Thank you. It’s now a year since the landmark Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 came into force and we are seeing the way care is being delivered on the ground being transformed to meet the needs of the individual. People have a stronger voice in improving their well-being and deciding what support they need to help them live independently. Care is being co-ordinated with the person at the centre, recognising that they, and their family, know the situation best; they live it every day.

The Act has provided the opportunity to focus on the things that matter to people and to organise the support that is needed through real conversations that build on the skills, strengths and abilities of the individual. The Act was the culmination of many years of hard, collaborative work following the 2011 publication of the Welsh Government White Paper, ‘Sustainable Social Services for Wales: A Framework for Action’.

The White Paper highlighted a number of challenges faced by public services in Wales, including an ageing population and increased demand on services, as well as considering the continuing harsh economic reality. It set out a new vision for the sector, which offered the best possible outcomes for those who need care and support, while also making social services sustainable for the future.

From the very beginning, the Act was developed and delivered in true partnership with local authorities, the third sector, care providers, and health. Its implementation is further strengthening this integration.

Seven regional partnership boards are now leading the change in services, undertaking their own area population assessments to enable them to plan tailor-made solutions based on firm evidence of what the people in that region want and need. As well as multi-agency representation, the citizen voice is increasingly present in the decision-making process, ensuring solutions are being co-produced with input from all of those involved.

The population assessments will set out the range and level of preventative services necessary to meet the care and support needs of differing population areas. To support this, last September I allocated £15 million from the intermediate care fund to provide a range of preventative services in communities, and we will continue to develop these types of services, as well as others required by the changes made through the legislation, through the rebranded £60 million integrated care fund.

Recently, I visited the Bridgend community resource team at its base, the Trem-y-môr residential care facility in Bettws in Bridgend. Through bringing staff together from reablement, physiotherapy, nursing, social work, and the occupational therapy teams, integrated services like this one are making a real difference to the lives of people in the area.

It’s these types of preventative, integrated services in the community that can address people’s needs and intervene earlier to help and support individuals before their needs reach a more critical stage. They can keep people out of hospital and in their homes, living the life they choose safely and independently for longer.

It would be impossible to describe all of the strides being taken in the sector under every part of the wide-ranging Act in this statement today, but to give the Chamber a flavour of the real benefits we are seeing as a result of the social services and well-being Act, I’d like to highlight the success of the National Adoption Service for Wales, established under the legislation. Since its inception, we have seen the waiting time for looked-after children to be placed for adoption nearly halved to 13.5 months from 26 months.

We are proud also that the Act has given enhanced rights to carers. As a Government, we recognise the vital role that carers play across Wales. Now, for the first time, thanks to this legislation, carers have an equal right to assessment and support as those who they care for. We have always made it clear that we will monitor the progress of the Act and the difference it’s making to help people who need care and support achieve well-being. The national outcomes framework was published in March 2016, listing 50 national indicators to measure the well-being of people in Wales who require care and support and carers who need support.

We’ll be setting a baseline through our first annual report, which will be published following the release of the national survey data, this autumn. This report will then be produced annually every autumn from 2017-18 onwards. An independent long-term standalone evaluation will commence in the third year of implementation of the Act, with a stakeholder evaluation group to inform the specification for the evaluation and steer it.

At this first anniversary point, we are only at the end of the beginning of the transformation of social services in Wales, but it is already clear to see that the sector is rising to the challenge to support people who need it by doing what really matters to them. As a Government we will continue to support our partners to deliver this ambitious agenda to its full potential. The journey also continues through the implementation of the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016, the companion Act to the 2014 Act, which brings regulation into line with the principles of its sister legislation and strengthens protection for those who need it. Yesterday, and as a result of the regulation and inspection Act, the Care Council for Wales became Social Care Wales. Social Care Wales will build on the work of the care council, continuing to be responsible for workforce regulation and development, but also taking a lead role in improvement of the care sector, which we recognise as a sector of national strategic importance.

This spring, after extensive stakeholder engagement, I will also be putting the second phase of regulations and associated guidance under the 2016 Act to full public consultation. It will include the requirements on providers and responsible individuals in domiciliary and residential care, and also now the requirements in relation to secure accommodation for children. A third phase will follow, focusing on fostering services, adoption support, adult placements, and advocacy providers. At the end of this process we will have a regulation and inspection system at the forefront of making sure that care and support in Wales is the best it can be. I look forward to working with our partners to further deliver real differences to the lives of some of the people in Wales who deserve it most. Thank you.