Tag: 2023

PRESS RELEASE : Funding to increase allied health professionals and access to community-based care [January 2023]
The press release issued by the Welsh Government on 24 January 2023.

Health Minister Eluned Morgan has today, 24th January, announced £5m to increase the number of allied health professionals (AHPs) and increase access to community-based care to help people remain active and independent.

Available from April 2023, the funding will increase the number of community-based AHPs and support workers in the NHS. They will help people stay independent and well at home, helping to prevent hospital admissions and they will also help people to be quickly discharged from hospital with the right support and rehabilitation in place to recover at home.

Allied health professions is a group of 13 professions, which include physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, dietitians and psychologists. Based in local community health teams, they provide preventative and early intervention services, alternatives to hospital admission and reduce the need for long-term social care.

Supporting people to recover at home with rehabilitation or spend less time in a hospital bed can have a considerable benefit on a people’s wellbeing, improve health outcomes and speed up recovery.

Examples of how AHPs can help people receive care and rehabilitation in the community include:
- The creation of virtual wards, which allow patients to receive the treatment they need at home safely and conveniently, rather than being in hospital, or expand the existing community resource teams which give GPs and paramedics alternatives to emergency departments.
- Treat people who have suffered a fall at home, if they do not need to go to hospital, and provide a programme of care and advice to reduce the likelihood of a further fall and rebuild their confidence and strength.
- Provide effective interventions to help people newly diagnosed with dementia to continue to live at home, support family carers and reduce the rate at which they may deteriorate.
Minister for Health and Social Services Eluned Morgan said:

The focus of health and social care in Wales is on strengthening community-based services. We want people to live at home, as independently as possible and for as long as possible.

We know that many people who are older and living with frailty or many health conditions can quickly deteriorate if they are inactive in bed for too long and, if they have been in hospital, when they leave they may be less mobile and less independent than when they were admitted. This funding will help us to help people return home as quickly as possible, with access to the right community assessment and rehabilitation, so they can remain active for as long as possible, living with their families and doing the things they enjoy most in their daily lives.

Currently, not enough people can access the expertise of AHPs to maximise their health and improve their recovery. This is why I am announcing £5m to improve access to these skilled professionals and services to provide alternatives to hospital admission and reduce reliance on long-term social care. By expanding what health services can be provided within the community it will help us to tackle some of the current pressures facing our health and care system.

Chief Allied Health Professions Adviser, Ruth Crowder said:

Demand for AHPs’ skills has risen since the pandemic, and people are presenting to services with more complex needs. AHPs excel in delivering treatments which are particularly valuable in supporting the complex, multi-dimensional needs of people who are frail or living with long term health conditions.

Without community AHP services, people may be admitted to hospital when they could have been treated at home, are unable to be discharged from hospital when their acute treatment is complete or end up moving to residential or nursing care earlier than might otherwise be the case, adding to other pressure on our social care services. Improving access to allied health professionals will bring a wider workforce together in a reformed primary care.
February 9, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Minister first-hand visit to see building safety works taking place in Wales as Welsh Government pact with developers picks up pace [January 2023]

The press release issued by the Welsh Government on 23 January 2023.

Minister Julie James was today (Monday, January 23) invited to see building safety remediation works taking place in Cardiff after 11 major developers signed up to a new Welsh Government pact.

In November, the Minister announced details of the pact that represents a public commitment developers will address ‘fire safety issues in buildings of 11 metres and over that have been developed over the last 30 years’.

The Welsh Government Developers Pact, underpinned by formal legal documentation, has been shared with Builders Federation and developers are expected to accept the terms shortly.

Some developers, including Persimmon Homes and Bellway, have started work ahead of formally accepting the terms and the Minister was invited to see vital fire safety works carried out in Century Wharf.

Climate Change Minister Julie James said:

It was great to visit Century Wharf today to see first-hand the work that is already being carried out in Wales.

I have always made it clear that I do not expect leaseholders to bear the cost of repairing fire safety issues that are not of their making and that I expect developers to step up to their responsibilities.

I am very grateful to Persimmon for the invitation today, I am very pleased they have worked closely with the management company to carry out this work ahead of formally accepting the terms of the Pact and look forward to continuing this productive relationship.

Persimmon’s Regional Chairman, Liam Scott:

We were very pleased to welcome the Minister for Climate Change to see the action being undertaken at Century Wharf.

We made a commitment two years ago to pay for any necessary cladding and safety related remediation work on multi-storey buildings Persimmon constructed. We took this leadership position as we wanted to protect our customers and remove uncertainty for them.

We have worked closely with the management company overseeing the works, and will continue to do so as we fund the remediation programmes on such buildings in Wales.

Persimmon strongly supports the Welsh Government’s efforts to resolve the cladding and fire safety challenge as we believe it is not only fair for leaseholders in Wales, but also the right thing to do as one of the nation’s leading housebuilders.

We’ll continue to work constructively with the Minister for Climate Change and the Welsh Government as we support the completion of works as quickly as possible for leaseholders.

In a written statement published shortly after the visit, the Minister provided an update for those affected by fire safety issues who have struggled with mortgages.

We are making significant progress towards addressing this issue and giving the finance sector assurances they require,

she said.

At present, lenders operate on a case-by-case basis in Wales, and we are working closely with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and UK Finance Ltd to ensure the recent announcement for England will similarly be considered on properties in Wales.

The Minister also confirmed a change to the way the Leaseholder Support Scheme works.

Despite the positive moves made by developers, and other progress, I appreciate that these works will not come soon enough for some leaseholders who face financial hardship as a result of fire safety issues in their homes,

she said.

In June last year I launched the Leaseholder Support Scheme with a commitment that I would continue to review the eligibility criteria to ensure those in greatest need would benefit from the scheme.

Following the completion of a review I have instructed officials to amend the eligibility criteria of the scheme in two fundamental ways.

The first is to amend the assessment of financial hardship to take into account the rising cost of energy.

This is vital as it will increase recognition of those in significant financial hardship as a result of the recent increases to the energy price cap and will allow more people to access the scheme.

The second fundamental change is to remove the Displaced Residents clause.

Previously, to be eligible for the scheme, leaseholders had to either be residents, or be residents forced from their property due to changing circumstances.

By removing this criterion, the scheme is now opened to leaseholders who have purchased properties as an investment, such as pensioners, or those who have received the leasehold through an inheritance.

The support offered by this scheme will help more leaseholders in financial hardship receive the support they need.

February 9, 2023
Julie James – 2023 Statement on Building Safety in Wales
The statement made by Julie James, the Welsh Minister for Climate Change, on 23 January 2023.

Building Safety is a priority for this government. I am as committed today as I have always been that leaseholders should not bear the cost of repairing fire safety issues that are not of their making. I expect developers to step up to their responsibilities and am prepared to explore all options, including legislation, to ensure this happens.

Today, I am pleased to share an update on our progress. In my Written Statement in October, I announced that eleven major developers had signed up to the Welsh Government’s Developers Pact. This represents a public commitment they will address fire safety issues in buildings of 11 metres and over they have developed over the last 30 years. These developers are Persimmon, Taylor Wimpey, Lovell, McCarthy and Stone, Countryside, Vistry, Redrow, Crest Nicholson, St Modwen, Bellway and Barratt.

The Pact is underpinned by formal legal documentation. I am pleased to confirm that this has been drafted and shared with the Home Builders Federation and we anticipate these developers will accept our terms shortly.

I am also pleased to report a number of developers have started remediation works in advance of signing, such as Bellway and Persimmon Homes, as I saw today when I visited Century Wharf in Cardiff.

There remains the question of what will happen to those ‘orphan’ buildings where the developer has gone out of business or cannot be identified.

Together with Plaid Cymru, we are developing the second phase of our programme of work to address fire safety risks on residential buildings of 11 metres and over in height. This will set out the plan for supporting orphan buildings across Wales and help identify what is required to remediate all buildings as quickly and efficiently as possible.

We have agreed to an initial cohort of six orphan buildings to be remediated to test our approach and ensure that buildings are made as safe from fire risk as possible. The work to identify this first cohort has started and I will make further announcements on the details of this first cohort of buildings in due course.

The route to accessing Welsh Government support will continue to be through our Welsh Building Safety Fund. This fund remains open for Responsible Persons to complete an Expression of Interest, which is the starting point for accessing support from the Welsh Government. I encourage all Responsible Persons to complete an Expression of Interest for their buildings as soon as possible. In the first instance, the fund allows for surveys to take place at no cost to leaseholders, offering information about fire safety issues, and providing EWS1 forms for those buildings where the risk of fire is low.

The survey work provides essential information and signposts where additional work is needed to address fire risk. It is therefore essential that Managing Agents and Responsible Persons ensure our consultants are able to access buildings as quickly as possible to undertake these works, rather than have access delayed by those who should be acting in the best interest of their leaseholders, residents and tenants.

In some cases, access to undertake survey work is difficult because of the location of buildings and the need to seek Local Authority permissions to close walkways and roads when work is undertaken. I would also like to encourage my colleagues in Local Authorities to ensure these licenses and permissions are granted as quickly as possible to minimise delays on this vital work.

Alongside the work to address fire safety issues, we also need to ensure that our building control regime is fit for purpose. Together with Plaid Cymru, work is currently underway to implement the first phase of our design and construction transition plan bringing into force the legislative changes necessary to rectify identified problems within the current building control regimes. This phase is bringing in more stringent regulation of the building control profession i.e. building control approvers, building control inspectors and local authorities exercising building control functions. This provision will also change who can advise on, and carry out, certain building control work, with the purpose of improving competence levels, transparency and accountability in the building control profession. This is to make sure that only individuals who have demonstrated the relevant competence are advising decision-makers before important building control decisions are taken.

The key changes we will be making are:
- The creation of registers for all Building Control Inspectors and Building Control Approvers
- All Building Control Inspectors must be registered and meet competence criteria to be able to provide advice to Local Authorities or private building control bodies
- Private building control bodies, currently known as Approved inspectors must register, as building control approvers, to continue to undertake building control work on non-Higher risk Buildings.
- Only Local Authority Building Control will be able to be the building control authority for buildings meeting the criteria for Higher-risk Buildings.
Transitional arrangements are being developed and will be part of the next set of consultations. Please be aware that we are likely to be opening up the registration process in October this year with a view of moving to the new regime from April 2024.

Despite the positive moves made by developers, and other progress, I appreciate that these works will not come soon enough for some leaseholders who face financial hardship as a result of fire safety issues in their homes. In June last year I launched the Leaseholder Support Scheme with a commitment that I would continue to review the eligibility criteria to ensure those in greatest need would benefit from the scheme.

The recent cost of living crisis has created an untenable situation for many, and I am determined that the support offered through the Leaseholder Support Scheme takes into account these issues. As was the case previously, the scheme provides access to free independent financial advice for relevant leaseholders and, if it is right for the household and the eligibility criteria are satisfied, the option for them to sell their property and either rent back their home or move on.

Following the completion of a review I have instructed officials to amend the eligibility criteria of the scheme in two fundamental ways.

The first is to amend the assessment of financial hardship to take into account the rising cost of energy. This is vital as it will increase recognition of those in significant financial hardship as a result of the recent increases to the energy price cap and will allow more people to access the scheme.

The second fundamental change is to remove the Displaced Residents clause. Previously, to be eligible for the scheme, leaseholders had to either be residents, or be residents forced from their property due to changing circumstances. By removing this criterion, the scheme is now opened to leaseholders who have purchased properties as an investment, such as pensioners, or those who have received the leasehold through an inheritance.

The support offered by this scheme will help more leaseholders in financial hardship receive the support they need.

Ultimately, the best and right solution to help leaseholders and residents of medium and high-rise buildings (those of 11 metres and more) is to address fire safety defects. This brings a significant challenge in assessing what the right solutions are and what standard of works are needed to both address life critical fire safety issues and the requirements of lenders and insurers.

In January last year a new documented code of practice was developed and launched by the British Standards Institution (PAS 9980:2022). The document sets out a methodology for professionals to undertake Fire Risk Appraisals of External Walls. I will be testing this through the establishment of a task and finish group of sector financial and technical experts to ensure we provide safe homes which can be affordably insured and confidently used as a financial asset. This continues and extends our work with the finance sector on matters of fire safety.

We know that properties affected by fire safety issues have struggled to obtain mortgages, but we are making significant progress towards addressing this issue and giving the finance sector assurances they require.

At present, lenders operate on a case-by-case basis in Wales, and we are working closely with the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and UK Finance Ltd to ensure the recent announcement for England, which confirmed six lenders who were prepared to offer mortgages on buildings affected by fire risk, will similarly be considered on properties in Wales of 11 metres and over, which are covered by our agreements with developers and the Welsh Building Safety Fund.

We have also recently launched a Building Safety Strategic Stakeholder Group. The Building Safety Stakeholder Group will act as a strategic, independent advisory group for Welsh Government on matters relating to, and under the jurisdiction of, the Welsh Building Safety Programme.

Stakeholder engagement is at the core of my approach to ensure our policy development for building safety is informed, effective, robust and based on clear evidence. Obtaining the expert views, leaseholder perspective, advice and support of our stakeholders is critical to the successful delivery of our Building Safety Programme. We have also issued invitations to expand the leaseholder representation in the Group, to ensure we capture their views and lived experience on this matter.

I am therefore very pleased that following the first recent meeting positive and valuable discussions were made. I look forward to future meetings to obtain the expert views, advice and support from our stakeholders which is critical to the successful delivery of our Building Safety Programme.
February 9, 2023
Jane Hutt – 2023 Statement on Windrush 2023

The statement made by Jane Hutt, the Welsh Minister for Social Justice, on 20 January 2023.

This year, on 22 June, we will mark 75 years since MV Empire Windrush docked in Tilbury, the moment which symbolises the “Windrush Generation” and crystalises how migration to the United Kingdom has shaped our society today.

Windrush Celebration Day recognises and celebrates the contributions of men and women from across the Commonwealth who helped to build a modern Wales and made this country their home. We again want to embrace this anniversary wholeheartedly as we have in previous years. This year we will celebrate and recognise its wide historic and present-day significance.

We are aware that Windrush celebrations will take place across the UK. Our engagement with Windrush Elders and organisations in Wales has ensured that we are well-placed to support communities to retell their stories and celebrate their contributions to our nation. The Welsh Government will again be funding both local and national Windrush events. We will also remain committed to seeking justice for the Windrush Elders in line with the Wendy Williams report published on 19 July 2018.

Migrants been helping to shape and enrich our nation since long before the Windrush arrivals and they are continuing to do so right up to the present day. As a Welsh Government, we have long supported and offered sanctuary to refugees and asylum seekers.

I am very proud that this year we have seen how our vision to welcome people from across the world has been adopted and brought to life in response to events in Afghanistan and Ukraine. Support has come in many guises, from thousands of individuals and families as well as businesses, local authorities, voluntary organisations, faith groups and many more. This is what we mean when we talk about Wales being a Nation of Sanctuary.

Our vision is to welcome and help anyone who is dispersed or resettled to Wales to access services and integrate with communities from day one of arrival. It is about recognising the person before seeing their immigration status. recognising that individuals come with skills and experiences and not just simply needs to be met.

As part of this rich and continuing story of Wales as a Nation of Sanctuary, the Windrush generation has a particular and unique place in our national life. I most strongly encourage all of us to mark this historic anniversary, including participating in the celebrations, whether on Windrush Day itself, or throughout the year.

February 9, 2023
Eluned Morgan – 2023 Statement on Eliminating TB in Wales
The statement made by Eluned Morgan, the Welsh Minister for Health and Social Services, on 20 January 2023.

As we begin the new year, I wanted to provide an update to Members on our progress towards eliminating tuberculosis (TB) in Wales, in line with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) vision to have the European Region free of the TB burden by 2030: Tuberculosis action plan for the WHO European Region 2023–2030. Information sheet\.

Wales currently has the joint lowest TB rates in the UK (2.8 cases per 100,000 population[1]) and overall rates have been declining since 2009.

Despite this downward trend, we continue to see some TB-associated deaths every year in Wales and the headline figures hide some increasing risks in TB prevention and control.

Around half of all cases of TB in Wales in recent years have been in people born in the UK, which creates a different set of challenges for detection and control. Cases are generally increasingly challenging and complex, and there is the continued threat of sporadic multi-drug resistant and extensively drug resistant cases.

TB is a potentially fatal disease with major health and social consequences for those affected. It contributes to increasing health inequalities in already deprived populations, and each infectious case represents a transmission risk to their contacts and communities.

Although most TB cases are curable, successfully supporting a single complex

case through treatment can have major resource implications for the NHS and wider public services. Furthermore, strong evidence exists to demonstrate that failure to prevent, diagnose and adequately treat cases can lead to the development of drug resistance, onward transmission of infection and TB outbreaks.

Even a single case of TB can lead to large and difficult-to-manage clusters and outbreaks. In 2018, there were three outbreaks of TB in Wales, all requiring screening of extensive numbers of contacts. The outbreaks had a serious impact on both the affected individuals and NHS resources.

Mass community screening of more than 1,500 people took place in 2019 due to a continuing outbreak with a cumulative total of more than 30 TB cases since 2010. This long-running outbreak has caused significant public concern, and activities associated with screening continue to this day. In 2020, a second mass screening exercise involving more than 1,000 staff and prisoners was undertaken following a TB incident associated with a prison.

That rates of TB in Wales have declined since 2009 is largely a tribute to the professionals involved in TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment and control. Given the challenges, we need to ensure there is renewed focus to eliminate TB in Wales. I have therefore agreed a number of actions will be taken forward:
- We will establish a bespoke TB Elimination Oversight Group to monitor and drive forward progress across Wales. It will report to the Chief Medical Officer under the Health Protection Advisory Group governance arrangements.
- Public Health Wales will re-establish the All-Wales TB Group, which was stood down during the pandemic. Its remit will include consideration and review of evidence including learning from outbreaks, advising on issues such as prioritisation of services and screening requirements for entrants into Wales and the development of guidance to support professionals.
- The first task of the All-Wales TB Group will be to review the Tuberculosis Strategy and Service Specification for Wales to incorporate the valuable lessons learned from both the Covid-19 pandemic and the programmes established to welcome those seeking refuge in Wales.
- The All-Wales TB Group will recommend the updated Tuberculosis Strategy and Service Specification for Wales to the TB Elimination Oversight Group for review and endorsement as a direction of travel in Wales.
- The All-Wales TB Group will develop a National TB Action Plan for agreement by the TB Elimination Oversight Group. This will be regularly reviewed to ensure the agreed actions are implemented.
I will keep Members informed of our efforts to prevent and control TB and our commitment to ultimately eliminate TB as a public health threat.

[1] Reports of cases of TB to UK enhanced tuberculosis surveillance systems, 2000 to 2021 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
February 9, 2023
Julie James – 2023 Statement on the Publication of the Consultation Response for the Deposit Return Scheme

The statement made by Julie James, the Welsh Minister for Climate Change, on 20 January 2023.

The Minister for Climate Change is pleased to announce the publication of the Government response to the consultation on the Deposit Return Scheme. The response is published jointly with the UK Government and Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Northern Ireland.

This follows the joint consultation in March 2021 and feedback from this consultation has been evaluated in developing the final design for the Deposit Return Scheme for drink containers.

Following the publication of this response to the consultation https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/introduction-of-a-deposit-return-scheme-in-england-wales-and-northern-ireland, the next stage will be the development of secondary legislation required to implement the scheme.

February 9, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : New drinks container return scheme for 2025 will help Wales improve world-leading recycling rates [January 2023]

The press release issued by the Welsh Government on 20 January 2023.

Wales will be introducing a Deposit Return Scheme by 2025, Climate Change Minister Julie James confirmed today.

The new initiative will see us pay a small deposit when we buy a drink in a single use container, which we get back when we return the bottle or can.

Wales is working with England and Northern Ireland to set up a joint scheme, meaning you can buy a drink in Barry and return it in Bristol or Belfast.

Scotland is setting up its own scheme, which starts later this year.

The announcement follows legislation to ban a number of single use plastics.

Climate Change Minister Julie James said:

This is another step forward in moving Wales to a more circular economy where less waste is generated, and resources are reused and recycled rather than ending up in landfill.

Consultation has shown huge public support for the scheme’s introduction, and we know people in Wales want to play their part in improving our already world-leading recycling rates.

Wales is the third best country in the world for recycling, but we know we can and need to go further in tackling the waste that affects our cities and towns and blights our countryside and reducing our emissions.

Every year UK consumers go through an estimated 14 billion plastic drinks bottles and nine billion drinks cans, many of which are littered or condemned to landfill.

International examples show deposit return schemes can successfully improve recycling, with rates above 90% in Germany, Finland and Norway.

Through the financial incentive provided to consumers to return their single- use drinks containers, it is estimated that, after three years of the scheme, 85% fewer drinks containers will be discarded as litter, with a target to collect over 90% of returnable drinks containers once the scheme is up and running.

The materials captured in the deposit return scheme in Wales will be drinks containers made from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, steel, glass, and aluminium.

February 9, 2023
PRESS RELEASE : Further funding for project helping women in prison keep in touch with their children [January 2023]

The press release issued by the Welsh Government on 20 January 2023.

A project to help Welsh mothers in prison maintain positive relationships with their children has had further funding confirmed.

Mick Antoniw, Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution, and Jane Hutt, Minister for Social Justice, visited HMP Eastwood Park in Gloucestershire to speak to frontline staff and people involved in the ‘Visiting Mum’ service.

‘Visiting Mum’, delivered by Pact (the Prison Advice & Care Trust), runs from HMP Styal in Cheshire as well as HMP Eastwood Park in Gloucestershire – the two most common locations for women in Wales being sent to prison. The service is designed to provide benefits for both mothers and their children.

As there are no prisons for women in Wales women serve custodial sentences in England, often at a considerable distance from their homes and families. ‘Visiting Mum’ helps strengthen family ties by facilitating closer contact between mothers and children.

Around half of women in prison are mothers, and the service identifies women who are at risk of losing contact with their children and offers specialist support. It then arranges visits, offers parenting and relationship programmes, offers transport to children, and provides ‘wraparound care’ for children after their visit.

An evaluation of the project found it was improving wellbeing among mothers and reducing the risk of self-harm, while also improving long-term outcomes for their children.

Between June 2021 and August 2022 ‘Visiting Mum’ supported 68 families. The project is joint funded by the Welsh Government and HM Prison and Probation Service, who are both contributing £90,000 in 2023-24 to ensure the scheme can continue.

Nadia Emblin, Pact Head of Service Delivery and Development – Wales and Western England, commented:

While we believe that custodial sentences for women should only ever be used as a last resort, Visiting Mum ensures better outcomes for both mothers in custody and their children in the community.

Our evaluation shows the positive impact of this kind of holistic support on the mental health and wellbeing of the whole family. It is also vital in reducing reoffending, as we know that prisoners who receive visits are 39% less likely to return to prison.

We are hugely grateful to our partners at Change Grow Live, and to the Welsh Government and HMPPS for ensuring the scheme can continue. One mum recently told us that it offered, “a light in the dark” for her during her sentence, and we hope that we can provide this hope for many more women in the future.

Jane Hutt, Minister for Social Justice, said:

Our approach to women’s justice stresses the importance of working with women in contact with the justice system in a holistic and rehabilitative way.

We continue to believe prison sentences should be a last resort, and are supportive of the proposed Residential Women’s Centre in Swansea which will provide an alternative to a prison sentence.

But for women who are in prison, often with long distances between themselves and their family, Visiting Mum can be an invaluable service that keeps them in contact with the people they love.

Mick Antoniw, Counsel General and Minister for the Constitution, said:

We believe one of the key elements of the justice system should be rehabilitation. Justice is about more than courts and punishment; it is about people and families. Supporting people in prison to lead fulfilling lives when they are out of prison is an important responsibility of any effective approach to justice.

The ‘Visiting Mum’ project is a positive example of this in action, with a rehabilitative approach leading to real benefits for both mothers and children.

UK government Minister for Prisons and Probation Damian Hinds said:

Keeping in touch with family is a vital lifeline for women in custody – supporting their wellbeing and reducing re-offending.

By funding services like Visiting Mum this government is helping to deliver better outcomes for women in prison, which in turn makes our communities safer.

February 9, 2023
Jane Hutt – 2023 Statement on Women’s Safety in Public Places in Wales

The statement made by Jane Hutt, the Welsh Minister for Social Justice, on 19 January 2023.

Women and girl’s safety from abuse, both in public and private spaces, remains a priority for the Welsh Government. With violence against women again in the news, I wanted to set out how the Welsh Government is continuing to prioritise and address this issue.

Women and girls should be safe in all aspects of their lives. They should be safe to walk through public spaces. They should be safe at home. They should be safe to go to work and school. They should be safe in the day and safe at night.

No level of abuse is acceptable, but in fact we know that violence against women and girls is shockingly common. Harassment, abuse and violence are daily occurrences for women and have conditioned their lives for far too long. Misogyny and long-standing structural inequalities for women and girls sit at the heart of much of this. We are committed to challenging and addressing these damaging attitudes and behaviours head on.

Violence against women and girls is a societal problem which requires a societal response. It is not for women to modify their behaviour; it is for abusers to change theirs.

While it is right that, as part of our response, we look at options available to enhance women’s safety in public places, often these initiatives or schemes can place the burden on women to protect themselves or alter their behaviour. It is therefore vital that we also address the root causes of male violence against women, focusing on changing negative attitudes and cultures that allow violence and abuse to persist. Prevention and early intervention need to take centre stage, rather than solely focussing our attention on remedial measures.

Whilst we have all been shocked in recent years by the high-profile murders of women at the hands of strangers, many more women die every year at the hands of violent men who are known to them, and many 1000s more again suffer violence and coercive control that continues to blight their lives and opportunities. To change this, we must confront those committing the abuse, we must support survivors, and we must change the culture of misogyny and harassment that feeds the abuse.

That is why the Welsh Government’s Programme for Government commits to strengthening the Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (VAWDASV) Strategy to include a focus on violence against women in the street and workplace as well as the home in order to make Wales the safest place in Europe to be a woman.

Last year, the Welsh Government published our new five-year VAWDASV National Strategy, which will be delivered through a collaborative ‘blueprint approach’ alongside a group of key partner organisations including the police and specialist sector. In line with our commitment, one of these blueprint workstreams is Street Harassment and Safety in Public Places, which will provide a focus and expertise for an innovative approach to these issues.

Our ground-breaking Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015 also created duties on local authorities and health boards in Wales to publish and implement strategies for addressing these issues in local communities. This ensures that tackling violence against women and girls is prioritised across Wales.

With all of these issues in mind, many men are asking how they can be a better ally to women. Men and boys can help by not committing, excusing, or remaining silent about any kind of harassment or violence against women. Where it is safe to do so, call out inappropriate behaviour.

Our campaign ‘Call out only’ aims to help people identify behaviours associated with street harassment and acknowledges that the experiences of women and girls are serious and prevalent and can cause fear, alarm and distress. The campaign calls on the public (males particularly) to call out and challenge assumptions about harassment against women – often wrongly seen as ‘harmless’ or excused using the word ‘only’ – with their peers, friends and colleagues.

I would also encourage anyone with concerns about their own behaviour, or that of others, or if you are suffering abuse yourself, to speak to the Welsh Government funded Live Fear Free helpline on 0808 80 10 800 or via webchat, email or text.

We will continue to work in partnership with specialist services to raise awareness of the inequality and safety issues faced by women and girls, and to end all forms of violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence. We will continue to work with Welsh police forces, Police and Crime Commissioners, public safety boards and the Crown Prosecution Service to improve practice, instil confidence in victims to report incidents of abuse and violence when they occur and to hold those who abuse to account.

Wales will not be a bystander to abuse.

February 9, 2023
Jeremy Miles – 2023 Statement on School Improvement and the Information Landscape in Wales

The statement made by Jeremy Miles, the Welsh Minister for Education and Welsh Language, on 19 January 2023.

Over recent years, Wales has been moving towards a new way of teaching and learning which is focused on helping children and young people achieve the four purposes: to be ready to learn, to play a full part in life and work, to be citizens of Wales and the world, and be valued members of our society. The teaching profession has worked hard and creatively to build new curricula for their learners, and schools across Wales are now introducing the Curriculum for Wales. We have always been clear that we need to ensure that all aspects of the education system are aligned with and fully support the realisation of the new curriculum, and we have taken clear steps forward on both professional learning and implementation of the new qualifications from 2025.

Next steps – developing a new data and information ecosystem/landscape

In June 2022, I published school improvement guidance to introduce a new way for the education system to work together to support schools in their improvement, build confidence in the system and retain a clear focus on supporting all learners to progress through their education. In July, the Welsh Government published the curriculum evaluation scoping report which made recommendations for how we will know that our new curriculum is improving learning in Wales. Today we see the publication of the Developing a new data and information ecosystem that supports the reformed school system in Wales report, which sets out recommendations for approaches to using data and information, in a way that will allow partners across the system to work together to support all our learners, irrespective of background, to fulfil their potential.

The report outlines the different information needs within the system: the needs of learners and their parents, of schools, of local authorities, as well as the importance of information at a national level to form the basis for improvement across the system. I welcome this helpful evidence that will inform our thinking. The report proposes developing a broader suite of information on areas such as wellbeing (both learner and staff) and the development of learners’ skills integral to the four purposes. It makes clear that when analysing information, we consider the context of our schools and the challenges they face. This includes a more sophisticated understanding of relative economic disadvantage and learners’ additional learning needs, as well as the voice of learners.

It is crucial to have the right breadth of information to support evaluation and improvement, whether at a national level or a school level, but I wish to emphasise that the Welsh Government’s expectation is that information is used to support schools and local authorities to understand their own contexts and improve their own offer. It should not be used in isolation to judge performance or compare schools and information should be created for a clear purpose.

Outcomes from qualifications will continue to form a key part of a school’s evaluation and improvement considerations. In 2019, we introduced new transitional interim measures for secondary schools that ensured more focus on raising our aspirations for all learners. They removed the narrowed focus on borderline C/D grade pupils to instead recognise the achievement of all our learners at Key Stage 4. These measures were paused during the pandemic. I can confirm today that for an interim period, whilst we progress the development of a neutral approach to the information system, we will restart reporting of Key Stage 4 outcomes at school level using the approach adopted in 2019 (including the policy of counting only first entries of exams). We will report outcomes in the points score format, including the ‘Capped 9’, broken down by gender and eligibility for free school meals. There are clear benefits in retaining a recognised approach which reflects attainment in both general and vocational qualifications as well as the importance of every learner and their outcomes, and in minimising changes to the approach to reporting on an interim basis. We will develop further thinking to align with the introduction of new qualifications from 2025 as we develop our new information landscape.

Rolling programme of national sample assessments

It is very important to emphasise that this return to 2019 arrangements is only temporary as we move towards a more holistic system that promotes learning and puts learners, teachers and parents at the centre. It is important that we have transparency on what we are achieving at a national level too. The Welsh Government is commencing work on an ambitious programme of national monitoring of education. As outlined in the curriculum evaluation scoping report, this will include a rolling programme of assessments of samples of learners across the breadth of the Curriculum for Wales. This is not about testing every learner but understanding and monitoring the national picture of learners’ attainment and progress over time on a system-wide basis. This approach will minimise burdens on schools and the education system as a whole and help provide the information we need to understand our progress in tackling the impact of poverty on learners’ achievement and inform our approaches to addressing these issues. Development work for this programme is underway, and we expect to begin rolling out these sample assessments on a pilot basis in the academic year 2025/26, alongside the wider ecosystem development.

Practitioner engagement and co-construction

Building on the findings of today’s report, we will now work with practitioners across Wales to develop a shared set of information which can help to support learning by understanding learner progress, attainment and the components which drive them. This will be informed by the eight factors which support curriculum realisation set out in the school improvement guidance. We will have a particular focus on improving understanding of progress of disadvantaged learners. I will be keen to gain the views of parents in this work, to understand what information they will find useful. We will work with local authorities, regional consortia and partnerships alongside this to seek to build a coherent and consistent approach across Wales which supports learning and minimises workload for teachers and schools. The Welsh Government will be writing to schools in the coming weeks to provide further details, and I will provide further updates as this work progresses.

February 9, 2023