VOLUNTARY SECTOR JOINT LIAISON COMMITTEE
Minutes of a meeting held on 7th
October, 2010.
Present: Councillor G.C. Kemp
(Chairman); Councillor Mrs. D.M. Turner (Vice-Chairman);
Councillors R.J. Bertin, J. Clifford, R.F. Curtis,
Mrs. P. Drake, C.J.P. Elmore, J.F. Fraser, Mrs. M. Kelly
Owen and Mrs. K.A. Kemp.
Representatives of the Voluntary Sector and
Health Service: Ms. R. Connor (Vale Centre for Voluntary
Services) and Ms. A. Steere (Vale Volunteer Bureau).
532 APOLOGIES FOR
ABSENCE -
These were received from Ms. T. Burris (Age
Concern), Mr. P. Hollard (Cardiff and Vale UHB) and Mr. G. Simpson
(Valeways).
533 MINUTES -
AGREED - T H A T the minutes of the meeting
held on 7th July 2010 be accepted.
534 DECLARATIONS OF
INTEREST -
No declarations were received.
535 IMPROVEMENT PLAN
2010/11 PART 2 (CX) -
Committee received the final draft of the
Council’s Improvement Plan 2010/11, which contained performance and
improvement information for all Directorates together with
Corporate Plan priorities.
In order to implement revised Wales Programme
for Improvement guidance, issued by WAG following the
implementation of the Local Government Measure 2009, the Council
was now required to publish two Improvement Plans each year.
This measure provided the Council with a statutory duty to
continuously improve the way that it operated.
The first part of the Plan was a forward
looking document, setting out the Council’s improvement objectives
and plans to achieve these objectives during the forthcoming
year.
The Improvement Plan (Part 2) incorporated
both the looking forward document and information that looked back
over the previous year, primarily on the performance and actions
that took place in 2009/10. It was a requirement that this be
published by 31st October.
The final draft of the Plan contained all
available performance information required by the Welsh Assembly
Government, and local indicators that assisted in measuring
corporate priorities. It also contained Welsh averages of
performance for comparison purposes, where these were
available. Performance information would be used by the Wales
Audit Office to assess the Council’s ability to improve, and
therefore was of critical importance to the reputation of the
Council.
Having considered the final draft of the
Improvement Plan 2010/11, it was
AGREED - T H A T the contents of the
Improvement Plan for 2010/11 be endorsed subject to a number of
minor typographical errors.
Reason for decision
To ensure that actions are taken to improve
services.
536 VOLUNTARY SECTOR
PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT AND ACTION PLAN - ACTION PLAN PROGRESS REPORT
(DFICTP) -
Committee received a report on progress made
against the current Action Plan.
The Action Plan for 2010/12 as approved was
set out at Appendix A to the report, together with comments
indicating progress to date thereon.
Members noted a number of gaps in the
information contained within the Action Plan and requested that an
updated document be e-mailed to Members prior to the next meeting
of the Committee
AGREED - T H A T the contents of the Report be
endorsed.
Reason for decision
Matters are for information only.
537 ALLOCATION OF
FUNDING UNDER THE VOLUNTARY ACTION SCHEME 2011/12 (DFICTP) -
The views of Committee were sought regarding
the procedure for consideration of applications received as
above.
Committee noted that it had been the practice
in previous years for applications to initially be considered by a
Working Group which in turn made recommendations to the Committee
regarding the award of grants. Members of the Committee felt
it to be more appropriate that consideration of the award of grants
be a matter for consideration by the Committee alone.
AGREED - T H A T consideration of the
allocation of funding under the Voluntary Action Scheme for 2011/12
be a matter for consideration at the next meeting of the Voluntary
Sector Joint Liaison Committee.
Reason for decision
To progress the award of grants in accordance
with the approved scheme.
538 DAY CARE SERVICE
FOR ADULTS IN THE VALE OF GLAMORGAN (DSS) -
Committee were updated in relation to the
ongoing review of Adult Day Services, and received an Action Plan
detailing the ongoing work.
A range of day care services were provided by
the Vale of Glamorgan for the following client groups:
·
older people
·
old people with dementia
·
adults with a learning disability
·
adults with a physical disability
·
adults with mental health problems.
Following a Visioning Workshop held in 2009,
the following aims were identified for the review:
·
to develop Person Centred Planning and Service Delivery
·
to improve joint working with key partners and organisations to
improve outcomes for service users
·
to reduce duplication in service provision
·
to develop appropriate community based services to enable increased
community access for all client groups
·
to modernise day services through the reinvestment of asset
transfers into continuation of alternative community based
options.
The review had been undertaken within a
challenging national and local context. Changing demography,
national policies, increasing public expectations and reducing
budgets all pointed to the need for a robust agenda of change if
fit for purpose day services were to be developed, centred on
meeting service user needs.
The review described a number of issues where
further work was needed, including:
·
general issues in relation to the services provided and how people
accessed those services
·
improved working with other services in the Council to ensure that
community based services were used to provide appropriate services
and support for individuals with social care needs in the Vale of
Glamorgan
·
development of services that met the increasing needs being
presented by service users
·
a review of preventative services, to maximise the use of resources
and reduce duplication
·
a review of internal services to ensure they met the needs of the
service users who were eligible
·
devising a long term asset management strategy to ensure that the
buildings used to provide day services were fit for purpose
·
re-tendering commissioned day services to ensure that they were
provided in accordance with agreed service specifications.
During 2009, the following priorities were
identified for further work,
Day Care Services for Adults with Mental
Health Problems
This was a priority because of the need to
ensure that services were available to support people who did not
currently qualify for services but may do so in the future without
some appropriate help and support now.
Day Care Services for Adults with a
Learning Disability
This was a priority because of the number of
clients requiring day service support. There were more young
people with especially complex needs for whom there was no service
currently available to meet this level of need.
Review of the Use of Buildings Used in the
Provision of Day Services Provided by the Council
The work in relation to mental health had
concentrated on services to older people with mental health
problems. The Council currently commissioned services for
this client group from a number of providers and services were
provided from a number of bases.
A review of the service had identified that
the Directorate had not been utilising all of the services
available through the current contracts. Work had dealt with
this in two ways:
·
short term - the contracts with providers had already been
renegotiated to ensure that payment was only made in the basis of
service usage
·
long term - the contracts for this service would be tendered based
on the level of current and predicted future usage.
Discussions were to take place with the UHB to look at developing
services that met the wider needs of service users.
The work in relation to learning disability
services had looked at modernising the service to reinvest in
services developing alternative community options. This work
was being developed with in put from organisations with expertise
in developing social enterprise opportunities.
A workshop was planned with service users in
September to consider the options. A report outlining the
findings of this work would be completed by the end of October
2010.
Previous reports to Committee had outlined
that Social Services had been reviewing the use of the properties
currently utilised in the provision of Council managed day
services. A key priority had been to cease using the building
known as Woodlands due to the poor state of repair that the
building was in.
The review was nearly complete and the
proposal was to make some changes to the other properties, namely
Hen Goleg, Gardenhurst and Rondel House, to accommodate the closure
of Woodlands. The building costs of the proposal was
currently being completed, and a report would then be presented
outlining the options for future use.
Attached to the report was an Action Plan for
future work.
Representatives of the Voluntary Sector, in
noting that the spend on Adult Day Care Services in 2009/10
exceeded £2.8m., enquired as to how much was likely to be spent in
the future and were advised that Officers were attempting to make
the service which, although highly valued, was not a statutory
service, work smarter. The level of next year's budget was
not yet known.
In referring to the tender process, Members of
the Voluntary Sector enquired if the Council would be including
'additional value' within the specification, and were advised that
the Council would make its requirements known, and also how the
tender would be evaluated.
AGREED -
(1) T H A
T the work undertaken to date in relation to Adult Day Services
within the Vale of Glamorgan be noted.
(2) T H A
T the Action Plan for future work be approved.
(3) T H A
T an update report be presented to Scrutiny Committee (Social Care
and Health) in six months time.
Reasons for decisions
(1) To
update Elected Members with regard to work being undertaken to
reconfigure Adult Day Care Services.
(2) To
enable Elected Members to scrutinise the Action Plan for the review
of Adult Day Care Services.
(3) To
keep Elected Members informed with regard to progress against the
Action Plan.
539 ECONOMIC VALUE OF
VOLUNTEERING WITHIN THE VALE OF GLAMORGAN (VOLUNTARY SECTOR REPORT)
-
Committee received an Annual Report of the
Voluntary Sector on the Economic Value of Volunteering within the
Vale of Glamorgan. The report also included information on
demographics.
An audit of voluntary activity was first
undertaken by the Vale Volunteer Bureau in 2000 when the monetary
value of volunteering had been calculated to be
£8,207,136.
Last year's figure of £24,040,144 had been
calculated as the average monetary value of voluntary activity in
the Vale of Glamorgan.
Questionnaires had been sent out to all
recruiting organisations based in the Vale, and registered with the
Vale Volunteer Bureau. Additional information had been
requested including the gender, age, employment status and ethnic
category of the volunteers.
For the purpose of ascertaining the monetary
value of volunteering the averages were then applied to the 250
voluntary organisations registered with the Vale Volunteer Bureau
and based in the Vale of Glamorgan. The information received
from the returned questionnaires provided the average number of
active volunteers per organisation, and the average number of hours
worked by those volunteers each week.
According to the National Statistics New
Earnings Survey 2003, a figure of £10.42 had been recommended as
the hourly rate for volunteering.
In comparison with the previous year, the
amount had risen from £24,080,411 to £25,653,586, an increase of
£1,573,175.
The rise could be attributed to the increase
in the number of volunteers recruited through the Bureau, outreach
and young person's services. Committee also noted that this
was an average figure and only provided a snap shot on the
voluntary activity taking place in the Vale of Glamorgan.
It was reported that the Vale of Glamorgan
Council provided £744,000 to the Voluntary Sector by way of grant
assistance, and it was evident that this small investment provided
a staggering return in voluntary activity within the Vale of
Glamorgan.
Having considered the report, it was
AGREED -
(1) T H A
T the Voluntary Sector Joint Liaison Committee acknowledges the 34
fold return on the Council's investment through voluntary activity
alone.
(2) T H A
T a copy of the report be referred to the Cabinet and other Members
of the Council for information.
(3) T H A
T publicity be given to the Value of Volunteering within the Vale
of Glamorgan.
(4) T H A
T Alison Steere be thanked for producing her report.
Reasons for decisions
(1) In
acknowledgement of the return on the Council's investment.
(2) For
the information of Cabinet and Members of the Council.
(3) To
heighten the awareness of the Value of Volunteering.
(4) In
appreciation of the report.
540 VALE CENTRE FOR
VOLUNTARY SERVICES ANNUAL REPORT (VOLUNTARY SECTOR) -
The Joint Liaison Committee were provided with
information on the work of VCVS throughout the year April 2009 -
March 2010.
The Annual Report gave background to the role
and management structure of the Organisation, and outlined the work
of the Vale Centre for Voluntary Services throughout the year.
AGREED - T H A T the contents of the Annual
Report be noted.
Reason for decision
As required by the terms of the VOGC/VCVS Deed
of Grant.
541 COMPREHENSIVE SPENDING REVIEW:
IMPACT ON THE VOLUNTARY SECTOR (VOLUNTARY SECTOR) -
The Joint Liaison Committee received a request
that the Voluntary Sector obtain a clear outline of the decision
making process for any reduction in funding through voluntary and
community organisations currently in receipt of funding from the
Vale of Glamorgan Council and Cardiff and Vale University Health
Board.
The Joint Liaison Committee were advised that
this was a worrying and challenging time for the Voluntary Sector
and that communication, dialogue and forward planning were
essential since the Voluntary Sector had an important role in
delivering services, as well as advocating for those in need
throughout the communities of the Vale of Glamorgan.
The UK Government's Comprehensive Spending
Review had serious implications for all partners serving in the
Vale of Glamorgan and the Voluntary Sector was fully aware of the
impact that this would have on partner's resources and their
ability to deliver existing services.
The Welsh Assembly Government was committed to
publishing its Draft Budget as soon as possible after the
announcement by the U.K. Government as to how much money Welsh
Assembly Government would have for the next four years.
No formal date had yet been set for the
publication of the Welsh Assembly Government's Draft Budget but it
had been indicated that this was highly likely to be mid
November.
The Draft Budget would then be scrutinised and
submitted for final approval by the National Assembly for
Wales.
The timescale involved was likely to delay
final funding decisions until late in the financial year. The
Welsh Assembly Government had committed to ensuring that as much
notice as possible of any significant change be given to funded
voluntary organisations with the aim that such organisations would
have a reasonable time to adjust to any changed
circumstances. The Welsh Assembly Government had asked that
local authorities and other public bodies do likewise.
The Voluntary Sector within the Vale of
Glamorgan would appreciate clear guidelines on this process that
its partners would use in arriving at any decisions that impacted
on their funding.
The Chairman advised the Voluntary Sector
representatives that the Council had started looking at the Medium
Term Financial Plan. It was not yet known how the
Government's Comprehensive Spending Review would affect the
Council.
The Chairman gave an assurance that the
Council would:
·
honour its obligation as contained within the Compact
·
be open and transparent in the process.
Furthermore, it was announced that Rachel
Connor was to be invited to attend the Budget Task and Finish Group
(Impact of the Economic Downturn on the Council and its Services)
of the Scrutiny Committee (Corporate Resources) at which she would
have an opportunity to voice her concerns.
AGREED - T H A T the concerns of the Voluntary
Sector be noted.
Reason for decision
Having regard to the comments of the Voluntary
Sector.