Wales policy
Wales policy and public affairs team
Read this page in Welsh.
Empowered by members’ expertise, the RCSLT Wales Policy and Public Affairs team seeks to secure you a seat at the top table, influencing Welsh government ministers, Members of the Senedd and civil servants.
We build relationships with Members of the Senedd, Welsh Government and key organisations to change legislation and policy.
We campaign for better lives for people with communication and swallowing needs, including working with service users and service user organisations.
We support you to influence locally, providing you with both strategic advice and practical resources.
- Pippa Cotterill – Head of Wales office (days of work – Monday)
- Caroline Walters – External Affairs Manager (days of work – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday)
- Naila Noori – External Affairs Officer, (days of work – Monday to Thursday)
Contact us
3rd Floor, Transport House, 1 Cathedral Road, Cardiff CF11 9SB
Telephone us:
Caroline Walters – 029 2002 5585
Naila Noori – 029 2002 5583
Email us: walesoffice@rcslt.org.uk
Follow @RCSLTWales and @RCSLTpolicy on Twitter for latest news and updates.
Priorities for our office
Our priorities for 2023-24 are:
- Workforce
- Early years
- Care Closer to Home
- Youth justice
- Communication Access UK (CAUK)
- Youth justice
- Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI)
Opportunities to engage
DLD Awareness day event – Tuesday 17th October 2023, 12pm-2pm, Pierhead Building, Cardiff Bay
We are marking DLD day in a big way this year! We are co-hosting an event at the Senedd with NAPLIC, RADLD and Parents Voices in Wales to raise awareness of DLD. We have invited officials from Welsh Government, health boards, local authorities, education and Senedd members to come along and learn more about DLD. We are really keen for as many people as possible from across Wales who work with people with DLD or have lived experience to join us on the day.
In our experience, politicians and decisionmakers really enjoy talking to speech and language therapists on the ground and people with lived experience so would be fantastic if speech and language therapists could join us and/or work with families who might be willing to come along. It will be a very informal opportunity with a free lunch and goody bags for any young people attending. We would be happy to pay travel expenses also. Please could you email walesoffice@rcslt.org if you would like to attend with any access and/or dietary requirements.
Our responses are formed by engaging with our members to gain invaluable feedback. We’ll share any opportunities to engage here and on social media.
Find other ways to engage with the wider RCSLT on the get involved page.
Responses and briefings
Read this page in Welsh.
Children and young people
Neonatal
- RCSLT response to the Welsh Health Specialised Services Committee consultation on the CP263b Neonatal Services (Intensive Care, High Dependency and Special Care) Service Specification (PDF) – July 2023
- Neonatal services factsheet (PDF) – May 2023
Early years
- RCSLT Wales briefing ahead of the statement on early years provision (PDF) – September 2022
- RCSLT briefing ahead of the statement by the Minister for Education and Welsh Language: Children’s Oracy and Reading (Word) – November 2021
- RCSLT Wales response to the Equalities and Social Justice Committee on Childcare and Parental Employment: The pandemic and beyond (Word) – October 2021
- RCSLT Wales response to the Equalities and Social Justice Committee on Childcare and Parental Employment: The pandemic and beyond (Word) – October 2021
- RCSLT Wales Statement on the Welsh Government announcement on additional funding for early years speech, language and communication support (Word) – July 2021
- RCSLT Wales Statement on the Welsh Government announcement on additional funding for early years speech, language and communication support (Cymraeg) (Word) – July 2021
- RCSLT Wales response to the Welsh Government consultation on the Talk With Me: Speech, Language and Communication Delivery Plan (Word) – June 2020
- Response to the National Assembly for Wales Children, Young People and Education Committee Inquiry into Flying Start (Word) – October 2017
- RCSLT response to the Children, Young People and Education Committee consultation on the First 1,000 Days (Word) – January 2017
- Speech, language and communication skills: why do they matter? – Welsh version (PDF)
- Speech, language and communication skills: why do they matter? – English version (PDF)
- Developing speech, language and communication skills: what will make the difference? – Welsh version (PDF)
Looked after children
- RCSLT Wales response to the Children’s, Young People and Education Committee consultation on Services for care experienced children: exploring radical reform (PDF) – February 2023
- RCSLT Wales response to the Welsh Government consultation on Advocacy for Looked After Children (Word) – June 2017
- RCSLT Wales response to the Equalities, Local Government and Communities Committee Inquiry on Communities First (Word) – June 2017
Additional Learning Needs reform (ALN)
- RCSLT Wales response to the Children, Young People and Education Committee survey on Education Reforms (Word) – August 2022
- RCSLT response to the WG consultation on the draft Additional Learning Codes (PDF) – March 2019
Neurodevelopmental services
Social emotional mental health
- RCSLT Wales response to the Senedd Children, Young People and Education Committee inquiry on Pupil Absence (Word) – June 2022
- RCSLT Wales briefing ahead of the debate on school exclusion (Word) – June 2022
Justice
- RCSLT Wales letter regarding the Welsh Government response to 60% Giving Them a Voice report (PDF) – June 2023
- RCSLT Wales response to the Senedd Equality and Social Justice Committee inquiry on women’s experiences in the criminal justice system (Word) – September 2022
- RCSLT Wales response to the Equalities and Social Justice Committee spotlight inquiry to help provide a better understanding of the extent of speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) (Word) amongst young people who have offended, or are at risk of offending in Wales – May 2022
- RCSLT Wales Submission to the Welsh Affairs Select Committee: Prison provision in Wales (Word) – February 2018
School of attendance
Adults
Dementia
- RCSLT Wales response to the draft WG dementia strategy (Word) – April 2017
- Letter from RCSLT, CPS and COT to Dr Dai Lloyd MS with regards inquiry on dementia strategy (Word) – March 2017
- RCSLT response to NAfW Health, Social Care and Sport Committee Consultation on use of anti-psychotic medication in care homes (Word) – November 2017
- RCSLT and RCOT letter to Dr Dai Lloyd regarding inquiry on use of anti-psychotic medication in care homes (Word) – November 2017
- RCSLT briefing for AMs for the debate on the report on the use of anti-psychotic medication in care homes (Word) – July 2018
- Statement from the RSCLT in Wales ahead of the debate on the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee inquiry on the use of anti-psychotic medication in care homes (Word) – July 2018
Mental health
- RCSLT Wales response to the Health Education and Improvement Wales and Social Care consultation on the Strategic Mental Health Workforce Plan for health and social care (Word) – March 2022
- RCSLT response to the Health and Social Care Committee Inquiry on Mental Health Inequalities (Word) – February 2022
- RCSLT Wales response to the consultation on the WG mental health delivery plan (Word) – April 2016
Workforce
- Factsheet for Members of the Senedd on the speech and language therapy workforce in Wales (PDF) – July 2023
- AHP policy officers letter with regards Workforce Implementation Board (PDF) – May 2023
- RCSLT Wales briefing on workforce planning (Word) – May 2023
General health and social care policy
- RCSLT Wales response to the HEIW Education and Training Plan, March 2023 (PDF)
- Briefing in advance of the plenary debate on pupil absence on Wednesday 8 February 2023 (PDF)
- RCSLT Wales briefing to the Welsh Government Learning Disability and Implementation Plan 2022-2026 (Word) – November 2022
- RCSLT Wales response to the Welsh Government consultation on the National Framework for Social Prescribing (PDF) – October 2022
- Joint statement from AHP policy officers ahead of the debate on the Health Committee report on patient flow (PDF) – October 2022
- RCSLT Wales response to Health and Social Care Committee scrutiny session on Digital Health and Care Wales (PDF) – September 2022
- RCSLT briefing for the Minister for Health and Social Services on Workforce planning (PDF) – August 2022
- RCSLT Wales letter to the Minister for Health and Social Services regarding potential meeting (Word) – August 2022
- Response to the HEIW Education and Training plan (Word) – June 2022
- Response to the Health and Social Care Committee Inquiry on the plan for Planned Care and Reducing Waiting Lists (Word) – June 2022
- Joint briefing from the professional bodies representing Allied Health professionals in Wales on the Welsh Government’s plan to address the waiting times backlog in Wales (Word) – June 2022
- RCSLT briefing on the Welsh Government’s Plan for Transforming and Modernising Planned Care and Reducing Waiting Lists (Word) – April 2022
- RCSLT Cymru i weithdy Llywodraeth Cymru ar Mwy na Geiriau/RCSLT Wales response to the Welsh Government workshop on More that Just Words Welsh language in health and care strategic framework (Word) – March 2022
- RCSLT response to the Health and Social Care Committee Inquiry into Hospital Discharge and its Impact on Patient Flow through Hospitals (Word) – January 2022
- RCSLT response to the Health and Social Care Committee Inquiry into the Impact of the Waiting Times Backlog on people in Wales who are waiting for Diagnosis or Treatment (Word) – January 2022
- RCSLT response to the Health and Social Care Committee scrutiny session on winter planning 2021-22 (Word) – January 2022
- RCSLT briefing on the Welsh Government Co-operation Agreement 2021 (Word) – December 2021
- RCSLT response to the Health and Social Care Committee consultation on the Workforce Strategy for Health and Social Care (Word) – November 2021
- RCSLT AHP joint response to the Health, Social Care Committee consultation on the workforce strategy for health and social care (Word) – November 2021
- RCSLT response to the Health and Social Care Committee on priorities for the sixth Senedd term (Word) – July 2021
- RCSLT response to the Children, Young People and Education Committee on priorities for the next sixth Senedd term (Word) – July 2021
- Briefing on Welsh Government Programme for Government (Word) – June 2021
- Briefing Welsh Government plans for recovery of health and social care (Word) – April 2021
- Briefing on Welsh Government National Clinical Framework- A Learning Health and Social Care System (Word) – April 2021
- RCSLT response to the parliamentary review on health and social care in Wales (Word) – April 2017
Equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI)
- RCSLT Wales letter to WHSSC on concerns about speech and language therapy capacity within the Welsh Gender Service (PDF) – August 2022
- RCSLT Wales briefing on the Anti-racist Wales plan (PDF) – June 2022
- RCSLT Wales response to the Welsh Government consultation on the LGBTQ+ Action Plan (Word) – October 2021
- RCSLT Wales response to the Welsh Government consultation on the Race Equality Action Plan for Wales (Word) – July 2021
- RCSLT Wales AHP joint response to the Welsh Government consultation on the Race Equality Action Plan for Wales (Word) – July 2021
RCSLT Wales factsheets
- RCSLT Wales factsheet – Adult mental health and Speech & Language Therapy – October 2022
- RCSLT Wales factsheet – Supporting children and young people in the youth justice system – February 2023
Communication Access UK (CAUK)
Communication Access UK is an initiative developed in partnership by charities and organisations that share a vision to improve the lives of people with communication difficulties. Led by the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists, together, we’ve developed the Communication Access Symbol, a new disability access symbol underpinned by a completely free training package and standards. We hope that these will help individuals and businesses or organisations to better support people with communication difficulties.
CAUK is a priority for our office. Our focus currently is the Welsh language version of the initiative.
Who should I try to influence in Wales?
Read this page in Welsh.
External stakeholders in Wales you can seek to influence include:
- Local health boards – including Chief Executives, Directors of Finance, Directors of Therapies and Health Sciences, Directors of Public Health.
- Local authorities – including councillors, council officials, and Directors of Education
- Schools
- Youth offending teams
- Probation teams
- Member of the Senedd (MS)
- Government officials
Resources
- AcademiWales offers learning and development opportunities for leaders and managers working across the public service in Wales. It also offers tools and techniques for change: a leaders handbook (PDF), which provides a toolkit of methods regularly utilised by change management and organisational development professionals, in a wide variety of settings.
- Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales (CSSIW) regulates and inspects services to improve adult care, childcare and social services for people in Wales.
- The Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) is an independent inspectorate and regulator of healthcare in Wales.
- The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) offers clinical guidelines to help improve health and social care through evidence-based guidance.
- The 1000 Lives Improvement Service is a national improvement service for NHS Wales delivered by Public Health Wales.
