The Welsh Government has published the final report from a four-year evaluation of the ‘Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014’. The Impact (IMPlementation of the ACT) study, led by the Welsh Institute of Health and Social Care (WIHSC) based at University of South Wales (USW), involved academics across four universities in Wales. The partnership included colleagues from USW, Cardiff Metropolitan, Swansea and Bangor Universities, and PRIME Centre Wales.
The findings recognise the commitment, dedication, and adaptability of the care and support workforce, but also provides evidence of challenges that remain in delivering the aspirations of the Act. The programme of work constituted 11 individual studies. In all, 450 study participants from across Wales provided detailed and comprehensive accounts of their experiences under the Act, from a range of perspectives. The final report is one of eight documents that are being published. The others focus in detail on the key principles of the Act, alongside a report examining the lasting impact of Covid-19 on the workforce, and an update of the literature review.
The report sets out 19 evidence-based ‘test’ questions for Welsh Government and a range of stakeholders to consider. These questions ask the whole sector to look at what needs to be done to improve social services, including the quality and sufficiency of social care. This is also about ensuring that people are effectively listened to, and can genuinely share, decisions about their care and support.
More details about the study – including links to all of the reports, films narrating the findings, and other supporting material – can be found here:
Further information has been shared on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/UniSouthWales/status/1641349816671150081
And also on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7047115930140606464
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