Minister for Children and Social Care
{{Short description|Welsh Government minister}}
{{EngvarB|date=January 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox official post
| post = Minister for Children and Social Care
| body = Wales
| native_name = {{native name|cy|Y Gweinidog Plant a Gofal Cymdeithasol}}
| insignia =
| insigniasize =
| insigniacaption =
| flag = Flag of Wales.svg
| flagsize = 50px
| flagborder =
| flagcaption =
| image = Official photograph of Dawn Bowden MS Minister for Children and Social Care (portrait).jpg
| imagesize =
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| incumbent = Dawn Bowden MS
| acting =
| incumbentsince = {{Start date|df=yes|2024|03|21}}
| department = Welsh Government
| style = Welsh Minister
| type =
| status = Minister
| abbreviation = Minister
| member_of = {{Hlist|Senedd|Cabinet}}
| reports_to = the Senedd, the First Minister of Wales and the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
| residence =
| seat = Cardiff
| nominator = First Minister of Wales
| appointer = The Crown
| appointer_qualified =
| termlength = Five years
| termlength_qualified = Subject to elections to the Senedd which take place every five years
| constituting_instrument =
| precursor =
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| last =
| abolished =
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| website = {{URL|https://gov.wales/dawn-bowden-ms}}
}}
The Minister for Children and Social Care ({{langx|cy|Y Gweinidog Plant a Gofal Cymdeithasol}}) is a minister of the Welsh Government, accountable to the cabinet secretary for health and social care. The current officeholder is Dawn Bowden since March 2024.
Deputy ministers
Responsibilities
{{See also|Politics of Wales|2021 Senedd election}}
The post's responsibilities are:{{Cite web |title=Julie Morgan MS: Deputy Minister for Social Services {{!}} GOV.WALES |url=https://www.gov.wales/julie-morgan-ms |access-date=2024-01-18 |website=www.gov.wales |language=en}}
- Some public health responsibilities, specifically;
- The response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales, screening and vaccination.
- Services for Health improvement and wellbeing
- Delivery and performance of NHS Wales
- Escalation procedures
- Responsibility in managing reports from Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, such as keeping a receipt of, responding to, and managing the direction of their reports.
- Overseeing the Welsh Government's relationship with Audit Wales in matters relating to the NHS.
- The training and development of the medical workforce, excluding the higher education years 1-5 of Doctors
- Health and social care research and development
- Digital health and health innovation
- Mental health services
- Suicide prevention
- Dementia
- Autism
- Gambling problem-related health impacts
- Substance misuse
- Health of the armed forces and veterans
- Strategy for Obesity
- Food Standards Agency in Wales, including food safety
- Genetically modified food (but not genetically modified crops)
- Experience of patients, their involvement, and the citizens' voices
- Safeguarding
- Services for Adoption and Foster care
- Advocacy services for children and young people's, such as managing complains, representations, as well as advocacy, under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014
- Sharing information under the Children Act 2004
- Cafcass Cymru
- Overseeing and deciding policy regarding social service provision of activities by the local authorities in Wales, including issuing statutory guidance
- Overseeing Social Care Wales
- Regulating domiciliary, residential, adult placements, foster care, under 8's care provision and private healthcare
- Inspecting and reporting the provision of social services by the local authorities in Wales, through the Care Inspectorate Wales, including jointly reviewing social services and responding to any reports
- The rights and entitlements of children and young people, including utilising the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
- Early years, childcare and play, including the "childcare offer" and its workforce
- Early childhood education and care
- Flying Start for children aged 0–3 years
- Policies for Families First and play
The post is accountable and deputy to the Minister for Health and Social Services.{{Cite web |date=2024-01-02 |title=Welsh Government organisation chart {{!}} GOV.WALES |url=https://www.gov.wales/welsh-government-organisation-chart |access-date=2024-01-16 |website=www.gov.wales |language=en}}
See also
{{Portal|Wales}}
References
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
{{Drakeford Cabinet}}
{{Welsh devolution}}
{{Wales topics}}