Coventry social services’ 1999/2000 spending programme reinforces the city council’s commitment to the priorities of the Coventry Community Plan, and promises new ways of working with the private sector in some service areas.

The £60 million programme also continues to respond to the recommendations and demands of the SSI and Joint Review reports, published last autumn.

Cllr Dave Chater, co-ordinator of the social affairs policy co-ordinating committee, said:

"This programme has been developed to give Coventry’s people the greatest benefit from available resources. Existing needs are met and essential services maintained, and careful examination of some services has allowed funds to be redirected to achieve the people’s priorities identified by the Coventry Community Plan.

"The programme will also ensure we stay on line with the action plans put in place in response to last autumn’s reports. It is pleasing that the SSI has said it is satisfied with the current arrangements which are ensuring that the issues raised continue to be addressed as a matter of priority.

"As with any spending programme where there are limited resources there will be unpopular decisions on an individual basis. What we as elected members have had to do is focus those resources to achieve the greatest benefit for the most people.

"There will be changes in some traditional services as we move towards more modern thinking, and the private sector will feature more in our service provision. We are aware that some people will find the process of change upsetting and will do all we can to manage change sensitively and with minimal disruption to people’s lives. We are not making changes for the sake of it, but because we believe the new services will be more appropriate and of greater benefit to service users and society.

"I believe this five year strategy not only provides for existing need but that it also has the vision to prepare us for the changing needs and expectations of tomorrow’s service users."

Proposals for change include the partial externalisation of domiciliary care services over the next two years. This is in direct response to the SSI report and will see 500 users transferred to independent care providers over that period, netting a saving of £353,000 in the first year rising to £706,000 in 2000/2001. It is hoped the private sector jobs created by the transfer will be taken up by many of the 480 community care assistants currently employed by the city council.

There will be an extension of work started two years ago to move away from traditional day nurseries towards community based family support services. Family support services include practical support specially tailored for individual families within their own homes, sponsored child minding, sitting services for parents of children with a disability, and help with parenting skills such as managing difficult behaviour.

Cllr Chater said:

"Two family support teams are already at work within the city, and they are proving popular and effective. We now intend to take the service city wide with the creation of a third team. We shall reinvest the funding tied up in the remaining traditional day nurseries to allow the development of this much holistic service. Existing children and their families will continue to receive a service."

A more individual person centred direction is also to be developed in access services for adults with a learning difficulty. Torrington Day Care Centre, which provides traditional day care programme for up to 101 users, will close within two years as users move to an individual care package designed through a one-to-one person centred planning approach. There will also be a range of support services in different parts of the city, £520,000 released by the closure will be reinvested to provide appropriate care for the most profoundly disabled users.

Torrington House, which houses nine adults, will also close as residents move to greater independence through supported living within an appropriate community.

Day care services for older people are under review against a background of reduced take up, and future provision will be focused on priority groups including older people suffering from dementia or other mental illness, black older people and those with high dependency or a need for re-ablement support. Re-ablement support offers intensive support over short periods to maintain people in their own homes and seeks to avoid admission to hospital or residential care.

"I think most of us now realise that for many older people staying in their own home is what they want most in their last years. We are looking at ways to help growing numbers of older people enjoy independence at home, while knowing help is available. To extend this work may mean closures of less well used day care centres to allow the reinvestment of resources in services which older people will want to take up," said Cllr Chater.

"We are also seeking to improve the quality of accommodation and service offered to those older people for whom staying at home is not an option. We intend to replace existing residential homes with new very sheltered housing and with specialist residential care for dementia care and physical dependency.

"Very sheltered housing gives users the status of tenants and their own facilities, and everyone living and working at Elsie Jones House, which last year won the Charter Mark, can vouch for its benefits. Our plans are in early stages, but we are exploring partnership working to achieve more schemes of the standard of Elsie Jones House.

"The next five years will bring radical changes in social service provision, and I believe Coventry is already preparing to meet the challenges of modernisation with this far sighted programme," said Cllr Chater.