Tag Archives: politics

The details have been published ahead of the final debate on the Bill in Plenary tomorrow [12/12/2017].

The consultation, which was conducted between 27 February and 9 June 2017, sought views about how the Bill should be implemented if it receives Royal Assent and what transition arrangements should be put in place to help local authorities and education providers facilitate the introduction of the new system. It received a total of 89 replies, some of which were collaborative responses representing the views of multiple individuals and organisations.

Additionally, between 28 February and 9 March 2017, the Welsh Government held eight stakeholder events across Wales to engage with professionals and the public to raise awareness of the proposed additional learning needs system. These events included workshops on the consultation and its implementation options and were attended by a total of 629 participants.

The responses from both the consultation and engagement events have been used to inform the development of the proposed approach to implement the new system.

In publishing the consultation summary and outlining her proposals for how the new system will work in Wales, Kirsty Williams said:

“This Bill is at the heart of our programme to transform the education and support for young people with additional learning needs. We have engaged heavily with partners, stakeholders and – crucially – children, young people and their families to ensure their views are captured and reflected in our proposals for how it will be delivered if passed by the Assembly tomorrow.”

The key elements of the approach we will take include:

• A mandatory phased approach to the introduction of Individual Development Plans (IDPs), which will provide tailored support to the learning needs of each individual and replace current statutory and non-statutory plans including the statement of Special Educational Needs; with those with the most severe learning needs prioritised.
• The new system should commence in September 2020. This will allow sufficient time for the range of supporting measures, subordinate legislation and the Additional Learning Needs Code (which will sit alongside the Bill), to be developed and put into place, and a comprehensive programme of multi-agency training and development, to aid a smooth transition to the new system.
• The implementation of the new system should last three years, with completion expected by the end of 2023.

The Cabinet Secretary added:

“We will be investing £20m to support the implementation of the new additional learning needs (ALN) system. Following analysis of the consultation responses, we have restructured our funding commitments to better align them with the needs of the sector.

“We will focus more resources on implementation training, planning and strategic support, through increased grant funding to the ALN transformation leads. These key posts will support services to put in place detailed implementation planning arrangements at a regional level, across the further education sector and roll-out training to all those who will support learners with additional learning needs to deliver the new system.

“We will of course continue to work with partners on the implementation approach of this new system if the Bill passes tomorrow to ensure the new system provides the best level of support for our most vulnerable learners.”

The report and proposed approach to implementation are published on the Welsh Government’s website.

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Formal agreement for the Cardigan Integrated Care Centre has now been given with work on the old Bathhouse site due to start in spring 2018.  The centre is expected to open in late 2019 due to £23.8m funding from the Welsh Government.

As well as providing a modern, fit for purpose healthcare service for the local population including a GP practice, dental service and pharmacy, the new centre will bring care closer to home and in the community.

A wide range of improved integrated health and social care services will be delivered by Hywel Dda UHB, the third sector, local authority and partner organisations.

The local community will also benefit from;

• Mental health and learning disabilities services
• Minor Injury Service with telemedicine links to the Emergency Department
• potential for an increase in 7 day service provision
• increased diagnostic services including pre-operative assessments
• improved outcomes for patients.

Health Secretary, Vaughan Gething said: 

“I’m pleased to announce the funding for the Cardigan Integrated Care Centre which will make a significant difference to the care people in the Cardigan area receive, closer to home in their communities.

“It’s imperative that people are treated in modern centres and this project will facilitate an improved, integrated approach to healthcare in the community, all under one roof.”

Hywel Dda County Director for Ceredigion, Peter Skitt said:

“We acknowledge that the planning process has at times been quite protracted and drawn-out but it’s been absolutely critical for the project in terms of making sure that we’ve got it right first time, and I would like to reiterate our thanks to stakeholders – particularly local residents, patients and our staff – for their patience and understanding.”

Chair of Hywel Dda University Health Board, Bernardine Rees OBE, added:

“We recognise that the population of Cardigan has been very patient and this facility has definitely had its challenges, but the health board are now very pleased to be moving forward with this important development.

“I would like to pay tribute to everyone involved for their ongoing commitment and hard work to ensure the new centre meets our aim of providing safe, sustainable, integrated care for our local population.

“We are grateful to Welsh Government for providing formal agreement to the Cardigan ICC project.This represents the culmination of several years’ worth of work to ensure that we are able to care for patients in Cardigan in a safe, sustainable and integrated way by providing a facility that is fit for purpose both now and for the future”.

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Next year will be the opportunity for Wales to make its mark as the UK’s top 21st century coastal destination.

• building on Wales’ strengths as a leading 21st Century coastal destination
• Olympian Hannah Mills announced as Ambassador for Year of the Sea

Following the success of Year of Adventure 2016 and Year of Legends 2017, Year of the Sea is a continuation of Visit Wales’ work to reinforce positive perceptions and challenge any outdated perceptions of Wales by promoting our world-class products, activities, events and experiences.

“Following a focus on adventure and legends, we now have an opportunity to celebrate Wales’ coastline and build on Wales’ strengths as a coastal destination.   As we launch this new initiative it’s fantastic news that the Rough Guides have named Wales as one of the top 5 places in the world to visit – testimony that we’re making a name for ourselves in this global market place. 

“The themed year gives us a chance to celebrate our unique 870-mile Wales Coast Path, our 230 beaches and 50 islands and the fact that we have more Blue Flag beaches per mile than anywhere else in Britain. 

“Year of the Sea will be about more than our coastline. We’ll be using the year as an opportunity to focus on Wales’ shores, and this will include not only our seas, but everything from our lakes, to our rivers, and journeys to the sea and will be a celebration of our coastal communities and culture.  We’ll be using the Wales Way, an ambitious new family of three national scenic touring routes that cross the country’s most epic landscapes as a way of showcasing Wales’ fascinating history, coastlines and attractions.”

“This year, leading up to 2018 has been a time for planning and developing and establishing new partnerships. Sustainability and Marine Environment are high on the agenda as is safety on the sea and ensuring that everyone enjoys the beaches, but in a responsible manner.”

“I am so excited to be involved in Year of the Sea. Growing up in Cardiff and exploring the coasts and seas around Wales from Anglesey to Mumbles, the Welsh coastline has had a huge impact on shaping my earlier career.  Those memories and beautiful experiences sailing in such a stunning place remain very firmly in my mind.  My family are still based in Cardiff, and for me it will always be home.  When I won gold in Rio, the warmth and support I got from back home was phenomenal.”

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Sam Everton won a bronze medal at the UK Skills Show in November 2016 when he was a level two student competing against level three students. The skills he demonstrated led to him being invited to return to the Skills Show in November to compete for a place in the UK squad for the EuroSkills competition in 2018 and the WorldSkills competition in 2019. The judges loved his food and he is now in training as part of Squad UK, hoping to gain a place on the team competing in Russia in 2019.

The Skills Show is the UK’s largest skills and careers event. In 2017, 99 Welsh competitors were invited to The Skills Show, a record number for Wales. Of these, 48 returned home with medals, 31 were selected for Squad UK and Wales was the most successful region in the medal table.

The Minister said:

“Afternoon tea was absolutely delicious, I can see why Sam has done so well at the Skills Show over the last two years. I congratulate him on his success and wish him well for the selection process for WorldSkills 2019.

“Sam’s success is an excellent example of the highly skilled and committed young people we have in Wales and the excellent work that goes into helping them achieve their potential. Supporting skills growth, in particular higher level skills, is a key priority for the Welsh Government. It helps Welsh businesses to grow, helps people find decent employment to help support themselves and their families and makes a vital contribution to the Welsh economy.”

Sam said:

“Competing at the Skills Show last year was the start of an amazing journey for me that will hopefully end with the opportunity to represent the UK at WorldSkills. I am looking forward to the training with Squad UK which will be taking me all across the UK, to refining my existing skills and learning new ones including bread making, knife skills and butchery. I’m also looking forward to my placement at Restaurant James Sommerin soon.”

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Hannah Blythyn was in Mostyn to open a new 300 metre long footpath near Warwick Chemicals. The project, a diversion of the Wales Coast Path, was created to remove a railway footbridge from the route which was limiting accessibility in the area. 

The diversion will allow further development and improvements to accessibility along this section of the Wales Coast Path. The new path takes in scenic woodland, providing glimpses of the coast, bringing walkers closer to the River Dee and also removes the necessity to walk along a section of road.   

Hannah Blythyn said:

“It gives me great pleasure to officially open this new section of the Wales Coast Path.  Wales quite literally blazed a trail in 2012 when we became the first country anywhere in the world to build a footpath around our coast.

“This project has continued the practice of partnership working, which has been critical in the development of this now iconic route.

“The Wales Coast Path has been a great success and now walkers will be able to enjoy even more of our stunning coastline and woodland”.

Tim Jones, Natural Resources Wales Director of Operations in North Wales said:  read more