Agenda item

Report by the Executive Director, Children, Adults, Families, Health & Education and the Director of Finance Performance and Procurement.

The report outlines the strategic budget options listed below for the Adults & Health portfolio for 2019/20: -

a)      Housing Related Support

b)      Local Assistance Network

c)       Minimum Income Guarantee for Working Age Adults

d)      Adults In-house Social Care provision - Choices for the Future

The Committee is asked to:

(1)     Consider the three draft Cabinet Member decision reports regarding  housing related support, Local Assistance Network (LAN) and Minimum Income Guarantee (MIG) for Working Age Adults and provide comment to the Cabinet Member for Adults and Health regarding the process for engagement with stakeholders ;

(2)     Request that it has the opportunity to consider the results of the engagement, as part of further scrutiny of these proposals, considering who should be invited as external witnesses, as part of the decision-making process in December 2018; and

(3)     Provide any additional comment regarding the future model and configuration of Adults’ In-house social care provision in West Sussex, further to the Committees previous recommendations, to the Cabinet Member for Adults and Health for consideration prior to a planned formal decision in October 2018.

16.1   The Committee considered reports by the Executive Director Children, Adults, Families, Health & Education and the Interim Director of Adults’ Services (copies appended to the signed minutes). The reports on Housing Related Support and the Local Assistance Network were introduced by Amanda Jupp, Cabinet Member for Adults & Health, and Kim Curry,  Executive Director Children, Adults, Families, Health & Education who assured the Committee that the County Council would work with all concerned parties, look at all options and understand the impact before any decision was taken.

16.2   Summary of responses to Members’ questions and comments: -

·         The Committee emphasised the importance of engaging with the voluntary sector, service users, other public sector organisations, the Corporate Parenting Panel, Members of the County Council, district and borough councils, youth offending service, drug & alcohol service, Local Government Association and the Department for Housing and exploring any costs to them that this decision may cause

·         Many other councils had already made this type of  budget reduction and West Sussex could learn from their experience

·         There were a number  of officers who had been deployed to work on these projects and meetings had been arranged with providers who would be given due notice if the proposed changes went ahead

·         The Council was working with the district and borough councils regarding the potential implications of the proposals as they were the statutory authority responsible for the prevention of homelessness

·         Engagement with service users would be through the providers, with advocates for service users where required

·         The Council should be aware that this issue may affect the health and wellbeing of vulnerable adults

·         The consultation outcome should be presented to list views by sector

·         All discretionary spending, including the impact on the most vulnerable people would be reviewed

·         There should be clear labelling in committee papers of which spending was statutory and which was discretionary

·         The Council was helping voluntary sector organisations develop the infrastructure that would help them access funding

16.3   Resolved – that the Committee asks that: -

     i.        All service users likely to be impacted by these proposals have the opportunity to be consulted

    ii.        Members of the Committee have the opportunity to take evidence prior to, and at the next meeting of the Committee, where practical, from different providers, the voluntary sector, service users, local authorities, the NHS and police

   iii.        The next meeting of the Committee include the Children & Young People’s Services Select Committee and the Chairman of the Corporate Parenting Panel to take into account any cross-cutting issues

  iv.        The next meeting of the Committee’s Business Planning Group to discuss and finalise the arrangements for the Committee’s evidence gathering prior to consideration of any final proposals taking into account the Committee’s discussion on 27 September

16.4   The Committee considered a report on the Minimum Income Guarantee for Working Age Adults by the Executive Director Children, Adults, Families, Health & Education and the Interim Director of Adults’ Services (copy appended to the signed minutes).

16.5   Summary of responses to Members’ questions and comments: -

·         The proposed change would bring the Council in line with most other authorities

·         The allowance for a single person would decrease by £5.28 a week and by £8.04 a week for couples

·         There was provision to take into account disability and some housing-related expenditure when assessing how much money each person would receive

·         Assessors would make sure that people were claiming all the benefits they were entitled to

·         Money from the Minimum Income Guarantee was intended for food and utilities

·         Consultation would take place with all parties and the results shared with Members before any decision was taken

16.6   Resolved – that the Committee asks that the Council seeks proper evidence from service users, highlights the importance of advocacy within this consultation and the need for real evidence from real people who are subject to this, including from those voluntary groups that can help with further information.

16.7   The Committee considered a report on Adults In-house Social Care provision – Choices for the Future by the Executive Director Children, Adults, Families, Health & Education and the Interim Director of Adults’ Services (copy appended to the signed minutes).

16.8   Summary of responses to Members’ questions and comments: -

·         It was not possible to tell from the consultation report how each group of service users felt about the changes that would affect them

·         It was generally accepted that the residential home buildings were no longer fit for purpose and were underused

·         Any changes to the day services would be brought in over six to nine months to allow users to prepare for them

·         60% of people that used the Wrenford Centre in Chichester came from Bognor Regis, so for most people, travel time to the new centres would decrease

·         Travel training for individuals would continue

·         The centres had a number of rooms that could be used to separate people with different needs

·         Some people with learning difficulties also had dementia and some visited old peoples homes to the benefit of both groups

·         Reviews (and assessments where necessary) would take place to establish what people wanted to do so that the correct facilities could be provided and to find which venues would be appropriate

·         The Council would continue to work with the voluntary sector to provide services

·         Respite services would still be part of new services

·         Sensory equipment would still be provided at the new centres

·         Both Glen Vue in East Grinstead and the Maidenbower Centre in Crawley were leased buildings that would be retained – feasibility studies were being undertaken to see how they could be used by the Council in the future

·         The Council wouold fully explore all possible alternatives for people at Maidenbower and Glen Vue

·         The Committee felt that consideration should be given to the suggestion put forward by the Friends of Wrenford and also to the use of Helping Hand cards by public transport drivers for people with dementia but in general supported the progression of the proposals based on the committees discussions

16.9   Resolved – that the Committee asks that, if the proposals are approved by the Cabinet Member, that an update should be provided to its Business Planning Group before transfer of the day services at Glen Vue and Maidenbower takes place in March 2019 to provide reassurances regarding the arrangements for the service users affected, along with an update on the proposals for merging the Wrenford Centre with the Chestnuts and Judith Adams sites. As requested at the previous meeting, the Committee should then receive an update on how the transition went – to include feedback from service users affected by the changes.