Dawn Bowden MS, Minister for Children and Social Care
Today we are publishing our first Annual Report of our National Plan to Prevent the Abuse of Older People - the first of its kind in the UK. One year into this vital work, we've laid strong foundations while recognising the significant journey still ahead.
The abuse of older people remains one of our society's most pressing challenges, with profound physical, emotional, and social consequences for victims.
This report showcases our initial achievements and unveils our reshaped strategy for year two. We've strengthened our approach through collaborative partnerships and refined our methodology to drive measurable impact.
We continue to build upon the robust legislative frameworks established through the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016, and the Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015. What distinguishes this Plan is its cross-governmental scope and commitment to transforming strategic vision into tangible action.
We have:
- begun work on the successor to the Dementia Action Plan, guided by evaluation findings and stakeholder engagement.
- Developed a Resident Wellbeing Toolkit in partnership with Age Cymru to ensure that care home residents can express their needs throughout their care journey.
- Successfully delivered payments through the Carers Support Fund to 11,687 carers in 2024/25.
- strengthened public engagement,
- Published the Code of Practice for Llais, enhancing access, involvement, and influence over service design.
- launched the Single Unified Safeguarding Review (SUSR) in October 2024.
Additionally, Social Care Wales, in collaboration with Regional Safeguarding Boards, has developed and implemented National Standards for Safeguarding Training in Wales.
The powerful insights from the Older People's Commissioner for Wales and other key stakeholders guide our path forward. Every person in Wales deserves to live with dignity, free from abuse of any kind. Age should never diminish this fundamental right. This Plan deliberately addresses the specific vulnerabilities older people may face without diminishing their individuality.
Our vision extends beyond safeguarding to creating a truly age-friendly Wales—a nation where everyone looks forward to growing older, where ageism does not limit potential or affect the quality of services older people receive, and where the independence, participation, care, self-fulfilment and dignity of older people are upheld at all times.
The advances outlined in this report reflect Wales’s ongoing commitment to safeguarding and supporting its older population.