Agenda item

To receive and consider a report from the Director of Adult Social Care informing the Scrutiny Board of the need for change and improvement in the Transitions Experience and how both Children and Young People Social Care (CYPSC) and Adult Social Care (ASC) have worked to improve the process.

The Director of Adult Social Care submitted a report informing the Scrutiny Board of the need for change and improvement in the transitions experience and how both Children and Young People Social Care (CYPSC) and Adult Social Care (ASC) were aiming to improve the process.

The following information was appended to the report for Members’ information:

-  Terms of Reference – Transitional Arrangements for Children into Adult Social Care; and

-  Draft Transition Procedure for Young Disabled People in Leeds.

The Chair welcomed to the meeting, Councillor Lancaster, who had joined the meeting for this item as the Children’s Services Scrutiny Board Representative.

In addition, the following officers attended the meeting and responded to Members’ questions and comments:

-  Dennis Holmes, Deputy Director (Strategic Commissioning), Adult Social Care;

-  Michele Tynan, Chief Officer Learning Disabilities, Adult Social Care;

-  David Rosser, Head of Service, Learning Disability Services, Adult Social Care;

-  Stephen Bardsley, Learning Disability Services, Adult Social Care;

-  Barbara Shaw, Interim Head of Disability Services, Children’s Services; and

-  Linda Randall, Transitions Team Manager, Children’s Services.

Further to the agreed terms of reference (outlined in appendix 1 of the report), the main areas of discussion were:

• Responding to individuals’ needs and promoting support from within

the community.

• Development of holistic needs assessments.
• Joint working arrangements (approximately 60 individuals identified to

benefit from the transitions service this year.)

• Acknowledgement of the difficulties experienced by families during the

transition process.

• Acknowledgement of the differences in service provision.
• Concern about individuals who did not meet the eligibility criteria when

legally attaining adulthood. (it was reported that a range of support services were provided, e.g. through Children’s Social Care, local voluntary and community sector provision.)

• Concern that there was a need for stronger support networks.
• The need to be creative about choices available to young people.
• The role of Social Care Workers, particularly in terms of responding to

issues around employment, health and housing.

• Concerns about the time taken to find appropriate housing for young

people with disabilities.

• Concerns about safeguarding arrangements (especially differences in

children and adult safeguarding arrangements). 

• Care planning and work being undertaken with young people in foster

care (the Scrutiny Board asked to be provided with further information

about this area of work.)

• Concern about the proposed membership of the Multi Agency Strategic

Transitions Board, particularly relating to attendance levels and the commitment of partners.

• Acknowledgement of the need to share good practice. (It was noted

that the first re-established Regional Forum meeting was taking place on 19^th January 2010.)

• Funding arrangements (transitions service joint funded by Children and

Adult Services.)

• Measuring success (national and local performance information to be

reported back to the Scrutiny Board.  Also, full review in 12 months,

involving Audit. User groups to be asked for their views.)

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the report and information appended to the report be noted;

(b)  That the service continues to be developed with new staff in place during 2010;

(c)  That the performance of the team be reviewed in January 2011;

(d)  That the service becomes involved in the Regional Transitions Forum to ensure that Leeds is embedding current practice and thinking in its transitions service;

(e)  That the service continues to develop the role of the Strategic Commissioning Board to ensure that all agencies are actively involved in the transitions process; and

(f)  That an update on development of the transitions service be provisionally scheduled into the Scrutiny Board’s work programme for July 2010.

(Councillor Fox joined the meeting at 10.25 am during the consideration of this item.)