Written question WQ96262

The Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act places a legal duty to co-operate on local authorities and health boards. These statutory bodies are ‘accountable’ for the duty to co-operate. To support this duty, part 9 of the Act describes the necessary arrangements to facilitate co-operation and partnership working through Regional Partnership Boards (RPBs).

The Welsh Government has produced (and recently updated) statutory guidance relating to Part 9 partnership arrangements, which sets minimum standards and principles the partnership bodies and RPBs must adhere to. Welsh Government officials work with RPBs to support them to comply with these requirements through monthly meetings with RPB leads, six-monthly meetings between RPB chairs and Ministers and quarterly monitoring meetings with each RPB. RPBs and statutory partners have also been brought together in the past two years as part of the work of the Care Action Committee.

As set out in the Part 9 statutory guidance, RPBs must complete annual reports which are submitted to the Welsh Government for review and must undertake a bi-annual self-assessment and improvement plan for their partnership arrangements.

As part of the part 9 guidance, partnership bodies need to put in place comprehensive monitoring arrangements to provide assurance their shared aims and objectives are being delivered. These monitoring systems are already in place to assess the effectiveness of funding that RPBs receive through the Regional Integration Fund.