Agenda item

The Panel will receive an update on this item from the Directors of Adult Social Care & Children & Young People.

The Director of Children's Services & Education addressed the Panel, a summary of her briefing is set out below and will be attached as an online appendix to these minutes.

Care Review

Josh McCallister, Chair Independent Review of Social Care has now published The Case for Change. B&NES are actively involved in the Care Review.

Virtual School

Our virtual school for looked after children has been part of a national pilot to support children in care and children on child protection plans. We have been pleased to be able to offer this support and it has been invaluable during school lockdowns and has enabled us to provide additional support to some of our most vulnerable young people. In late June, we were notified that the DFE would be funding all LA’s across the country to expand their Virtual Schools. This is positive news and we like to consider that our work on the pilot locally (1 of 3 in the country) has influenced this national rollout.

Children’s Social Care Covid-19 Regional Recovery and Building Back Better Fund

Children and Families Minister Vicky Ford announced in her Association of Directors of Children Services (ADCS) Conference speech on 8 July 2021, the Children’s Social Care Covid-19 Regional Recovery and Building Back Better Fund.  Each Regional Improvement and Innovation Alliance is invited to submit a single response on behalf of the region, with each Local Authority, including B&NES, contributing to the regional recovery plan.

The Interim Director of Adult Social Careaddressed the Panel, a summary of her briefing is set out below and will be attached as an online appendix to these minutes.

Virgin Care Contract Extension

BSWCCG Governing Body and B&NES Council, as joint commissioners, have requested a report setting out an options appraisal to help to decide whether it wishes to extend the Virgin Care contract.  This is a seven-year contract from 2017/18 to 2023/2024 with the option for BSWCCG and B&NES Council to extend the contract term by three years, taking the contract term to 2026/2027.  Virgin Care would need to be notified of the decision to extend or not to extend the contract by no later than end of March 2022.  The aim is for the options appraisal report to proceed through the decision-making governance for both BSWCCG and the Council by September 2021, but we recognise that this is an ambitious timescale and the decision-making process may require longer.

Specialist Social Prescribing Service

One of the strategic priorities for both the B&NES locality and across BSW CCG is to ensure that people can access NICE compliant Autism Diagnostic Assessments in a timely way.  Unfortunately, as a result of the pandemic local diagnostic services delivered by BASS were suspended because clinical staff were redeployed.  The waiting list for assessments has now grown.  Some people have been waiting more than a year and referral rates for assessments are rising, as we return to ‘business as usual’.

To help mitigate the risks associated with long waits for diagnostic assessments we have commissioned the Specialist Social Prescribing Service from Developing Health and Independence (DHI) which will run as a 12-month pilot from May 2021.  People waiting for their Autism Diagnostic Assessment will be offered up to 4 appointments with the new service.  Social prescribing is designed to support people with a wide range of social, emotional or practical needs, and there is a growing body of evidence that it can lead to a range of positive health and wellbeing outcomes.

Transformation

The Directorate has 7 main areas for transformation. The first Board meeting will be in July and all projects are in the process of developing project plans and Business Cases. The projects are focused on delivering improved outcomes for residents and providing value for money. They are focused on prevention and early help across a range of services.

Councillor Liz Hardman referred to the Specialist Social Prescribing Service commissioned from Developing Health and Independence in partnership with BASS Autism Support Service. She said though that she had been made aware that some colleagues at BASS have no knowledge of this service and asked for further information. 

The Interim Director of Adult Social Care supplied the following answer after the meeting.

The service deployment began on 1^st May 2021 and the Social Prescribing Practitioner has been in post with DHI since the beginning of June. The new service has so far contacted 35 people who are waiting for their full autism assessment with BASS and 6 of these people have been in touch to take up this offer. 

The service will focus on those awaiting their Autism diagnostic assessment, so as to identify and mitigate any risks – however, it is a pilot and should we find that the service has additional capacity, we will broaden the offer to those already diagnosed although we do already have a small post-diagnostic service (mainly via groups), in place delivered by BASS.

I have suggested some comms go out to the wider BASS team to raise awareness of the new service and I’ll liaise with DHI and my contacts in BASS to ensure that this happens.

Kevin Burnett asked if any mitigating actions were being taken given that the pressures across the health and social care system remain significant. He also asked whether Adult Social Care reported its Opel Status.

The Interim Director of Adult Social Care replied that providers report to the Council on a daily basis and the Council reports weekly. She added that it was known that complexities are increasing and that the transformation will look at how services can be provided better, but with less spend.

The Chairman thanked both of the Directors for their reports on behalf of the Panel.