Agenda item
REGIONAL AND NATIONAL SUPPORTING PEOPLE PROGRAMME CHANGES
To consider a
report by the Supporting People Manager (copy enclosed) on the proposed changes
to the Supporting People Programme in
11.10 a.m.
Minutes:
A
copy of a report by
the Supporting People Manager, which detailed the proposed changes to the Supporting
People Programme in Wales, and provided an update on the revised interim
arrangements proposed by the Welsh Government for the establishment of a Regional
Collaborative Committee (RCC) for Supporting People (SP) Services, Appendix 1, had
been circulated with the papers for the meeting. The report also sought Members’ views to
inform Denbighshire’s response to the consultation.
The Corporate Director: Modernising
and Wellbeing explained that Supporting People was a significant programme providing
“housing related” support services to a wide range of vulnerable groups. The Programme had been evaluated at national
level and shown to deliver very positive financial benefits in addition to
non-financial benefits which had been outlined in the report.
An independent review of the
Supporting People programme had been commissioned by the Welsh Government (WG)
and the 25 key recommendations put forward had been accepted. The WG subsequently established a cross
sector Steering Group and a number of national workstreams
to take forward the implementation of the recommendations.
The Minister for Housing,
Regeneration and Heritage had decided that Regional Collaborative Committees (RCCs) should be established from the start of the new
arrangements and this requirement had subsequently been incorporated within the
Compact for Change. Concerns had been
raised by Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) and local authority
representatives regarding the proposed role for the RCCs,
the governance arrangements and the potential for an increase in
bureaucracy.
Details
of the current position had been included in the report. The new proposed interim model provided the RCC responsibility under
four broad areas which would include oversight; Ministerial advice; planning
and administration. The substantial and significant difference being that
the RCC would make recommendations on local and regional spend to the Minister
who would then make the resource decision.
The
model proposed that the Minister would be involved in decisions in respect of
local and regional spend on Supporting People Services, and virement
of Supporting People Programme Grant (SPPG) between service user groups within
the local and regional SP plan within the region. The model raised concerns as it appeared to
run counter to the principles agreed following the “Essex Review”. The proposal also appeared to run counter to
the findings of the Review of current supporting people arrangements which
stressed the need to reduce complexity and bureaucracy and avoid the delays
created by Ministers making decisions about local services.
The WG
had decided that transfer of Supporting People Revenue Grant (SPRG) would not
occur until the RCCs had been appropriately
established, possibly in August, 2012 and it was understood that suggestions to
further delay until April, 2013 had been rejected.
The Corporate Director
stressed that it would be important to deliver good
services to vulnerable people and to manage a reduction in resources in as
effective a way as possible, including through collaboration. It was felt that this would be best achieved
by means of a thought through change management process.
In
reply to a question from Councillor G.M. Kensler, it
was confirmed that representations could be made by Members to the Welsh
Assembly in respect of this matter. The
Corporate Director agreed that a copy of a letter
sent from the North Wales Chief Executives to the AM Minister for Housing,
Regeneration and Heritage, setting out issues and concerns of the Local
Authorities, could be circulated to Members of the Committee.
In
response to concerns raised by Members relating to the costs of service
provisions for people now residing in Denbighshire who were from outside the
County, the Corporate Director explained that she had liaised with the Head of
Housing Services in respect of the matter relating to cross border movement. In the majority of cases, the housing costs
of homeless people from outside the county who were placed in temporary
accommodation in Denbighshire would be met by the ‘home’ authority.
RESOLVED – that the Committee:-
(a)
receives the report and notes
the current proposed arrangements;
(b)
comments are incorporated into
Denbighshire’s consultation response, and
(c)
requests that a copy of the letter
sent from the
Supporting documents:
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