Issue - meetings

Report of the Executive Director - Adult Social Care, Health and Wellbeing (Place Director)

The Cabinet considered the report of the Executive Director - Adult Social Care, Health and Wellbeing (Place Director) seeking approval of the Housing Strategy for people with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism. The report indicated that the strategy had been commissioned on a Cheshire and Merseyside (C&M) footprint as part of the commissioning work programme. The Strategy had been jointly produced with the Housing Learning and Improvement Network and would support a framework for all commissioners when assessing local housing need for this cohort of people and supporting new developments, alongside general housing to meet those needs. This also followed on from the work commissioned on behalf of C&M by Campbell Tickell in 2022. Over the next 10 years, it was estimated that Cheshire and Merseyside would need 1,700 additional supported housing dwellings to meet the identified housing needs of people with learning disabilities and/or Autism. It was estimated that there was also a need for 400 general needs homes, typically social housing for rent over the same period. Sefton’s requirements were for 246 units of accommodation.

The Strategy would also support:

• Sefton’s Corporate Plan 2024-2027 in helping to meet some of the priority actions with the Adult Social Care section.
• Sefton’s Housing Strategy 2022-2027 and the relevant themes: meeting people’s housing needs, and tacking barriers to obtaining suitable housing for the most vulnerable and enabling people to live independently.

The following appendices were attached to the report:

Appendix 1 - Housing Strategy for People with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism

Appendix 2 - Easy Read Housing Strategy for People with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism

Members of the Cabinet asked questions/raised matters on the following issues:

·       The level of accommodation need in Sefton compared to other neighbouring local authorities.

·       How work with registered social landlords would be undertaken in addressing the Strategy.

·       The importance of a smooth transition for users of Children’s Services to Adult Services.

·       The Easy Read Housing Strategy for People with Learning Disabilities and/or Autism was welcomed.

Decisions Made:

That

(1)      the Cheshire and Merseyside Learning Disability and Autism Housing Strategy, as set out at Appendix 1 to the report, be approved;

(2)      authority be delegated to the Executive Director - Adult Social Care, Health and Wellbeing (Place Director), in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care to approve and  monitor the delivery plan; and

(3)      the Executive Director of Adult Social Care and Health be authorised, in consultation with the Cabinet Member - Adult Social Care and Health, to undertake any procurement exercise in relation to appointing preferred Registered Providers of Social Housing.

Reasons for the Decisions:

The Council has a duty under the Care Act 2014 in that a fundamental component of the Act is the 'suitability of accommodation' in meeting the at home care and support needs of older and vulnerable people.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

To have a single strategy for each local authority, but this would not have supported any cross boundary working, or the regional requirements on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 62