The Health and Social Services Scrutiny Committee met on Thursday 20 March 2025 to review the Corporate Safeguarding Annual Report, the Mid & West Wales Safeguarding Children & Adults Boards Annual Report, and the Early Help approach in Carmarthenshire. The committee also discussed the Revenue & Capital Budget Monitoring Report for 2024/25 and received explanations for the non-submission of certain scrutiny reports.

Corporate Safeguarding Annual Report 2023/24 & 2024/25

The committee reviewed the Corporate Safeguarding Annual Report, which detailed the council's efforts to safeguard children and adults at risk. The report highlighted progress in areas such as safe governance, a safe workplace and workforce, safe practice and performance, and safe partnerships. Key actions taken included refreshing policies and procedures, strengthening governance arrangements, and enhancing safeguarding training. The committee noted that while much of the work was planned, a review by Audit Wales in August 2023 had expedited several actions. Concerns were raised about the increase in child exploitation reports and whether specialist staff were adequate to handle them. The Head of Children and Families advised that the data was regional but that the authority was ensuring a robust response and developing a regional strategy. The committee also sought clarification on the golden thread of safeguarding, which was explained as ensuring safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, with improved oversight and alignment of internal and external governance arrangements. The increasing number of concerns being reported was seen as evidence of staff feeling more prepared to report cases following training. The committee requested sight of Carmarthenshire-specific data, as some of the presented data was regional. Officers assured the committee that Welsh Government funding had helped reduce the backlog of Adult (DoLS) applications, and proportionate assessments were being introduced.

The Mid & West Wales Safeguarding Children & Adults Boards Annual Report 2023-2024

The committee received the annual report from the Mid & West Wales Safeguarding Children & Adults Boards, which outlined progress against their joint Annual Strategic Plan for 2023-24. The report highlighted continued investment in the Single Unified Safeguarding Review (SUSR) process and the development of a national training framework. The publication of several Practice Reviews was noted, with the Board committed to embedding lessons learned. Questions were raised regarding the anonymised data on domestic incidents involving adults, and the Regional Safeguarding Board Manager offered to share the detailed data. Concerns were expressed about the legal costs incurred due to a judicial review application against the CYSUR Board, and the Head of Adult Social Care stated these concerns would be raised at the next Board meeting. The committee was informed that while training on the Mental Capacity Act (2005) was widely available, the issue lay in its practical application in roles outside core safeguarding functions, with a training programme being rolled out to these groups.

Early Help

The committee considered the Early Help report, which detailed the work to implement an early help approach in Carmarthenshire to support families at an earlier stage and prevent the need for statutory intervention. The report covered the Early Help approach, its principles, service providers, data, and specific programmes such as Parenting and Family Support, Integrated Children’s Centres, Action for Children, Tim Camau Bach, Domestic Abuse Stops Here (DASH), Youth Health Team, Targeted Youth Support, and the Early Help Hub. The Senior Manager for Early Help and Assessment advised that figures for 2024/25 were anticipated to double, reflecting increased demand and case complexity. The ideal first connection for families was within the following day, with no significant waiting lists. While there were no current facilities for the deaf community, it was a high priority, and work was underway to develop alternative contact methods. The committee requested feedback on the results of mapping work being undertaken with partners and young people regarding the Early Help approach.

Revenue & Capital Budget Monitoring Report 2024/25

The committee reviewed the Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring Report for Health and Social Services as of 31 December 2024. The report indicated a projected overspend of £7,278k on the revenue budget and net variances of -£271k on Social Care capital projects and £14k on Children Services capital projects. Additional grant funding from Welsh Government for the April 2024 NJC pay award was noted but excluded from the December figures. Questions were raised about the progress in supported living developments, with the Head of Adult Social Care explaining the lengthy process involved in identifying, procuring, and staffing new schemes. The in-house agency pilot for older people's residential care was reported to be yielding significant savings, with plans to roll it out to Children Services and then Home Care. Further information was requested on Learning Disabilities Accommodation Developments, with the Head of Adult Social Care highlighting an accommodation efficiency programme and strengthened governance, though progress was slower than hoped due to increasing demand.

2024/25 Quarter 3 - Performance Report

The committee examined the Quarter 3 Performance Monitoring Report, which detailed progress against actions and measures linked to the Corporate Strategy and Well-being Objectives. Several measures were noted as off target, including the number of new assessments completed for children within statutory timescales and the total number of days children remained on the Child Protection Register. The Head of Children and Families committed to investigating why data for Quarter 1 and Quarter 2 was unavailable for new assessments. Progress on updating the s.33 agreement between the Local Authority and the Health Board was ongoing, with a revised target date of May 2025. The re-design of the Family Support Service was delayed due to uncertainty over grant funding from Welsh Government. Positive progress was noted for the Flying Start childcare expansion and the integration of maternity and early years services.

Explanation for Non-Submission of Scrutiny Reports

The committee received explanations for the non-submission of three scrutiny reports: Living Well in Carmarthenshire (Prevention Strategy), Social Services Sustainability Plan, and Communities Annual Safeguarding Report. The delay in the Prevention Strategy was attributed to the executive sponsor's absence and subsequent delays in governance sign-off. The Social Services Sustainability Plan's non-submission was due to the Director of Communities' inability to attend the meeting. The Communities Annual Safeguarding Report was delayed due to an officer's absence and the need to focus on the Corporate Safeguarding Annual Report. The committee noted these explanations and resolved that the Social Services Sustainability Plan would be submitted at the next meeting.

Forthcoming Items

The committee noted the list of forthcoming items for the next meeting on 30 April 2025, which included Budget Monitoring 2024/25, a Domiciliary Care Update, a Children & Families Services Update, and the Early Help Strategy Update.

Other Matters

Councillor B. Davies informed the committee that Avril Bracey, Head of Adult Social Care, had been nominated for the Social Care Wales, Inspirational Leadership Award, and congratulated her on her dedication.