County Councillor James Gibson-Watt |
|
Subject: |
BCA Independent Advocacy Services and A Voice for You |
Question To: |
County Councillor Myfanwy Alexander Portfolio Holder for Adult Social Care and Welsh Language |
Question:
Could the Portfolio Holder explain the rationale behind the decision by her to remove all funding support to BCA Independent Advocacy Services in Brecon and A Voice For You in Newtown from September 2021 and confirm the following:-
1) That alternative advocacy support of at least the same availability and standards will be in place to support the organisations’ clients and members with a learning a disability well in advance of September 2021
2) That a full Impact Assessment (IA) of the decision on the organisations’ current clients and members was carried out and completed before she made the decision and, if so, could she make a copy of that IA available to all Members of Powys County Council
3) That a significant proportion of the members and clients of the above organisations were consulted about the proposal before a decision was made and could she please explain how that consultation was carried out.
Minutes:
Response by the Portfolio Holder:
Thank you for your questions.
I trust that the following will answer your questions and provide the information and assurance you have requested.
I would also like to emphasise that the opportunity for people to have their voice, views and opinions heard is a priority for Powys County Council (PCC). PCC is committed to improving opportunities for people with a learning disability through planning and commissioning services that work with people to meet their needs and fulfil their choices and gives value for money.
The decision to end the existing advocacy grant funding arrangement to Independent Advocacy Service Brecon Citizen Advocacy (BCA) and A Voice For You (VFU) is based on the assurance that there is a contract in place to meet the holistic and broad advocacy requirements for people in Powys. The intention to move towards a formal contract arrangement provides greater opportunity to secure sustainable investment which sets out quality expectations, accountability and robust reporting mechanisms. The aim is to enhance the opportunities and outcomes for people in Powys and improve their advocacy options.
In response to the specific questions, which I have repeated in my response:
That alternative advocacy support of at least the same availability and standards will be in place to support the organisations’ clients and members with a learning disability well in advance of September 2021?’
In April 2019, as part of an open and competitive procurement process, Dewis CIL were successful in being awarded the contract for the independent professional advocacy service (IPAS) for adults in Powys including older people and adults living with disabilities. The aim of this was to deliver on the legal requirements of the Social Services and Well-Being Act 2014 (SSWB Act) to ensure sustainable services and approaches to advocacy, to streamline current contracts and grants and so improve service outcomes and experiences of individuals.
This work was undertaken following guidance from the Welsh Government and co-led with the Golden Thread programme. This programme was funded by Welsh Government for four years (2016 to 2020) to run alongside and support the implementation of Part 10 (Advocacy) of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. The programme's key aims were:
• To support the commissioning of independent professional advocacy through a sustainable, strategic approach.
• To improve the availability of advocacy services to adults across Wales
• To improve the well-being of individuals through advocacy and to give them a stronger voice.
PCC made the decision to address both statutory requirement for advocacy as set out in the SSWB Act (must) and wider non-statutory advocacy (may/consider) requirements (e.g., through supporting and building capacity and partnerships with advocacy organisations and individuals and/or facilitating the non-statutory element directly through a single contract. This contract has a built-in costed provision to deliver the wider non-statutory advocacy offer to encourage and empower people to build the skills required to advocate for themselves, form natural support networks amongst friends, family and wider community or offer support according to their individual’s needs. The planning for and facilitation/provision of non-statutory advocacy as defined in the SSWB Act (2014) was integral to the development of the IPAS specification.
As part of the preparatory work, the Golden Thread team undertook an advocacy survey in December 2017. This showed that there were a range of organisations providing non-statutory advocacy which did not have a formal funding arrangement with PCC. This is itself suggesting an inequity in funding arrangements.
Over the course of the pandemic, the PCC commissioning team has worked in partnership with Powys Teaching Health Board (PTHB) to engage on a regular basis with all the PCC Community and Voluntary Services (CVS) grant funded organisations, including BCA. The meetings were (and continue) to provide business continuity support. This highlighted the activity and impact of each CVS organisation in relation to strategic outcomes and priorities within the context of current service provision and needs emerging because of the pandemic. In doing so, this has helped to facilitate informed decision making going forward.
The allocation of grants does not provide certainty for organisations, particularly at the level BCA and VFU have received over the years. Grants generally rely on year-to-year budget availability and continuation is set within a wider context of understanding of strategic commissioning intentions including population need, supply of services and an open and transparent procurement exercise.
BCA and VFU have been informed of the circumstances surrounding their grant award and advised to prepare accordingly. Within the 2019/20 financial year, grant funding had initially been planned to cease on the 30th of September 2020 but was extended for a further six months to March 31st, 2021 in recognition of BCA’s and VFU’s contribution to the collective effort of Powys in response to the global pandemic.
The rationale to extend the grant for a further period to the 30th of September 2021 is to provide sufficient time to initiate their contingency plans, to prepare and support individuals with any alternative advocacy support, should that be required.
That a full Impact Assessment (IA) of the decision on the organisations’ current clients and members was carried out and completed before she made the decision and, if so, could she make a copy of that IA available to all Members of Powys County Council?
There are currently three impact assessments in relation to this decision. The first was undertaken in 2018 (17/08/2018) to support the delivery of the IPAS contract. The second (26/02/2020) in response to risk to all grant funding, and the third (Feb 2021) to support the delivery of the strategic advocacy aims. Please find attached for your reference redacted Impact Assessment dated 3rd March 2021. The impact assessment has been redacted as this held commercially sensitive information and decisions regarding other grant funded organisations.
That a significant proportion of the members and clients of the above organisations were consulted about the proposal before a decision was made and could she please explain how that consultation was carried out ‘How many adults with a learning disability have been consulted about this decision?’
As highlighted above, prior to the procurement of the IPAS contract, there was extensive engagement and consultation with advocacy stakeholders, involving PAN/related CVS organisations, to support the delivery of the IPAS in Powys. The Advocacy Golden Thread programme (all Wales) was integral to this process. The team provided support to PCC and stakeholders with the co-production of the IPAS specification and a separate and independent programme specifically aimed at supporting PAN members and consulting with citizens.
As a key stakeholder, BCA and VFU were involved in this work, and so participated in the extensive engagement, consultation, and co-production that took place (i.e., planning) in 2018/19 along with advocacy stakeholders in Powys to ensure the service specification and resultant provision would address both statutory and non-statutory advocacy.
At the time of the IPAS contract developments, it was communicated and recorded, that the new service could potentially impact upon smaller CVS organisations and there would be likely changes in grant awards to reflect the commissioning of this new service. Since that time, there has been consistent dialogue with all grant funded CVS organisations outlining an intention to review all grant awards in light of the strategic needs and financial climate. Over the last three years, all organisations are aware of and have been advised of impending decisions, potential changes to grant awards and advised to plan accordingly.
I would like to emphasise my recognition and appreciation of the work and contribution that both organistions have provided over the years and in their recent response to the pandemic.
I also want to acknowledge the challenges the decision to cease their grant award may pose over the coming months. However, the decision is an informed one as a result of several years of work, communication and consultation.
Crucially, the needs of citizens in Powys remain paramount and PCC is committed to and will ensure that continuity of support is not compromised in any way.
Supporting documents: