Fulfilled Lives, Supportive Communities: A Strategy for Social Service Over The Next Decade

I am issuing for public consultation today a draft strategy for social services over the next decade. Consultation will last until 15 November. I plan to publish the final document in the new  year following consideration of the responses to consultation.    

This strategy complements Designed for Life and together these two documents give us a framework to move towards world-class health and social services in Wales.  The draft social services strategy also reflects key themes in our response to the Beecham Report  “Beyond Boundaries –Citizen-Centred Local Services for Wales”,  and particularly:

• Developing the capacity to effect change and strengthen the workforce
• Making the voice of the user and carer really count
• Strengthening performance management and sharpening scrutiny
• Promoting stronger partnerships that work across organisational boundaries

Social services in Wales support around 150,000 people, account for £1.1 billion in public spending. They are delivered by around 1800 organisations in the statutory, voluntary and private sectors. Partnership is crucial in much of what they do. They play a vital part in the lives of many citizens by promoting social inclusion, supporting them in times of difficulty and protecting people from harm.  

Demographic and societal changes require a modern social services strategy which sets the direction for social services over the next decade. Our draft strategy re-establishes social services’ position as a key service within local government.  It will be in tune with the needs of citizens and communities across the full range of adult and children’s services through promoting social inclusion and the rights of individuals.  

The draft strategy will expect more consistent high quality services for those in need and greater links with the community to promote independence and well being,


The key themes are that:  

• Services should put the citizen at the centre of what they do and focus on earlier prevention rather than exclusively concentrating with those with the most intense needs.
  
  
• Users and carers will have simpler systems to improve access. The aim is to provide more personalised services which give a real say.  There needs to be a greater emphasis on working “with people” rather than just “for people”.
  
  
• Social services should have a much higher profile, working across local government to champion the needs of families and vulnerable people.
  
  
• Adults and children’s social services should ensure that individuals and families are properly supported by coherent services that offer continuity of care for those with enduring needs.
  
  
• Local authorities should remain both commissioners and providers of services but take a more active role in shaping the mixed market of private, public and voluntary care.
  
  
• The draft strategy proposes a more diverse model for using the skills of a better qualified workforce so that we have people with the right skills mix to support the reshaping of services to meet the needs of the next decade.

The draft strategy proposes a number of actions which the Assembly Government will take with its partners to support the changes required. These include:

• Better more personalised care assessment and management
  for adults and children
  
  
• more say for individuals in how they are supported
  
  
• greater recognition of the contribution of carers
  
  
• stronger, more accountable political, professional and managerial leadership for social services
  
  
• stronger collaborative working within and between authorities and across other bodies
  
  
• strengthened performance arrangements including core standards and strategic outcomes
  
  
• a comprehensive commissioning framework
  
  
• a national action plan for the social care workforce
  
  
• more use of technology in care
  
  
• better, more systematic use of research and evaluation.  

All of this will require a major development process extending over several years.  

I would like to see a good public discussion of the issues and proposals in the draft strategy and look forward to hearing from as many people and organisations as possible.