The report of the Executive Director of Adult Social Services and the Strategic Director of Children and Education Services is enclosed.

The Committee considered the report of the Executive Director of Adult Social Services and the Strategic Director of Children and Education Services which provided Members with an assurance update on the progress made in responding to outstanding issues arising from the Internal Audit report on the Transition Service.

The Executive Member - Adult Health and Wellbeing and the Executive Member -Children and Schools attended the meeting and addressed the Committee. Also present at the meeting were Tracy Cullen - Assistant Director Adult Services and Julie Hicklin Special Educational Disability Lead – Children’s Services.

The report explained that two of the five recommendations agreed had been implemented and provided progress on the three remaining recommendations. The remaining recommendations related to:

·         The development of a transitions strategy;

·         The implementation of a plan within six months for the delivery of the revised transitions offer in line with the agreed strategy and vision.

·         The introduction of Key Performance Indicators to support day to day performance management.

The chair invited questions from the Committee.

A member referred to the revised framework and asked where young do people with a disability, requiring support and in the process of transition to adult services, fit within the current framework. Officers were also asked to respond to the reference made in the consultation feedback regarding the Transition Team being seen as the “Mental Capacity Act assessment team”.

It was reported that the Transition Board had been reconfigured and now included representation from across service providers and the Parent/Carer Forum. The Transition Board will discuss ‘Transition’ as a themed approach to the issue for the reason that it was recognised that there is not a clear point of transition from children to adult services and work was required to co-ordinate the various services concerned in order to address policy processes and practices. It was reported that the consultation feedback received referred to the Mental Capacity Act, as it applies to young people as they approach 16 years old and the need for Children’s Services and Adult Services to work together in supporting young people on decisions to be made about their future during the process of transition.

The Executive Members (Adult Health and Wellbeing) and (Children and Schools) informed that a meeting that Manchester Health and Care Commissioning Board had already considered the theme of Transition across related services and this will help to inform the Transition Board when it discusses the theme.

A member referred to the period of time between the audit recommendations in 2018 and the target date of completion in 2020 and asked what arrangements had put in place for young people in the process of transition to adult services. Reference was also made to the introduction of Liquid Logic in July 2019 and officers were asked if all children’s details had been migrated onto the new system and how this is maintained.

The Executive Member - Adult Health and Wellbeing gave an assurance that the outstanding recommendations would be completed by February 2020. The point was made that the recommendations related to strategic planning, a draft transition policy and a transitional training plan as part of the development of a strategic overview for the service. The transition and care arrangements of young people in transition had not been affected and every young person had received a service and has access to support during this period. The Committee was also informed that details of children in a category of “known to Social Care” had been moved onto Liquid Logic system. The migration of children from the education database had started as part of a seventy-week work process and would include children with an Education Health Care Plan or a disability.

The Head of Internal Audit and Risk Management reported that a position statement on the outstanding recommendations would be provided to the Committee in February and would be referred to again within the Annual Opinion to be submitted to the Committee in March 2020.

The Chair noted the work that has been undertaken and yet to be completed to achieve clear outcomes. In noting the assurance given through the report the Committee thanked The Executive Members and officers for the information provided and responses to questions.

Decision

To note the report and the comments received.