Robs Weekly Round Up

19 April 2024

Dear colleagues,

I hope you’re all enjoying the long overdue sunshine as we head into the weekend.

I’d like to start this week by congratulating our Family Information Service (FIS) team for achieving the Families First Quality Award, something they celebrated by inviting partners from various sectors to join them at an event on Monday.

The Families First Quality Award is a national award which recognises Family Information Services that demonstrate an excellence in providing information, advice, and assistance to local families and our Vale team are the third FIS in Wales to achieve the accreditation.

The FIS Index provides support for children and young people with disabilities and additional needs which was highlighted as a strength in the assessor’s report following interviews with carers and parents of those with complex needs.

One parent’s feedback was especially complementary of our FIS team: “I have two children with disabilities, and I have autism and disabilities as well.

“The FIS first helped with information about to get reasonable adjustments in school for my children, and I have since been able to access grants via the Index.

“They always follow-up after my calls to check if I still need help, which is great when you are neurodiverse. They advocate on my behalf and me feel listened to and empowered.”

The report also applauded the team’s partnership working to deliver an outreach service to parents in the community.

The FIS Christmas Family Party, which welcomed over 700 attendees, was identified as an excellent opportunity for parents to connect with partners and learn about the support available to them.

I’d like to extend a huge thank you to Becky Wickett and her team for their hard work. It is so rewarding to see the impact services like the FIS have on the health and wellbeing of its users and ensuring that some of our most vulnerable residents receive the support and access to critical services they need. Da iawn.

This event was swiftly followed by a fine celebration of the achievements of care staff throughout Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan at the Memo Arts Centre in Barry on Wednesday. The event showcased the first class care and support delivered by the Council and its partners, and most importantly all of the individual carers that make it possible.

The care staff being celebrated were a mix of Council staff and those working for privately commissioned care providers who had achieved Health and Social Care qualifications in the last year. Over 100 care staff were presented with a hand-made ceramic bowl created by Vision 21 (a not-for-profit organisation supporting people with learning disabilities to realise their potential) as a gesture of thanks from their employers.

Events like this are so important in showing our colleagues and everyone working to support vulnerable people just how valued they are. The feedback after the event was really positive particularly about the fact that care staff, who do a role that is so crucial in our society, and do a great job in such challenging times, have been recognised in this way.

The event was organised by the Vale’s Social Care Workforce Development team. Every member of the team pitched in on the (very long) day to make it a success but Steve Davies, our Project Officer,

and Katie Foster, the team’s administrator, deserve a special mention for their efforts. Gwaith da pawb!

This came in the same week that A Special School won the category nomination for Best Comedy or Entertainment Show at the Royal Television Society Wales award ceremony.

As many of you know, the programme tells the story of Ysgol Y Deri and highlights the incredible work the staff do to create a rewarding learning environment for children with physical and additional learning needs.

Although Chris Britten, Head of Ysgol Y Deri, told me he was shocked at the win, I know I speak for all of us when I say I was not and that this was extremely well deserved.

Despite our current financial position, the Council has consistently emphasised the importance of continuing to deliver first-rate care and support to our most vulnerable residents, and Ysgol Y Deri is a fine example of the positive impact we have on the physical, emotional, and social wellbeing of our service users. The work which the staff carry out at the school is truly inspiring and display public service and our Council at its very best.

A huge thank you to our staff, the pupils and parents of Ysgol Y Deri, and well done once more on winning the award. Llongyfarchiadau!

It seems the national recognition of the work we carry out in the Vale doesn’t stop there this week. Our Play Streets Projects were featured in this month’s Future Generations Newsletter by the Commissioner for Wales, Derek Walker.

The project, which also featured as a segment on ITV Wales last month, is a successful example of overcoming barriers to outdoor play whilst also contributing towards net-zero targets. Currently, two streets in the Vale close to traffic for two hours on one Sunday a month, which allows children to play out in the streets without fear of being knocked over by oncoming traffic.

The newsletter also highlighted the sense of community that both children and adults have benefitted from since participating in the scheme.

The Vale’s Senior Healthy Living Officer, Joanne Jones, said: “The pilot Play Street projects have had a huge impact on their communities, not only increasing opportunities for children to play but also for neighbours of all ages to come together. The team is excited at the prospect of now supporting similar initiatives elsewhere in the Vale.”

Joanne and her Healthy Living Team have been instrumental to the success of the pilot scheme, and I look forward to seeing them achieve further success by rolling out the initiative to further locations.

The Commissioner also noted that Cardiff Council have since announced plans to explore a Play Streets scheme after learning about the Vale’s – which is just another example of how we as a local authority continue to lead by example across Wales. Da iawn i chi gyd.

I hope everyone involved in all of these projects that are winning national plaudits, and all of you who are working equally hard on everything else we do, have some time this weekend to reflect on the huge difference this work makes to people’s lives.

Lastly, I wanted to draw your attention to an update from the Digital team. After hosting a series of Q&A sessions this week, the team are now preparing to transfer all desktop phones to Microsoft Teams Phones.

The switchover will be staggered over the coming weeks with the first transfer scheduled for next Thursday.

Colleagues from across the organisation have been working behind the scenes to ensure staff are supported through the transition, and I would encourage anyone affected by the changes to read the support and training resources on Staffnet to ensure the switchover goes as smoothly as possible.

Thanks as always to you all for your efforts this week. Diolch yn fawr iawn,

Rob