Agenda item

Rhoi cyfle i Aelodau'r pwyllgor dderbyn trosolwg o'r gwaith y mae Gr?p Diogelu Corfforaethol y Cyngor wedi'i wneud dros y flwyddyn ddiwethaf.

The Group Director, Community and Children’s Services provided members with an overview of the work that had been undertaken by the Council's Corporate Safeguarding Group during the past year. Members were advised that the group’s aim is to ensure that the Council delivered its safeguarding responsibilities and commitments as set out in the corporate safeguarding policy. This responsibility sat within the wider context of the work of the Cwm Taf Morgannwg Regional Safeguarding Board, however, this report specifically concerns the Council's organisational commitments delivered under the five themes described in paragraph 5.1 of the report. Members were briefly taken through each one of the key themes in relation to safe practice, safe governance, safe recruitment, safe workforce and safe procurement. In conclusion, Members were advised that overall, there was a good level of assurance, around the Council’s corporate safeguarding arrangements, but there were areas which could be improved, and it was intended to do so, particularly around some of the corporate systems and an enabling, supporting and monitoring of the training that was being delivered.

The Chair thanked the Group Director, Community and Children’s Services for presenting the report, and sought questions from Members.

A Member acknowledged that the figures for renewals for DBS checks, looked good, but enquired what the timeframe was, and sought clarification around what the council was doing to monitor this.

The Group Director, Community and Children’s Services acknowledged that the DBS checks figures were good, but could be better, with delays sometimes attributed to maternity leave and frontline officers not having digital access. Members were advised that re-registration requirements with Social Care Wales for the social care workforce often drove the DBS check requirements, because employees couldn’t re-register with the Social Care Wales, and continue to practice, if they didn’t have a current DBS check in place.  In addition, the Regional Safeguarding Board Business Manager advised that the corporate safeguarding group had received a recent presentation from colleagues in HR, detailing the DBS processes follow up.

The Member noticed that there were no referrals to the DBS, for staff working in social care or schools during 2021-22 and enquired if the Council would expect to see some referrals and what process was in place to ensure those referrals were made, if necessary.

The Group Director, Community and Children’s Services advised that it was broadly reassuring, in terms of the absence of those referrals into Social Care Wales, in that there hadn’t been a necessity, and was a good reflection of the workforce.

A Member asked if responses to enquiries could come back quicker to Members, as she had experienced a delay in her enquiry.

The Group Director, Community and Children’s Services advised that the service did it’s very best to try and respond in a timely manner, and to do so in as full and a comprehensive way, whilst dealing with confidential issues where members were acting quite reasonably as a representative, but not necessarily with the consent of the individuals concerned to share sensitive information. Members were reassured that if this was an area that needed to be improved, the Group Director, Community and Children’s Services would take that back through his management team and emphasise the need for Officers to reply in a timely manner to members enquiries.

A Member sought clarification about the provision and monitoring of safeguarding training provided to individuals and organisations, in a number of settings e.g., private care homes, youth centres, etc.

The Group Director, Community and Children’s Services acknowledged there was a huge range of individuals and organisations and commissioned providers, who provided care, and those organisations would be expected to have safeguarding procedures, policies and processes in place, in accordance with the Wales Safeguarding Procedures. The Council provided a range of training opportunities for practitioners across the region through the Social Care Wales funded workforce development team, so comprehensive arrangements were in place to ensure that training was available and partner organisations were held to account for their safeguarding responsibilities through the Regional Safeguarding Board. These independent providers were also regulated through the Care Inspectorate Wales.

A Member sought clarification with regards to whistleblowing, as part of safeguarding training, and whether it was known if staff knew what whistleblowing procedures were, and where they could get support, if required, in the light of the recent publication of the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse, and which the Member also sought clarification on, in terms of work taking place going forward.

The Group Director, Community and Children’s Services advised that he occasionally received notifications through the Council's whistleblowing arrangements, not specifically safeguarding referrals as such, and it provided a route for employees to report matters in a confidential way and in a protected way.  In addition, the Regional Safeguarding Board Business Manager advised that with regards to whistleblowing, it was mentioned in the corporate safeguarding policy, under roles and responsibilities, and there was a requirement for managers to ensure that all employees and volunteers were aware of the policy. She advised that this was something that could be added to the delivery plan going forward, with some facts and figures sought around whether there were reports via the policy, with an action to raise awareness to make staff aware that it was something they could use.

The Group Director, Community and Children’s Services advised that in terms of practice, the safeguarding board and the corporate safeguarding group, would reflect on the learning and recommendations from the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse, which would feed through into governance arrangements and then into practice, advising of the need to update the corporate safeguarding policy in accordance with that.

Following consideration by the Committee it was RESOLVED to acknowledge the progress made on the Delivery Plan to support Corporate Safeguarding requirements and agree that a further update will be provided to a future meeting of the Committee.