Part of 2. Questions to the Minister for Health and Social Services – in the Senedd at 2:33 pm on 7 July 2021.
Diolch. I think the pandemic has really highlighted the importance of social care workers, and I think many of the public were not aware of the value of the work that they do. So, I think we have to use this opportunity to make sure that we do use every opportunity to upskill them, as the Member said, and also to ensure that they get a better reward for what they're doing. That is why, of course, we are bringing in the real living wage for social care workers. We have set up the social care fair work forum, which is a group made up of trade unions, employers, and other relevant organisations. That group will be looking at all these issues related to social care workers. Because as well as wanting to raise the amount of money they earn, we want to see the job of a social care worker valued and seen as the really important work that it is. That group will be looking at all these issues, and certainly, training on the job and other types of training is one very important part of that. I think this is the opportunity to try to see that social care workers—their professional standing improves, and there is a much greater awareness of the job that they do.