MS, Minister for Children and
Social Care: Today we are publishing our first Annual Report of
our National Plan to
Prevent the Abuse of Older People - the first of its kind in the
UK. One year into this vital work, we've laid strong foundations
while recognising the significant journey still ahead.
The abuse of older people remains one of our society's most
pressing challenges, with profound physical, emotional, and
social consequences for victims.
This report showcases our initial achievements and unveils our
reshaped strategy for year two. We've strengthened our approach
through collaborative partnerships and refined our methodology to
drive measurable impact.
We continue to build upon the robust legislative frameworks
established through the Social Services and Well-being
(Wales) Act 2014, the Regulation and Inspection
of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016, and the Violence against Women,
Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015. What
distinguishes this Plan is its cross-governmental scope and
commitment to transforming strategic vision into tangible action.
We have:
- begun work on the successor to the Dementia Action Plan,
guided by evaluation findings and stakeholder engagement.
- Developed a Resident Wellbeing Toolkit in partnership with
Age Cymru to ensure that care home residents can express their
needs throughout their care journey.
- Successfully delivered payments through the Carers Support
Fund to 11,687 carers in 2024/25.
- strengthened public engagement,
- Published the Code of Practice for Llais, enhancing access,
involvement, and influence over service design.
- launched the Single Unified Safeguarding Review (SUSR) in
October 2024.
Additionally, Social Care Wales, in collaboration with Regional
Safeguarding Boards, has developed and implemented National
Standards for Safeguarding Training in Wales.
The powerful insights from the Older People's Commissioner for
Wales and other key stakeholders guide our path forward. Every
person in Wales deserves to live with dignity, free from abuse of
any kind. Age should never diminish this fundamental right. This
Plan deliberately addresses the specific vulnerabilities older
people may face without diminishing their individuality.
Our vision extends beyond safeguarding to creating a truly
age-friendly Wales—a nation where everyone looks forward to
growing older, where ageism does not limit potential or affect
the quality of services older people receive, and where the
independence, participation, care, self-fulfilment and dignity of
older people are upheld at all times.
The advances outlined in this report reflect Wales's ongoing
commitment to safeguarding and supporting its older
population.
