Annual Report of the Director of Social Services

The Director of Social Services has a statutory requirement to publish an annual report in relation to the delivery of the functions of Social Care, and to evaluate its performance in the preceding year. The report also provides a summary of our current position, future developments, and aspirations and some of the key challenges that require ongoing focus. These reports are about people; people we support, people that work for us and people we work in partnership with.

• Annual Directors Report 2021 - 2022

Of course, the period being reviewed, that is 2021/22, has continued to be a challenging year with the commencement of covid recovery whilst still functioning within the confines of a pandemic; obviously this had a significant impact on need and service delivery, and has had a longer lasting effect on our communities and our staffing group.

Our challenges have continued to be linked to demand across the directorate, which coupled with staffing issues, in terms of recruitment, have placed pressure on our services. However, staff have evidenced high levels of flexibility, determination, and resilience, and have continued to deliver services to our citizens, ensuring that the most vulnerable are safeguarded.

There have been a number of key achievements and developments throughout 2021/22 and I am pleased to report that within children and family services, for the first time in seven years, we have seen a safe net reduction in our children looked after population. We continue to focus on family strengths, risk management and safe decision making. Within adult services, the tail end of 2021/22 saw the opening to Ty Glas Y Dorlan, which, whilst continuing to be evaluated, aims to provide an innovative approach to providing care packages and enabling and promoting independence for adults who may have required on going or increasing care.   

We are currently reviewing some aspects of our adult services offer in order to promote greater community resilience and efficacy, particularly as it relates to domiciliary care packages, and we aim to continue to impact on our children looked after figures and overall level of demand within the directorate. We have become smarter with our use of performance to shape service delivery and I am keen that this continues to develop into and beyond 2022/23.

Whilst staff have continued to step up to the table to deliver services throughout the pandemic, it is apparent that communities themselves developed a great deal of resilience, and this is something I am keen to continue to explore and develop in partnership with our communities directorate and across the local authority to continue to promote greater levels of independence and to reduce the need for statutory intervention.  

Our key challenge continues to be the level of demand within the directorate against a national backdrop of difficulties within social care recruitment and a considerable level of uncertainty as it relates to the cost-of-living crisis.

We have a strong and resilient staffing group and a clear corporate commitment to enable the directorate to achieve its ambitions and aspirations and I am enthused and excited to continue to lead the directorate into 2022/23.

Help us to improve Social Services

We welcome feedback on the social care services that residents receive, please contact us so we can shape and improve services where appropriate. There are a number of ways you can contact us:

Tel: 01495 762200
Email: socialcarecalltorfaen@torfaen.gov.uk 

If you are in receipt of a service, you can contact the team that supports you.

If you are unhappy about the social care services you are receiving, please use our complaints process.