Albert Heaney, Chief Social Care Officer for Wales, walks us through partnership, purpose and advocating for social care and voluntary work at the highest levels.
Social care is one of the quiet powerhouses of our communities. It’s built on relationships, trust and the simple belief that everyone deserves to live the life that matters to them. At the heart of this are our brilliant voluntary sector organisations, creative and connected, and deeply rooted in the neighbourhoods they serve.
The impact of the voluntary sector in social care is immense. They strengthen communities, prevent problems from escalating, and support people in ways that are often life changing. Yet too often, this work goes unseen. The stories that show the true value of social care rarely make the headlines.
I want to help change that. Real change can only happen when we collaborate. By working in partnership across the public, private and voluntary sectors, we can shine a brighter light on the strengths of social care and give it the recognition and profile it truly deserves.
When social care thrives, our communities thrive. That is a story worth telling.
MY BACKGROUND
As a social worker, my front‑line experiences have shaped me as a person and influenced my career. As I moved into leadership roles within local authorities, and now in Welsh Government, I’ve held on firmly to the principle of placing the individuals we help at the heart of every decision I make.
CHIEF SOCIAL CARE OFFICER FOR WALES
In my role as Chief Social Care Officer for Wales, I champion social care and social work at the highest levels within and outside of government, which includes advising Welsh Ministers.
I strive to ensure that our system reflects the values we share around dignity and inclusion, as set out in the Social Services and Well‑being (Wales) Act 2014. I know this can sound like policy speak that doesn’t always connect to the realities of day to day activity. This is why I have tried to draw on my roots as a social worker to translate policy into real, tangible improvements in social care.
One of the most important ways we can do this, is by recognising that real and lasting change can only happen when everyone is part of the conversation. We achieve so much more when we work together. Nurturing and strengthening this spirit of collaboration is one of my core commitments.
Whether I’m engaging with service users, or working with leaders across the social care sector, I am always seeking to listen, learn and gather ideas. Together, these insights help us shape a social care system that genuinely delivers what matters most to people, wherever they live in Wales.
NATIONAL OFFICE FOR CARE AND SUPPORT
To support me in driving forward a shift towards consistently high quality, person centred services across Wales, we established the National Office for Care and Support in 2024. My team aim to connect policy with practice by working alongside the voluntary sector.
We are developing a stronger culture of collaboration with sector leaders and delivery partners. We want to develop meaningful relationships with service users, their families, and unpaid carers.
We’ve also been strengthening practice across the social care sector by collaborating on setting national standards and championing innovation.
Alongside this, we’re addressing immediate challenges by enabling our workforce, improving integration between health and social care, and making it easier for people to access the right support. This foundational work moves us step by step towards our long term ambition to develop a ‘National Care and Support Service for Wales (NCSS)’.
WHAT IS A NATIONAL CARE AND SUPPORT SERVICE FOR WALES?
This will mean different things to different people, and we need to work it out together. The journey will take around ten years. We’ve started engaging with groups across Wales, from those receiving care and support, through to the local authority directors of social care. It must be shaped through co-production.
As an essential player in care and support delivery, we need to ensure that the voluntary sector is at the table and has a clear voice. Discussions started at gofod3 (WCVA’s annual conference), the Royal Welsh Show, and the National Eisteddfod.
I met with young carers at the Senedd and have been listening to forum leads from Cymru Older People’s Alliance. What I’m hearing is that meeting Wales’s demographic changes means building a National Care and Support Service designed for long term sustainability, with prevention and community support at its core.
This may seem ambitious, but Wales has a proud history of meeting daunting challenges through collaboration. The Well‑being of Future Generations Act shows how working together can create bold, long‑term solutions, and I believe the NCCS can be another example of Wales leading the way.
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
So please join the conversation as this work develops. I met with the County Voluntary Council Chief Officers in March, my team will be at gofod3 in June, and there will be more opportunities to connect over the summer. The voluntary sector’s creativity and innovation are vital qualities which I hope you will bring as we co-design the future of social care in Wales.
For further information, please visit the National Office for Care and Support web page.