The Committee will receive a series of brief presentations from a number of key stakeholders, outlining their work in relation to Adult Social Care.
Minutes:
[Ernest Mallett and Graham Ellwood left the meeting at 12 noon]
Declarations of interest: None.
Witnesses:
Action for Carers – Karen Holdsworth-Cannon, Chair
Citizens Advice Bureaux – Norma Corkish, Chair, Helen Drake, Anne Haigh
Surrey Disabled People’s Partnership – Clive Wood, Chief Executive
Surrey Coalition of Disabled People – Carol Pearson, Chief Executive
Surrey Care Association – Richard Williams, Chairman
Surrey Independent Living Council – Lorna Marsh, Independent Living Advisor
Key points raised during the discussion:
1. The Chairman welcomed the stakeholders and asked each to give a brief presentation on their respective organisations. A summary of each follows:
Action for Carers is an organisation of 40 staff based across two offices in Surrey. The aim of the organisation is providing unpaid carers with a voice. This is achieved in part through a GP recognition service that aims to assist GPs in identifying carers. Action for Carers is also the parent organisation of Surrey Young Carers, which was founded in 1998 to support young carers. They work closely with both with Adult Social Care and Children’s Services to raise the awareness and aspirations of young carers, as well as offering a range of services to support them.
Citizens’ Advice Bureaux (CAB) gave an outline of their work, and the aims and principles of the charity. It was highlighted that volunteering formed an important cornerstone to their work. The Committee was informed that the organisation’s key challenge was mitigating the impact caused by welfare reform. It was also noted that CAB had seen an increase in demand since the announcements concerning welfare reform last year.
Surrey Disabled People’s Partnership is a user-led organisation that delivers a range of services across Surrey. This includes an advocacy service that is jointly funded by Surrey County Council and the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG). It also provides advice around transitions, choices around social care and housing. The Partnership offers a foot-care and hand-care service for those who may require it. The organisation had been provided with a grant by the Council to provide welfare benefits advice across Surrey.
Surrey Coalition of Disabled People was set up in 2007, it had been previously known as the Surrey User’s Network (SUN). It is user-led and receives funding from Surrey County Council. Its principle role is around engagement for disabled people in Surrey, as well as helping co-design services with the Council and other providers. It works in close partnership with other organisations such as Action for Carers. It is currently setting up a user-led organisations project with a number of hubs opening. Four of these are already in operation in Epsom, Woking, Redhill and Addlestone, with four more to open September 2013. The Coalition also operates a number of county-wide forum and empowerment boards for specific disabilities.
Surrey Care Association (SCA) works to support all Adult Social Care providers in Surrey. It receives its core funding from the Council. It holds regular provider meetings with representatives from all services to discuss areas of interest and concern which are then communicated through the SCA. The organisation also holds regular conferences and training sessions for care providers as well as supporting them in funding workforce development.
The Surrey Independent Living Council (SILC) supports a number of people in finding employment, as well as providing advice on direct payments and personal finances. In some instances SILC can support those on direct payments by agreeing to hold an account on an individual’s behalf, therefore increasing their confidence in using direct payments. The organisation also operates a personal assistant finder service where it can act as an intermediary to assist people in finding a personal assistant.
[Margaret Hicks left the meeting at 12.35pm]
2. The Committee asked those in attendance to identify any areas where the Council could improve. It was highlighted that there were some concerns about how mental health issues were identified and supported. However, it was noted that this was a developing area and showing signs of improvement. The Committee was also informed that the Council could make more use of the current volunteer network within the County. Action for Carers commented that the consultation process could be improved in some instances, particularly in relation to engaging with the wider community. It was noted that there had been an important and positive shift within Adult Social Care, away from improving people’s care and towards improving people’s lives.
3. The Committee thanked those in attendance for their contributions.
Recommendations:
None.
Actions/further information to be provided:
None.
Committee Next Steps:
None.