Social Work in Wales Since Democratic Devolution

Abstract

The present paper considers what is distinctive about social policy and services in Wales and the context of social work practice. There is brief consideration of the social and economic character of the country, the challenge to social services and social work practice of a national minority language, and the relevance to social work of collective identities (national, local, and ethnic). An overview of relevant aspects of social policy in Wales since the establishment of democratic devolution in 1999 reveals that, although there are some distinctive aspects of social work in Wales, there is also a great deal of continuity with other parts of the UK, and England in particular, and that the potential for distinctiveness is just beginning to be realised.

Keywords:

• Social Policy
• Social Services
• Social Work
• Wales

Notes

¹For further details, refer to the Care Council for Wales website (http://www.ccwales.org.uk/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=471).

²There is no mandatory reporting system in Wales, but there is statutory guidance requiring certain state employees, such as teachers, health visitors, GPs, psychiatrists, and paediatricians, to report child welfare concerns to the local authority social work child protection team. Social workers must then investigate the concern within a strict timetable, often in consultation with the police (Welsh Assembly Government, 2007c).