A former social worker is to chair an independent commission on
the future of social services in Wales over the next 10 years.
Geoffrey Pearson, professor of criminology at Goldsmiths,
University of London, will lead the Welsh Independent Commission on
Social Services, which is due to report by November 2010.
The commission,
which was announced in June, will set how the government should
deliver on its 10-year social services strategy
Fulfilled Lives, Supporting Communities, which was published in
2007.
It will look specifically at how the Welsh government can
support professional development and build collaboration between
social services and other agencies.
Inconsistencies
Pearson said: "There are some high-quality services in Wales but
there are inconsistencies across what is a very diverse nation." He
hoped to address these discrepancies but warned that the commission
would face a big challenge in meeting its deadline.
Gwenda Thomas, deputy minister for social services, said she was
committed to ensuring the commission connected with the public
before making its recommendations. "I am particularly concerned
that the voices of service users and carers are central to the work
of the commission and I shall ensure that proper arrangements are
in place to make this a reality," she said.
Green paper
On Monday the Welsh government launched a consultation on the
future funding of adult social care in Wales, which will feed into
the commission's report.
The green paper,
Paying for Care in
Wales, is the equivalent to the consultative proposals for
funding social care in England issued by the UK government last
July in
Shaping the Future of Care Together.
Though social care is a devolved service, any changes to the
funding system would have to be determined at Westminster.
Consultation on the Welsh green paper will run until February
2010, just before the UK government is due to produce a white paper
on taking forward funding reform.
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