Julie Morgan, Deputy Minister for Social Services
The evaluation of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 has been progressing well. Several reports have already been produced during this project, and now the publication of the Final Report brings the research to an end.
The Final Report states ‘we can be most positive about how the Act was conceptualised’ but less positive about implementation and the many contextual challenges that have challenged the sector in recent years.
The Report recognises that the journey towards the realisation of the ambitious aim of the Act is not complete and concludes by presenting a series of ‘test questions’ as a platform for renewal and re-focus around the core principles of the Act.
These ‘test questions’ are posed to the sector as a whole and will be a vehicle to support dialogue amongst stakeholders, including Welsh Government, to invigorate and revitalise the vision of the Act in the coming years.
The evaluation project has run in parallel with the Expert Group’s work to develop recommendations for improvement for social services. There is a clear shared vision from both reports as to how care and support can be improved in Wales.