£48m COVID recovery fund to support social care in Wales

A new £48m package of funding to support social care in Wales has today (Tuesday September 14) been announced by Deputy Minister for Social Services Julie Morgan.

The majority of the funding – £40m – has been allocated to local authorities and will be used to help the social care sector meet the ongoing challenges caused by the pandemic.

A further £8m will fund a number of specific priorities, including extending the carers support fund; tackle loneliness in older people; investing in the social care workforce’s wellbeing and in residential services for care-experienced children.

Deputy Minister for Social Services Julie Morgan said:

“We place huge value on social care in Wales and we ask a lot of the sector. It is facing significant pressures as a result of the pandemic and – just like our NHS staff – the workforce is exhausted from working so hard for so long.

This new funding recognises the challenges the sector is facing and will help to address some of the financial pressures it faces. It also includes new funding to invest in priority areas to improve services, in line with our ambitions and commitments.

We will continue supporting social care in Wales and, as we recover from the pandemic, will build a strong and resilient social care sector.”

Social care COVID recovery fund allocations:

·        £40m to local authorities

·        £2.8m to the Family Intervention Fund to support child and family wellbeing to safely divert cases from child protection registration

·        £2.8m for regional residential services for care experienced children and young people with complex needs (formerly safe accommodation for children with complex needs)

·        £1m to continue the carers support fund 

·        £600,000 for learning disability health checks

·        £220,000 to support for older people to re-engage with their communities

·        £190,000 to improve the wellbeing offer for the social care workforce

·        £150,000 to support the Hillside Secure Children’s Home

·        £140,000 for ADSS Cymru to support delivery of the recovery framework

·        £100,000 to promote a rights-based approach for older people

Groups supporting older people to engage with their communities and helping to tackle loneliness will receive £220,000 from the £48m Welsh Government social care covid recovery fund.

Older people take an active role in social groups within their communities. The fund will reintroduce them to the activities they were taking part in pre-pandemic, rebuild their confidence their confidence and help re-engage with their communities after the pandemic.

Minister for Finance and Local Government Rebecca Evans said:

“We are fully committed to supporting health and social services to recover from the pandemic and move beyond it. The funding we are announcing today is part of a broader package that will help services like these manage the ongoing effects of COVID and deliver high-quality care for people.”