Agenda item

Issues Raised by the Committee:

Responses Received:

Committee requested further details around the statement of overspend on debt financing in Appendix B, including causes for overspend and the projections for the next financial year.

The Interim Head of Finance answered that a more comprehensive update in the next treasury report would be available and would be presented to the Governance & Audit Committee.

An explanation was requested around how it was decided that the service had £1.647m of pressures held at risk.

The Director of Social Services and Wellbeing answered that if a risk had materialised then it would be on the on the FRM. If it was anticipated but not materialised, then it would be a pressure held at risk.

Part of the pressure on the budget was down to the success of the service in releasing people from the service. Could more data around this be presented to the committee?

The Head of Adults Services answered that 9 new providers had come onto the dynamic purchasing system, delivering 1500 more hours of domiciliary care this year.

The committee requested assurance that planned savings would be delivered.

The Director Social Services and Wellbeing answered that 68% of savings had been delivered, and work was ongoing to understand how the remaining savings could be achieved.

Regarding ‘on the croft’; How much detriment was caused to residents who were unable to access care?

Could the authority work with PTHB to offer support?

The Head of Adult’s Services answered that some residents were held in the bridging service and could access interim beds within care homes.

The service received 10 more referrals from the hospital discharge team per month this year. Work with colleagues in PTHB was ongoing to provide Step-Down beds in Glan Irfon and Cottage View.

Was there an acuity measure in the CROFT system?

It was explained that no, the CROFT was a holding place to demonstrate what packages were needed and providers could bid for packages.

Looking to develop this as part of the reablement service.

How many clients are leaving the service each month?

The figure could not be provided.

The Interim Head of Finance explained the budget process.

It was for all services to identify risks to be added to the risk budget. Generally, the risk budget amounts to a sizeable figure, most of which does not materialise. Last year there was little on the risk register that materialised.

The Finance Manager worked with the service to provide detail and justification for what was added to the risk budget.

Noted that there was an improving position from Q1.

Was funding provided to support the Authority’s responsibilities towards UASC? And was this funding being reviewed in relation to increased costs?

The Head of Children’s Services answered that the numbers Powys County Council received was based on a national referral mechanism set by UK government.

Numbers had increased over the last 12 months. Yes, the authority did receive some financial support, but where children required a lot more intervention, this would become an additional cost to the council.

The service was writing to UK government about the pressures Powys faces as a rural county. This had also been raised with the LGA, ADSS Cymru, Wales heads of Children’s Services and Welsh Government.

Explanation was requested around the significant increase of residential placement costs from March 2024.

The cost of residential care placements was currently a market, and providers set their own rates. The ‘not-for-profit agenda’ was in bill and to become legislation.

The Cabinet Member for Future Generations added that it is a case of supply and demand and the authority was working to reduce costs through the ‘grow your own’ initiative; 52 agency staff had been reduced to single figures with very low sickness rates.

The committee inquired about the legal requirements for the authority to place UASChildren in Powys, and whether it was possible to place the children in London instead, if that was the child’s wish.

The national referral mechanism maps out children across the whole of the UK. Some of Powys’s UASCs live in London, Cardiff and Swansea.

The authority was looking at creating communities in Newtown and Ystradgynlais with access to important buildings and communities.

How many UASChildren based in Powys were placed with foster parents of their own culture?

That information was not available.

The department was working with the Resettlement Project Manager as well as a psychiatrist to help with a pilot study about interconnecting communities.

The Director of Social Services and Wellbeing noted that papers regarding UASChildren in Powys would be presented to the committee in December 2024.

The committee asked how confident the service was that costs of residential placements could be controlled at £10million.

The Head of Children’s Services answered that that was the challenge facing the service. The Not-for-Profit agenda would help when it came into law.

Assurance was given that each placement was reviewed at every opportunity.

Was the percentage of children looked after in residential placements increasing, or only the cost of the placements?

The number of children in residential accommodation was decreasing, the costs were increasing.

Was the service considering the use of technology to aid the recruitment challenges in the sector?

The Director of Social Services and Wellbeing answered that the Regional Partnership Board had been working with schools to increase awareness of careers in health and social care in Powys.

The Head of Adults Services added that there was a significant work stream around technology enabled care. One element of the rectification plan would be increased scrutiny of care packages to understand where technology could meet needs.

The Head of Children’s Services added that a Health & Social Care Academy sat across PTHB, the local authority and the third sector, which had generated a lot of interest going into schools.

Increasing work around flexible working patterns to improve work life balance and make social care careers more appealing.

A new system would be available in 2025 which would lead to more efficiencies.

Learning was taken from other local authorities and a digital transformation group.

Cabinet Member for a More Caring Powys added that early help and intervention to support people to stay healthy fit and well for longer was key to reducing long term pressure on the service.

Sustainable Powys Locality Network aimed to build building stronger and more resilient communities.

The importance of ensuring the correct risk level was applied to the 2025-26 budget was stressed.