Minister for Children and Social Care

Minister for Children and Social Care of Wales
Y Gweinidog Plant a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Welsh)
Incumbent Dawn Bowden MS since 21 March 2024 (2024-03-21)
Welsh Government
Style	Welsh Minister
Status	Minister
Abbreviation	Minister
Member of	Senedd Cabinet
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
Term length	Five years Subject to elections to the Senedd which take place every five years
First holder	Alun Pugh AM
Website	gov.wales/dawn-bowden-ms

The Minister for Children and Social Care (Welsh : Y Gweinidog Plant a Gofal Cymdeithasol) is a minister of the Welsh Government, accountable to the 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 Rhodri Morgan administration	[1]
Deputy Minister for Health and Social Care
	John Griffiths		13 May 2003	2007		Labour	Second Rhodri Morgan government	[2]
Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services
	Gwenda Thomas		31 May 2007	19 July 2007		Labour	Third Rhodri Morgan government	[3]
Deputy Minister for Social Services
	Gwenda Thomas		19 July 2007	10 December 2009		Labour	Fourth Rhodri Morgan government	[3]
	Gwenda Thomas		10 December 2009	2011		Labour	First Jones government	[3]
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 government	[9]
							Second Drakeford government	[10]
Minister for Social Care (2024)
	Dawn Bowden		21 March 2024	11 September 2024		Labour	Gething government	[11]
							Eluned Morgan government
Minister for Children and Social Care
	Dawn Bowden		11 September 2024	Incumbent		Labour	Eluned Morgan government	[12]

Responsibilities

See also: Politics of Wales and 2021 Senedd election

The post's responsibilities are: ^[13]

• 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. ^[14]

See also

• Wales portal

• Ministry

References

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