Contact: Kevin Peers, ext: 7182, e-mail: [email protected]

1 Introduction

1.1 Following the Children Act 2004 it became a requirement for local authorities with social services responsibilities to appoint a Director of Adult Social Services (DASS). The creation of the DASS post, alongside the Director of Children's Services (DCS), will ensure that all social care needs of local communities are given equal emphasis and are managed in a co-ordinated way. As it is vital that the needs of adults from all disadvantaged groups and those needing support in society are given equal weight with the needs of children.

1.2 To assist local authorities the above guidance has been produced by the Department of Health that instructs local authorities about the arrangements for establishing a DASS post with responsibility for the social services function in respect to adults.

1.3 The statutory guidance has been published in accordance with the views made in the 2005 consultation on the draft best practice guidance on the role of the DASS, which was conducted as part of the wider consultation on `Independence, Wellbeing and Choice'. From the consultation it was identified that the position of the DASS needed to be strengthened by issuing statutory guidance, which will place obligations on local authorities, to ensure a firm foundation for the development of services for adults.

1.4 To accompany the statutory guidance a complementary `Best practice guidance on the role of the Director of Adult Services' has also been produced by the DH as a tool to support the development of the role. For ease this note will combine the guidance provided in both documents.

2 Role of the Director of Adult Services

2.1 There are seven key aspects that have to be included in the DASS's remit, these are as follow:

· Accountability for assessing local needs and ensuring availability and delivery of a full range of adult social services;

· Professional leadership, including workforce planning;

· Leading the implementation of standards;

· Managing cultural change;

· Promoting local access and ownership and driving partnership working;

· Delivering an integrated whole system approach to supporting communities; and

· Promoting social inclusion and wellbeing.

2.2 A summary of the main responsibilities associated with each key aspect is summarised below.

2.3 Accountability for accessing needs, ensuring availability and delivering services

The main outcomes to be achieved are as follows:

· Clear and appropriate accountability arrangements are in place to scrutinise the work of the DASS, including appropriate arrangements at members level.

· DASS is able to demonstrate to senior officers and Members that:

o the needs of all adults with social care needs in the authority's area have been assessed, including the specific needs of carers, people from ethnic minority backgrounds and people living in rural communities.

o services are appropriately targeted on delivering improved outcomes

o contribution from the private sector, community and voluntary sector has been effectively harnessed

o services provided or commissioned are effective, efficient and represent value for money.

2.3.1 As part of achieving these outcomes reference has also been made for the need to ensure that staff with responsibility for meeting the needs of people with long term conditions have clear individual remits to prevent service users from falling between services.

2.3.2 Whilst in the case of low-incidence conditions and disabilities that can not be met locally, the DASS should ensure staff work with neighbouring authorities and relevant specialist national service providers to meet such specialist low incidence needs.

2.4 Professional leadership

The main outcomes to be achieved are as follows:

· DASS provides a clear leadership focus, both within the LA and amongst other partner agencies.

· Ensure that occupational and professional standards are maintained within and across the wider social services commissioned by the local authority.

· Staff are supported and developed to deliver services to both the national and local standards.

· DASS commission a strategic assessment of the wider social care needs of adults in the community and effective arrangements are in place to meet the assessed needs and to review future needs.

· Strategic workforce development plan is in place.

2.4.1 All strategic need assessments and associated delivery plans should be developed in partnership with the Director of Children's Services, the Director of Public Health and representatives of the private, independent and voluntary sectors in partnership with other statutory organisations in the local area, including health, housing, Supporting People, transport, leisure and other services for adults.

2.5 Leading the implementation of standards

The main outcomes to be achieved are as follows:

· A strategy for improving adult services, influenced by local people, is in place and includes benchmarks for service development and customer service.

· DASS acts as the principal point of contact for national organisations (including C-SCI) and ensure that information is provided as required by national agencies.

· There is a clear organisational focus on safeguarding adults with vulnerable situations and relevant standards are met.

2.5.1 In addition to ensuring that clear protocols are in place for dealing with adults identified as being at risk (and that all staff are aware of these protocols), the DASS is also responsible for ensuring staff exercise a duty of care and that the personal dignity of all service users is upheld.

2.6 Managing cultural change

The main outcomes to be achieved are as follows:

· All adults with social care needs, who are entitled to a service, receive a service which meets their needs in an individual and culturally sensitive way.

· Services are provided coherently, orientated towards the individual choices of adults with social care needs and the needs of the wider community and directed towards achieving shared outcomes across agencies.

2.6.1 The DASS should be responsible for managing a process of cultural change to ensure that the scope for personal choice is maximised and that services move towards a model that promotes the wellbeing of individuals, is person centred, and supports independent living and social inclusion.

2.7 Promoting local access and ownership and driving partnership working

The main outcomes to be achieved are as follows:

· Information about the services available have been effectively communicated to service users, including future and potential users of adult services, their families and carers in the most appropriate format.

· Service users, their families, carers and the wider community are involved in the planning, design and provision of all adult social care services and the access needs of services users and carers have been considered.

· There are clear and effective arrangements in place to support the joint planning, monitoring and delivery of service between different service providers and other local partner organisations in the wider community.

2.7.1 Need to ensure that there is a bottom up approach to the planning and delivery of services so that services are planned in a consultative way. This includes considering the specific needs of rural communities, as well as urban communities and being sensitive to the needs of different cultural groups.

2.7.2 In order to deliver effective partnership working the DASS should ensure that the flexibilities to integrate social services and NHS services (provided by the Health Act) and partnership arrangements (provided by the Local Government Act 2000) are used where considered appropriate by the council. The potential to improve services through Local Area Agreements and Local Strategic Partnerships should also be utilised.

2.8 Delivering an integrated whole system approach to supporting communities

· The main outcomes to be achieved are as follows:
The DASS and Director of Children's Services (DCS) have adequate partnership working arrangements in place to enable a whole system approach to social care to be taken.

· Arrangements are in place to ensure that the contribution of all local authority services to meeting the needs of adults with social needs is maximised.

· Both Directors have adequate arrangements in place to ensure that all young people with long-term social care needs have been assessed and, where eligible, receive a service which meets their needs throughout their transition to Adult Services.

· Services remain focussed appropriately on safeguarding both adults and children.

2.8.1 The DASS should be responsible for the arrangements to support the transition of services between different service provider, and between children's and adult services. There should be a collaborate approach to the interface between adult and children services on a range of issues. In particular an integrated approach should be developed for disabled children and their families, child protection, learning disabilities, mental health services and drug and alcohol misuse services.

2.9 Promoting social inclusion and wellbeing

The main outcomes to be achieved are as follows:

· The needs of adults with social care needs, their families and carers are taken into consideration in the planning and delivery of services provided by the local authority.

· Every effort has been made to encourage partners within the local authority area to take account of the needs of adults with social care needs, their families and carers.

2.9.1 Local authorities should take the necessary steps to enable DASS to provide a specific focus on the wellbeing of adults and champion the needs of adults that goes beyond the organisational boundaries of adult social care. The role needs to include the promotion of social inclusion and wellbeing, with a view to developing sustainable services that promote independence and minimise the need for intensive home care and residential services. Joint strategies and services should also be developed with Supporting People and NHS Primary Care Trusts.

3 A political focus on Adult Services

3.1 Effective political accountability arrangements for adult social care need to exist at member level in each authority. It is the DH intention to introduce legislation to require local authorities to appoint a Lead Member for Adult Services with responsibility at Member level for ensuring a strategic approach to services for adults provided by the local authorities and, in particular, promoting wellbeing, preventing social exclusion and protection of vulnerable adults.

3.2 Until such time as any further guidance about political arrangements for overseeing adult services are introduced local authorities need to ensure that there is:

· Clear political accountability for the effectiveness, availability and value for money of all local authority adult social services (and preventing unnecessary use of healthcare resources)

· The necessary political leadership to engage with local communities and ensure that adult social services are effective in meeting the needs of adults with social care needs, their families and carers; and

· A political focus on safeguarding vulnerable adults and promoting a high standard of services for adults with social care needs across all agencies.

4. Main Considerations

4.1 Specific reference is made to the requirement to ensure that the needs of carers, people from ethnic minority backgrounds and people living in rural communities are included as part of an adults social care needs assessment. The DASS must also be able to demonstrate that these needs have been assessed.

4.2 Implications:

· In Hampshire, we need to be particularly aware of the rural communities needs and the issue of transport

· The DASS will need to ensure that there is corporate strategy & investment in building capacity and engagement with the traditionally excluded groups.

4.3 The services that are delivered must be coherent, orientated towards the choice of the individual, the need of the wider community and directed towards achieving shared outcomes across agencies; as contributions from the private sector, community and voluntary sector must also be effectively harnessed as part of the service delivery. Overall there has to be a focus on the wellbeing of adults that goes beyond the organisational boundaries of adult social care,

Implications:

· Consideration should be given to a Corporate Public Health and Well-being group

· The DASS will need to work closely with the Director of Children's Services, the Director of Public Health and the district councils

· Hampshire are already focusing on well-being through the discussions about re-structuring

4.4 There needs to be a clear political accountability for the effectiveness, availability and value for money of the local authority adult social services, with a particular focus on preventing the unnecessary use of healthcare resources.

Implications:

· Members and senior managers must be aware of the accountability

· The relationship with PCTs and the SHA is critical particularly in view of their re-configurations and the need to work with the Director of Public Health. It must include joint commissioning with Health

· Hampshire must ensure timely discharge of people from hospitals.

4.5 Any changes that are made, in order for the department to meet the requirements set out in the guidance, must also consider the Human Resources implications of more joint and partnership working both interdepartmentally and externally.

Considerations:

· Different cultures between organisations, in particular health and social care.

· Different conditions of service and employment, e.g. salaries and grade.

· Different ways of working and understanding of the well-being agenda within the Council.

5. Recommendations

(a) That Cabinet formally agree to nominate the existing Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care as the lead member for Adult Social Services given that

the remit of the existing Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care encompasses the role and responsibilities of the proposed lead member for Adult Social Services, as outlined in the Department of Health guidance.

(b) That Cabinet agree that the lead member for Adult Services works closely with lead members for Children's Services, the Cabinet members for Environment and for Recreation and Heritage and the Chair of the PCT in order to enable her to carry out the responsibility for coordinating the promotion of wellbeing, prevention of social exclusion and protection of vulnerable adults.

Section 100D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

N.B. the list excludes:

1. Published works.

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

Department of Health's `Guidance on the Statutory chief officer post of the Director of Adult Social Services'

Best Practice Guidance - May 2006 (in support of the above)