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Social Services Annual Report

Published: 18/06/2018

Later this month, Flintshire County Council’s Cabinet will be asked to review a draft report on the performance of Social Services and to consider whether the report provides an accurate and clear account of social care in Flintshire. This is the second year of a new format for the Social Services Annual Report which is prepared under the requirements of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 and the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016 (RISCA). Despite significant financial and capacity pressures, Flintshire has continued to maintain and improve the support given to our most vulnerable citizens. The Council has much to celebrate in the work being done to promote and improve the wellbeing of people in the County, including: 1. Carrying out a strategic review in partnership with our stakeholders which identified a number of initiatives to improve the care sector, for example, the development of the Care@Flintshire website which supports providers in recruitment and retention, training, advertising events, sharing good practice and networking with each other. 2. Entering into a partnership with Hft, a national charity specialising in supporting adults with learning disabilities to deliver improved day and work opportunities services across Flintshire. 3. Committing to an investment of £4 million of our capital programme for a new community based learning disability centre which will replace the aging Glanrafon day centre in Queensferry. 4. The establishment of an innovative and sector leading multi-agency Early Help Hub in Flintshire, which was officially launched earlier this month by the Children’s Commissioner for Wales. 5. Successful implementation of the Welsh Government funded Childcare Offer pilot. Early indications show that the scheme is one of the leading services in Wales supports people back into employment, reduces the risk of poverty and supports the well-being of children. Indeed our Flintshire team is now being asked to extend the scheme into Wrexham and Denbighshire Neil Ayling, Chief Officer, Social Services, said: “This comprehensive report lays out a positive position for social services in Flintshire and demonstrates that despite pressures on services, our staff continue to provide excellent services to support the most vulnerable citizens in the county. The report also sets out a full programme of service improvement in both adults and children’s services, to respond to future needs and ensure our services maintain their positive reputation.” Flintshire’s Cabinet Member for Social Serives, Councillor Christine Jones, said: “This is an excellent report and a fair assessment of our performance as a service last year. It is pleasing to see the good work that has been carried out across the board. However, we are not complacent, and we will continue to seek ways to improve, particularly during such challenging economic times which also show increasing demands on our services.” Priorities for next year include: · Make the information on the website more meaningful for individuals to help them find the right information to support their well-being. · Improve the emotional well-being and mental health of care leavers, including a commitment to helping them be ready for work. · Continue with our work for the Flint and Holywell Extra Care projects. · Continue to develop the new Glanrafon day service with the new building due to be completed in May 2019. · Develop proposals for the expansion of the Council owned Marleyfield House Care Home. The report will be available on the Flintshire County Council website by 31 July 2018.