UK Government Minister Guto Bebb MP set out the UK Government’s commitment to tackling poverty in Wales at a Policy Forum for Wales event in Cardiff today (12 October).

The Minister told an audience of senior politicians and academics about the Prime Minister’s mission to “build a country where no one and no community is left behind,” by improving access to employment and making it pay to be in work.

In his speech to the forum, the Minister demonstrated the impact that record employment across the UK (as well as 93,000 more people in work in Wales than in 2010) and the introduction of the National Living Wage is having on reducing absolute poverty.

The Minister also spoke about UK Government plans to reduce the number of children living in workless families, by introducing statutory measures to address parental worklessness and children’s educational attainment, areas known to make the biggest difference to disadvantaged children.

UK Government Minister for Wales Guto Bebb said:

This government is serious about tackling poverty in Wales. We’ve taken decisive action to create the right conditions for employment, making sure that more people are in work and are earning a living wage.

Welfare reform in Wales is transforming the lives of those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds for the better. Universal Credit is simplifying the tax and benefit system while supporting those on the lowest incomes.

Creating the correct conditions for job creation through the ambitious Industrial Strategy remains at the heart of the UK Government’s priorities. I am optimistic that as we leave the EU, we will develop a new and lasting partnership which enables businesses across the UK to continue to trade with their partners in the EU.

The UK Government recognises how important the availability of affordable housing is in the fight against poverty. That’s why last week the Prime Minister announced £2bn to be made available to increase the affordable housing stock in England, and I ask the Welsh Government to consider if a similar policy is needed in Wales.

Further information:

[unable to retrieve full-text content]The Queen has approved knighthoods for Michael Penning and Robert Syms.

• Sector-led improvement initiative for local authorities, backed by £20 million
• Launch of new What Works Centre for children’s social care

A multi-million pound government initiative to improve the lives of vulnerable children and families has been announced today by Robert Goodwill, Minister for Children and Families.

In a speech to the National Children and Adults Services (NCAS) conference in Bournemouth, Minister Goodwill announced up to £20 million for a new programme to help all councils improve their services – with a sharp focus on making sure those at risk of failure can make vital improvements.

The programme will give councils the tools they need to build stronger services for our most vulnerable children. This includes:

• Tailored peer support for local authorities, bringing in more councils to the successful Partners in Practice programme;
• The testing of ‘Regional Improvement Alliances’, made up of neighbouring local authorities. Alliances will see councils challenging each other on standards, agreeing local improvement priorities, and sharing best practice, in order to deliver more for children and families.

In his speech at the NCAS conference today, Minister Goodwill said:

There is nothing more important than the safety and wellbeing of children. Yet, too many young people, and their families, are being let down by poor quality services – or worse, left at risk of harm. That is why we must take decisive action where performance is not good enough.

Our interventions programme is yielding real results: 36 local authorities have been lifted out of intervention since 2010 and we are seeing a positive impact from the independent children’s social care trusts that we have set up in Doncaster and Slough.

My commitment is that we will build a self-improving system, one that spots where challenges are emerging, and quickly puts the right support in place.

In addition, the Department for Education has announced that Nesta will set up its new What Works Centre for Children’s Social Care, with a focus on improving outcomes for children who are at risk of, or suffering from, abuse or neglect.

The Centre will develop a powerful evidence base that supports best practice on the frontline.

This is a key part of the government’s commitment to ensuring experts and practitioners across the country learn from the latest best practice.

Geoff Mulgan, Chief Executive of Nesta, said:

This new What Works Centre is a great opportunity to support improvement in children’s care – and ultimately to improve the lives of many children who deserve better.

Nesta and our partners Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE), the Alliance for Useful Evidence, FutureGov and Traversum will be working very closely with frontline professionals, listening, learning and adapting to feedback and evidence throughout this set-up phase. We’ll also draw on the experiences of other What Works Centres on how to gather evidence, but even more importantly, how to make it useful and used.

Working in partnership with the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) and the Local Government Association (LGA), the Department will also test new Regional Improvement Alliances. These will enable local authorities to assess their own performance, and to challenge the performance of regional peers. Alliances will become the backbone of the new improvement system, with the aim of setting one up in every region by April 2018.

Five councils will now begin taking the National Assessment and Accreditation System forward in its first phase (alpha), with a further 12 -13 in the second phase (beta).

The Department for Education has today invited local authorities with a good or better Ofsted judgement overall and across all sub-judgments to express an interest in joining the Partners in Practice programme, with an assessment and selection process to follow.

The Lord Chancellor has announced the appointment of Zip Jila for a tenure of 3 years.

Folashade Abiodun has been appointed to the Criminal Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC) from 1 September 2017 to 31 August 2021.

Folashade Abiodun is a Solicitor – Advocate (all Higher Courts) at Taylor Haldane Barlex Solicitors LLP. Folashade studied Law & Marketing and completed her LPC at DeMontfort University in Leicester after which she completed her training contract in London undertaking seats in Conveyancing, Family, Immigration and Criminal Law. Having being admitted to the roll of Solicitors in 2007, she became an Accredited Police Station Representative in 2009, and obtained her Duty Solicitor and HCA (Civil & Crime) qualifications in 2010 all whilst working at a busy practice in Leicester.

Folashade has a vast wealth of experience in representing clients at the Police Station, Youth, Magistrates & Crown Courts.

The Courts Act 2003 established the CPRC to make rules governing the practice and procedure of magistrates’ courts, the Crown Court and the Court of Appeal, criminal division.

The Act requires the Committee to make rules that are simple and simply expressed, and that help make the criminal justice system accessible, fair and efficient.

This appointment has been made in line with the Commissioner’s Code of Practice for Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies.

Appointments to the CPRC are made by the Lord Chancellor in consultation with the Lord Chief Justice for England and Wales.