Delyth Jewell MS, Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health
Today, I am announcing Stronger Safeguarding for a Safer Wales, the Welsh Government's whole-system, all age safeguarding reform programme for this Senedd term. The programme brings our safeguarding commitments together under a single framework for improvement, providing strategic direction for strengthening safeguarding across Wales and supporting the delivery of our Programme for Government commitments.
Every child, young person and adult at risk deserves to be safe, heard, and protected. While there are many examples of strong safeguarding practice across Wales, we must continue to strengthen our arrangements so that risks are identified earlier, lessons are acted upon more consistently, and people receive the protection and support they need.
Through stronger leadership, accountability and national oversight, the programme will improve how intelligence and lessons are brought together and used. It will also help ensure the voices of children, young people, adults at risk, victims and survivors shape the services designed to protect them.
Stronger Safeguarding for a Safer Wales responds to the findings of the Strengthening Safeguarding Governance Review, led by Jan Pickles OBE. The Review identified a need for stronger national oversight, clearer accountability and more consistent arrangements for gathering, sharing and acting upon safeguarding intelligence and learning. The Stronger Safeguarding for a Safer Wales programme provides our response to these findings and will strengthen safeguarding arrangements for the future.
The Cabinet Minister for Health and Care and I have accepted all of the recommendations from Phase One of the Review. Alongside the Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language, we have agreed to take forward the Phase 2 recommendations, including further reviews of safeguarding arrangements in education, sport and faith and belief settings. We are pleased that Jan Pickles OBE has agreed to chair this next phase of work. Her continued leadership will provide continuity from the initial review and enable this important work to progress at pace.
The Programme will progress work through four ambitions: namely, stronger leadership and accountability; clear and consistent safeguarding across Wales; a system that learns and improves; and listening to children and adults and acting earlier to reduce harm. These ambitions will be delivered through a phased programme of activity across this Senedd term, strengthening leadership, improving accountability, supporting learning and continuous improvement, and creating the foundations for long-term system improvement.
A central feature of the programme is its commitment to ensuring the voices and experiences of children, young people, adults at risk, victims and survivors are heard and acted upon. Their experiences provide vital insight into how safeguarding arrangements operate in practice and will help shape future improvement, lessons and accountability.
The programme also reflects our commitment to building a safeguarding system that learns and improves. By strengthening how intelligence, evidence and learning are shared and used, we will support earlier identification of risks, better decision-making and continuous improvement across safeguarding services.
Key elements of the programme include establishing a Ministerial Safeguarding Oversight and Assurance Board, creating a dedicated safeguarding function within a National Social Care Intelligence Hub, and developing a National Safeguarding Plan and National Safeguarding Risk Register. Together, these will strengthen national oversight, improve the identification of emerging risks and support more informed decision-making across the safeguarding system.
The programme will also create the foundations for future consultation on proposals for an Adult and Child Protection Authority for Wales and mandatory reporting of abuse and neglect.
Through Stronger Safeguarding for a Safer Wales, we will build a more joined-up, accountable and intelligence-led safeguarding system that is responsive to the needs and experiences of the people it serves. We will strengthen our ability to identify and respond to risks, improve public confidence in safeguarding arrangements and deliver better protection and outcomes for children, young people and adults at risk across Wales.