Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:23 pm on 22 May 2018.
Diolch ichi, Weinidog. Thank you for the update and an indication of next steps. I suppose my first question is the obvious one, which is: when is your consultation going to be launched? If you can give us something a bit more detailed rather than 'shortly', I think we'd all be grateful. Similarly, when is the tender likely to go out for the evaluation of the social services and well-being Act, rather than the regulation and inspection Act?
Perhaps you can help me with just a few of these questions, though. The recent regulations, which basically implemented the regulation and inspection of social care Act in care homes, secure accommodation and domiciliary support services—we only passed those regulations a few months ago, I accept that, but I'm wondering whether, as CIW is already involved in the registration process now, you're getting any anecdotal feedback—I think I'd better call it that at this stage—about difficulties in implementing those regulations and whether care homes in particular are coming across unexpected difficulties that perhaps they hadn't anticipated, which of course I accept they'd be helped through rather than be punished for that. But, it would be quite useful to know if something unlikely or unexpected has occurred for those that are being registered now.
With regard to the domiciliary care sector in particular, one of the reasons why domiciliary care workers fell out of the regulatory regime, if you like, several years ago was the issue of CPD and professional development as much as anything else. As you know, it's a very high-turnover area, where there are lots of people jumping at the chance to go straight through the pipeline then through to healthcare and public sector social services care, if they get the chance. So, with the voluntary registration—again, I appreciate it's early days—is there any way of telling at the moment whether the prospect of being able to move on from zero-hours contracts in some cases, or indeed of getting Social Care Wales-approved qualifications, is having any effect on retention? As I say, I recognise that this might be quite difficult to answer. Or, is there any evidence that the requirement for registration and CPD, if you like, is prompting any early exits?
Regulations for phases 1 and 2—are we going to be getting any further guidance or, in fact, any further regulations on the first two phases? I don't know whether you can answer that today. In respect of adoption and other placement services, which are what we're talking about now—phase 3—I wonder whether you can take this opportunity to make it clear that you'll be resisting some voices that are being heard through campaigns at the moment against private and charitable agencies. That sort of request, if you like, would fly very much in the face of the recommendations of this Assembly—sorry, the fourth Assembly—where the children and young people committee strongly endorsed the retention of those agencies, and agencies generally. Obviously, we've no objection to you clarifying and improving standards there, but I hope that you will be looking to expand provision of these services that we're talking about in phase 3, not restricting them.
Finally, do you anticipate that the regulations emerging from this new consultation will include standards for the much-needed post-placement support offered by these agencies, including adoption? Just because you've ceased to become a looked-after child doesn't mean that the family and the child cease to need any support. So, I'm hoping that that particular aspect of the standards won't be overlooked. Thank you.