The Social Services and Well Being (Wales) Act requires considerable preparation for its implementation in April 2016. and at the time when planning this training in Conwy there was no concrete details yet in place for the Care Council Wales training to be implemented regionally, later in 2015-6.
The drivers for Conwy commissioning this awareness training was an increasing interest in the workforce and outside agencies of what this legislation and would mean for the department and its role. This was a good opportunity to enable those attending to link it to the social services transformation process underway in response to the requirements of the legislation. There was no local course available, aimed at all staff, which focused on raising awareness within social services and education, and partner agencies. Staff who are more aware from the start will be more able to change the way they deliver future services to our customers.
What’s changed?
The guiding principles of this legislation will have a considerable impact on future multidisciplinary working and how services will be eventually delivered. Therefore a decision to open up this training to invite all partner agencies, health and all of Conwy Council staff was made. This training was delivered in 4 half day sessions with a mixed attendance of all the invited agencies. The training was delivered locally by Conwy Legal Services with an integrated approach, focussing in the potential impact on adults and children’s services.
What difference has it made?
We’ve raised awareness of the implications of the Act amongst all agencies involved in social care and health. Colleagues have gained an understanding of the future changes in services and the role of a social services department in Wales.
The considerable knowledge of the legal team who delivered the training gave a more in depth analysis of the potential consequences, and how the new legislation may affect future practice. In addition group work sessions enabled the trainers to collect feedback to take forward to the consultation processes with the Welsh Government on the Codes of Practice and Regulations. Future training needs were also collated from the evaluation forms from the sessions to further inform regional and local training plans.