Giving people a voice in social services

Users will have a central role in the big decisions about social care in Wales after plans announced today by Welsh Labour’s Deputy Minister for Social Services and Children, Gwenda Thomas.

In a groundbreaking new approach, the Deputy Minister will create a ‘citizen panel’ that will give the users and carers involved in social services a voice in the important strategic decisions taken at an all-Wales level.

The announcement was made during a major social services conference in Llandudno. The event, hosted by WLGA and ADSS, included the keynote address from the Deputy Minister during which she discussed the challenges ahead for the sector and the developments currently taking place and due to take place in the next 12 months.

The Deputy Minister welcomed new local government members and emphasised the key role of local government in social services. She told the conference that social services are at the heart of local government, and councils have the scope to use their duties in community leadership and well being as powerful levers to bring about the changes needed to make social services sustainable into the future.

She also told the conference that a framework will be developed to monitor whether people are receiving better services and a new standards, performance and improvement team will be introduced to encourage sharing of good practice and excellence in social services.