West Wales Dementia Conference 2025
15/05/2025
Date: Tuesday 1st July 2025
Time: 09:30–15:30
Location: Halliwell Conference Centre, Carmarthen, SA31 3EP
This event offers an important opportunity to regroup, review, and reflect on the progress made across the region through the Dementia Wellbeing Pathway, as we look ahead to the development of a renewed All Wales Dementia Action Plan expected in 2026.
The event will:
- Connect people living with dementia, their unpaid carers, professionals, and support services
- Share insights, explore improvements, and acknowledge challenges
- Showcase organisations that support those living with dementia
- Recognise and appreciate the achievements and collaborative efforts that continue to shape and improve dementia care and support in West Wales
Please book your ticket to confirm your attendance.
More information about the day can be found on the West Wales Dementia Conference 2025 page.
If you are interested in having an information stand at the event, register your interest using this form.
Youth Conference 2025
13/05/2025
New Research, Innovation, and Improvement Skills Resource for the Social Care Workforce
14/04/2025
Social Care Wales is excited to announce that the Research, Innovation, and Improvement Skills resource is now live.
What’s it all about?
Previous research commissioned by Social Care Wales identified several barriers to research, innovation, and improvement, such as a lack of time and the perception that developing skills in these areas could be complex and difficult. To address these barriers, this resource has been created to support the development of research, innovation, and improvement skills across the social care workforce.
What’s included in the resource?
The resource aims to help individuals working in social care find relevant training and resources to develop their research, innovation, and improvement skills. It includes links to useful opportunities, written in plain language and simply laid out. The signposts are grouped into four key themes:
- Use evidence
- Improve and innovate
- Evaluate your work
- Shape culture
Feedback on the resource or suggestions for additional signposts can be sent to insightcollective@socialcare.wales
New toolkit – Supporting the wellbeing of older care home residents
11/02/2025
Age Cymru has launched a ground breaking toolkit designed to place care home residents at the heart of their care. This innovative resource is set to benefit residents, their families, and care home staff across Wales by creating environments that foster wellbeing and enrich lives.
Funded by the Welsh Government, the toolkit reflects the principles of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014. It focuses on four key stages of care home life:
- Transition: Supporting new residents to feel welcome and at home.
- Meaningful activities: Helping residents engage in activities that bring joy and connection.
- Purpose, significance & achievement: Encouraging residents to contribute and stay active.
- A good ending: Providing compassionate end-of-life care.
What Makes This Toolkit Unique?
- Informed by insights from residents, families, and care professionals across Wales.
- Packed with examples of best practices, including innovative activities like silent discos, pen-pal schemes with local schools, and pet therapy.
- Practical tools and tips to enhance person-centred care, foster meaningful connections, and integrate families and communities into residents’ lives.
How You Can Help?
- Share with your networks: Help reach care home staff, families, and communities by sharing the link to the toolkit: agecymru.wales/carehomes
- Engage on social media: Follow Age Cymru and share or comment on posts about the toolkit on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.
- Encourage downloads: Share the toolkit with your teams or partner organisations to ensure it reaches those who can benefit most.
- Collaborate: If interested in collaborating further, please contact carehomes@agecymru.org.uk
Resources
- Download the Toolkit PDF
- Visit the Toolkit web page
- Sign up to the mailing list
- Contact: carehomes@agecymru.org.uk | 029 2043 1555
New Induction Arrangements for Care & Support Workers
19/12/2024
From 2025, new Care and Support staff employed by the Council will complete their induction with Pembrokeshire College instead of the Joint Community Induction.
If you have previously registered new Care and Support workers to complete AWIF/Inductions via the Joint Community Induction, please be aware that from 1st April 2025, you will no longer have access to this course.
If you have staff that need to complete AWIF/Induction and you want them to do it via Pembrokeshire College, you can contact Lucy Breckon at l.breckon@pembrokeshire.ac.uk (fees may apply).
For any queries, feel free to contact the Learning & Development Team at dysgu@ceredigion.gov.uk
Care and Comfort in Welsh
07/11/2024
The National Centre for Learning Welsh has developed tailored resources specifically for palliative care workers in Wales. With input from sector specialists, these resources introduce language that’s both relevant and practical.
This learning resource is helpful whether you’re just beginning your Welsh language journey or looking to build confidence using the Welsh you already know at work.
The resources can be accessed on the National Centre for Learning Welsh website.
Social Care Wales – Welsh Language Offer
16/10/2024
Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse & Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015
14/10/2024
Those experiencing violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence access a range of public services for many reasons. The training framework is to help make sure that no matter where a victim lives in Wales, the professional response they receive is consistently good.
This Act is supported by a National Training Framework, the requirements of the Framework range from increased awareness for all staff, specialist training for relevant frontline workers and professional qualifications for certain key staff.
All Ceredigion Council staff are required to complete this eLearning module. To date 82% of our workforce have completed the module. If you would like your staff to have access to this eLearning module, please email dysgu@ceredigion.gov.uk
Volunteering After Retirement
25/09/2024
New plan to address social care workforce challenges
07/06/2024
Social Care Wales is pleased to announce that Dawn Bowden MS, Minister for Social Care, has launched the Social care workforce delivery plan 2024 to 2027.
The delivery plan sets out the social care actions for the second phase of ‘A Healthier Wales: Our Workforce Strategy for Health and Social Care’.
Find out more here.
Penmorfa Centre for Independent Living
02/05/2024
The Penmorfa Centre for Independent Living, dedicated to promoting independence and community support, is now open. The Centre aims to transform the way people find solutions and access information to support themselves.
Located on the ground floor of the County Council’s offices at Penmorfa in Aberaeron, the Centre welcomes visitors with an open-door policy and is open Monday to Friday from 10:30 to 15:30.
The Centre is divided into several specialised areas to showcase support for the diverse needs of our community, including:
- AskSARA Room
- Technology-Enabled Care and Smart devices
- Care and Mobility Equipment
- Visual Impairment Support
- Housing Adaptations
- Fire Safety Awareness
- Direct Payment Guidance
- Carers and Cared-for Support
More information can be found here.
Listen Up, Speak Up
23/04/2024
The NSPCC believes everyone has a part to play in helping to keep children safe, from shop workers and café staff, to librarians, swimming pool attendants and passengers on public transport.
Their ‘Listen Up, Speak Up’ campaign is encouraging schools, businesses and community groups across Wales to take part in free workshops offering advice on what to do if you’re concerned for a child’s safety or wellbeing and who to contact for support.
The workshops are being offered face-to-face and online, and run through a series of real-life scenarios, giving practical advice about how to approach challenging situations where a child might be at risk.
They are determined to reach as many people and as many communities as possible and would love to hear from anyone interested in hosting one of their ‘Listen Up, Speak Up’ workshops.
To organise or attend a workshop, please email walescampaigns@nspcc.org.uk – they require a minimum of ten people at each face-to-face session. However, anyone can sign up to their free 10-minute online training by visiting the Listen Up, Speak Up page on the NSPCC website.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Caring – Young People’s Animation
05/07/2023
This safeguarding training resource was developed by the Junior Regional Safeguarding Board, CADW. It was officially launched during National Safeguarding Week 2022, with support and attendance from the Children’s Commissioner for Wales. The resource is designed to be used as part of safeguarding training for practitioners. To download for your use or to insert into your own training resources please use the links below.
English Video with Welsh subtitles
For more information about the work of CADW, please click here.
Adult Care Home Worker Registration
02/12/2022
Registration for people working as adult care home workers became mandatory from October 2022. If you need to apply to register, please do so as soon as possible.
The main purpose of registration is to protect the public as it ensures only those who are competent and qualified can deliver care and support in roles where registration is required. Being registered with Social Care Wales means you are part of a professional workforce and can show that you have the skills and knowledge which are vital to providing good care and support to the people of Wales.
Useful links:
- FAQs and resources for adult care home workers: socialcare.wales/registration/adult-care-home-worker-registration
- Codes of Practice and guidance: socialcare.wales/code
- Registration pages: socialcare.wales/registration
- SCWonline: scwonline.wales/en/
Domestic Abuse and the co-existence of Dementia Toolkit
10/02/2022
Below is a link to the new toolkit from Dewis Choice – Domestic Abuse and the co-existance of dementia.
The toolkit aims to address gaps in practitioners’ knowledge on the co-existence of domestic abuse and dementia.
Living with Dementia Toolkit
03/12/2021
Below is a link to the Living with Dementia Toolkit. The toolkit is designed to inspire people with dementia and carers and offer new ideas about how to live well.
Manual Handling
01/02/2021
If you have questions about complex manual handling cases, please contact HealthandSafety@ceredigion.gov.uk
Everymind Champion Course
17/12/2020
The Everymind Champion course is a 1-hour long interactive online course that equips you with the tools to support yourself in the workplace, provide support to others alongside giving you practical suggestions to improve mental health within the business you work for.
You don’t need to take the course all in one go, you can log out and return to complete the course at a later date if that works better for you!
You should take this course if you:
- Want to make a difference in the workplace from the ground-up
- Are working from home with more time on your hands and want to upskill
- Have your own experience of mental ill health and want to put that empathy and understanding to good use
- Care about eradicating the stigma that surrounds mental health – particularly in the workplace!
You can access the course on the following link: Become an Everymind Champion – it’s FREE! | Everymind Champion Course (teachable.com)
New wellbeing support line for health and social care workers in Wales
17/08/2020
Samaritans has launched a new confidential wellbeing support line for NHS and social care workers in Wales.
The wellbeing support line is for anyone who works in health or social care and might be feeling worried, stressed or overwhelmed, or just needs to talk things through after a busy shift or long day at work. It’s more important than ever that we keep looking after ourselves, so we can continue to care for others.
All calls are answered by Samaritans volunteers, who are trained to listen without judgement and offer confidential emotional support.
The English language support line is free to call, and is available every day between 7am-11pm on 08004840555.
The Welsh language support line is free to call, and is available every evening between 7pm-11pm on 08081642777.
New Live Webchat Service
22/06/2020
Barod has launched their Live Webchat Service. This brand new service is the first of its kind for substance misuse in Wales. The service is operated by their trained support workers, who can provide support for people affected by their own or someone else’s substance use, or give instant information or advice regarding what support is available and how to access it. It is also open to professionals as well as the general public.
The Live Webchat Service is available Wales-wide from 9am to 9pm, Monday to Friday; and between 11am to 4pm on Saturday and Sunday. To use the service, simply visit Barod’s hompage and click on the chat tab in the bottom-right corner.
For more information about the new webchat service, please visit Barod’s webchat page.
Useful resources for working with people with sight loss
24/04/2020
Please find below some useful RNIB resources for supporting people with sight loss:
- Working with Older People: Guides, downloadable Top Tips, podcasts, and links to further resources
- Dementia and Sight Loss Resources: Downloadable leaflets, Top Tips, factsheets, guides and podcasts
- Learning Disabilities Resources: Key health messages, downloadable Top Tips, podcasts, and the Healthy Eyes pack
Older People and Complex Needs Podcasts: This is the link to all the podcasts.
Helpful guides to managing Breathlessness & Stress
17/04/2020
Quick reference guide – Coping with Breathlessness & Stress: A quick guide to managing breathlessness and stress associated with COVID-19.
Summary version – Coping with Breathlessness & Stress: This is a booklet to help you manage breathlessness associated with COVID-19. It explains how stress can make breathing harder. It describes ways to ease breathlessness and to reduce stress.
Important – Charges for Non-Attendance/Cancellation
26/02/2020
Ceredigion Council provides access to a range of Learning & Development opportunities which are available to external Social Care Providers and are promoted via our Newsletter and Website.
Most events are provided free of charge, however as from 1st April 2020 Ceredigion County Council Learning and Development Team will be introducing a cancellation charge of £25 per person for non-attendance or cancellations within 5 working days of the course.
Charges are being introduced due to the significant number of people failing to attend, we hope you understand that Trainer and venues costs need to be covered despite delegate cancellations.
We do accept that there will be instances where delegates may be unable to attend as planned and requests for extenuating circumstances will be considered.
First Aid Training
25/11/2019
We are aware that many of you need to attend First Aid Training. Dysgu Bro offer the courses below:
- Heart Start
- Paediatric First Aid
- Emergency First Aid at Work
- First Aid at Work
- Refresher First Aid at Work
For more information, please email admin@dysgubro.org.uk or call 01970 633540.
WeCare Wales
09/05/2019
The WeCare campaign, led by Social Care Wales, has been launched to attract more people to work in the social care sector. The campaign will highlight the breadth of career opportunities in care, from care home managers and co-ordinators to childminders and nursery practitioners. It is part of a long term strategy to develop the workforces in the care and health sectors over the next decade, to provide a high-quality, seamless service to the people of Wales.
For more information about the recruitment campaign for care workers in Wales, please visit the WeCare Wales website.
Important information for employers in Social Care
03/08/2018
In April 2018, Social Care Wales published the Code of Practice for Social Care Employers. This describes the standards expected of social care employers to ensure a safe, skilled and supported workforce. The employers’ Code is published under the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act and includes standards on entering the workforce, enabling good practice, learning and development, protecting people and embedding codes of practice.
The employers’ Code complements and reinforces the staffing standards set out in regulations and statutory guidance for social care services. It’s important for social care employers to read the employers’ Code and make sure they are meeting the standards. Care Inspectorate Wales can take action if employers fail to comply with the Code.
Welsh Language – Active Offer
23/07/2017
The Welsh Government Framework ‘More than Just Words’ says that all care providers must be able to offer care services in Welsh to the same standard as they do in English.
An ‘Active Offer’ means providing a service in Welsh without someone having to ask for it. The Welsh Language should also be as visible as the English language within your organisation.
Below are links to some resources to improve your use of the Welsh language: