Agenda item

Further to Minute 63, 20 October 2014, Mark Tyson. Group Manager, Integration and Commissioning, LBBD, presented the strategy for improving support to carers in the Borough.  The Strategy 2015 to 2018 and the detailed Action Plan, covering the first year, had been compiled following consultation events with carers and service. 

The strategy had taken into account the need for correct commissioning and the need to look at what and how we do things and also preventative work that could be done to remove the need for care in the future. 

The market position statement would also be refreshed in the summer and further consultation would be undertaken on those aspects at that time. 

Mark Tyson explained that, the Safeguarding Adults Board had recently considered a serious case review and this had resulted in recommendations which would be added to the Strategy. 

Prompts were also being developed to ensure that Social Workers consider and deal with the needs of young carers.

In response to a question from Councillor Carpenter, Cabinet Member for Education and Schools, Mark Tyson confirmed the milestones, set out in page 23 of the Strategy, were all on track for April and May 2015.

Councillor Carpenter asked how we could tell if the actions were having a real impact and if there would be any problems obtaining data to assess the impact.  Mark Tyson confirmed that it would be possible to measure the impact against the data flows and that could be easily collected direct from health partners.

The Chair, Councillor Worby, Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health, indicated she was concerned that the vision ‘‘A carer-conscious community, working together to create innovative and sustainable support for carers, where carers are viewed as ‘everybody’s business’ and feel valued’ was too long and felt a shorter more customer friendly strap line was needed.  Councillor Carpenter agreed and suggested ‘Let’s Care for the Carers’.

The Chair commented that she still felt concerned that we could have understated the number of carers, especially young carers, and the impact on resources that could have.  Mark Tyson advised that a review had been factored in half way through the first year to take stock of the situation and make any reassessments necessary.

Having considered the report and discussed the issues, the Board:

(i)  Approved the Strategy attached to the report as the basis for future joint work on the development of carers’ services in Barking and Dagenham;

(ii)  Agreed the new vision strap line should be ‘Let’s Care for the Carers’.

(iii)  Delegated authority to the Corporate Director of Adult and Community Services to work with partners including carers, carer service providers and health partners in the development of proposals of a specification for future carers’ services; and

(iv)  Delegated authority to the Corporate Director of Adult and Community Services in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health, Divisional Director of Legal Services, Chief Finance Officer, and partners through the Carers Strategy Group and Joint Executive Management Group for the Better Care Fund, to proceed to tender for carers’ support services for April 2016 onwards, in line with the intentions set out in the Carers’ Strategy.