Transcript

Transcript

Good afternoon all. Welcome to the first cabinet of a new financial year and me as leader. There will be two changes to cabinet and how it works. One of which we are getting used to right now. Which is I won't be sitting in the top chair anymore. I will be sitting with my colleagues in cabinet because we are a team and we face the issues as a city as a team. So I wanted to change how that looks. Secondly, it won't be me speaking all the time. For the relevant cabinet responsibilities, the cabinet member themselves will talk about the said item and I will add any additional items to that if I so wish. So without further ado, we will proceed with the meeting. Apologies? Any apologies? Councilor Fawzi and no one else are informed. Item two, any declarations of interest? I can't see any so as and when if someone realizes they need to declare one. Item three, minutes from May 24 cabinet. Can we move to conflict as a true record? Moving on to agenda item four, which is the corporate safeguarding report. Thank you, leader. Safeguarding is everybody's business. We are committed to ensuring that safeguarding is on everyone's radar and that the staff and volunteers know and understand the importance of keeping children and adults who are at risk or maybe at risk safe. The annual safeguarding report demonstrates how city council has met its obligations towards safeguarding. This is the seventh annual report highlighting the corporate safeguarding and council's commitment to keeping children and adults at risk as safe as possible. The report evidences what city council are doing to ensure that all staff know and understand how to identify and report safeguarding concerns they may have. The corporate safeguarding policy covers all functions and services of the council and applies to all council employees, elected members, foster carers, individuals undertaking work placements, volunteers and anyone carrying out work on behalf of the council including independent contractors. The report documents mandatory compliance and looks at how to improve reporting data. The report evidence is how safeguarding is taken into consideration in every service area and safeguarding self-assessment is undertaken by service areas annually so directorates are clear about the knowledge and awareness of safeguarding and can work with help to make improvements and build on confidence where necessary. So in conclusion, I ask that the cabinet consider the annual corporate safeguarding executive summary report to scrutinize and review the progress of the key priority work plans for both corporate safeguarding arrangements and safeguarding self-assessment findings for the whole council and determine if it wishes to make any comment, recommendation regarding the report and how the council is managing its corporate safeguarding. Thank you. Thank you, Councillor Lacey. Any questions, colleagues, Councillor Lacey? No? Thank you very much. Shall we move the item? All those before? Great. Thank you. Move on to agenda item five, director of social services annual report. Again, Councillor Laura Lacey. Thank you. So director of social services annual report, the strategic director as a designated director of social services has a statutory duty under the social services and well-being Wales act 2014, an amendment by the regulation and inspectorate of social care Wales act 2016 to produce an annual report to the council. The report must set out the personal assessment of our director of social services of the performance of social services in delivering its social care functions during the preceding 12 months. This report covers the period for 23/24, a mixture of case studies and examples from staff to demonstrate the work social services was well received this year. So the director has used a similar methodology, the data will support quantitative materials is available in the appendices and I will read out a case study shortly because I think it's important to understand how above and beyond our staff go on a lot of occasion. The report covers a period -- sorry, I just read that. Delivering the safe and effective services in order to support our most vulnerable citizens is a daily balance of staff, risk, independence and care. Despite the significant issues and challenges of 23/24, the director of social services is satisfied that the council continued to comply with the statutory duties. Social services staff were able to look beyond the relentless demands and still deliver innovation, continued development of services and indeed excellence. So I'm just going to refer to a case study that is in the report. And this is case study number 23 which is about creating a safe area in the garden. So this grant is for a four-year-old boy with autism and PICA. L requires full support and can display challenging behavior. He is pre-verbal and has no emotional regulation skills. His condition, PICA, is a mental health condition involving the compulsive swallowing of non-food items. This includes stones, plants, animal feces and so on. Newport City Council provided a safe and enclosed external area with safety surfacing and no foot hole to prevent climbing. The applicants provided excellent feedback explaining that they were extremely happy with the contractor and the service provided. They expressed their thanks in making the caring role easier and improving our safety. The contractor went above and beyond by fitting further edging on both sides of the fence free of charge to improve the appearance. I think it just makes a point that sometimes these little things make such a big difference to our people who have got really challenging lives anyway. So to continue, so as the incoming cabinet member I would like to thank Councillor Jason Hughes and Councillor Stephen Marshall for their commitment, contribution and due diligence as the previous cabinet members. The report to the Director of Social Services provides an annual overview of the work across adults, children and prevention and inclusion. And the case studies give us a mere snapshot of the work across Newport and our most vulnerable citizens. The depth and range of the work is extraordinary. Understanding the impact of our services is crucial and the stories breathe life into the data. It's pleasing that despite the challenges and pressures of our staff to be able to deliver excellence and maintain commitment and enthusiasm. We have over a thousand staff in social services and their dedicated work underpins the care and support for our citizens. It's a privilege to take forward the social services. With the staff I welcome the opportunity to learn and support for the coming year. So again in conclusion the statutory annual report reflects the director's personal assessment of the performance of social services and is therefore being presented to cabinet for information purposes and not for amendment. I therefore ask cabinet to consider and note the contents as required by social services and well-being act 2014. Our Director of Social Services emphasises throughout the report the commitment and enthusiasm and determination of staff to deliver the best possible services. And I would like to thank staff for their outstanding work during this period and continued efforts to deliver social care across the city. Thank you. Thank you Councillor Lacey. Colleagues any questions for Councillor Lacey or comments? No I would... Councillor Cawton sorry. Is that your hand up? No I don't have a hand up. I think I'm having a moment. I think my computer is having a moment. Don't worry. No hands. No problem Councillor Cawton. I would like to thank also Councillor Jason Hughes and Councillor Stephen Marshall for their tremendous work over the last two years. They've done a great job and I wish them all the best in the future outside of cabinet. And I'd like to welcome Councillor Laura Lacey to the role and I know she'll do a tremendous job. And hearts in the right place and I assume she was the right person for this job and I'm sure she'll drive the service forward. And I was very lucky enough to meet the head of the prevention inclusion team this morning and had a good chat. And I want to put it on record what a great job they do for many vulnerable citizens across this city. The people that need us and the council the most and it's sometimes a thankless job, an unrelenting job and they deserve all our praise and all our credit. And we wish them every success and I will do what I can as leader and this cabinet will do all we can as well to support them going forward. And I believe is this the last annual report of our director of social services? I thought it would be in the notes but it's not so good try. I want to say thank you for everything. I know many colleges have worked with Sallyanne longer than I have but even I know what an amazing job you have done. On a service that we all know is one of the toughest if not the toughest service in local government. Dealing with one of our people who really need our help even if they don't want it. And particularly around children's services people who have had a rough start in life and need that support and need that care and need that guiding hand. And you've led us and you've led your staff, your team and this council through different administrations and different cabinet members and you've done an amazing job. I want to put that on the record. On that note, should we note the recommendations or do we need to pass it Mike? Resolve to note, everyone happy with that, everyone content? Great, thank you. Gentle item six, treasury management out term report and that is under my portfolio. The purpose is to, as we always do, report treasury activities undertaken in the financial year 23/24. It outlines our borrowing, our investment activities and all the facts around compliance and the prudential indicators and the forthcoming outlook in the financial year and in the medium term. It already, report considers governance audit committee and who provided no comments on the agenda item and will go to full council for approval going forward anyway. There are further key points that I won't go over through now because I'll go through it in council but all the facts are there in the public domain for anyone who wishes to look over them and study them and provide any questions for me going forward. Any questions cabinet colleagues? OK, I ask that the cabinet note the treasury management report for activities period 23/24 and move it. Everyone content? And online? I'll take that as a yes. OK, moving swiftly on to agenda item seven, work programme. I just move that the cabinet accepts the work programme going forward. Cabinet content? Great, I there conclude the meeting, thank you very much.