People

Quality standards

All people are equal partners who have choice, voice and control over their lives and are able to achieve what matters to them
Effective leadership is evident at all levels with a highly skilled well qualified and supported workforce working towards a shared vision

Children’s Services

Local Integrated Family Team

Our work encompasses three approaches:

Assessment and formulation: working with families to understand the behaviours that challenge and identify factors within the individuals or environment that perpetuate or trigger behaviours and what needs to change.
Interventions: this can take the form of positive behaviour support plans, assessment and profiling, interactive guidance, family resilience groups and workshops.
Advice and signposting: if we can’t support families, we endeavour to explore other options.

During the twelve months up to November 2024, we received 217 referrals, with 66 of those from Conwy County. Whilst working with families we measure how much of a problem the challenging behaviours are before and after intervention. Results show that 65% of families supported by the LIFT have seen a significant improvement, and families have given us some great feedback:

Thank you very much for your time – it has been really helpful to have someone to talk to. I also wanted to tell you what an amazing job you do. You clearly make a massive difference to the lives of many children and their families. It can’t be easy, but people like you make the world a better place.

Fabulous, thank you for always putting him at the centre of it all and for pushing. I feel really supported by you.

We do experience challenges however, and the demand is high, and increasing, for this type of service. Many families feel emotionally dysregulated, disconnected and unsafe and the capacity for other agencies such as CAMHS, Social Services and specialist educational support is limited, with long waiting times. We have learnt that:

Working together with families, using a strengths-based approach, is key.
It is important to work with families at the right time, when they are ready and willing to engage with us and bring about change.
Whilst a multi-disciplinary team is clearly beneficial, both for operational momentum and the families’ experience of support, dealing with different policies, procedures and processes from the different organisations can be a challenge.
Long-term vacancies in our specialist roles have an impact on the team’s effectiveness and speed of the process, proving that they’re a critical ingredient for the model’s success.

Due to the health vacancies we are carrying, we paused referrals in August 2024 and focused on reviewing the waiting list and prioritising referrals. We are hoping to record the workshops we hold and share those with other agencies and families via our dedicated LIFT web page.

Youth Justice Service: our post-inspection action plan

Following a joint inspection by HM Inspectorate of Probation in January 2024, we devised the Conwy and Denbighshire Youth Justice Improvement Plan to address the recommendations made. The plan focuses on strengthening the Youth Justice Management Board governance, leadership and partnership working arrangements to ensure that the service can meet the needs of children and young people, whilst also protecting the public.

The inspection raised seven recommendations across multiple organisations. The Youth Justice Management Board has made significant improvements at pace over the last 11 months, separating into an operational and a strategic board, supported by the National Youth Justice Board (YJB). The HMIP Improvement Plan has been updated in the light of progress made, forming a significant proportion of the annual Strategic Youth Justice Plan, which was presented and approved by the YJB in June 2024.

Except for the recommendations relating to probation and Health, all have been actioned, and new pathways and structures exist to support the delivery of YJS services. We have reflected this in practice, underpinned by newly agreed pathways and partnership agreements.

We know that further improvements are necessary however, as the recommendations around Health and Probation remain outstanding, despite escalation at Chief Executive, Regulator and Ministerial level. We continue to monitor progress and work with our partners to ensure that all the recommendations are addressed.

You can read more about this inspection on the HM Inspectorate of Probation website.

Adult Services

Improving our autism and neurodivergence offer

In last year’s report, we talked about our new Autistic Spectrum Condition Lead Officer, and their plans to remove barriers to individuals receiving appropriate support. The last few months have seen a significant amount of activity in this area, much of which has addressed the action plan we set ourselves.

Improving staff awareness and knowledge

We have worked with the national neurodivergence (ND) team to arrange and promote 30-minute ND-focused webinars for all staff, and ND information advice and assistance webinars for staff in our initial contact teams. The e-learning is mandatory for all Social Care staff in CCBC. Completion rates have increased significantly; to date 624 staff have completed autism awareness training, up from 94 this time last year.

Improving public awareness and knowledge

A programme of awareness raising events has encouraged more employers to recruit autistic people. The autism reality experience bus was sited at the Conwy employers’ event in Eirias Park for employers and members of the public to access a virtual experience. In addition, we have organised and delivered two further events with our partners: an ND-specific employers’ event in partnership with Conwy Employment Hub and Working Denbighshire, and an employers’ event in partnership with a local Third Sector partner. Both events have included autism-specific, co-produced presentations and a workshop. A local ND employers’ guide has been produced following feedback from one of the events.

The events were well attended and employers told us that they would:

Be more mindful and open to neurodivergence in my volunteers and staff.

Rethink interview questions and sessions to be more inclusive.

Take into account things raised by the guest speakers.

Improving information, advice and assistance

We have a dedicated autism web page, which includes information about how to get a diagnosis and local support. We have also created also a new web page for parents who are also carers for a dependent child, young person or adult; we know that many parents feel lonely and isolated with limited opportunities to access support.

The Conwy Family Centres host parent carer groups run by a local Third Sector provider, as well as regular drop-in sessions with the local adult diagnostic service (the North Wales Integrated Autism Service (NWIAS)). We also held a neurodivergence information and celebration event at our Coed Pella offices, which included representation from and information about, local diagnostic services, along with a range of Third Sector providers and Council teams.

Parents who accessed the ND-related support at Conwy’s Family Centres said:

[Support from the Disability Family Worker] really helped me with routine and being less stressed with different ways of coping, and I feel I can move forward confidently.

[The Disability Family Worker] told me about a local youth club for my daughter with ASD, which she is thankfully enjoying.

Nice to get out of the house and to help my son socialise.

Supporting people pre-diagnosis

Conwy and Denbighshire work in partnership with the local branch of the National Autistic Society to fund a range of autism-specific projects available to people pre-diagnosis. In addition, Welsh Government Neurodivergence Improvement Programme (NDIP) funding has been used to pilot new ND-focused roles and activities, many of which are supporting children and families who are on the waiting list for a diagnostic assessment.

The NDIP-funded post-holders within the Strengthening Families Team and Family Centres are working in partnership, with new training sessions on neuro-affirmative practice and neurodiverse language being delivered in bite-size monthly sessions. Feedback from autistic young carers about the ASC Young Carers group has been positive:

Going to the normal young carers groups is too overwhelming for me, but having smaller groups means that I can still see my friends and do fun things like pottery painting and other crafts.

It’s nice to do something with other people rather than just sitting in my house all weekend.

Creating a local autism strategy

We developed a survey to gather experiences and feedback from autistic people, families, carers and staff. We have received 69 responses, and the feedback is being analysed by a stakeholder group comprising Third Sector representatives, autistic people and parent carers. We will use the feedback to shape the autism strategy. Our initial findings indicate that pathways to diagnosis are a key issue for many individuals, high rates of long-term school absence are having an impact on family life, and there may be gaps in the skills and knowledge across our workforce, impacting our ability to provide effective support.

What we plan to do next

Co-produce and publish a local Conwy and Denbighshire strategy and action plan to set out priorities and key actions; this will be informed by feedback from stakeholders.
Submit NDIP funding bids for 2025/26 to include Third Sector activities and groups; this will be informed by survey responses.
Continue to review and improve the website information for parent carers and evaluate the carers assessment pathway.
Commission enhanced level training for staff, based on identified needs.
Deliver bite-size ND-focused sessions, briefings, and mentoring and advice sessions, promoting the national ND resources and training.

Deprivation Of Liberty Safeguards

Tackling the waiting list

Our biggest challenge is the DoLS waiting list for assessments, with around 240 active referrals at any one time. We acknowledge that each case on the waiting list represents a person who does not have their rights lawfully safeguarded and who may be subject to excessive restriction. It also represents financial and reputational risk to the Council. Every month, consistently, the DoLS team has more referrals coming in, than it can close.

Our aims for the coming months are to:

Review and streamline assessment forms.
Trial a new method of prioritising renewals for assessment so that there are no gaps between authorisations.
Pursue funding for additional assessors and legal support for DoLS and Community DoL cases.
Trial a different split of the workload to ensure effective use of practitioner time.

Developing the team

There is a need for more staff to complete the necessary assessments, scrutiny and authorisations. Despite the current economic climate and financial restraints on the local authority, we have secured funding to recruit two new Welsh-speaking DoLS assessors who joined the team in autumn 2024.

Increasing understanding of DoLS

The Mental Capacity Act and the DoLS are commonly misunderstood by both the public and practitioners, especially as the vocabulary involved can sound daunting. We are actively working to give reassurance that they can be a positive rather than a negative tool and we have identified an ongoing area for development, to educate and find better ways to convey the essence of the DoLS.

We have already rolled out a programme of training at care homes, and feedback has been universally positive:

Excellent. Interesting, Made a daunting prospect more understandable and less frightening. Thank you.

Informative and clear.

I will start being more mindful of people’s wishes and never assume they lack capacity.

We are planning to utilise Welsh Government grant funding to initiate a programme of specialist training on the Mental Capacity Act and DoLS-related issues for front-line practitioners across Social Services. The aim is to upskill a selection of practitioners so that they can cascade their knowledge to the rest of their team. We’ll also encourage social work students to link in with the DoLS team during placements.

Advocacy

Effective advocacy is a robust way of ensuring a person’s rights are upheld and that restrictions placed upon them are kept under scrutiny. The DoLS team currently use professional advocates in 55-65% of cases, to strengthen rights. The Conwy and Denbighshire Mental Health Advocacy Service (CADMHAS) is the main provider across North Wales and reports Conwy as its biggest customer for DoLS advocacy.

We’ll be working to ensure that advocacy is routinely available for individuals whose preferred language is Welsh

New local work-based training and work opportunities

With plans to create a new Extra Care Housing facility in Rhos on Sea, the opportunity has arisen for us to work closely with Grŵp Llandrillo Menai and provide a local setting for students to gain valuable work experience and training in their chosen study area.

This partnership will create work-based training and intergenerational opportunities across the scheme, and it is the first of its type to be delivered in Conwy, and Wales. This partnership is continually innovating, and improving its offers, to encourage students to sign up for Health and Social Care courses. As a partnership, we are planning a suite of activities to promote the hub and offer the best quality placements that suit the needs of learners.

We will also highlight the opportunity for learners to try different types of work within their field of interest, that they might not have considered, such as reablement work and supporting older people.

The benefits of this collaboration are:

Improved recruitment and retention will lead to a more skilled and dedicated workforce, resulting in higher-quality care for those in need.
Reduced staff turnover will ensure a more stable and continuous care environment, crucial for long-term care.
A more committed and skilled workforce will introduce innovative practices and services that benefit the people they provide care to.

Wider anticipated benefits will be a sector that contributes to the local economy through job creation and increased demand for goods and services; improved overall health, wellbeing and cohesion in the community; a reduced burden on the families of individuals receiving care and support, and our ability to attract talent to the area.

Positive Behaviour Support Training

Our aim is to raise awareness of Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) when supporting people with disabilities, particularly those who present behaviours that challenge. This helps us to identify what the person is trying to communicate with their behaviour, change their environment, and teach them new skills and increasing opportunities to enhance quality of life. Over the last year, we have started to raise the profile of PBS with our internal and external support providers by starting a Conwy Community of Practice.

We secured funding from the North Wales Together Transformation Programme to run a two-day PBS Practitioners course for staff who now have an increased understanding of PBS and are successfully supporting individuals. We would like to secure further funding to provide more training. We have identified that there is a requirement for training for families, to help them understand and undertake the PBS model.

Activity at Llys Elian residential home

Llys Elian is the only Council-run residential home for older adults, providing support to individuals with dementia and complex behaviours. We have received an inspection by Care Inspectorate Wales in the last year and continue to involve residents and their families in the way Llys Elian is run, so that it continues to feel like home.

Feedback from residents’ family members demonstrates how well regarded and valued the residential home is:

Wonderful home. Mum is happy and well cared for. Staff are always friendly and approachable.

I think Llys Elian staff are all very good and make me and my family feel welcome. Communication between myself and several members of staff are very positive.

Llys Elian is a wonderful care home. My Dad has been there for nine years. I wouldn’t want him anywhere else. We owe the staff and their relationship with Dad so much.

Always very welcoming when visiting. A lovely happy and warming atmosphere. All the staff are hardworking and always very pleasant. The care that is put in to looking after my relative is a hundred percent.

We plan to improve our communication with families, by introducing an electronic family portal. The garden area is important to residents, and we ensure that it’s tidy and available for everyone to enjoy. We continue to develop our activities programme, especially for individuals who are at the later stages of their dementia journey and regularly review staffing requirements as individuals’ needs change over time.

Over the Christmas period, through fundraising activities, staff raised over £1,000.00. The money raised will go towards entertainment, craft supplies, treats and activities for the residents. The fundraisers brought everyone together in celebration, and the feedback we received from families was positive:

You do them proud, all of you make such an effort to give our loved ones a great time! Thank you so much! X

Mum really enjoyed the music and we had a lovely time with everyone.

All the effort that you put in for the residents is so amazing. I haven’t seen my mother in law enjoy herself in such a long time and it’s lovely to see her getting involved. Xx

A recent CIW inspection highlighted areas for us to focus on, which we mention later in this report. We have already taken improvement actions and have further plans for 2025/26.

Older people domiciliary support

We continue to monitor our services for older people, and we created a survey to ask feedback from individuals who received reablement support. Between April and December 2024, we received over 180 responses.

87% felt that they and their family and friends were involved in agreeing and planning outcomes or goals at the start of the service.
93% stated that they had achieved their identified outcomes or goals by the time the service came to an end.
100% agreed that the support they received enabled them to maintain their overall health and well-being.
100% received communication from us in their language of choice.
98% felt that the support was flexible in terms of the time of day we visited and how long the visit lasted.
100% said that our staff were pleasant, kind and courteous.
100% said that the service made them feel safe and protected from harm.
98% rated the service as excellent or good.

We asked individuals what they valued most about the service and they told us:

…the encouragement to be independent.

The carers’ efficiency and patience. Also their cheerfulness. They were like rays of sunshine.

To talk and see people, and be able to stay at home.

Additional comments demonstrated the impact that the service had on people during times of vulnerability and frailty:

Everyone who came and assisted me were lovely people, kind and informative…

I will miss everyone, the support has been invaluable.

We are both very grateful for the support which enabled me to gain back my independence.

I feel that the staff were more like friends than carers.

When I came out of hospital at the end of August I felt weak and frail and lacking in confidence but through the support of the carers I am now much improved and can do all the things necessary without help!