Issue - meetings

Consideration was given to the report of the Corporate Director of Social Services which presented the findings of the Wales Audit Office (WAO) follow up review of corporate arrangements for the safeguarding of children and the management response to the proposals for improvement.

The Corporate Director of Social Services presented the report and the WAO representative highlighted the main points contained therein.

The Director of Social Services reported that the All Wales Safeguarding procedures had been updated in November 2019 and therefore the Corporate Safeguarding Policy needed to be updated to ensure that staff with safeguarding responsibilities were kept updated and made aware of any issues within safeguarding.  A Welsh Government training programme was due to be rolled out shortly and consideration would need to be given to what level of staff needed to undertake the training across all directorates.  Third parties and stakeholders who delivered services on behalf of the Authority would also need to be included in the safeguarding training.  The Director referred to the Management Response and the actions to take forward and referred to Recommendation R2, item 2 – development of options for Scrutiny Committees moving forward and felt that broadening the remit of the Joint Education & Learning and Social Services Safeguarding Scrutiny Committee to become a Corporate Safeguarding Scrutiny Committee was the best way forward.

A Member supported the Director’s view and commented that safeguarding was an integral part of the Council and Members needed to collectively ensure that safeguarding arrangements were strengthened.

A Member enquired if the development of options for Scrutiny Committees moving forward would be considered at the Annual General Meeting in May 2020.  The Head of Governance & Partnerships explained that changes to Committees would need to go through the AGM process, there was a constituted Joint Education & Learning and Social Services Scrutiny Committee already in place and this could be developed as a whole Joint Safeguarding Scrutiny Committee.  This was referenced in the Management Response actions to take forward.

The Committee AGREED to recommend, subject to the foregoing, that the report be accepted and endorse Option 2; namely that Members of the Corporate Overview Scrutiny Committee:

•              Considered the WAO follow up review of corporate arrangements for the safeguarding of children and the management response and provide comment prior to it being submitted to the Executive Committee;

•              Following approval by the Executive Committee the report would be presented to Audit Committee for assurance; and

•              Receive a 6 monthly review of the progress of the management response as part of the Committee’s Forward Work programme.

The WAO representatives left the meeting at this juncture.