Finalists announced for 2015 Welsh Care Accolades
By News Wales, ,

The UK’s largest arts training scheme for young people with sight loss, a computer programme supporting adults with learning disabilities and a ‘transformative’ care initiative for people with dementia are among the finalists in the running for prestigious national awards. 

A record number of entries was received for the Accolades, run by the Care Council for Wales, which celebrate and showcase excellence in social work, social care, early years and childcare. Open to teams and organisations from the public, voluntary and independent sectors, the Accolades look in particular for those that have invested in the learning and development of their workforce to bring about better outcomes for people receiving care services.   

The Accolades were launched in 2005 and this year celebrate their 10th anniversary.  The winners, who will be announced at a ceremony in Cardiff City Hall on Thursday, 18 June, will be selected by a panel of judges comprising partners from a variety of organisations across the country.

They include the British Association of Social Work (BASW); the Social Services Improvement Agency (SSIA) Cymru; the Association of Directors of Social Services (ADSS) Cymru; the Older People’s Commissioner for Wales; the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA); Children in Wales; Care Forum Wales; and Workforce, Education and Development Services (WEDS), NHS Wales.

The 2015 ceremony will also see a 10th anniversary achievement award given to a project that has previously won an Accolade, which has delivered positive and measurable outcomes for individuals using services, and is continuing to flourish.

Arwel Ellis Owen, Chair of the Care Council and of the Accolades judging panel, said: “Once again, we have been delighted by the number and standard of entries for the Accolades. It just shows how many great examples of excellent care we have in Wales. It also reinforces the high priority these organisations give to the learning and development of their staff, who are their most important resource. After all, without staff, there is no service.

“It is important that the initiatives competing for an Accolade are abreast of current thinking, policies and priorities. That’s why all of the Accolades categories are in-line with the principles of the recent Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act, which aims to promote people’s independence to give them a stronger voice in the kind of care they would like, and control over how they receive it. This year’s Accolades ceremony will be the last to be staged by the Care Council before it develops into a new body, Social Care Wales. As it will also be the 10th anniversary of the Accolades, we expect the awards ceremony to be bigger and better than ever, and a worthy showcase of best practice in a variety of care settings throughout Wales,” he added.  

Leadership to Achieve Confident, Competent and Professional Workers (sponsored by Fix Training)

  • City and County of Swansea – for their project that forms partnerships with families and professionals to ‘support, enable, assist and empower’ them, so their children can live safely in their homes and communities.
  • Pembrokeshire County Council – for its supper club for care leavers, which gives young people direct access to a personal advisor, support agencies and practical help and ensures the ‘voice of the child’ is integral to service planning.

Citizen-led Services (sponsored by The Open University Wales)

  • Conwy County Borough Council – for a project that plans for the future of people with a learning disability living in the family home with older parents/carers, giving peace of mind to both carers and those being cared for.
  • UCAN Productions, Cardiff – for developing a specialist training programme for visually-impaired young people, enabling them to participate in the performing arts. With more than 700 members, it now has the largest arts membership for those with sight loss in the UK.

Better Outcomes Through Working Together (sponsored by Deloitte)

  • Flintshire County Council – for its parenting strategy, a multi-agency approach which has helped improve confidence in parenting skills, leading to a reduction in stress experienced by families in daily life and improved academic achievement for children.
  • Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council– for its Youth Forum, which gives children and young people the right to be seen and heard, by consulting with them on any decisions that affect them across the county borough and resulting in the creation of a DVD used as a national resource to raise awareness of human trafficking.
  • Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council – for developing a computer programme, about to be released worldwide by Microsoft, allowing adults with learning disabilities to develop confidence and friendships.

Developing a Sustainable Workforce (sponsored by Blake Morgan)

  • Monmouthshire County Council – for its plan to radically review how it recruits new social workers, involving service users in the selection process, significantly reducing agency staff and enjoying a full complement of staff on permanent contracts.
  • Pembrokeshire County Council – for implementing a workforce strategy concentrating on recruiting and retaining high-quality social workersthrough an improved salary structure and market supplement (MS) payment.
  • Isle of Anglesey County Council- for stabilising and developing its workforce by reviewingapproaches to recruitment and retention, induction, professional development and specificmanagement training.

Excellent Outcomes in the Care of Older People

  • Llys y Seren – a collaboration between Gr?p Gwalia Cyf, Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board and Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council on a new purpose-built care home in Baglan, specialising in dementia care for 50 residents from a number of existing facilities, providing them with a home for the rest of their lives rather than being moved on to nursing care.
  • Monmouthshire County Council – for a ‘transformative’ project supporting 14 people living with dementia, moving away from traditional models of homecare by not focussing on tasks being performed by staff at specific times, but with activities undertaken by carers discussed daily with the person and their family.
  • Vale of Glamorgan Council – for a residential care home run in partnership with HAFOD Housing Association, aimed at changing the task-focussed culture by creating a ‘sense of home’ with mutually-supportive relationships between the older people, their friends, relatives and staff.

Excellent Outcomes in the Care of Younger People, Children and Early Years (sponsored by Prospects for Young People)

  • Gwent Missing Children Project – for a multi-agency approach involving police, health boards, local authorities and third sector in the former Gwent county area to create a hub, with the aim of reducing the number of children and young people reported as missing or absent.
  • GISDA, Caernarfon – for supporting vulnerable young people aged 16-25 to live independently in hostels, houses and flats across North Wales by helping them with training, education, budgeting and life skills.

For more visit: http://www.ccwales.org.uk/news/2015/05/12/finalists-announced-for-prestigious-awards-that-recognise-excellence-in-care/#sthash.BkN2hC6N.dpuf