The Act aims to improve prevention, protection and support for people affected by violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence.

Since the legislation came into force, achievements include the appointment of the first National Adviser for Violence against Women, Gender-based Violence, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence and the publication of a National strategy. The anniversary coincides with the re-launch of the Welsh Government’s Cross the Line campaign which tackles the subject of emotional abuse from a partner.

Carl Sargeant said he wants to continue to work collectively with organisations to protect and support victims.

Carl Sargeant said:

“We continue to make progress in implementing measures to prevent Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence. As well as appointing the first National Adviser and the National Strategy we have published the National Training Framework which will help professionals to deal with disclosures of abuse and ensure consistent training is available for specialist professionals.  

“A pilot of “Ask and Act” – which requires professionals like Health visitors and Housing Officers to identify symptoms of abuse and to ask clients if they are being abused – has also launched in two early adopter sites with a view to further rollout later this year. In addition to these initiatives, some of the work we have done has focused on children and young people to ensure they know how to recognise the symptoms of unhealthy relationships.

“We recognise there are still areas to progress and we will continue to build on the foundations which have already been made to create a stronger, more resilient sector to support individuals and families who are either at risk, or are struggling with the consequences of violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence.”

The campaign starts as Health Secretary Vaughan Gething has announced that NHS Bursaries for eligible student nurses, midwives and allied health professionals will continue to be available in Wales in 2018/19.  

The bursary will be based upon individuals committing in advance to taking up the opportunity to work in Wales, post qualification, for a period of two years.

The Health Secretary met with a group of registered nurses today at the Keir Hardie University Health Park to talk about their experiences of working in Wales.  

The recruitment campaign forms part of the Welsh Government commitment to take action to attract and train more nurses, GPs and other health professionals across Wales.  It follows the successful recent GP recruitment campaign, which saw a 16% increase in GP training places filled.  

The international campaign will target newly qualified and experienced registered nurses, as well as those who may be considering returning to the profession.  The Train, Work, Live campaign will be represented at the RCN Congress in Liverpool from May 13 -17.  

It is supported with a single telephone point of contact for all enquiries and online through the www.trainworklive.wales website. People interested in working in Wales can ring: 01443 848 576 for more details.  

Health Secretary Vaughan Gething said:

Professor Jean White said: 

“The Welsh Government has significantly increased investment in nurse education with more nurses educated annually now than at any time since devolution”

“There are opportunities to learn on the job with continuing professional development that supports nursing revalidation requirements. 

“We are committed to investing in education, in the right staffing levels, and in the professional development of our nurses.  Wales has a lot to offer, from our fantastic coastline, mountains, to our towns and cities, and I want to encourage nurses to consider Wales as a place to train, work and live.”

Reform has become necessary because the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reclassified RSLs as public market producers in a recent review. This means that any private sector market borrowings taken out by the newly reclassified public sector RSLs will score against Welsh Government’s capital budget. The Welsh Government’s borrowing powers, which come into force in 2018/19, have a set limit which would not provide enough capacity to accommodate RSLs’ current annual borrowing requirement. 

The review identified central and local government controls which led the ONS to conclude RSLs should be reclassified. These are mainly powers set out in the Housing Act 1996, and provisions inserted by the Housing (Wales) Measure 2011. The consultation is therefore proposing regulatory reform of RSLs to remove or amend the relevant powers so that the ONS would be able to consider reclassifying RSLs in Wales to the Private Non-Financial Corporations sector, thus restoring their borrowing abilities. 

The Communities Secretary said:

“RSLs play a vital role in helping us to meeting our target of 20,000 new affordable homes and they, in turn, require the sector to continue to have the freedom to use private sector borrowing to supplement the Welsh Government’s social housing grant funding and other funding programmes.

“This reclassification would mean fewer new affordable homes and limited options for the Welsh Government to maximise the positive contributions RSLs make to the communities in which they work including significant local employment and economic benefits. It would also result in uncertainty for funders who have made long term commitments to funding an independent RSL sector.

“Unless we take action which would enable ONS to reverse the reclassification and return RSLs to the private sector, our plans to address the shortage of affordable homes in Wales will be severely compromised.”

“We know that culture and the arts can make a real difference to people’s lives and can help to drive confidence, open up interests that can last a life time, increase skills levels and help people into employment and training. 

“The pilot phase of our Fusion programme was a real success, engaging nearly 5000 people in culture and the arts and enabling them to get involved in a huge range of  projects. 

“I am therefore delighted that we have been able to extend the programme for a further year and will be able to provide £280,000 to local authorities, housing associations and charities  to increase opportunities for people through culture.  

“I am also pleased to announce partnership between the Welsh Government and the Welsh Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) who will work to develop and support cultural volunteering and the Kids is Museums charity who will continue their innovative, empowering work with young people. Both will be  focussing on those who are hardest to reach and stand to gain the most.” 

Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales has been leading the research and practice on addressing poverty and exclusion through cultural participation on the pioneering Fusion programme. Nia Williams, the Museum ’s Director of Learning and Engagement said:

“We very much welcome this funding announcement by the Cabinet Secretary, for a programme which has proven its success in engaging people with their heritage and culture and has also enabled organisations from different sectors to tackle the impact of poverty in Wales together. 

“At Amgueddfa Cymru for example, our Volunteer Co-ordinator has conducted workshops for partners involved in the Pioneer Areas across Wales in volunteer management and partnership working. Five pioneer areas have received this training with over 50 attendees so far. 

“Thanks to continued funding our work in supporting projects all over Wales will continue.”

“Wales’ historic place names are an important part of our history and culture, which is why the Welsh Government included the requirement for a statutory list in its Historic Environment (Wales) Act. 

“It is just one of a series of historic firsts that the Act has introduced for Wales and it is important to stress that the list we are launching today, with already nearly 350,000 entries, is just the beginning. 

“With ongoing support from the Welsh Government, the list will continue to expand to record the rich legacy of our nation’s historic place names. It will help to emphasise their value to our heritage and encourage individuals and public bodies to keep these precious names alive.”

“We are delighted to be launching this ground-breaking website today. The enormous value of historic place names is that they can record the sometimes forgotten people, practices, monuments or events of the past, fixing them at a point in the landscape.

“The study of these names reveals the legacies of past environments, battles, invasions, industrial and agricultural revolutions. They are a hugely important element of the historic environment of Wales and we hope that many people will enjoy using this new website to learn more about, and recognise the value of, the historic place names of Wales.”