Issue - meetings

To receive a report from the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health and the Director of Social Care, Health and Wellbeing, and to consider and endorse or make recommendations to the Cabinet Member on the proposed decision to re-commission advocacy services for vulnerable adults.

Mrs A D Allen declared an interest in this item as Co-Chairman of the Dartford and Gravesham Learning Disability Partnership, and Mr T Maddison declared an interest as a Trustee of Invicta Advocacy.

Ms E Hanson, Head of Commissioning, Community Services, was in attendance for this item.

1.            Ms Hanson introduced the report and, with Mr Ireland, responded to comments and questions from Members, as follows:-

a)    as advocacy work was a specialised field, and suitably-qualified staff hard to find, the County Council would be working with existing and new providers to seek to grow the workforce. This would be  included in the design of the service specification;

b)    the holistic approach being taken to the service was welcomed. It was important that the service was cross-cutting as advocacy needs cut across several service areas.  Mr Ireland added that the current review of service commissioning had been prompted, and was supported, by the changes in the Care Act 2014, which had brought an opportunity to review the model as a whole; and

c)    in response to a question about the County Council’s ability to accommodate the capacity and provide the specialist knowledge required to run the service, Ms Hanson explained that advocacy was centrally placed in supporting other services, and the knowledge and expertise of advocacy staff could be applied to and could benefit other services.

2.            RESOLVED that the decision proposed to be taken by the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Health, to re-commission advocacy services for vulnerable adults, and delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Social Care, Health and Wellbeing to authorise the letting of the contract, be endorsed.