BASW Cymru Director, Prof. Sam Baron, attended the event as did BASW Chief Executive, Dr. Ruth Allen, BASW Chair Julia Ross and Steven Crane-Jenkins who takes the lead on communications at BASW Cymru.
In addition to attending, BASW Cymru also had an exhibition stall at the conference with all things social work on hand to give to delegates and also an opportunity for delegates to chat to those from BASW.
The Conference was very well attended and the BASW Cymru stand was uniquely place, which meant all delegates passed us at some point over the weekend.
This was the first Welsh Labour Party Conference since the First Minister, Eluned Morgan MS, was elected to office and, of course, the first Welsh Labour Party Conference since the UK got a new Prime Minister in Sir Kier Starmer MP.
Lots of key Welsh Labour figures took to the stage to address the conference hall and the Prime Minister was the first keynote speaker on the Saturday morning to address a capacity audience of over 800 people.
With a backdrop of protesting famers outside the Conference, due to recent Budget announcements about inheritance tax, the Prime Minister stressed that he would "defend our decisions in the Budget all-day long".
He also told the Conference: "I will defend facing up to the harsh light of fiscal reality, defend tough decisions that were necessary to stabilise our economy, and I will defend protecting the payslips of working people, fixing the foundations of our economy, and investing in the future of Britain and the future of Wales, finally turning the page on austerity – once and for all."
The Prime Minister said the time was "long overdue for Westminster politicians to level with people, honestly, about the trade-offs that Britain faces" and that politicians had to "stop insulting your intelligence with the chicanery of easy answers, when that is exactly how we got into this mess in the first place.”
He also confirmed plans for a £160m investment zone in Flintshire and Wrexham would go ahead next year.
In her first speech as the (second) new First Minister for Wales since the last Conference, Eluned Morgan MS marked her 100 days as First Minister by making it clear her priority was to drive down hospital waiting lists, which are at record levels with more than 600,000 people awaiting treatment.
She told the conference that the Welsh NHS will receive an extra £22m to tackle waiting lists, in addition to an announcement of £28m last month, external to cut waiting times.
"I can say with certainty that more resources are needed," she said.
"This additional investment will go towards ensuring more operations are done through expanding treatment capacity and ensuring patients don't have to wait unacceptably long periods for the procedures that can dramatically improve their quality of life."
Welsh Labour, she said, had long been the "beating heart of Welsh politics.
"Our story, the story we write every day, is one of hope, resilience and a deep belief that together we can build a better Wales for all," she said.
"From my early days surrounded by the strength and solidarity of my community", growing up in Ely, Cardiff, "to my service in the European Parliament, the UK Parliament, and now the Senedd as your First Minister, I have remained steadfast in my commitment to the values that define us as Welsh Labour.
"Today I stand before you not just as the leader, but as a fellow member of our movement ready to confront the challenges ahead with experience and determination."
BASW Cymru met with dozens of people across the weekend, including Members of the Senedd, Members of Parliament, many Councillors, delegates and quite a number of delegates who are social workers in their working life.
As we left the Conference on Sunday, we had generated a lot of follow up work to take forward and a list of social workers who were keen to engage with us.
This was an excellent event and one we would be keen to attend in the future and to look at the other party conference in Wales in the coming year, as we develop our BASW Cymru manifesto for the 2026 Senedd elections.
