training colleges and parents. They looked at performance data, local policies and national strategies and many examples of good practice.

Cabinet has now agreed to take forward all of the Board’s proposals including the development of a broader strategy for literacy that stretches from early years into adulthood and to encourage schools to develop partnerships with parents, carers and families by providing information about how they can help to develop their child’s literacy skills.

6. A national award for the scrutiny of Child and Family Services

In June of this year the Child and Family Services Overview and Scrutiny Board received a national award for their contribution to improvement in Child and Family Services in properly protecting and supporting vulnerable children. The award of ‘Team of the Year’ came from the Centre for Public Scrutiny – a national body that promotes effective scrutiny at all levels of government.

The award reflected the innovative ways of working introduced by the Board as well as the high levels of commitment shown by all the councillors involved. As well as contributing to improvement across the service as a whole, the Board was able to make specific contributions around the restructuring of social work teams, support for disabled children and the provision of residential homes.

7. Using social media to increase public awareness and engagement

Over the course of the year we have been making increasing use of social media such as blogging, twitter and facebook in our work. The purpose has been to raise awareness of overview and scrutiny as well as encourage greater public engagement. We are, as far as we know, the first scrutiny team in the UK to set up a dedicated blog and a dedicated twitter feed.

Over the course of the year over 1,200 different people visited our blog, which is about ten times more than the number that downloaded our online newsletter. We also have 300 followers on twitter. Overall we feel that social media has both helped us to communicate with a wider audience and to communicate better.

8. Contributing to the development of the Community Safety Strategy

The Community Safety Strategy was due to be renewed by April 2011 and the Partnership Overview and Scrutiny Committee were on hand to help shape it. The Committee set aside a meeting to hear a presentation from South Wales Police and to give members of the public and representatives of relevant groups a chance to ask questions and make comments.

Issues raised at the meeting ranged from CCTV to the powers of police support officers, from information sharing to the role of private landlords. All of the issues raised were formally fed into the development of the strategy which has since been published. This piece of work was a good example of two ways that overview and scrutiny can make a difference; helping policy and development; and involving the public.

9. Councillors and staff say scrutiny is making more of a difference

The statistics that we collect for overview and scrutiny every year showed an improvement both in the level of activity and in the perceptions of councillors and council staff that overview and scrutiny is making a difference. The stakeholder survey we conduct every year also showed that levels of awareness of overview and scrutiny also improved. This was probably down to a combination of better communication and the higher profile that came from the Child and Family Overview and Scrutiny Board winning a national award. The stakeholder survey, which had responses from 42 councillors and 138 members of staff, had the following results:

 88% – Councillors who agree that O&S has a positive impact on the business of the Council (85% last year)  67% - Staff who agree that O&S has a positive impact on the business of the Council (55% last year)  93% – Councillors who agree that they have a good understanding of the work of overview and scrutiny (90% last year)  70% – Staff who agree that they have a good understanding of the work of overview and scrutiny (52% last year)

10. Continuing to improve what we do

Last year’s annual report set out four challenges that overview and scrutiny have been working on during the course of the year:

 Budget: Whilst all of the Boards have kept a keen eye on budget issues during what are very challenging times, the Performance and Finance Board undertook additional work to provide challenge before the new budget was agreed in February.  New Arrangements: The Business Committee have reviewed the new overview and scrutiny arrangements that were introduced in May 2010 and reported their conclusions to Council.  Community Strategy: For the first time in 2010/11 a scrutiny mechanism was introduced for the community strategy. This was the Partnership Evaluation Panel which included scrutiny councillors and members of the Health Trust, Police Authority and Council for Voluntary Services. It met in October 2010 and made recommendations to the Better Swansea Partnership all of which were subsequently accepted.  Local Government Measure: The National Assembly for Wales agreed this measure in 2011 and, whilst it did not have an impact on the work of overview and scrutiny in 2010-11, it will mean changes in May 2012.

Looking forward, these will be the challenges for overview and scrutiny during 2011-12:

 New Overview and Scrutiny Structure: The implications of the Local Government Measure (2011) and the need to contribute to the Council’s savings targets means that a more effective structure will be needed for May 2012  Questioning Strategies: Asking the right questions in the right way is at the heart of effective scrutiny and has been identified as an important focus for improvement  Engagement with Scrutiny: Improved engagement with both citizens and staff can both ensure more effective overview and scrutiny and strengthen engagement with the council more generally.

Appendix 1 What is Overview and Scrutiny?

Overview and Scrutiny is an essential ingredient of local democracy.

Overview & Scrutiny makes a difference by ensuring that local decision making is better, that local services are improved and that local democracy is strengthened. This is done by holding the Council's Cabinet to account and by monitoring and reviewing the performance of public services and policies. The work of overview & Scrutiny includes talking to the public, gathering evidence from relevant organisations and conducting research. For in depth pieces of work the boards will produce reports and make recommendations.

The City & County of Swansea has five Overview & Scrutiny Boards that work in a similar way to the select committees in parliament and are made up of backbench councillors from all parties.

The five Overview & Scrutiny Boards are:

 Child and Family Services Overview & Scrutiny Board  Children, Young People & Learning Overview & Scrutiny Board  Environment and Communities Overview & Scrutiny Board  Health, Social Care and Well-being Overview & Scrutiny Board  Performance and Finance Overview & Scrutiny Board

In addition the Council has two overview & scrutiny committees which have a cross cutting and coordinating role:

 Overview & Scrutiny Business Committee  Partnership Overview & Scrutiny Committee

Overview and Scrutiny is supported by:

. The Overview & Scrutiny Unit which supports the work of the boards by; managing the work plans; facilitating task and finish groups and events; and supporting research. Dedicated officers support each board and work closely with the chair and vice chair

. Legal & Democratic Services who provide advice and support for board meetings by coordinating agendas and minutes as well as giving legal advice.

. Council Departments who provide advice and information by attending meetings and providing reports. Directors and heads of service will be involved in reviews as sponsors and advisors.

Details of the work of the Boards, including their reports, can be found at www.swansea.gov.uk/scrutiny

Appendix 2

Board and Committee Membership 2010/11

CHILD and FAMILY SERVICES OVERVIEW and SCRUTINY BOARD

Viv Abbott Cheryl L Philpott Susan M Jones Darren Price John Newbury Janet Mary Thomas Mark C Child Chair David Phillips John T Miles J Christine Richards Paxton R Hood-Williams Vice Chair

CHILDREN YOUNG PEOPLE and LEARNING OVERVIEW and SCRUTINY BOARD

V N Abbott W Keith Morgan Vice Chair James Bernard Kelleher Ioan M Richard Keith E Marsh R June Stanton William Evans John T Miles Penny Matthews Chair Ceinwen Thomas Rene H Kinzett Co-opted Members Kathleen Boyce Robin Lowe Dr. Vanessa Hammond

ENVIRONMENT and COMMUNITIES OVERVIEW and SCRUTINY BOARD

Audrey R A Clement Jeff W Jones June Evans Chair Keith E Marsh Nicola A Holley Cheryl L Philpott C Ryland Doyle Alan Lloyd Vice Chair DIE Jones Rob C Stewart Anthony C S Colburn

HEALTH, SOCIAL CARE and WELL BEING OVERVIEW and SCRUTINY BOARD

Veronyca Anne Bates Hughes N A Holley Jeff W Jones Vice Chair Paul M Meara Susan M Jones Ioan M Richard W John F Davies Erika T Kirchner Robert Francis-Davies Chair Byron G Owen Margaret Smith

PERFORMANCE and FINANCE OVERVIEW and SCRUTINY BOARD

Peter M Black Paul M Meara E Wendy Fitzgerald John Newbury David Thomas Howells Darren Price Chair June E Burtonshaw David Phillips Mike J Hedges Vice Chair Des W W Thomas Paxton R Hood-Williams

OVERVIEW and SCRUTINY BUSINESS COMMITTEE

Veronyca Anne Bates Hughes Keith E Marsh Sue M Jones Paul M Meara June Evans John Newbury Vice Chair Jeff W Jones Darren Price James Bernard Kelleher Robert Speht Chair June E Burtonshaw John T Miles C Ryland Doyle Byron G Owen Robert Francis-Davies Ceinwen Thomas DIE Jones Glyn Seabourne Rene H Kinzett

PARTNERSHIP OVERVIEW and SCRUTINY COMMITTEE

June Evans Paul M Meara E Wendy Fitzgerald John Newbury Chair Jeff W Jones Cheryl L Philpott Susan M Jones Darren Price Keith E Marsh Vice Chair Ioan M Richard W John F Davies J Christine Richards Erika T Kirchner Rob C Stewart Alan Lloyd Des W W Thomas David Phillips Mair E Gibbs Paxton R Hood-Williams

OVERVIEW and SCRUTINY UNIT

Lee Wenham Head of Communications Overview & Scrutiny Dave Mckenna Overview & Scrutiny Manager Brij Madahar Overview & Scrutiny Coordinator Karen Shadrach Overview & Scrutiny Coordinator Delyth Davies Overview & Scrutiny Officer Rosie Jackson Overview & Scrutiny Officer Michelle Roberts Overview & Scrutiny Officer Liz Jordan Chief Executive’s Project Officer (Co located) Jenna Tucker Overview & Scrutiny Research Officer

Appendix 3

Getting Involved

There are many ways in which you can get involved in Scrutiny. This can be done by:

1. Attending a meeting – All Boards are open to the public. Many of the Overview and Scrutiny Board meetings take place in the committee rooms in the Civic Centre. 2. Consultation – During the evidence gathering stage of a review a range of stakeholders will be consulted with in order to gain evidence. Details of such consultation will appear on the web pages or in a variety of other formats such as in the local newspaper. 3. Tell us your views – If you have an idea for a Scrutiny review or if you would like to contribute to a current review then please contact the Scrutiny Support Team on the contact details below.

Contact the Team

For further information or if you have any queries then please contact the Overview & Scrutiny Unit on the contact details below:

Email: [email protected] Address: Overview & Scrutiny Unit City and County of Swansea Civic Centre Oystermouth Road Swansea SA1 3SN

www.swansea.gov.uk/scrutiny

Overview & Scrutiny Web Pages: www.swansea.gov/scrutiny Swansea Scrutiny Blog: http://scrutiny.cityandcountyofswansea.org.uk/ Swansea Scrutiny Twitter: www.twitter.com/swanseascrutiny

Appendix 4

A Big Thank You!

These are the people and organisations who contributed to overview and scrutiny over the course of the year and who made the work possible. It includes the people who were formally involved through reviews and formal meetings. Not on the list, but of vital importance are the Democratic Services and Legal Teams who help to support every meeting.

AB Glass Debra Hobby, Responsible Officer, Norton Lodge Alison Ward, CBE, Chief Executive, Torfaen County Derek Roberts, Chair of Governors Dylan Thomas Borough Council Comprehensive School Amanda Carr, Swansea Council for Voluntary Dorothy Edwards, Bridgend Joint Locality Manager Services Dr Chris Johns, Clinical Director (Primary Care), Association of Directors of Education in Wales ABM University Health Board (ADEW) Eddie Isles, Youth Offending Team Manager Bev Hopkins, Chair of Governors Hafod Primary Eirian Davies, Team Around the Family Coordinator School Elinor Evans, Swansea Council for Voluntary Beverley Williams, Newport City Council Borough Services Council and member of Intervention Board Ethnic Minority Language and Assistance Service Brian Roles, Head of Education Planning and Family Learning Programme and parents in Resources attendance at St Helens Primary Carl Humphrey, Head Of Highways Friends of the Earth Carol Green, Director, Swansea Council for Geoff Thomas, Time Banking Wales Voluntary Services Graham Daniels, Headteacher, Ysgol Gyfun Caroline Carter, Community Regeneration Unit Co- Gymraeg Bryn Tawe ordinator Haydn Nelson, Child & Family Services Cathy Murray, Mental Health and Learning Disability Heini Gruffudd, Chair of Governors, Ysgol Gyfun Services Gymraeg Bryn Tawe Chief Superintendent Mark Mathias, South Wales Hilary Davies, Project Manager Integrated Service Police Delivery Chris Maggs, Corporate Director (Social Services) Hywel Pullen, Pricewaterhouse Coopers Chris Vinestock, Head of Transportation Ian James, Head of Education Effectiveness City & County of Cardiff Ian Whettleton, Divisional Manager (Waste) Claire Perry, Recycling Officer Iwan Davies, Head of Culture and Tourism Councillor Alan Robinson, Cabinet Member for Jack Straw, Chief Executive Community Regeneration Jackie Turner, Team Leader, Adult Social Services Councillor Audrey Clement, Corporate Parenting Jackie Whiteman, Swansea Vale Resource Centre Forum Jane Tonks, Planning Officer – Young Disabled Councillor Chris Holley, Leader of the Council People Councillor Gareth Sullivan, Cabinet Member for Jeff Davison, Community Safety Manager Regeneration and Planning Jenny Edwards, Environment Centre Councillor Graham Thomas, Cabinet Member for Jeremy Stephens, Head of Performance and Culture, Recreation and Tourism Strategic Projects Councillor John Davies, Corporate Parenting Forum Jocelyn Llewhellin, Job Centre Plus Councillor John Hague, Cabinet Member for John Lock, Planning Applications Manager Environment & Deputy Leader Julie Burroughs, Social Services Quality Assurance Councillor Mair Gibbs, Corporate Parenting Forum Officer Councillor Margaret Smith, Corporate Parenting Karen Grunhut, Anti-Poverty Policy Coordinator Forum Karen Sinclair, AM Councillor Mary Jones, Cabinet Member & Lead Kate Mizen, Acting Chair of Governors, Llangyfelach Member for Children & Young People Primary School Councillor Mike Day, Cabinet Member for Education Kathryn Lewis, Lead Nurse Safeguarding, ABM Councillor Nick Tregoning, Cabinet Member for University Health Board Social Services Keith Bowen, Contact a Family Councillor Peter May, Cabinet Member for Housing Laura Davies, Recycling Officer Councillor Ryland Doyle, Corporate Parenting Forum Lee Morgan, Head of Housing Councillor Stuart Rice, Cabinet Member for Finance Linda Francis, Carer, Foster Swansea Craig Hargreaves, South Wales Police Lindsay Haywood, Youth Support Services Co- David Evans, Substance Misuse Action team - ordinator Planning & Commissioning Manager Lisa Hedley, Business Development Coordinator, David Pugh, Co-ordinator of Blaen Garw Timecentre Swansea Safeguarding Children Board De Litchfield, Child & Family Services Lisa Llewellyn, Res-A-Rec Debbie Jones, Manager for the looked after children Literacy Advisors in Schools Team Lynda Palmer, Child Disability Team Deborah Checkland, Planning Officer (Social Mariann Hewitt, Planning Officer - Direct Payments Services) Marilyn Evans, Job Centre Plus Deborah Driffield, Head of Adult Services

Mark Campion, Interim Children and Young People Teaching staff who completed the Literacy Strategy Manager Questionnaire Mark Sheridan, Senior Education Psychologist Terri Shaw, Construction Waste & Sustainability Martin Nicholls, Head of Corporate Building Services Manager Martin Saville, Head of Public Protection Tom Jones, Participation & Children’s Rights Worker Mike Flynne, Headteacher, Llangyfelach Primary Trish Flint, Recycling Team Manager School Tunstall Healthcare Group Mike Trubey, Head of Finance, City & County of Vanessa Phillips, Welsh Local Government Swansea Association Mo Green, More Green Recycling Vic Gregory, Residential and Daycare Services Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council Vicki Franklin, ABM University Health Board Neil Frow, Cwm Taf Health Board Vicky Thomas, Project / Programme Planner Nick Andrews, Planning Officer – Older People Wendy Henderson, Gorseinon Development Trust Norman Host, Care & Social Services Inspectorate Will Maclean, Welsh Assembly Government Wales (Innovation & Efficiency) Pam Barrow, Assistant Chief Officer Probation Wyn Williams, Carer, Foster Swansea Pam Clutton, Care & Social Services Inspectorate Yvonne Burgis, Youth Services Manager Wales Parents on the Parents & Carer’s Forum, Swansea Council for Voluntary Pat Hughes, Assessment and Care Management Services for Older People Paul Littlewood, Principal Officer, Disability Services Paul Smith, Chief Executive, City & County of Swansea Paul Smith, Former Chief Executive Paul Whapham, Senior Physical Activity Development Officer Phil Gough, Finance Director, University of Wales, Swansea Phil Roberts, Corporate Director (Regeneration and Housing) Phillip Holmes, Head of Economic Regeneration & Planning Professor David Warner, Principal Swansea Metropolitan University Pupil Referral Units Rachael Webb, Headteacher, Hafod Primary School Rebecca Tribe, Recycling Officer Reena Owen, Corporate Director (Environment) Rhian Millar, Consultation Coordinator Rhiannon Thomas, Manager for looked after children Team (under 14 years) Richard Evans, Principal Officer (Social Services) Richard Leggett, Principal Officer, Commissioning Support Unit Richard Parry, Corporate Director (Education), Rick Wilson, Community Lives Consortium Rob Phillips, Headteacher, Dylan Thomas Comprehensive School Robin Brown, Head of Educational Inclusion Rose Seabourne, former Councillor and Cabinet Member – Torfaen County Borough Council Sandra Spratt, Swansea Council for Voluntary Services Sara Harvey, Regional Coordinator South West Wales, Welsh Local Government Association School Governors who completed the Literacy Questionnaire SCRAP (Swansea Community Recycling Alliance Partnership) Sergeant Julie Powell, South Wales Police Sharon Miller, Planning Manager, ABM University Health Board Stephanie Vaughan, Literacy Co-ordinator Steve Walker, Head of Child & Family Services Superintendent Martin Jones, South Wales Police Susan Cooper Head of Adult Social Care, Bridgend County Borough Swansea Employment Training Centre Swansea Waste Forum Talbot, Carmarthenshire, Rhodda-Cynon-Taf, Wrexham Tanya Nash, Sustainable Development Manager

Item No. 17

Report of the Head of Legal, Democratic Services & Procurement

Council – 29 September 2011

WRITTEN RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS ASKED AT THE LAST ORDINARY MEETING OF COUNCIL

Summary

The report provides an update on the responses to Questions asked during the last ordinary meeting of Council on 4 August 2011.

FOR INFORMATION

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 It was agreed at Council on 8 April 2010 that a standing item be added to the Council Summons entitled “Written Responses to Questions Asked at the Last Ordinary Meeting of Council”.

1.2 A “For Information” report will be compiled by the Democratic Services Team collating all written responses from the last Ordinary Meeting of Council and placed in the Agenda Pack;

1.3 Any consequential amendments be made to the Council Constitution.

2. RESPONSES

2.1 Responses to questions asked during the last ordinary meeting of Council are included as Appendix A.

Background Papers: None

Contact: Democratic Services Extension: 6820

Providing Council with Written Responses to Questions at Council – 4 August 2011

1. Keith Ross to Councillor J B Hague, Cabinet Member for Environment

Question

a) How new residents in Brynmill will be informed of the arrangements for waste disposal and household recycling when they arrive for the new term next month?

b) If additional resources will be focussed on the Brynmill area during the first weeks of the new term in order to reinforce the initial information?

c) At what point enforcement will kick in if the message is not getting through?”

Response

With reference to the questions which you raised at Council on Thursday 4th August 2011 thank you for your positive comments with regards to the ‘Review of Waste Minimisation, Recycling & Composting’.

This review, whilst extensive, could not cover every detail due to the breadth of issues and the speed of changes that are occurring in Waste management at the present time.

However I can assure you that work is ongoing and more is planned to deal with the specific problems surrounding ‘areas where there is a high turnover of residents’ and enforcement in those areas.

New students in shared houses will be informed of waste and recycling arrangements by landlords under their licence conditions where this information is included in a ‘Declaration of Understanding’ which the tenant has to sign. A ‘Guide to Waste and Recycling Collections for Students’ has also been produced and will be distributed at the beginning of term.

The University will be emailing every student with the information and we have a very good relationship with the Students Union which is proactive in this area and we will be working closely with the Union on various initiatives throughout the year.

We will be attending fresher’s week to give out information, advice, bags and containers and promoting recycling from Singleton Park which has proven to be a success in the past.

An ‘application’ is in development for mobile devices that will give advance message warnings each week of collection days and most importantly the right waste to put out for collection, which I hope will be available before the start of the new academic year. This will be available to any resident, not just students.

Officers from Housing and Public Health and Waste Management will be on the streets on collection days to reinforce the initial information, and door knocking to get the message across where waste is being seen to be stored or put out for Providing Council with Written Responses to Questions at Council – 4 August 2011 collection incorrectly.

In instances where residents do not respond to our initial education and engagement programme swift enforcement action will be taken.

As you can see we have been working closely with Swansea University to promote recycling and ensure that the message is getting across to the students, however there is still much work to be done and we will be building on this work now and in the future. The knowledge gained from this partnership is also being used to promote this across the Swansea Metropolitan University and other colleges.

2. Councillor G Seabourne to Councillor J B Hague, Cabinet Member for Environment

Question

Please provide the cost to the Authority for collecting the fly tipping that is dumped outside of civic amenity centres whilst they are closed at the early part of the week following a recent Cabinet decision?

Response

I write further to your question raised at Council on 4th August. It is difficult to establish costs associated with flytipping at Civic Amenity Sites. The waste disposal costs are the same, as waste disposal charge will be incurred whether fly tipped or taken into the CA site. The labour costs are approximately £200 per week based on a 3 man crew for 3 hours per week inclusive of transport. This amount is not an extra cost to the Authority as the team are directed there when working in the area.

3. Councillor H M Morris to Councillor J B Hague, Cabinet Member for Environment

Question

Why was the Penlan civic amenity site not operating on Friday, 29 July 2011?

Response

I write further to your question raised at Council on 4th August. I have been informed by the General Manager of the Swansea City Waste Disposal Company that the CA site at Penlan was open as normal on Friday 29th June 2011.

4. Councillor J E Burtonshaw to Councillor J B Hague, Cabinet Member for Environment

Question

What savings have been made by the Authority following the part week closure of the civic amenity sites? Providing Council with Written Responses to Questions at Council – 4 August 2011

Response

I write further to your question raised at Council on 4 August. The savings as a reduction in opening hours were made by the Swansea City Waste Disposal Company which will be reflected in the charges to the Authority. Payments to the SCWDC have reduced to reflect this saving.

5. Councillor W J F Davies to Nick Tregoning, Cabinet Member for Social Services

Question

1) I understand we have 1 contract monitoring officer for our placements in care homes. Is that a sufficient resource?

2) How do the contract monitoring officers carry out their work? How do they collect their evidence to satisfy themselves that the quality of care is up to standard between the statutory visits from the CSSIW?

3) What evidence do you have that the new rota visiting procedure is operating successfully?

1) What evidence do you have that the Council’s whistle blowing policy is effective in protecting vulnerable people? How many individuals have taken advantage of this procedure to report concerns?

2) Are Social Workers completing annual reviews of individual’s care plans timorously? Is the resident always, as a matter of course, made fully aware of the Complaints Procedure during the annual review of the care plan? Does this practice also extend to their families? How many complaints and compliments have been received?

3) What evidence do you have to reassure the public that all laid down processes work well and are completed on time?

4) What problems are caused by the lack of resources? Is there a cross subsidy of Child and Family Services by Older Persons Services?

Response

Response is included in the report listed on the Agenda at Item No. 12 (1).

Item No. 18

Council – 29 September 2011

COUNCILLORS’ QUESTIONS

PART A - SUPPLEMENTARIES

1. Councillors D Phillips, J E Burtonshaw, R C Stewart, J C Richards, R J Lloyd, M C Child, R Francis-Davies, E T Kirchner, H M Morris and C R Doyle

Will the appropriate Cabinet Member give Council an update on the use of the Dylan Thomas Centre?

Response of the Cabinet Member for Culture Tourism and Recreation

Cabinet on the 2nd June, 2011 agreed that the Council could proceed with negotiations to transfer the building and its management to the University of Wales. Detailed negotiations are on going to agree the terms of the lease.

The University of Wales propose to be based at the Centre together with a number of subsidiary knowledge economy and research projects. This will make the building a knowledge economy and cultural centre of excellence whilst also maintaining public access to the building including the Dylan Thomas Exhibition and literature programme which would continue to be managed and curated by the Council.

2. Councillors C Thomas, W J F Davies, D Phillips, J E Burtonshaw, R C Stewart, J C Richards, R J Lloyd, M C Child, R Francis-Davies, E T Kirchner, H M Morris and C R Doyle

Will the appropriate Cabinet Member give details of the facilities for blind and partially sighted people that have been closed since 1998?

Response of the Cabinet Member for Social Services/Education

The following services have closed since 1998.

1. De La Beche Social Group 2007 Access was particularly difficult and the group used to meet once a fortnight. At this time the group at Toronto Place also met once a fortnight. The service at Toronto Place then operated every week as the De La Beche Social Group transferred to Toronto Place.

2. Morriston Visually Impaired Evening Centre 2009 The group met once a fortnight. By November there were only two people regularly attending. The individuals were offered other opportunities.

3. Gorseinon Social Centre and Laugharne Court 2011 Staffing problems were experienced in the early part of 2011 and as a consequence these groups were amalgamated with the group at Toronto Place. The service users agreed to maintain the arrangement that had been established.

In addition to the changes that are described above the following developments also took place during the same period of time.

1. The support provided at Gowerton Resource Centre was moved to the new Swansea Vale Resource Centre 2005.

2. Development of a Rehabilitation Team which now consists of two full time Rehab Officers and one part-time Rehab Officer.

3. A number of staff across Social Services trained to raise awareness about visual impairment.

4. A resource room was established at Swansea Vale Resource Centre displaying equipment available to visually impaired people.

5. Advice sessions are now available on a fortnightly basis so that information can be shared.

6. The IT room at Swansea Vale Resource Centre has been properly equipped and updated with appropriate software.

7. Better access now exists for visually impaired people in local libraries.

8. Rehab Officers are able to visit Care Homes and other services to provide advice.

9. Improvements in respect of accessible information have been achieved.

10. The overall service has improved and is now more effective.

3. Councillors D Phillips, J E Burtonshaw, R C Stewart, J C Richards, R J Lloyd, M C Child, R Francis-Davies, E T Kirchner, H M Morris and C R Doyle

Will the appropriate Cabinet Member tell Council what use has the observatory been put to since the Astronomical society was priced out of using it.

Response of the Cabinet Member for Finance

Since the premises became vacant, following the departure of the Astronomical Society, the observatory has been been marketed with the aim to lease. None of the offers so far received are acceptable. Consequently direction was given that the property should be considered for outright disposal. Discussions have been held between Officers in planning, urban design and property development projects on the Councils preferred strategy for this landmark site, having regard to best value in terms of financial consideration, future use, quality of design and also having regard to any redevelopment and conserving the artwork and essential features of the building. A way forward has now been agreed and a draft marketing brief has been circulated. It is hoped that we will be in a position to consult with Councillors shortly with a view to marketing the property in approximately one month. The timing is critical and if we do not meet this deadline then it may be prudent to postpone any marketing until the spring when the property will hold most appeal in order to secure the best financial offers from prospective purchasers.

4. Councillors R L Smith, G Seabourne and M E Gibbs

I congratulate the Planning Department on their transparency and openness with regard to the Local Development Plan. Can the Cabinet Member confirm why the department has submitted a significant number of sites owned by the Authority, when there is no prior planning history?

Is this a facade to sell further Council land for much needed income for the Authority.

Response of the Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration & Planning

The Council, like any other party is obliged to follow the same process in terms of registering sites for consideration under the LDP process. Many of these would not have been linked to previous development or planning submissions but that does not preclude their submission. The benefits of such applications would include a mix of regeneration opportunities and capital receipts in line with the Medium Term Financial Plan. All site submissions will be subject of a detailed assessment and filtering exercise (as endorsed by Planning and Petitions Committee 2nd September 2010) over the course of the next year to ensure that only the most appropriate sites that support identified future needs are taken forward. Council owned submissions will be assessed in exactly the same manner as any other sites given that land ownership does not influence the assessment procedure. The assessment of these sites will be carried out by the Planning Policy Team who work independently from the Council Sections who have brought the sites forward for consideration.

5. Councillors G Seabourne, M Gibbs and R L Smith

Can the Cabinet Member confirm why free compost will no longer be made available at the Tir John site from the end of September? Is it to be sold to commercial traders?

Response of the Cabinet Member for Environment

Unfortunately a number of recent issues have arisen that prevent the Authority making free compost to the public. The prime one is due to the Environment Agency’s requirement to cease composting at Tir John Landfill Site. Since April 2011 therefore, all the City & County of Swansea’s green waste is now transported to Cowbridge for treatment, so it would be impractical and costly to return the material to Swansea. It is not anticipated that this arrangement will change in the near future. However, should circumstances arise that change this, then the Authority may reinstate the service.

6. Councillors J E Burtonshaw, H M Morris, G Phillips, D Phillips, R C Stewart, J C Richards, R J Lloyd, M C Child, R Francis-Davies, E T Kirchner and C R Doyle

Will the Cabinet Member for Education tell Council how many former pupils of Daniel James Community School who now attend Bishop Gore School live outside the three mile limit for school transport? Can he tell Council how much it is costing each pupil to travel to Bishop Gore School? Will he tell Council if there are any plans to help families with the costs of transport?

Response of the Cabinet Member for Education

We are currently providing free transport to 53 former Daniel James pupils who live more than 3 miles from Bishop Gore.

An additional local bus service, for children without entitlement to free school transport on distance grounds, has been put in place for the new academic year starting September 2011. The day return fare is £2.80, payable on the bus. The bus stops at all recognised bus stops along the line of route and as this is a direct route, it will be only 20 minutes instead of the 45 minutes on the current route. The bus has been timed to run in accordance with Bishop Gore start and finish times. This service is not instead of, but in addition to, the existing services which are in place.

Dedicated staff are available to support pupils during the transition to new schools. Where issues of non attendance or difficulty paying for transport have been raised, then we are working with the families to address this. We are currently not aware of pupils not attending schools as a result of financial issues.

7. Councillors R C Stewart, D Phillips, J E Burtonshaw, J C Richards, R J Lloyd, M C Child, R Francis-Davies, E T Kirchner, H M Morris and C R Doyle

Council were told that the Chairman and Vice Chairman of Council receive an allowance “which it thinks reasonable for the purpose of meeting the expenses of those offices (s3 (5), and s5 (4), of the Local Government Act 1972). This is often known as 'civic dignitaries allowance'”. Will the Leader provide Council with the actual expenses incurred by the Chairman and Vice Chairman of Council in order to meet this criterion?

Response of the Leader

The Cabinet Member for Finance gave a detailed written answer on a question about the actual expenses of the Chairman and Vice Chairman of Council at the meeting of Council on the 4th August 2011. (I have re circulated that answer to all members for information). In that answer the Cabinet Member for Finance quoted from the Annual Report of the Remuneration Panel for Wales of 2009, which stated:

“Councils continue to have the ability to decide on an appropriate allowance (the Civic Allowance) for the expenses of the Council Chair and Deputy Chair as provided for under sections 22 and 24 of the Local Government Act 1972.”

The Cabinet Member for Finance informed Council that the allowances set by Council for this municipal year are:-

Chair of Council £9708 pa Vice Chair of Council £4,161 per annum.

He further informed Council that in addition to the Civic Allowance the Chair and Vice Chair are entitled to claim expenses and he advised what those claims were up to the date of that Council meeting.

In future years the issue of the payments to the Chairs and Vice Chairs will be a matter for the Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales (IRP) to determine. Under the relevant provisions of the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011 payments previously dealt with under the Local Government Act 1972 will in Wales come under the control of the IRP. The IRP will set the level of payments and it is looking at the issue of payments for members with civic responsibilities. The IRP has circulated a draft of its proposed report for December 2011 for consultation and in the draft the IRP propose that for the 2012/2013 year the Mayor/Chair of a Council in Group A (Swansea is a Group A Council) should receive what the IRP define as a Senior Salary of £23, 715 (a Senior Salary includes the Basic allowance for members).”

PART B – NO SUPPLEMENTARIES

No Part B questions submitted.