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The Deputy Minister for Social Services has today announced the launch of a public consultation on the Rebalancing Care and Support Programme.

This substantial consultation includes proposals for:

a Code of Practice on a National Framework for Commissioned Care and Support;
the functions of a National Office for Care and Support;
changes to the Part 2 Code of Practice (General Functions) relating to how local authorities meet their duties under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014;
changes to the Part 9 Statutory Guidance on Partnership Arrangements designed to strengthen Regional Partnership Board arrangements to support stronger working between local authorities and the NHS;
changes to the Part 8 Code of Practice on the role of the Director of Social Services and the Local Authority Social Services Annual Report Regulations; and
a draft Pay and Progression Framework for the social care workforce developed by the Social Care Fair Work Forum.

To help achieve our aim of strengthening regional partnership arrangements and the role of the Regional Partnership Boards we are also proposing amendments to the Partnership Arrangements (Wales) Regulations 2015 covering the objectives, membership and some other issues relating to Regional Partnership Boards e.g. self-assessments and annual report and an amendment to the Care and Support (Area Planning) (Wales) Regulations 2017 covering annual delivery plans. Once we have considered the responses to the main Rebalancing consultation we intend to run a short, targeted consultation on draft sets of these amended regulations later this year.

All of our consultation proposals have been informed by extensive stakeholder engagement and co-production including through various Technical and Task and Finish Groups. We will continue to engage fully with stakeholders and citizens throughout the consultation process including through in-person consultation events planned for early summer for which details will follow soon.