To receive verbal updates from the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and the Corporate Director of Adult Social Care and Health.
Minutes:
1. Graham Gibbens (Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care) gave a verbal update on the following issues:
Appointment of Corporate Director of Adult Social Care and Health
Mr Gibbens welcomed the new Corporate Director of Adult Social Care and Health, Penny Southern.
Update on Progress on Pledge 2 of the British Deaf Association Charter
The Kent County Council website met current accessibility standards in line with legal requirements and had been independently verified by the Society of Information Technology Management (SOCITM) and received a 4-star rating. Kent County Council was one of only 6 County Councils to achieve the rating for 2017-18 and had consistently achieved this high rating in previous 4 years. The website was compatible with sight impairment equipment such as Job Access with Speech (JAWS). A series of short British Sign Language (BSL) clips were being produced and put onto the website and information to be put into BSL was being identified by the Deaf Community Worker, this would be extended over time to build up a library of clips. Kent County Council videos would all have subtitles and newsletters updating the Deaf Community on developments would be put into BSL on the Sensory Services Facebook page. The BSL interpreting contract was currently being recommissioned and as part of the work Video Interpreting was being explored. The aim was for deaf people to be able to access all KCC services through a ‘front door’ on the website. ‘Hi Kent’ have offered to undertake Deaf Awareness training of reception staff, this would be followed up by Beryl Palmer (Manager of Sensory Disabilities). Wider Deaf Awareness and BSL training would be considered with Workforce Development colleagues as part of the implementation of the Sensory Strategy. Sensory Services staff were continuing to maximise on new digital technology such as Skype to communicate with Deaf people. Kent County Council were working with local Deaf people to help them make most use of new technology developments such as New Generation Text (NGT) which could be used by Deaf people to contact KCC.
2. The Corporate Director of Adult Social Care and Health, Penny Southern, thanked the Committee and staff within Kent County Council for congratulating and welcoming her into her new role and said that she was looking forward to leading Adult Social Care and Health. She then gave a verbal update on the following issues:
Learning Disability Week 2018
Learning Disability Week 2018 was from 18th to 24th June 2018. Penny Southern and Graham Gibbens worked with the Partnership Board who had campaigned with Kent County Council to bring a change into place in Sessions House. She said that many people with learning disabilities had also been campaigning and a new changing place would be opened on 20th July 2018. On 20th July a Craft fair would be taking place in Sessions house to celebrate the opening of the new changing place, this would be a very important day for all of the campaigners and Ms Southern invited Members of the Adult Social Care Cabinet Committee to attend if they were able to. Ms Southern said that during Learning Disability week, she visited Windchimes and Bluebells Short Breaks Services which both had excellent ofsted ratings and offered invaluable respite support.
Equality and Diversity
Ms Southern said that she
was delighted to see the LGBT flag raised at Sessions House and to
see how supportive KCC staff and Members were to have had the flag
raised and how much it meant to the Adult Social Care
workforce.
a) Ms Southern received Members’ congratulations on her new role.
3. RESOLVED that the verbal updates be noted.