Agenda item

(To receive a report by Justin Hackney, Assistant Director, Specialist Adult Services, which provides an update to the Committee in relation to In-House Day Services)

The Chairman invited Justin Hackney, Assistant Director of Specialist Services and John Waters, Day Opportunities Manager, to present the item, which provided the Committee with an update on in-house day services.  Appendix A to the report provided a draft action plan which set out the direction of travel for in-house day services.  Appendix B provided information as to the Day Service activities that had taken place during the pandemic.

The Committee received a presentation entitled Day Service 2020 – Connecting, Contributing, Community, which highlighted that the service had been working hard to ensure that every person the service worked with had a unique support plan which brought out their skills and abilities and provided for them to grow and thrive as active members of the local community; that links had been established with a local university to improve the offer available for those with more profound needs; and that work had started with the local college and community pay back team to make meeting spaces better, and to be shared with the local community.

It was also noted that the in-house day service had been involved in the following: a Community Clear up Day; working with the Countryside Access Team to plant trees to make a community woodland and nature reserve on the site of a landfill site; gathering surplus apples and distributing them to people in the local community; and spreading happiness in the local community by sharing flowers grown at one of the centres. The video highlighted how important links to the local community were for those people attending the in-house day service and also the benefits gained for residents in the local community.  

In conclusion, the Committee was advised that looking ahead, it was proposed to strengthen based practice across the day service, which would enabled services to be personalised, building on what people can do for themselves, and helping them develop further to have independence and a sense of wellbeing.  Page 37 of the report provided a list of all the improvements day service would be looking to make going forward.

During discussion, the Committee raised the following points:

·       The Committee extended their thanks to officers for the report and for their proactive responses to the needs of users for in-house day services;

·       Some concern was expressed concerning transport provision.  The Committee was advised that Day Services Teams were working with the Council's Transport Services to review the opportunities for capital investment that could enhance existing arrangements.  A suggestion was also made for the service to contact villages/towns who operated a community mini bus service;

·       Whether long term capacity would be an issue.  It was highlighted that there was capacity to fulfil need and that the service wanted to expand its offer more to provide activities within the local community, as mentioned in the earlier presentation and in Appendix B of the report.  The principle was to make the in-house day service more sustainable for the future;

·       Community Engagement – Pages 25 and 26 of the report pack advised the Committee of the key actions the in-house day service was going to develop to help encourage volunteers and to making day service buildings more widely used, so that they become assets to the community; and

·       Whether there would be a charging element for the service with regard to moderate need.  The Committee was advised that there would be an external offer, and that a rate for this would be agreed.

The Committee extended their thanks to the presenters; and expressed their support to the direction of travel being taken in the draft action plan to improve in-house-day services.

RESOLVED

That the In-House Day Services report presented be received and that the comments raised by the Committee be taken into consideration.