To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Carroll, Rayner, McWilliams and Johnson.

RESOLVED UNANMOUSLY: That Councillor Hilton be appointed Chairman for the duration of the meeting.

To receive any declarations of interest.

None received

Councillor Price highlighted that the membership of the Sub Committee as detailed in the constitution needed to be updated. She also commented that the Sub Committee was meant to meet four times per year but had not yet done so. She felt that the pace of change would merit at least four meetings per year.

To consider the minutes of the meeting held on 9 May 2022

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY: That the minutes of the meeting held on 9 May 2022 be approved.

To consider the above report

Members considered progress towards a new case management system for adult social care, including the timetable for procurement decisions and linkage to budget-setting for 2023-2024

Kevin McDaniel, Executive Director of People Services, highlighted the changes proposed by national government to Adult Social Care (ASC), in particular the funding reforms. From October 2023 ASC funding would have a lifetime cap of £86,000 for eligible care and a new set of thresholds for when individuals could receive support and care (£100,000 rather than the previous £23,000). If the value of a resident’s estate (income and property) was less than £100,000 they would be able to claim support from the state for help with their care.

It was estimated that the change would mean the council would have to work with three times as many residents as currently. This would require significant changes to internal systems. The current case management system was 10 years old and end of life as it was not being updated to deal with the new world of ASC. The council was working with social workers and community groups to change the model of practice to focus on individual strengths and the capabilities of networks, to ensure people stayed as independent for as long as possible.

There was an opportunity to introduce a system geared to that support mechanism and to include online elements so that individuals could see support available including local groups. There would be a requirement on the council to produce a statement online at least every six months to show an individual how much they had spent, how much the council had spent and where the cap was.

Members noted that the date of October 2023 had not been confirmed by the government; there had been some suggestion that the Autumn statement due on 17 November 2022 would give a clearer steer if the timeline would be maintained or not. Despite this, the procurement process had begun with soft market testing, which demonstrated the council would need to spend just over £1m to implement the new system and transfer over the data. As a result of the timing of the procurement process, decisions would need to be taken by March/early April 2023 therefore the budget element would be included as a line in the capital budget for 2023/24. If the government decided to delay the introduction date, the council would still look to undertake the procurement because the current system was end of life. If the government abandoned the reform proposals entirely a new system would still be required to move away from manual processing of claims. A new system would improve the accuracy of bills and the quality of life for residents.

Councillor Haseler commented that ASC was an incredibly important part of local authorities’ responsibilities and highlighted that there was no other option as the current system was considered end of life.

Members noted the breakdown of costs in the report including licenses and staffing implications. It was noted that it may be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

To receive an update

Members received an update on Community Transformation.

Jesal Dhokia, Transformation and Community Services Lead, explained that the focus had been on working with partners on engagement and empowerment. The Innovation Fund, delivered in conjunction with Health partners, looked to identify outcomes in local wards through World Cafés. Groups could then apply for start up funds. Members noted a number of successful projects in the first stage of the project. Second stage bids were just starting to come in. The council was proud to have been awarded runner up status for a national award for the project, in partnership with Frimley Trust and the voluntary sector community.

Community Champions worked with the council to promote World Café and other events across the borough, encourage engagement, and recruit more people. Community Champions were provided with support in the form of capacity building, training and regular updates, and a yearly celebration of achievements.

Members noted that the Wellbeing Circles project was a cross-organisational project with Health to support the most vulnerable residents who did not meet the threshold for adult social care. The Circles enabled strength-based conversations to identify what was important for a community. A training and development programme had been introduced for volunteers. The number of voluntary sector organisations involved had been increased.

Members noted the impacts and outcomes:

·       Increased engagement and expanded outreach

·       A training programme developed with voluntary sector partners

·       Inclusion of the personalisation care agenda

·       Creation of a tiered referral system

·       Links with the hospital discharge team

Members also noted other areas of community engagement:

·       Working with GPS to engage with the BAME community

·       Working with the Primary Care Networks to address health inequalities

·       Distribution of £30,000 of grant funding including for a pilot Achieving for Children Wellbeing Circle.

·       Identification of funding to explore options to scale up Wellbeing circles across the Frimley ICs locality

Councillor Price commented that the first World Café on the list should be Clewer and Dedworth East. She welcomed the approach of working with local communities including ward councillors who had the local knowledge and linkages. To transform the council the approach needed to be applied across the organisation.

It was confirmed that World Cafés would be run in all wards across the borough. Cox Green was on the schedule for end of February/March 2023.

Councillor Hilton commented that it was a complete departure from the way the council normally did business and it offered enormous returns. He congratulated the team. He had not been able to attend the World Café held in Ascot, but he had read the summary report. The people who attended had been relatively young and did not themselves have a need. They were therefore talking about perceived needs. Within the south of the borough was the Hope Charity, the Ascot Fire Brigade Trust, the Sunninghill Trust and the churches. During covid all had worked closely together, including to fund a number of families with £100 a week. The fewer the number of people in the cohort the more  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.