To provide an update on the Supporting People Grant programme in Herefordshire.

Further to the report to the Committee in April 2004 the Committee received an update on the Supporting People programme in Herefordshire.

The Head of Strategic Housing Services presented the report, which had set out a number of risks to the funding of the Supporting People Programme in Herefordshire.  He reported that since publication of the report the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) had announced the funding for the Supporting People Programme.   In Herefordshire the Programme faced a 6.7% reduction, with funding decreasing from £7.3 million to £6.8 million.  In addition the administrative budget faced a 15% reduction, the impact of which was still being assessed. 

He noted that a new grant allocation formula was due to be implemented for 2006/2007 and whilst the outcome was as yet unclear the indications were that the formula would be to the disadvantage of shire/rural counties, although it was hoped the change to funding arrangements would be phased in to allow the service time to adjust.   It had been confirmed that savings achieved through the review being undertaken by the Supporting People Commissioning Body could be rolled forward.  He considered that the funding settlement would allow the Council to implement those measures which had been identified as high priority within the Supporting People Shadow Strategy.

The Head of Strategic Housing Services also drew attention to the monitoring and review process for the Programme and the ODPM’s requirement that Supporting People Teams review all Supported People funded Services by 31st March, 2006.  This was in addition to the requirement that a five year Supporting People Strategy had to be delivered to the ODPM by 31 March 2005.  The report by the Audit Commission following its inspection of the Programme in Herefordshire had commented favourably on the review process being followed.  However, it was important to recognise that there had been decisions relating to the de-commissioning or remodelling of services which had not all been well received by stakeholders.  As a result the Supporting People Team were considering how the review process could help to ensure that stakeholders and providers were engaged with and committed to each stage of the review process. 

He emphasised that the three Services provided in-house through Supporting People Grant: Home Care, Adult Placement/Supported Lodgings and Traveller Liaison were also subject to the review process and reported on the stage reached in reviewing each service.  In relation to Home Care, service user consultation had indicated that the Home Care service was undertaking tasks which were ineligible for Supporting People Grant.  The Supporting People Commissioning Body had recommended that an audit should be undertaken and it should be considered that any Supporting People Grant, which had been used to fund non-eligible tasks be repaid.  The audit was now underway.   However, the advice from a leading Supporting People Consultant was that the Home Care service would not have a liability to repay any grant.

In the course of discussion the following principal points were made:

·         It was acknowledged that the Programme used 38 providers to deliver services and this might appear to be a high number.  However, the wide range of services provided under the Programme to a wide range of clients meant this was unsurprising.  The review process was taking the issue into account.

·         It was requested that the information on the decisions of the Supporting People Commissioning Body, as set out in appendix B to the report, be presented more clearly in future reports.

·         In response to a question about the engagement of a consultant to examine the Home Care Service’s liability to repay supporting people grant the Head of Strategic Housing Services explained that the ODPM’s guidance was not consistent or definitive on this matter.  Because of staffing pressures on the Supporting People Team and the commitments it faced in submitting the Supporting People Strategy by the required deadline the consultant had spent a day with the Supporting People Team providing specialist advice on a range of issues.   The Head of Strategic Housing Services reiterated that the advice was that no funding for home care services would be withdrawn from an individual directly because the review had found they were receiving services ineligible for Supporting People Grant.  However, the current in-house review being undertaken would help identify how services would need to be provided in the future.

·         That a number of issues had been raised which merited further consideration by the Committee and it was proposed that a special meeting should be convened to receive a further update.

·         That the role now given to two Councillors in relation to the work of the Supporting People Commissioning Body, as requested by the Committee in April, should be welcomed.

·         That the learning from the monitoring and review process should be shared with the Committee as a whole.

RESOLVED:  

That       (a)     it be noted that the latest position in relation to the Supporting People Programme continued to give rise to considerable concern and a further report be prepared to be considered at a special meeting of the Committee;

               (b)    the governance arrangements surrounding the Commissioning Body be welcomed noting in particular the role now given to two Councillors in the process;

                        and

               (c)     learning from the monitoring and review process be developed and further considered within the Mental Health Scrutiny Scoping exercise and by the Committee as a whole.