Agenda, decisions and minutes

At this point Members are asked to declare any personal or prejudicial interests they may have in the business on this agenda.

Members were invited to declare any personal or prejudicial interests they may have in any of the business on the agenda.

No interests were declared.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 5 June 2006.

RESOLVED:          That the minutes of the last meeting of the Executive Members for Housing and Adult Social Services and Advisory Panel, held on 5 June 2006, be approved and signed as a correct record.

At this point in the meeting members of the public who have registered their wish to speak regarding an item on the agenda or an issue within the Panel’s remit can do so. Anyone who wishes to register or requires further information is requested to contact the Democracy Officer on the contact details listed at the foot of this agenda. The deadline for registering is Friday 14 July 2006 at 10.00am.

The Chair reported that there had been no registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

This report requests Executive Member’s approval of the council’s first older people’s housing strategy.

(i)      That the Older People’s Housing Strategy, attached as Annex 1 of the report, be approved and a further report be brought forward in approximately 12 months, setting out the progress on the Strategy’s Action Plan.

Members received a report which requested approval of the Council’s first Older People’s Housing Strategy.

The Strategy, attached as Annex 1 of the report, highlighted the following key challenges;

·        A need to strategically plan to meet the needs of a growing population of older people;

·        A need to ensure older people’s housing was a decent standard across all tenures, with appropriate support that promoted independence, well being and quality of life;

·        A need to ensure older people were able to exercise choice through the provision of accessible and timely information and advice services;

·        A need to ensure more effective links between strategies and approaches relating to older people;

·        A need to improve consultation with older people.

The Strategy covered three years and the Action Plan, which included scoping and mapping of current services, would be reviewed after a year.  Some of the actions had already been committed to in the wider Housing Strategy, but had a particular relevance to older people’s housing, hence their inclusion in this Strategy as well.

Members highlighted the need for ongoing consultation with the Older People’s Assembly and also the need to ascertain the views of older people who were not members of the Assembly.  They also expressed the view that it was too early to start consulting people who would be aged 50 in 15 years time about future policy and service delivery.

Members noted that following work with estate agents, specially adapted properties were now all marketed in one place, making it easier for individuals to access this information.  They also suggested that private developments, containing different housing types for younger and older people should be considered in the future, to allow families to live on the same site.

It was reported that the application to the Department for Health for a Partnership for Older People’s Project (POPP) grant had been unsuccessful and that consideration needed to be given to how a co-ordinated information service for older people could be set up without this funding.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member for Housing be advised:

(i)         That the Older People’s Housing Strategy, attached as Annex 1 of the report, be approved and a further report be brought forward in approximately 12 months, setting out the progress on the Strategy’s Action Plan.  

Decision of the Executive Member for Housing

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel as set out above be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:To ensure that the profile of older people’s housing is increased and that key actions aimed at improving the range and quality of housing available to older people both now and in the future are delivered.

This report seeks approval for the transfer of management responsibility for the social care welfare benefits function from the Resources Directorate to the Directorate of Housing & Social Services.

(i)      That Option 2 be approved, with the resulting transfer of the management of the benefits advice function from the Resources Directorate to the Housing & Adult Social Services Directorate.

Members received a report which sought approval for the transfer of management responsibility for the social care welfare benefits function from the Resources Directorate to the Directorate of Housing & Adult Social Services.  This followed the first stage of a review of the discretionary charging system undertaken jointly by the two Directorates.

The current system for administering discretionary charging had three key components, each of which was separately managed and utilised different information and data systems:

·        Provision of welfare benefits checks and advice, and gathering of information for financial assessments, carried out by the Benefit Advice section of the Resources Directorate;

·        Management of financial assessments, carried out by the Corporate Services section of the Housing & Adult Social Services Directorate;

·        Reconciliation of the level of provision with the assessed charge in order to send invoices to customers, carried out by the Charging Unit in the Adult Services section of the Housing & Adult Social Services Directorate.

The report presented the following options for consideration:

·        Option 1 – To retain the current structure;

·        Option 2 - To manage all components in one section;

·        Option 3 – To combine financial assessment and charging functions.

It was noted that the first bullet point of paragraph 21 contained a typographical error and should read, “There is a risk to the advantages gained by linking the welfare benefit function of the discretionary charges with Council’s Resources team responsible for benefit advice”.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member for Adult Social Services be advised:

(i)         That Option 2 be approved, with the resulting transfer of the management of the benefits advice function from the Resources Directorate to the Housing & Adult Social Services Directorate.

Decision of the Executive Member for Adult Social Services

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel as set out above be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:                  To improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the service.

This report draws members’ attention to the Delivery Improvement Statement (DIS) that has been submitted by officers to the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI). This forms a significant part of the evidence that leads to the annual rating of adult social services in the Autumn.

(i)      That the summary of the Delivery Improvement Statement and the process for publicising the full submission be noted.

Members received a report which drew attention to the Delivery Improvement Statement (DIS) that had been submitted by officers to the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI). This formed a significant part of the evidence that led to the annual rating of adult social services in the Autumn.

CSCI had requested that the DIS be reported to a public meeting of the Council.  The Director’s Statement, which formed part of the DIS submission and summarised his appraisal of performance in 2005/6 and the prospects for the future, was included at paragraph 5 of the report.  The full submission was available on the Council’s web site.

The Director of Housing & Adult Social Services outlined key ongoing developments, including the replacement of the social care computer system and the development of a Local Area Agreement, and reported the results of the inspection of Learning Disability Services.  He also highlighted major risks relating to the level of financial resources available to both the Council and the Primary Care Trust (PCT) and the restructuring of the PCT.  

Members congratulated officers on the inspection results for Learning Disability Services and thanked them for their hard work.

Advice of the Advisory Panel

That the Executive Member for Adult Social Services be advised:

(i)         That the summary of the Delivery Improvement Statement and the process for publicising the full submission be noted.

Decision of the Executive Member for Adult Social Services

RESOLVED:That the advice of the Advisory Panel as set out above be accepted and endorsed.

REASON:                  To ensure that information on the performance of adult social services in York is available to those who want to see it.