Minister for Social Care explained

Post:	Minister for Social Care
Body:	Wales
Flag:	Flag of Wales.svg
Flagsize:	50px
Incumbent:	Dawn Bowden MS
Department:	Welsh Government
Style:	Welsh Minister
Status:	Minister
Abbreviation:	Minister
Reports To:	the Senedd, the First Minister of Wales and the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
Seat:	Cardiff
Nominator:	First Minister of Wales
Appointer:	The Crown
Termlength:	Five years
Termlength Qualified:	Subject to elections to the Senedd which take place every five years
First:	Alun Pugh AM

The Minister for Social Care (Welsh: Y Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol) is a minister of the Welsh Government, accountable to the cabinet cabinet secretary for health and social care. The current officeholder is Dawn Bowden since March 2024.

Deputy ministers

Name		Picture	Entered office	Left office	Other offices held	Political party	Government	Notes
Deputy Secretary for Health and Social Services
	Alun Pugh		23 February 2000	17 October 2000		Labour	Interim Morgan administration	^[1]
Deputy Minister for Health and Social Care
	John Griffiths		13 May 2003	2007		Labour	Second Morgan government	^[2]
Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services
	Gwenda Thomas		31 May 2007	19 July 2007		Labour	Third Morgan government	^[3]
Deputy Minister for Social Services
	Gwenda Thomas		19 July 2007	10 December 2009		Labour	Fourth Morgan government
	Gwenda Thomas		10 December 2009	2011		Labour	First Jones government
Deputy Minister for Children & Social Services
	Gwenda Thomas		13 May 2011	11 September 2014		Labour	Second Jones government	^[4] ^[5]
Minister for Social Services and Public Health
	Rebecca Evans		19 May 2016	2017		Labour	Third Jones government	^[6]
Minister for Children and Social Care (2017–18)Minister for Children, Older People and Social Care (2018)
	Huw Irranca-Davies		3 November 2017	2018	Older People brief added in May 2018.^[7]	Labour	Third Jones government	^[8]
Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services (2018–2021)Deputy Minister for Social Services (2021–2024)
	Julie Morgan		13 December 2018	20 March 2024		Labour	First Drakeford governmentSecond Drakeford government	^[9] ^[10]
Minister for Social Care
	Dawn Bowden		21 March 2024	Incumbent		Labour	Gething government	^[11]

Responsibilities

See also: Politics of Wales and 2021 Senedd election.

The post's responsibilities are:^[12]

• Some public health responsibilities, specifically;
  • The response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Wales, screening and vaccination.
  • Services for Health improvement and wellbeing
• Delivery and performance of NHS Wales
• Escalation procedures
• Responsibility in managing reports from Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, such as keeping a receipt of, responding to, and managing the direction of their reports.
• Overseeing the Welsh Government's relationship with Audit Wales in matters relating to the NHS.
• The training and development of the medical workforce, excluding the higher education years 1-5 of Doctors
• Health and social care research and development
• Digital health and health innovation
• Mental health services
• Suicide prevention
• Dementia
• Autism
• Gambling problem-related health impacts
• Substance misuse
• Health of the armed forces and veterans
• Strategy for Obesity
• Food Standards Agency in Wales, including food safety
• Genetically modified food (but not genetically modified crops)
• Experience of patients, their involvement, and the citizens' voices
• Safeguarding
• Services for Adoption and Foster care
• Advocacy services for children and young people's, such as managing complains, representations, as well as advocacy, under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014
• Sharing information under the Children Act 2004
• Cafcass Cymru
• Overseeing and deciding policy regarding social service provision of activities by the local authorities in Wales, including issuing statutory guidance
• Overseeing Social Care Wales
• Regulating domiciliary, residential, adult placements, foster care, under 8's care provision and private healthcare
• Inspecting and reporting the provision of social services by the local authorities in Wales, through the Care Inspectorate Wales, including jointly reviewing social services and responding to any reports
• The rights and entitlements of children and young people, including utilising the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
• Early years, childcare and play, including the "childcare offer" and its workforce
• Early childhood education and care
• Flying Start for children aged 0–3 years
• Policies for Families First and play

The post is accountable and deputy to the Minister for Health and Social Services.^[13]

See also

• Ministry

Notes and References

1. Web site: Key Events in the Development of the National Assembly for Wales First Assembly: 1999 - 2003 . senedd.wales . National Assembly for Wales.
2. Web site: Key Events in the Development of the National Assembly for Wales Second Assembly: 2003 - 2007 . senedd.wales . National Assembly for Wales.
3. Web site: Key Events in the Development of the National Assembly for Wales Third Assembly: 2007 - 2011 . senedd.wales . National Assembly for Wales.
4. News: 2011-05-13 . Carwyn Jones unveils three new faces in Welsh cabinet . 2024-01-18 . BBC News . en-GB.
5. News: 11 September 2014 . Reshuffle lowdown: A new face, a returning face and three are out . ITV News.
6. News: 19 May 2016 . First Minister Carwyn Jones names new Cabinet . ITV News.
7. News: 2018-05-16 . Older people added to Huw Irranca-Davies's brief . 2024-01-18 . BBC News . en-GB.
8. Web site: 2017-11-03 . Written Statement - Ministerial changes (3 November 2017) GOV.WALES . 2024-01-18 . www.gov.wales . en.
9. News: 13 December 2018 . First Minister Mark Drakeford appoints new cabinet . ITV News.
10. Web site: Mosalski . Ruth . 2021-05-13 . Live updates as Mark Drakeford overhauls Welsh Government cabinet . 2024-01-18 . Wales Online . en.
11. News: 21 March 2024 . Wales' new First Minister Vaughan Gething announces his cabinet . ITV News.
12. Web site: Julie Morgan MS: Deputy Minister for Social Services GOV.WALES . 2024-01-18 . www.gov.wales . en.
13. Web site: 2024-01-02 . Welsh Government organisation chart GOV.WALES . 2024-01-16 . www.gov.wales . en.