Cabinet meeting: 21 September 2026

• Rt Hon. Rhun ap Iorwerth MS (Chair)
• Sioned Williams MS
• Mabon ap Gwynfor MS
• Anna Brychan MS
• Heledd Fychan MS
• Llyr Gruffydd MS
• Siân Gwenllian MS
• Rt. Hon. Elin Jones MS
• Adam Price MS
• Dafydd Trystan Davies MS
• Rt Hon. Elfyn Llwyd
   
• Cefin Campbell MS
• Nerys Evans MS
• Mark Hooper MS
• Delyth Jewell MS

Officials

• Andrew Goodall, Permanent Secretary
• Rachel Garside-Jones, Director Office of the First Minister
• Jo Salway, Director Cabinet Office
• Rebecca Dunn, Deputy Director Cabinet and Senedd Business Division
• Toby Mason, Director Strategic Communications
• Aled ap Dafydd, Senior Special Adviser
• Elin Roberts, Senior Special Adviser
• Lewis Owen, Special Adviser
• Francess Ifan, Senior Special Adviser
• Nia Lewis, Cabinet Office
• Christopher W Morgan, Cabinet Secretariat (minutes)
• James Oxenham, Cabinet Secretariat
• Taryn Stephens, Deputy Chief Social Care Officer (item 3)

The Programme for Government

1.1 The Prif Weinidog advised ministers that, following the discussions at Cabinet the previous week, the Programme for Government would be published the following day. He would be making an oral statement to the Senedd that afternoon.

1.2  As part of the communications around the publication, the Prif Weinidog had visited a school in Aberdare earlier that day. In addition, the Prif Weinidog, along with the Trefnydd, Chief Whip and Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport, would be visiting Swansea on Wednesday to launch the programme of free-swimming lessons for children in Wales.

Deputy Minister for Transport visit to Ireland

1.3 Cabinet noted that the Deputy Minister for Transport had visited Ireland earlier that month and met with the Minister of State at the Department of Transport. He also had meetings with Rosslare Europort, Dublin Port, Irish Ferries, Dixon International Logistics, and the Irish Maritime Development Office. During the visit he reinforced the shared commitment to strengthening connectivity and resilience across the Irish Sea.

2.1 Cabinet noted that week’s Plenary grid.

3.1 The Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health introduced the paper which asked Cabinet to agree to establish Strengthening the Safeguarding Regime for a Safer Wales as the government's overarching programme for reforming safeguarding.

3.2 The government had committed to strengthen safeguarding across Wales to ensure the voices of children, young people, adults at risk, victims and survivors shape the services designed to protect them.

3.3 The proposed programme would bring together safeguarding commitments under one coherent framework and would be the main vehicle for delivery while also providing a clear strategic narrative for reforming safeguarding in Wales.

3.4 The work would be rooted in the findings of the Safeguarding Governance Arrangements Strengthening Review led by the independent safeguarding consultant, Jan Pickles. Whilst the review noted that Wales had strong legislative foundations and effective partnership working arrangements, it concluded that safeguarding governance arrangements had become fragmented, with limited national oversight, inconsistent information handling arrangements and the need for clearer accountability.

3.5 The government had accepted the recommendations of Stage 1 of the review, and the programme would be the official response.

3.6 The programme had been developed around 4 themes:

• stronger leadership and accountability
• clear and consistent safeguarding procedures across Wales
• a system that learned lessons and improved
• while listening to children and adults and taking action sooner.

3.7 Some changes could be implemented immediately, whereas other elements would require further policy development and consultation work.

3.8 Importantly, this work reflected commitments to ensure that the voices and experiences of children, young people, adults at risk, victims and survivors were heard and acted upon.

3.9 The roll-out of the programme would take place in stages throughout the current Senedd. This included creating the foundations for future consideration of mandatory processes in relation to reporting abuse, and proposals relating to the Adults and Children Protection Authority for Wales. Stronger national safeguarding arrangements, including a Child Protection Authority, were included in the recommendations of Baroness Casey's work following the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

3.10 Ultimately, these reforms would promote a more collaborative, transparent and responsive safeguarding system, providing better protection, support and outcomes for children and adults at risk across Wales.

3.11 Cabinet approved the recommendations in the paper and noted that the Deputy Minister would be making an oral statement on the proposals on 6 October.

Cabinet Secretariat
September 2026