Written Statement - Appointment of Social Care Wales Board Members

In September last year I launched a public appointment campaign to recruit a new board for Social Care Wales. Social Care Wales will come into effect from 3 April 2017 and will replace the existing Care Council for Wales. This change is being made as part of the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016.

Social Care Wales will take on new responsibilities for driving strategic improvement across our social care sector. It will also retain existing responsibilities for regulating and developing the workforce and these will combine to make for a dynamic and powerful body.

Following unprecedented interest and a competitive selection process, I am pleased to announce the membership of the new Social Care Wales board. The board will be chaired by Arwel Ellis Owen who is the currently the Chair of the Care Council for Wales board.

I would like to thank all candidates who expressed an interest and who took part in the process. It was really pleasing to receive such a diverse range of interest from all parts of Wales. I invite those candidates not successful to stay in touch with Social Care Wales - there are many ways to get involved and to influence the social care agenda as it continues to move forward.

The details for the new board are set out below:

Chair

• Arwel Ellis Owen

  Arwel Ellis Owen lives in Creigiau, Cardiff. Born in Llansannan, Clwyd, he was educated at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle and the University College of Wales at Aberystwyth, where he graduated in International Politics. Awarded the Guardian Fellowship at Nuffield College Oxford, Arwel is also a Churchill Fellow and a Fellow of the University of Aberystwyth.

  He joined the BBC from college becoming Editor of News and Current Affairs for BBC Wales before working on Newsnight and Panorama. He was appointed Head of Programmes for BBC Northern Ireland where he spent 5 years before setting up his own independent media company, Cambrensis Communications.

  A former Chair of Derwen, a leading post production facility house, Arwel was also Chair of Bafta Cymru and the International Film School Wales. Arwel trains journalists, business people and elected representatives through his media work with Cambrensis and the Thomson Foundation. His client base includes leading UK companies as well as clients in the Middle East, India, Russia and South Africa.

  Arwel is the chair of the charity the Living Room Cardiff and also chairman of the board of directors of the Centre for Advanced Welsh and Celtic Studies.

Remuneration rate: £300 per day
Number of days per month: 8
Appointment term: 3 April 2017 – 31 July 2019

Members

• Abigail Harris

  Abigail has worked for over 20 years in senior leadership roles in the NHS, local government and the Welsh Government, including 4 years as the statutory director of social services in Bridgend County Borough Council and 6 years as the Chief Executive of the Vale of Glamorgan Local Health Board. Abigail has held numerous roles that have involved accelerating the integration of services across health and social care, and has a masters degree in Integrated Care.

• Aled Roberts

  Aled grew up in the old mining village of Rhosllannerchrugog which is just outside Wrexham. Aled previously held the position of Chair of the Wales Strategic Migration Partnership and served as the Welsh representative on the UK Local Government Association’s Asylum and Refugee Working Group. Aled was the Welsh Local Government Association Spokesperson for Housing from 2005 to 2011 and in 2008 was given additional responsibility when his portfolio was expanded to include Environment, Sustainability and Waste. He is a former Chairman of Waste Awareness Wales and was also a member of the Wales Climate Change Commission.

• Carl Cooper

  Carl has spent the whole of his working life in the Voluntary Sector. He previously worked for the Church in Wales for 25 years and has held positions of senior management and leadership since 1999. He is a fluent Welsh speaker and a member of the Welsh Language Commissioner’s Advisory Panel. He took up his post as Chief Executive of Powys Association of Voluntary Organisations in July 2008. He is a member of the Powys Public Service Board and Vice Chair of the Powys Regional Partnership Board.

• Damian Bridgeman

  Damian was a previous Care Council for Wales board member and has experience in work on communication and service user engagement, focused on wheelchair services and rehabilitation in Wales and Nottingham. He has also worked with all 4 major royal colleges. He has lectured on disability and care related issues on the international stage, and has undertaken further study in health, social care and education to further the breadth of his knowledge and experience within the care, education and community landscape. In his spare time, he has always loved spending free time in outdoor pursuits, such as horse riding and abseiling. Damian also swam at county level for the Cardiff Wales Disability Club. He enjoys trips to the theatre, galleries, walks in the country and dining with friends.

• Donna Hutton

  Donna has been responsible for the social care sector within UNISON for the past 8 years and is currently working with the Health Sector. She lives in North Wales but is based in Swansea for work. She has been a magistrate and Brownie Leader.

• Emma Britton

  Emma Britton is a qualified independent social worker who works within the fields of fostering and adoption, as well as supporting adult survivors of child sexual abuse and tutoring young people within a voluntary sector agency. In addition to her professional experience, Emma has personal experiences of being a social care service user.

• Grace Quantock

  Grace Quantock lives in Pontypool, Torfaen with her husband and rescued puppies. Born in Gwent, she was educated at the University of Reading where she read history, specialising in gender studies. Grace is an award-winning social entrepreneur, writer, and speaker. She is the founder of Healing Boxes CIC and Trailblazing Wellness (Un) Ltd and a Future Young Leader of Wales Award recipient. She is currently completing a diploma in psychotherapeutic counselling at the Bath Centre for Psychotherapy and Counselling. Grace is a volunteer counsellor for MIND Torfaen, Cruse Bereavement Care and volunteered teaching meditation and accessible mindful movement at Able Radio, Cwmbran. Grace loves riding, painting and playing the harp.

• Joanne Kember

  Joanne is a pharmacist who has lived in North Wales for the last 20 years. As a community pharmacist she has taken a leading role in supporting the health and wellbeing of the population locally. She has been actively involved with the tertiary sector and particularly carers’ organisations and is a Dementia Friend champion.

• Jane Moore

  Jane has 40 years experience of working in local authority Children’s Services Departments. She has at, senior manager level, managed most aspects of Children’s Services. In recent years she has specialised in the delivery of services for looked after children. Since April 2013 Jane has been working independently. Some of the major projects she has been commissioned to work on are Project Manager for the National Adoption Service and Project Manager for the National Fostering Framework.

• Kate Hawkins

  Kate was a previous Care Council for Wales board member who lives in a coastal part of west Wales, she combines work as a Senior Lecturer in Health and Social Care at Pembrokeshire College with caring responsibilities. Kate's ambition is to draw on her experiences in these contexts, in order to enrich and enhance the work of Social Care Wales. She firmly believes in the concept of citizen-led governance and to help fulfil the Welsh Government's vision for Social Care Wales.

• Peter Max

  Originally, a chartered accountant focusing on public services and charities, Peter is now the Managing Director and Responsible Individual of a Wales-based organisation providing community-based care for individuals with a mental health diagnosis. Peter’s non-executive experience includes roles in the 3rd sector and within the Welsh Government’s Department of Health and Social Services. Peter has served on the board of Cardiff Community Housing Association for 6 years, been an Independent Member on the NHS National Delivery Group for 8 years and on the National Partnership Board for Mental Health since 2013.

• Rhian Watcyn Jones

  Rhian, a Welsh speaker, has lived in both North and South Wales working mainly in education and the civil service. Caring responsibilities led her to understand more about social care and the workforce and the very real challenges facing the sector. For the last 3 years she has been a member of the Care Council for Wales.

• Simon Burch

  Simon Burch has had a long career in the public sector, most recently as Director of Social Services for Monmouthshire, carrying statutory responsibility for all adult and children’s services. In addition to front line roles as a teacher and social worker, he has spent many years working to build integrated social care and health services which put the individual at the centre. He is a member of the National Independent Safeguarding Board and sees the protection of children and adults at risk as central to the improvement and regulatory work of the Social Care Wales Board.

Remuneration rate: £250 per day
Number of days per month: 2
Appointment term: 3 April 2017 – 31 March 2021

Donna Hutton, Peter Max and Aled Roberts have all declared political activity. Donna Hutton is an active member of the Labour party, Peter Max is a member of the Labour party and Aled Roberts previously served as a North Wales Regional Member of the National Assembly for Wales.

These appointments will begin on 3 April 2017 and will be for an initial period of 4 years (with the exception of the chair who will step down after a period of 2 years). These appointments were made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ code of practice.