Agenda item

The Leader introduced the Learning Disability Partnership in attendance to make a presentation to Cabinet and welcomed the opportunity to hear from its members.

The Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health, Mr Gibbens spoke to the item.  He also welcomed the officers and partnership members present.  He explained that he co-chaired the Learning Disability Partnership Board and he stressed the importance of the Board and the issues which it considered, such as transition, employment and skills.  He commended the recommendation to continue the work of the Board and further strengthen its activities.

Tina Walker, Co-Chair of the Learning Disability Partnership Board, asked that Penny Southern, Director of Learning Disability and Mental Health, address Cabinet.  Ms Southern thanked Cabinet for the opportunity afforded to the partnership to put forward the views of its members and to highlight issues of importance for people with Learning Disabilities in Kent.  She emphasised that people with Learning Disabilities not only wanted to be heard but wanted to participate in the improvement of services for themselves and their peers.

Members of the partnership and Ms Southern made representations on Health Services, Employment, Housing, Keeping Safe, Transport, Transition, Safeguarding, Finance and Voting; highlighting one issue, asking one question and evidencing one way in which people with Learning Disabilities had already helped to address the issue.  [The full presentation is published on line as an appendix to these minutes].

The Leader acknowledged the depth and breadth of the issues covered and the importance of the questions put to Cabinet.  Owing to the time constraints of the formal meeting environment he suggested that Cabinet Members provide full responses for those questions following the meeting.

He hoped that year on year services for those people with learning, and physical, disabilities were improving, acknowledging that there was more that could be done to support people to engage in the activities about which they had spoken.

The Cabinet Member for Specialist Children’s Services, Mrs Whittle spoke to the item.  She requested an opportunity to attend the Partnership Board in order to address the issues of transition and the newly produced single plan for Education, Health and Social Care more fully.   

The Cabinet Member for Education and Health Reform, Mr Gough, reported that the Health and Wellbeing Board had received a presentation from Ms Southern in October.  He conceded that take up of Health Checks by people with Learning Disabilities was not as high as he would like and work toward better understanding the health needs of people with Learning Disabilities, and to provide training of GPs and nurses was underway and would continue.  He welcomed the opening of new facilities at East Kent College, to which the Leader had previously referred and hoped that more, similar, facilities would be available in the future.

The Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Mr Dance addressed the issue of housing, raised during the presentation.  He was pleased to have been made aware of the issues that were being faced and would like to work with developers and people with learning disabilities in the future to ensure that where possible needs and wants could be met.  The Leader agreed and considered that identifying extra care and supported housing opportunities within the social housing elements of housing strategies, to be produced with the Boroughs, would be critical to resolving the issues identified by the Board.

The Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, Mr Brazier, spoke regarding transport provision and the restrictions on free travel described by the LD Board.  He assured those present that he would investigate the matter fully.

The Cabinet Member for Communities, Mr Hill, referred to his responsibility for Community Safety and thanked Sam Holman for the questions she had put forward and the work done already to raise awareness of hate crimes and improve safeguarding.  Ms Holman expanded on the ‘Shop Safe’ scheme which helped vulnerable people to identify safe places to report bullying or abuse and in response Mr Hill welcomed the opportunity to learn more about it and to consider how best to support its further development.

The Cabinet Member for Commercial and Traded Services, Mr Sweetland thanked the Board members for the presentation.  He spoke of his responsibilities which included the councils traded services and felt that there may be an opportunity for those services to work more closely with the Board to create employment opportunities.  In addition he offered to investigate the possibility of advertising the Board’s publications on the council’s website.  He offered to meet with the Board separately to discuss further.

The Cabinet Member for Corporate and Democratic Services, Mr Cooke addressed the meeting.  He referred to the work already taking place relating to democratic involvement and stressed the importance of people with learning disabilities understanding how to get on to the electoral register and how to vote.  This work would need to be undertaken in partnership with the Borough Councils, who were responsible for administering such matters.

The Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, Mr Simmonds spoke on finances.  He reported the funding requests received already from the FSC and Education directorates and urged others to also make requests for funding to which he would have regard when putting forward the council’s annual budget for approval by the full council.  He also offered to speak to the Learning Disability Board about personal financial responsibility and managing money.

Mr Gibbens responded to some of the comments made.  He stressed the importance of the council’s safeguarding work and the strong commitment of Cabinet and the Leader to ensuring the safety of all of the county’s vulnerable residents.  He reminded members that safeguarding was not only the responsibility of his and Mrs Whittle’s portfolio’s but something that each member must consider in their own areas of work.  Ms Southern had mentioned ‘Winterbourne’ an investigation uncovering systemic abuse at a private hospital in Bristol, and the continued commitment of the council was necessary to avoid ever having such an issue arise in Kent.

Mr Gibbens invited Mrs Whittle to the next meeting of the Partnership Board to talk about transition. 

Finally he offered a guarantee, supported by the Leader, that each Cabinet Member would produce a full response to the questions put to them by members of the Board and hoped that these could be considered by a future meeting of the Board.

The Leader summed up; he was pleased that the direction of travel for services to people with learning disabilities was positive but acknowledged that there was always more that could be done.  He confirmed Mr Gibbens assurance that full responses would be provided by Cabinet Members to questions put and that he would attend the Board meeting at which they were considered.

It was RESOLVED that:

1.    The Kent Partnership Board be supported to continue

2.    That work continue to ensure that the KPB is utilised in order to make life better for people with Learning Disabilities in Kent

3.    That each Cabinet Member produce a full response to questions put, in consultation with the relevant Director, to be considered by a future meeting of the Board.

4.    That Mrs Whittle attend the next meeting of the Board to talk to an item regarding ‘Transition’

5.    That the Leader attend a future meeting of the Board when the full responses referred to in 3. are considered.

6.    That the supporting evidence put forward as part of the presentation be circulated to relevant Cabinet Members.