Agenda item

Progress report for the previously completed Day Opportunities for Adults review.

Consideration was given to the assessments of progress on the implementation of the recommendations from the Committee’s previously completed review of Day Opportunities for Adults.  This was the third progress update following the Committee’s agreement of the Action Plan in June 2022, with developments in relation to the outstanding agreed actions noted as follows:

·       Recommendation 1 (SBC and its relevant partners continue working with people accessing services and their families / carers to understand demand for both traditional building-based day service provision and community-based activities. This should include:):

e)    Considerations around the potential for assisting with identified transportation needs (e.g. ensuring public / private transport options are accessible and respond to the needs of people who use day opportunities): Examples of Teeswide Dementia Friendly Community Network engagement with local bus companies and the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) were outlined – this included hybrid (face-to-face and virtual) dementia friend sessions for bus drivers and the SBC Community Transport team, the development of a bespoke online dementia friendly session specifically for bus drivers, and TVCA taking the lead on future delivery of ‘at-stop information’ which included updating the timetable template to ensure users had access to clear and reliable information when travelling by bus, and implementing a consistent posting schedule to ensure they were current.

With reference to the hybrid dementia friend sessions, the Committee asked for details of SBC community bus driver uptake (to be circulated after this meeting).

f)      Changes to the existing budget for SBC in-house and commissioned services: As requested by Members during the previous update in October 2023, a snapshot of the current dashboard involving day opportunities data (Appendix 1) was provided.  Since that last update, SBC had looked at the information on cost / activity and feedback from people accessing support – a re-mapping of the available in-house and commissioned services, the nature of each offer, the level of uptake of offer, and the connection with and use of community assets were being considered.

Members welcomed developments in relation to the dashboard and hoped that any future savings which accrued from using this tool could be evidenced.

·       Recommendation 3 (SBC Adults and Health and Children’s Services directorates reinforce joint-working to identify and support opportunities that are most meaningful to younger people (including a reflection on any updated results from the Disabled Children’s Team online survey), and strengthen the dissemination of information about existing services): As requested by Members during the previous update in October 2023, feedback on the November 2023 event was provided, as well as two subsequent events delivered alongside SBC Children’s Services on 31 January 2024 and 1 February 2024.  A draft Children’s and Adults transitions policy had been produced (engaging the views of young people in the process) – additionally, work with the Stockton Parent Carer Forum had produced a draft ‘information on transitions’ document.  This work would now be subsumed by the SBC Powering Our Future ‘Transitions’ project.

Officers were praised for the progress around this recommendation, particularly given challenges associated with transition from Children’s to Adult Services which had been highlighted during the Committee’s original review.

·       Recommendation 5 (SBC and its relevant health, social care and VCSE partners share and work towards an agreed vision for day opportunities across the Borough through the most appropriate mechanism (existing or new)): Further developments were noted around the Allensway and Community Day Opportunities offers (including improvements to staffing arrangements), identification of more opportunities for collaborative working and better distribution of good practice, the commissioning of a digital social care record system (PCS) to assist both placement and day-to-day management of the SBC in-house offer, and the recommissioning of Ware Street which would fill a need gap in the range of offer available to residents of Stockton-on-Tees and would help long-term planning for individuals with more complex needs.  The user engagement forums within SBC day opportunities services had given the Council perspectives on how the services could deliver outcomes in the future, as well as links to other support people felt was important, such as housing.

Evidencing the impact of these developments, officers emphasised that the workforce across day opportunities for people with a learning disability was now less stratified, with a broader set of skills and duties for all roles – this meant personal care and the developmental / enrichment offer was more accessible, with more staff meeting a greater range of needs.

AGREED that:

1)    the Day Opportunities for Adults progress update be noted, the assessments for progress be confirmed, and the overarching Action Plan approved by the Committee following the original review be signed-off as complete (no further updates required).

2)    SBC community bus driver uptake of dementia friend sessions be provided.