BASW Cymru welcomes social care investment in 2018/19 draft budget

The professional association for social workers specifically welcomes the announcement of an additional £500 million for health and social care, which includes £192 million towards implementing the long-term plan for health and social care – ‘A Healthier Wales’.

“An increase in funding is desperately needed to meet the increasing costs of funding social care in Wales. Funding is also crucial to developing innovation and new models of care in the community,” says BASW Cymru Professional Officer, Allison Hulmes.   

She adds: “There cannot be long-term sustainability in the health and well-being of our citizens without sustained investment in social services.”

BASW Cymru also warmly welcomes the announcement of a £12.5 million package of measures that will focus on child poverty.

“We cannot continue to look to charities to feed our children during school holidays, for example; we must ensure that our future generations, regardless of their background and circumstances enjoy health, education, prosperity and equal opportunities to enable them to thrive,” says Hulmes.

Finance minister, Mark Drakeford, described the draft budget as “…the most difficult budget to date…with less money, more demand and inflation growing we have worked hard to squeeze every penny we can for those services that matter the most to people.”

Drakeford added he will consult on exempting care leavers from the requirement to pay council tax – a measure BASW Cymru wholeheartedly supports.

But in a note of caution, Hulmes says, “We’ll have to wait until 23rd October before we get more detail on where the additional funds to social care will be allocated and what potential impact they will make.”