, Plenary
The Regulated Services (Special School Residential Services) (Wales) Regulations 2023
The Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016 provides the statutory framework for the regulation and inspection of social care services in Wales. The regulations before you today, the Regulated Services (Special School Residential Services)…
, Plenary
The Regulated Services (Special School Residential Services) (Wales) Regulations 2023
Thank you. I move the motion.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Do disabled children and young people have equal access to education and childcare? - evidence session 13
We think that this advice could potentially be added to the end of a diagnostic report and would signpost information from the Department for Work and Pensions and local agencies that can support access to benefits and financial support. And we've had…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Do disabled children and young people have equal access to education and childcare? - evidence session 13
We are addressing the issue of waiting lists. With our neurodivergence programme, we have put £12 million in to try to address this issue. The waiting lists are far longer than we would wish, and, of course, they are growing because there is more and more…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Do disabled children and young people have equal access to education and childcare? - evidence session 13
Yes, thanks very much. I've spoken a lot to children recently, particularly, actually, children who are leaving care, but that has included some children with disabilities, and I think the point about involving children, people with lived experience, is…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Do disabled children and young people have equal access to education and childcare? - evidence session 13
I don't accept that that's the experience of all parents, but I do accept that there are gaps, definitely, and that is why, as I said in response to Buffy, we do have the Families First programme, and we do provide support in order to access it. And, of…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Do disabled children and young people have equal access to education and childcare? - evidence session 13
Well, obviously, it's crucial that parents know where the provision is and that there is accessible information for them. So, each local authority has its own family information service, which can support parents to find childcare suitable for their child's…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Do disabled children and young people have equal access to education and childcare? - evidence session 13
Well, first of all, I absolutely acknowledge that there is difficulty in finding places, and I had, myself, in my own constituency during the summer period, families where there was a child who was neurodiverse or had many problems who were fairly desperate…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Do disabled children and young people have equal access to education and childcare? - evidence session 13
Right. Well, part of the CSAs, the childcare sufficiency assessments, which are set out in statutory guidance, means that you have to do quite an extensive consultation, and it does require engagement and consultation with a range of individuals—obviously…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Do disabled children and young people have equal access to education and childcare? - evidence session 13
Thank you very much, Buffy, for that question. Now, all local authorities completed a comprehensive childcare sufficiency assessment—CSAs, we tend to call them—in 2022 and have reported on progress made on their action plan in June 2023. And the Welsh…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Do disabled children and young people have equal access to education and childcare? - evidence session 13
We've got a number of people on the screen.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Do disabled children and young people have equal access to education and childcare? - evidence session 13
And I believe we have—. Have we got someone on the screen?
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Services: Outcome of the ‘Rebalancing Care and Support Programme’ consultation
I thank Vikki Howells for those two important questions. I was very proud as well that we had the real living wage in our manifesto commitment and in our programme for government commitments, and, as she's said, we've paid £40 million this year, and we paid…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Services: Outcome of the ‘Rebalancing Care and Support Programme’ consultation
Diolch, Mabon, and thank you very much for your support for this programme. I think you are absolutely right about the front-line pressure on the NHS, and how that is linked with social care, because, of course, social care is where the support at home is…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Services: Outcome of the ‘Rebalancing Care and Support Programme’ consultation
I thank Gareth Davies for his contribution. I don't think we can call this a vanity project. The national office for care and support will be established within Government and will initially have three core functions. It will be the oversight of and support…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Services: Outcome of the ‘Rebalancing Care and Support Programme’ consultation
Our rebalancing consultation proposed actions in relation to a range of national developments: a national commissioning framework set in statute to standardise the commissioning of care and support services. We have a care sector where approximately 90 per…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Services: Outcome of the ‘Rebalancing Care and Support Programme’ consultation
Diolch. Today, I am giving an update on the outcome of the 'Rebalancing Care and Support Programme' consultation that commenced in the summer. The aim of the programme is to strengthen the provision of social care services in Wales. You will recall that the…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thank you very much, Delyth Jewell, for that question, and I know that you’ve been very concerned about your constituents, who I believe we have discussed before, and I do appreciate how difficult it is for them with the difficulties they have in caring for…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
An expert group provided us with recommended steps towards a national care service, building on creating a national framework for commissioning care and establishing a national office for care and support. We have established a fair work forum and implemented…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
We very strongly support children being placed as near to their home as possible, and part of the plan of the Government's transformation of children's services is, first of all, to have fewer children coming into care. That is our primary aim, except, of…
, Plenary
Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services
Thank you, Sioned Williams, for that question. And I want to put on record my acknowledgement of what a hugely important contribution Baby and Me does give in keeping young children and babies out of care. I'm hugely supportive of it, and I visited it in…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Services: Children’s Rights
Thank you very much, Jane. Certainly, nobody should be fighting for advocacy. If advocacy is a bit of paper handed over, that is of no use, and so I absolutely am with her completely that that is not advocacy. We want to make sure that there is meaningful…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Services: Children’s Rights
I'd like to thank Jayne Bryant very much for her comments, and also for all of the work that she does on the committee. It's been a great pleasure to work with her, because the committee has been challenging to the Government in a way that I welcome. Also, I…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Services: Children’s Rights
Thank you very much, Sioned, for those comments. I'm pleased that you recognise the way that Wales has led the way in terms of children's rights. It's something that we are deeply committed to and will continue to do. In terms of the child poverty strategy…
, Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Services: Children’s Rights
Thank you very much, Gareth, for that contribution. You are absolutely right that the whole of the Senedd is responsible for children's rights, and I think it's really important that we all, individually, take responsibility for that, so I'm very pleased that…
