Transforming social services
The Welsh Assembly Government’s vision for social services in Wales is based on the belief that we need to develop distinctively Welsh solutions to Welsh challenges. Social services in Wales will continue to be rooted in local government, and are based on the idea of an integrated, family-based service that promotes independence, prevention and earlier intervention so that safe, high quality and flexible services are available for those who need them.
Strategy for social services in Wales
The Welsh Assembly Government’s strategy for social services in Wales, 'Fulfilled Lives, Supportive Communities', was published in 2007.
The main themes of the strategy are:
- the need for social services to have strong accountable leadership politically, professionally and managerially;
- developing the capacity to effect change and strengthen the workforce for modern needs;
- making the voice of the user and carer really count;
- streamlining performance management by focusing on outcomes, improving performance management and information, sharpening scrutiny, and reviewing regulation;
- promoting stronger partnerships that work across organisational boundaries and which put the citizen at the centre;
- using collaboration as a means of gaining greater efficiency and effectiveness in delivering services; and
- working to strengthen communities.
The strategy sets out some key principles that support our position:
- social services will remain the responsibility of local government working with others to champion the vulnerable and promote inclusion;
- adults’ and children’s social services will retain a single professional lead so that families are properly supported;
- services need to be re-balanced towards prevention and earlier intervention, rather than simply concentrating on those with the highest care needs
- local authorities should remain both purchasers and providers of services. However, commissioners must take a more active role in helping to shape the mixed market of private, public and voluntary care;
- the strategy acknowledges the need for a diverse workforce to deliver the new models of service but which retains social work as a highly trained and skilled occupation supported by a range of roles; and
- social services must work closely with other sectors such as housing services, and especially with the NHS.
Welsh solutions for Welsh challenges
The Welsh Assembly Government is developing a distinctive and innovative legislative programme to improve social services in Wales, within the powers contained in the Government of Wales Act 2006. This includes:
- a Carers Legislative Competence Order to provide the necessary powers to bring forward legislation in this area, and an Assembly Measure on carers to address issues of importance to carers;
- a Children and Families Measure setting a clear direction for the Welsh Assembly Government’s aim of improving quality of life and equality of opportunity for disadvantaged children and families across Wales; and
- an Assembly Measure which will give Welsh Ministers the power to make regulations ensuring more consistency and fairness in charging for non-residential social services across Wales.
Through these charging regulations, the Assembly Government will introduce an initial First Steps Improvement Package of actions. The package will include regulations:
- setting out a maximum weekly charge of £50;
- requiring local authorities to disregard certain disability-related benefits provided to those with high levels of disability when assessing the ability to pay a reasonable charge;
- preventing authorities from charging for transport to day centres; and
- requiring authorities to introduce a procedure for reviewing charges.
The Prime Minister announced on 29 September 2009 that in England new arrangements would be introduced so that personal care in the home would be free to all those adults who have the highest level of care needs. The policy of the Welsh Assembly Government has been to secure fairer and more consistent charging for those receiving care at home and in the community. This has been applied across the board to all those receiving services. The policy has secured improvements particularly for those on low incomes.
If our new legislation is agreed we will introduce a £50 per week maximum charge across Wales as well as other requirements to secure more consistency. We believe that our approach is fairer and more beneficial to a wider number of service users than just focusing on those with the highest care needs.
Improving service delivery
We are improving the delivery of social services in Wales in a variety of ways, including:
- developing a framework to ensure better delivery of services for older people - this will be completed in 2010 and will provide a context within which local services can be planned and implemented to reflect local need;
- examining how the six weeks free home care scheme can be made more consistently available and effective in helping people regain their independence;
- working with partners to develop a common care needs assessment framework so that it properly reflects the principles of person-centred care and leads to good outcomes for service users;
- encouraging local authorities to further develop their own information strategies for social services, using best practice from around Wales;
- working with partners to develop distinctive person-centred care policy approaches to meet the needs of service users in Wales; and
- considering what further work needs to be undertaken to protect vulnerable adults, including whether any additional primary legislation is needed.
Key challenges for social services in Wales
The main challenges and opportunities that confront us as we continue to aim for excellence and continuous improvement of social services in Wales include:
- ensuring that the progress made over the last ten years is sustained;
- tackling the unacceptable practice and variation in performance that continues to exist in too many places;
- being clear about local responsibility for service improvement;
- reviewing the framework for regulation, and national minimum standards;
- extending and strengthening joint working;
- more person-centred care that supports independence;
- clear professional leadership;
- embracing a mixed economy for social care;
- developing and valuing the workforce; and
- sustaining and improving services in a difficult public sector financial climate.
Commission on the future of social services in Wales
The Assembly Government has announced its intention to establish a Commission on the future of social services in Wales, to look at how social services meet the challenges of the next decade. This will look at how we can, amongst other things:
- provide a vision for the delivery of services;
- support the further development of professional practice;
- build inclusive social services based on the contribution of all partners who work in social care;
- improve collaboration between partners; and
- ensure the achievement of integrated social services capable of meeting the needs of children, young people and adults and older people in the most effective way.
It is expected that the Commission will report its findings by autumn 2010.
We will ask the Commission to consider our findings from this consultation and to take account of them in making its recommendations to the Assembly Government about the future direction of social services in Wales.
