To receive the Children’s Services Inspection Report for Bannau/Camlas and the Powys Fostering Services.
Minutes:
Documents considered:
· CIW Inspection Report on Golwg Camlas/Bannau May 2018
· Bannau/Camlas Action Plan 5th June 2018
· CIW Inspection Report on Powys County Council Fostering Service
Bannau/Camlas
Discussion:
· CIW made an unannounced visit in January 2018 to Golwg Camlas/Bannau. Bannau cares for pupils with autism and Camlas offers short break respite care for children with complex disabilities
· There are approximately 100 regulations to comply with and the inspection also looks at living conditions, care and staff meetings
· No compliance notices were made after the inspection and the findings that were made were those the service already knew about
· The service are on track with the timescales within the action plan except for those that relate to staffing and senior managers are having to cover some shifts.
· The Inspection found that there were still found to be short falls in the system for recording medication which had been raised at a previous inspection. Officers confirmed that medication was taken seriously and it was thought that it related to infrequent occasions where a second staff member had failed to sign the medication register. A move to an electronic medication record is being investigated which would alert the shift leader to recording omissions
· It is on occasion necessary to close Camlas but this is a difficult decision to take as it is acknowledged that routine for young people is important as is respite for carers. It is essential that the correct level of staffing is available and as young people are resident in Bannau full time it is on occasion necessary to move staff to ensure Bannau is fully staffed. If it is necessary to close Camlas alternative support or respite is offered
· Recent staffing changes have resulted in five members of staff leaving and eight joining. A recent recruitment event in Ystradgynlais was not as successful as had been hoped and it had been necessary to rearrange an event in Merthyr
· There have been retention issues with staff wanting more hours but to enable sufficient cover for shift patters it has been necessary to offer a mixture of 16, 22 and 37 hour patterns. Some staff find other hours elsewhere and may end up leaving the unit to concentrate on their other job
· The Senior Manager visits the unit regularly and whilst there is a positive feeling there is a level of frustration and tiredness as staff have to work additional hours
· Although the service have insufficient qualified staff to meet the requirements of the regulation those staff who are unqualified are all working towards qualification
· Although not all staff are registered with Social Care Wales this is because they are working through a comprehensive induction programme prior to registration
Cllr Jon Williams left 3.45pm
· The Portfolio Holder advised she regularly visited Bannau/Camlas and invited Members to accompany her on a visit
· It was acknowledged that the unit was unable to offer care through the medium of Welsh but noted that the young people in the unit often used other forms of communication
· It was acknowledged that there were a number of shortcomings as highlighted in the report which the service acknowledged and were being addressed within the action plan. It should be noted however that the staff worked extremely hard and Members wished to thank staff for their commitment
· The Portfolio Holder noted that it is intended to raise the profile of the unit as a support system to Penmaes so that parents and carers could learn coping strategies for use before crises developed and respite was needed
Outcomes:
· Members who wish to visit Bannau/Camlas to discuss this the Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services
· That an update on progress against the action plan be brought back to scrutiny in six months
Cllr D Rowlands left 4.15pm
Powys Fostering Services Inspection
Discussion:
· There are a shortage of foster carers both in Powys Fostering Services and in the Independent sector
· There were 25 foster carers appointed last year of which the majority were connected persons (family or friends)
· The Foster Carer Strategy looks to increase the number of generic foster carers by 40. This year 13 have already been approved and a further 7 assessments are in progress. A high number of new enquiries continues to be received
· The majority of foster carers are based in Radnorshire and it will be necessary to map where foster care is projected to be needed
· The authority is looking to be a foster friendly council with offers such as free access to leisure centres and access to the staff benefits scheme
· Foster carers feedback shows that the position has improved since the inspection although more progress needs to be made
· The aim is to process applications within four months as it is a long and detailed process. It was brought to the attention of the service that other organisations were able to process applications faster than Powys.
Outcomes:
· The report was noted
Supporting documents: