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Agenda Item No. 8

 

 

THE VALE OF GLAMORGAN COUNCIL

 

HEALTHY LIVING AND SOCIAL CARE SCRUTINY COMMITTEE: 4 DECEMBER 2017

 

REFERENCE FROM CABINET:  6 NOVEMBER 2017

 

C129              PROPOSAL TO DEVELOP A REGIONAL SOCIAL CARE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT UNIT FOR VALE OF GLAMORGAN AND CARDIFF (SCHL) (SCRUTINY COMMITTEE - HEALTHY LIVING AND SOCIAL CARE) –

 

Cabinet was updated on the proposal to develop a regional Social Care Workforce Development Unit across the Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff and its approval was sought to establish a regional Social Care Workforce Development Training unit.

 

The Directors of Social Services in both the Vale of Glamorgan Council and Cardiff Council had committed in principle to the establishment of a sustainable regional unit. It was expected that this would rationalise existing resources to meet future levels of anticipated need for sector wide training and development consistent with the Social Services and Wellbeing Act (Wales) 2014 implementation.

 

Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan Council’s Cabinets received a report in January 2017, seeking authority for a full Business Case to be developed for a regional Workforce Development Training Unit (WDTU) based on a fully integrated model.  The Cabinets also agreed for Cardiff to lead on the development of the Business Case. The vision for the Regional Care and Support Workforce Development Partnership (the Partnership), established in 2015, was to raise standards and drive up the quality and skill level through effective workforce development. 

 

With the implementation of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 well under way, the next few years required a robust approach to training and development as Council’s responded to the Act’s demands and the scale of transformation of services that it would bring. The report noted that it would be increasingly important to be able to update and replenish the Council’s existing skill base and recommended that the regional social care workforce and the Local Authorities Social Services workforce was best served by one regional workforce development unit and work undertaken within the context of the Regional Care and Support Workforce Development Partnership provided a firm foundation on which to build a regional workforce development unit.

 

As per the agreement of Cabinet at a meeting held on 23 January, 2017, Cardiff Social Services Directorate led on a business case on behalf of the Region. The Business Case attached at Appendix 1 to the report summarised the six options that were considered and highlighted the reason why Option 4 was identified as the preferred model.

 

The business case proposed that Cardiff Council host the regional workforce development training unit. Both Directors of Social Services in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan were supportive of this proposal. Both staff groups already undertook significant amounts of joint work and both were supportive of the proposals and understood the main drivers underpinning them. Staff teams had joined together for a number of development sessions which had contributed to shaping the proposals contained in the Business Case.

 

A Partnership Agreement that clearly set out the governance arrangements for the regional workforce development and training unit would ensure that the interests of both Local Authorities were appropriately protected, and enabled both to ensure that they maintained control as required under the statutory functions and responsibilities of each Social Services Director.

 

The proposed service delivery model for the regional unit was based upon an understanding of current and future needs across the region. It reflected feedback from Training Unit staff and managers in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan Councils and key stakeholders whose interests were represented on the Regional Workforce Partnership Board.

 

It was proposed that the new regional unit be structured around 4 core business functions:

 

  • Business Planning & Partnerships
  • Delivery & Commissioning of Training
  • Practice Learning Opportunities for Students
  • Qualification & Credit Framework (QCF) Assessment

This was a matter for Executive decision.

 

Cabinet, having considered the report and all the issues and implications contained therein

 

RESOLVED –

 

(1)       T H A T the proposal to establish a regional Social Care Workforce Development Training Unit as outlined in the report be approved.

 

(2)       T H A T the implementation of the business model, approach and functions outlined in the Business Case for the Regional Workforce Training Unit, attached at Appendix 1 the report, be authorised.

 

(3)       T H A T the establishment of the post of the Regional Manager for the regional Workforce Development Training Unit be approved.

 

(4)       T H A T delegated authority be granted to the Director of Social Services in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Social Care, Health and Leisure, and the Section 151 Officer and Head of Legal Services to enter into a Partnership Agreement with Cardiff Council which will cover all aspects of the Governance and any associated partnership arrangements required in relation to the proposals to develop a Regional Social Care Workforce Development Unit for Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff.

 

(5)       T H A T the report be referred to the Scrutiny Committee (Healthy Living and Social Care) for their consideration.

 

Reasons for decisions

 

(1)       To realise the benefits that regional working could bring by providing a resilient, sustainable and consistent approach to the development of social care staff.

 

(2)       To enable the implementation of a regional Social Care Workforce Development Unit.

 

(3)       To enable capacity, knowledge and skills to focus on bringing together two training units and forming a cohesive, successful and sustainable regional unit that met the needs of the wider social care workforce.

 

(4)       To ensure that the Director of Social Services and the Council were able to effectively delegate their statutory functions in relation to workforce development and training of the social care workforce.

 

(5)       To ensure that the Scrutiny Committee (Healthy Living and Social Care) members were kept informed of this key development.

 

 

 

Attached as Appendix – Report to Cabinet –  6 NOVEMBER 2017