To receive a presentation on the Budget for Adult and Community Services and Children’s Services from the Interim Director for Children’s Services and the Transformation Programme Lead for the Adult and Community Forward Together Programme. Members will be able to provide feedback on the proposals for consideration by the Cabinet.
Minutes:
The Committee received a presentation from the Interim Director for Children’s Services on the Children’s Services budget for 2018/19. He explained that the cost of service delivery for 2018-19 was £66m compared to the available funding of £58m. He then gave a detailed breakdown of proposed identified savings of £6.3m. This resulted in a gap of £1.8m but to meet this shortfall staff would have to change their attitudes, be more disciplined and focused on doing the right things at a faster rate than they were used to.
One member referred to a recent meeting he had attended with fostercarers and asked what was being done to address the concerns they had raised and to avoid a mass exodus. The Interim Director explained that a review of payment rates had been undertaken and these had been brought into line with other authorities. An incentive scheme had also been included so that those achieving qualifications received additional payments as did those fostercarers looking after harder to place children. There was also a need for better customer care for them, for a change in staff attitudes and understanding, and for existing fostercarers to be retained.
Another member, welcomed the additional funding provided to recruit additional social workers but asked what support was given to family members to take on children. The Interim Director explained that staff were actively trying to increase the number of family placements as this provided better continuity for the children.
The Committee then received a presentation on the Adult and Community Services budget for 2018-19 from the Transformation Programme Lead for Adult and Community Forward Together Programme.
Members were reminded that the adult social care budget was the largest within the Council and that the social care precept was ringfenced for spend on adult social care. There would be an increase in the Improved Better Care Fund (IBCF) but there were strict rules as to how this money could be spent and performance managed. Members were also reminded that fees and charges were based on the ability to pay so that those who could not afford to pay had their services funded.
Savings of £9.3m were needed during 2018-19 and an explanation of how these would be achieved was given. Attention was drawn to the increased number of older people living longer in Dorset and the increased complexity of their needs; the increasing amount of safeguarding work which impacted on the number of assessments and reviews undertaken; and the increased need to undertake more deprivation of liberty cases due to people not planning for their future at an early stage and the implications this had for the service. There was a need for provision of early advice in order to help people make the decisions about their future at an early stage.
She then explained identified savings which she considered achievable but cautioned that if these savings were not realised, then additional savings would have to be made elsewhere.
One member drew attention to the older populations reluctance to apply for attendance allowance as they saw this as a failure or a stigma and asked whether steps were being taken to address this reluctance. More was being invested in the welfare service, and to district councils revenue and benefits services to inform people about the allowance and of the need to plan for the future. Cllr Jill Haynes, Cabinet Member for Health and Care, added that the Dorset Health and Wellbeing Board would be working more closely with GP Locality Groups on the prevention agenda and talk to people about this.
Another member asked how voluntary organisations were being encouraged. It was explained that they were involved in helping communities to become more enterprising and respond to local need and the Dorset Care Framework was encouraging community organisations to tender for services. These measures, combined with increasing take up of personal budgets would improve markets and give more flexibility.
In response to other questions it was confirmed that current work on social isolation included the superfast broadband team and Age Concern, and that Age UK were involved in some community development work.
The work Tricuro was doing in Weymouth to make better use of its centres was highlighted as was the rising cost of the Council’s transport to get people to day centres like the Acorns in Weymouth and the reduction in income that might result. Members were reminded that since 2007 the policy was for people to have individual personal budgets so that they had control of how the money allocated to them could be used for their benefit. The Council was trying to increase awareness of this through use of social media, financial advisers, banks etc.
With regard to potential changes to libraries, one member highlighted the success of the community library in his area and that their experience might help other libraries. Another member emphasised the use of the library in her division as a resource centre. It was recognised that previous changes to library services had been painful but Cllr Deborah Croney, Cabinet Member for Economy, Education, Learning and Skills, recognised the valuable role played by libraries and had already given a commitment that any future strategy would be set out clearly before any steps were taken.
Noted