Common use of Background and Context Clause in Contracts

Background and Context. The Social Service and Well-Being (Wales) ▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ came into effect on 6th April 2016. Part 9 of the Act sets out specific responsibilities for partners in terms of partnership working and the forming of new governance arrangements. The Act requires that Local Authorities and their Local Health Board establish a Regional Partnership Board to manage and develop service to secure strategic planning and partnership working between local authorities and Local Health Boards and to ensure effective services, care and support are in place to best meet the needs of the population. The objectives of the Regional Partnership Boards are to ensure the partnership bodies work effectively together.  To respond to the population needs assessment carried out in accordance with section 14 of the Act  To ensure that the partnership bodies provide sufficient resources for the partnership arrangements  To promote the establishment of pooled budgets where appropriate  To ensure that services and resources are used in the most effective and efficient way to improve outcomes for people in their region  To ensure that information is shared and used effectively to improve the delivery of services, care and support, using technology and common systems to underpin this  To ensure progress on integration of services for the following: - Older people with complex needs and long terms conditions, including dementia - People with learning disabilities - Carers, including young carers - Integrated Family Support Service and pooled budgets and resources - Children with complex needs due to disability or illness  To ensure that pooled funds are established and managed in relation to care home accommodation to take effect from 6th April 2018  To ensure that the Regional Implementation plan is being delivered  To report annual on the work and progress of the Board to Welsh Government on an annual basis  To have oversight of regional grant funding and reports on their usage for example – Delivering Transformation Grant; Intermediate Care Fund; Primary and Community Grant; Carer’s grant. The crucial roles for the Regional Partnership Board will be to:  Ensure that there is an agreed shared vision and a clear direction of travel for service development and integration of health, care and wellbeing  Ensure that there are shared plans and strategies in place (supported by appropriate business cases) for delivering on the vision  Ensure that the strategic plans are evaluated and reviewed against agreed and understood outcomes and performance indicators  Lead a strategic approach to communicating and publicising the direction of travel and the progress made  Ensure that the principles of the board are upheld  Maintain an effective overview of the resources allocated by the CTSSWPB  Report to the Regional Leadership Board on progress, key issues and exceptions. escalating any barriers to progress within the Regional Partnership Board for resolution  Ensure that an annual report on progress is prepared and delivered as required to the Welsh Government. Membership of the Regional Partnership Board must include the following: o At least one elected member of a local authority which established the regional partnership board o At least one member of a Local Health Board which established the regional partnership board o The person appointed as director of social services under section 144 of the Act in respect of each local authority which established the regional partnership board, or his or her nominated representative o A representative of the Local Health Board which established the regional partnership board o Two persons who represent the interests of third sector organisations in the area covered by the regional partnership board o At least one person who represents the interests of care providers in the area covered by the regional partnership board o One person to represent people with needs for care and support in the area covered by the regional partnership board o One person to represent carers in the area covered by the regional partnership board The Regional Partnership Board may co-opt other persons to be members of the board as appropriate. The regulations refer to the minimum membership of the boards but the number of representatives and range of people involved is a matter for local determination.

Background and Context. The Social Service Arrangement and Well-Being Grant Aid Agreement1 Review (WalesSAGAA) commenced with the first meeting of the Project Oversight Group, on 3rd July 2023. Previous attempts to carry out a limited review in 2020 had been deferred as a result of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the intervening period, there have been significant developments in the relationship between the State and the Voluntary sector. These include the ongoing work of the Dialogue Forum, the publication of the Partnership Principles, the completion of the Case Study Programme and most recently, the commencement of the Health Regions implementation plan. The current review is being progressed in the context of these important developments. The Dialogue Forum was established in 2019 following the publication of an Independent Review Group report (the ‘▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇ came into effect on 6th April 2016. Part 9 ’ report) which examined the role of the Act sets out specific responsibilities for partners voluntary organisations in terms of partnership working and the forming of new governance arrangements. The Act requires that Local Authorities and their Local Health Board establish a Regional Partnership Board to manage and develop service to secure strategic planning and partnership working between local authorities and Local Health Boards and to ensure effective services, care and support are in place to best meet the needs of the population. The objectives of the Regional Partnership Boards are to ensure the partnership bodies work effectively together.  To respond to the population needs assessment carried out in accordance with section 14 of the Act  To ensure that the partnership bodies provide sufficient resources for the partnership arrangements  To promote the establishment of pooled budgets where appropriate  To ensure that services and resources are used in the most effective and efficient way to improve outcomes for people in their region  To ensure that information is shared and used effectively to improve the delivery of publicly funded health and social care services, care . The aim of the Dialogue Forum is to build a stronger working relationship between the State and support, using technology and common systems the voluntary sector with a view to underpin this  To ensure progress on integration improving the quality of services for the following: - Older people with complex needs and long terms conditions, including dementia - People with learning disabilities - Carers, including young carers - Integrated Family Support Service and pooled budgets and resources - Children with complex needs due to disability or illness  To ensure that pooled funds are established and managed in relation to care home accommodation to take effect from 6th April 2018  To ensure that the Regional Implementation plan is being delivered  To report annual on the work and progress of the Board to Welsh Government on an annual basis  To have oversight of regional grant funding and reports on their usage for example – Delivering Transformation Grant; Intermediate Care Fund; Primary and Community Grant; Carer’s grant. The crucial roles for the Regional Partnership Board will be to:  Ensure that there is an agreed shared vision and a clear direction of travel for service development and integration of health, care and wellbeing  Ensure that there are shared plans and strategies in place (supported by appropriate business cases) for delivering on the vision  Ensure that the strategic plans are evaluated and reviewed against agreed and understood outcomes and performance indicators  Lead a strategic approach to communicating and publicising the direction of travel and the progress made  Ensure that the principles of the board are upheld  Maintain an effective overview of the resources allocated by the CTSSWPB  Report to the Regional Leadership Board on progress, key issues and exceptions. escalating any barriers to progress within the Regional Partnership Board for resolution  Ensure that an annual report on progress is prepared and delivered as required to the Welsh Governmentusers. Membership of the Regional Dialogue Forum is listed at Appendix 1. The Dialogue Forum developed a set of guiding principles which provided a blueprint for how the statutory and voluntary sectors could work together in the future. They sought to build on the collaborative, integrated ways of working that were evident during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Partnership Board must include Principles were launched in April 2023 by the following: o At least one elected member Minister of Health, who noted that the voluntary sector is “an integral and essential component of our public health service”. An extract from the published document illustrating the partnership principles is provided at Appendix 2. The Dialogue Forum also commissioned a local authority series of Case Studies which established sought to identify practical ways to improve the regional partnership board o At least one member of relationship between the HSE and voluntary providers. The findings assigned a Local Health Board pivotal role to the SAGAA Review, which established was designated by the regional partnership board o The person appointed Dialogue Forum as director of social services under section 144 an exemplar project in the implementation of the Act Partnership Principles. The Case Study recommendations are shown in respect of each local authority which established full at Appendix 3. Health Regions reform involves the regional partnership board, or his or her nominated representative o A representative reorganisation of the Local Health Board which established HSE into six operational regions with devolved responsibility for the regional partnership board o Two persons who represent the interests delivery of third sector organisations health and social care in the area covered by the regional partnership board o At least one person who represents the interests of care providers in the area covered by the regional partnership board o One person to represent people with needs for care and support in the area covered by the regional partnership board o One person to represent carers in the area covered by the regional partnership board The Regional Partnership Board may co-opt other persons to their geographic areas. While implementation is at an early stage any recommendations should be members supportive of the board as appropriate. The regulations refer to the minimum membership future direction of the boards but organisation. 1 In many instances the number HSE delivers health and personal services directly, however, in other circumstances it relies upon non-statutory Agencies to deliver services on its behalf. Sections 38 and 39 of representatives the Health Act, 2004 provide for the HSE to set down the terms and range conditions that attach to funding released in accordance with this legislation. For all voluntary Agencies that receive in e xcess of people involved €250K these terms and conditions are set down in a Service Arrangement; for all voluntary Agencies that receive less than €250K they are set down in a Grant Aid Agreement. These documents are contracts and operate on the principles of contract law. There is a matter for local determinationrequi rement on all Agencies funded in this manner to annually execute one of these documents, depending on the funding it receives, with the HSE.