NCERCC Independent Analysis of the Health and Social Care (Wales) Bill 2024 sees ‘More Work is Necessary’.

NCERCC, being independent experts in Residential Child Care and its planning, and  independent of governments, local authorities, and providers, offers a unique position to evaluate policy proposals.

The major message of their analysis is that more work is necessary.

The NCERCC analysis sees the critical issue being the content and delivery of care, the degree to which the proposals meet child care principles and theory and practice and provide a secure emotional base and an emotionally holding containing and nurturing environment. In its view these have not yet been addressed. The degree that differing ownership types enhance the creation of a secure emotional base has not yet been undertaken, and so NCERCC considers the Senedd has not yet had the fullest evidence upon which to base a decision.

It is necessary to consider legal entity, commercial and financial as an essential aspect of the delivery of residential child care.

NCERCC, a participant in the various discussion groups regarding the Bill, considers that to date the focus has been on the legal entity of providers. It sees that care aspects and the commercial/financial as being integrated and so must be included in the same decision making.

NCERCC introduces the concept of specificity rather than sufficiency as the necessary focus for the Bill. In its view specificity leads to care being closer, and also requires different and more provision than is provided currently. It makes the significant point that there must be further and different forms of residential child care and settings than have been imagined especially to meet higher level needs.

With decades of practice and policy experience regarding the sector NCERCC understands each children’s home as unique. It states, “Each home needs to have clarity of its uniqueness and its specificity, the model of care, the knowledge, practice, and experience of the staff, determine the children who can be admitted safely.”

It calls for a needs audit as a necessary precursor to policy discussions.

The focus of the Bill has been headlined as ending for profit care. NCERCC does not agree that the Bill removes marketisation or commodification rather it is transferred to the not-for-profit sector.

In a broad range of recommendations NCERCC looks for the development of a method of identification and assessment of need to underpin effective specific matching of needs and provision. This it sees as necessary for efficient spending. Also enhancing effectiveness and efficiency it sees would be a national practice model enabling planned, broad, deep, and targeted workforce development beyond that currently that is has evaluated previously as often being narrow and provider focussed.

The current impasse between Government and providers NCERCC warns could lead to the possibility of for profit residential child care providers closing, and in advance of the due date, with not-for-profit providers unable to fill the gap swiftly or at all. If this happens NCERCC sees it would be local authorities having to take on the responsibilities for the development and direct provision of children’s homes.

NCERCC experience is that for such a project expert knowledge and experience is essential. NCERCC draws attention to local authorities at the Programme Board local authorities stating their concern at the lack of planning regarding the proposals.

In the current circumstances NCERCC concludes it would be prudent to adopt a partnership compact as common in Europe whilst developing publicly and socially owned homes. In European social democratic countries there are sectoral contracts and compacts that govern all aspects of working. The private sector works in combination with socialised ownership towards a common goal and within parameters regarding employment and use of surplus. This is addressed in a companion document: Social partnership, civil society, and children’s care system.

The full analysis and evaluation can be found HERE.

The companion document, Social partnership, civil society, and children’s care system, can be found HERE.