Welcome to the 2014- 2015 annual Social Services report. Another year on, and challenges remain although good progress has been made in respect of our journey to support the implementation of the Social Care and Wellbeing Act next April.
As reported last year we have transformed services to be in keeping with early help and assistance, and the community wellbeing service is making significant strides in setting the standard under the effective leadership of the service manager.
The chapters in my report on prevention and early intervention for children and adults demonstrate some of the areas we have made progress with including the benefits of realigning the work streams which have a focus on poverty such as Families First and Flying Start commissioning. The most exciting part of the wellbeing strategy is the continued work on Locality Health and Wellbeing hubs building on the strong foundation of the co-location of Health, Social Care and Leisure. We have been successful in utilising funding sources such as the Intermediate Care Fund to enhance the community based provision including community pharmacy, call monitoring and response and speedy access to small adaptations in the home. All of these projects have been independently evaluated and evidenced better outcomes for individuals with the added bonus of slowing down the demand for services and demonstrating value for money.
We have made good progress on our commissioning intent, making a big effort to be clearer about what services we need for the future and those that we perhaps need to change. Our overarching Social Care commissioning intent has been developed and we have completed market position statements with a focus on dementia, looked after children and learning disability – further detail can be found in the chapter titled “Follow up from last year” where we aim to demonstrate what has changed and what difference this has made.
Once again the focus of my report looks back at a number of key areas and is based on a similar approach with a story or case study to illustrate the journey. The staff have made a remarkable effort to ensure services are delivered to a high standard through a period of vast change and austerity. We have taken note of what people tell us through complaints and compliments and will use this feedback carefully.
Our greatest asset is our workforce and I am grateful to the teams who have continued tirelessly to deliver the vision and get the job done with the passion and professionalism we strive for.
A special thank you also to the small editorial team who coordinated this report and its content.
Jenny Williams
Director Social Services
Conwy County Borough Council