However, I know that Vikki is concentrating on adults in her contribution, but I think people don't often realise that it is children that are causing the most expense. We are trying to bring down the number of children that have to be looked after in care, but safety is the basis of bringing down those numbers. We have to better support families and communities, and build responses that will enable us to turn this curve, and then when children need to go into care we need to ensure that provision is available close to their home. 

On the subject of resourcing, Vikki mentioned the inter-ministerial group on paying for social care, which is looking at the challenges for the future. We've always favoured Wales being part of a UK approach to ensuring that people don't face large care costs in later life, and we'll see what this week's election brings in that regard. But if there continues to be a policy failure at a UK level, the inter-ministerial group is working to develop a made-in-Wales solution that is right for the care needs of the twenty-first century. Additional resources, as important as they are, are only part of the answer, and Vikki Howells mentioned the proposals that came from Gerry Holtham's work; we are looking at that in the inter-ministerial group.

But another global trend is the impact of technology and how this will impact on social care is a very important area. I believe that social care must always be an intrinsically person-to-person endeavour, but at the same time the appropriate use of technology will become more important in meeting care needs. And it would obviously be foolish to try and predict the far-off future technology changes; rather, the role of Government in this area is to encourage and support social care providers to make the best use of technology that already exists, and also help them think creatively about the future.

I know that Vikki Howells mentioned the foundational economy, and that is certainly something that we are very strongly supportive of in the Welsh Government. As she said, the fund that has been set up has supported a number of innovative ways of addressing social care, and I was very pleased to go and visit some of those when the last ones were announced. I'm very pleased to hear of the ambitious aims of Rhondda Cynon Taf council, particularly of the Stay Well at Home scheme, which I also know about, which is very good.

I'd just like to say about one of the things that's facing us for the future, which is the issue of climate change, which, obviously, is one of the greatest challenges facing us. There is a climate emergency and be it more extreme weather or immigration to the UK driven through the hardships that climate change will cause in other parts of the world, we need to get into a position where public services here can adapt, and that includes social care. We also need to work so that the hundreds of providers of social care in Wales can support the overall ambition of moving at pace to carbon neutral, which I think is very important when we think of the huge number of staff that we have got working in the social care system, many of them on an individual basis.

I also intend in 2020 to bring forward a national plan for carers. Vikki spoke powerfully about the contribution of carers. Across Wales, there are around 370,000 unpaid carers of all ages who support a loved one who is older, disabled or seriously ill without being paid to do so. They contribute hugely to Welsh society and I think it's important to say that the vast majority of those carers are pleased to do it and want to do it, and are looking after a loved one, and we should be doing our utmost to support them to do that. But we do know from reports that have come about carers that they are struggling and they often have a lot of difficulties. But I think it's so important that we recognise the enormously important role carers play, provide support to them and also enable people to have a life alongside caring. I'll be working with the ministerial advisory group on carers and other stakeholders in 2020 to develop a national plan for carers in 2020.

To finish, I'd like to make two further points. The future social care system in Wales should be a balanced system. Independent providers will remain a key part of the system, and we have fantastic independent providers in Wales, and we are dependent on them. And some of them are at the leading edge of practice. As a Government, we want high-quality, independent providers to play a key role. But we will also support local authorities who wish to bring more provision directly under their control. We also want to see co-operatives, as Vikki Howells referred to, playing a bigger role in a balanced care market. In the new year I intend to provide a statement that sets a framework for pursuing the rebalancing of social care.

Finally, then, I think, in the end, this debate does boil down to the very important point that Vikki made: how we can grow the capacity and capability of the workforce, to take the opportunities and respond to the challenges ahead. I'm acutely aware of the challenges that social care professionals face in delivering high-quality person-centred care on a consistent basis. Social services departments and social care providers are packed full of committed, skilled and hard-working people. Social care for very many people is a vocation, not just a job. What we must do is increase the status of the workforce—Vikki Howells mentioned the registration that we are introducing. We need to tackle the disparity in wages that she has also mentioned. She's mentioned the progress we've made on zero-hours contracts, and I think this is probably one of the absolute key issues that we have to deal with. Our greatest concern must be the growth in the capacity and capability of the workforce. In particular I want social workers to have the time to relate to and care for people. Equally, the workforce of the future won't be enabled to step up to the challenge ahead if it is, as I've said, low paid and unstable. As a Government we are focusing on fair work, and social care is in the vanguard of these developments.

To conclude, we sometimes say in our debates that the status quo is not an option; never has that been truer of social care, looking out into the rest of the twenty-first century. In many ways, we are in a good place, but there is much work to do. I think we know what the direction is that we want to go to, but I thank Vikki Howells very much for raising this question in the Chamber tonight, and I look forward to working across the Senedd to meet these challenges in the time ahead. Thank you.