Vaughan Gething AM, Minister for Health and Social Services
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
Members will recall last year my officials established a small task and finish group consisting of practitioners from health and social services teams across Wales to draft the revised Continuing Care for Children and Young People Guidance.
The group was chaired by Ruth Richardson, Assistant Head of Children’s Nursing and Continuing Care in Powys Teaching Health Board and Chair of the All Wales Children and Young People’s Continuing Care Forum, which sits under the umbrella of the All Wales Children and Young People’s Senior Nurse Forum.
The work of the group followed a successful workshop event in the SWALEC Stadium on 4 October 2018, where attendees from a range of health and social services settings across Wales came together to discuss what improvements were needed to the continuing care guidance.
The task and finish group used the feedback from the event and further input from colleagues in Social Services and Education in the development of the revised guidance. Views were also sought from the office of the Children’s Commissioner throughout the process. The revised guidance was subject to a 12 week public consultation last autumn and I am pleased to announce its publication today.
If a child or young person is found to be eligible for children and young people’s continuing care, I expect agencies such as health, education and social care to work together to ensure that there are no gaps in meeting those assessed individual’s needs. Services provided as part of the package for children and young people with continuing care needs will be arranged by the Local Health Board, local authorities and their partners as appropriate, enabling the child or young person to function optimally within their family, community, education or care setting. It is vital the child or young person’s needs are at the heart of the process.
Provision of services should not be delayed by issues around who will pay for particular aspects of those services and I expect all parties to consider the use of pooled budgets where possible.
This revised and updated guidance not only takes account of legislative changes in recent years in Wales but is also intended to facilitate effective and timely decision making.