Congratulations to our Chief Executive Sue Evans who has been awarded an OBE in the King’s Birthday Honours List 2024.
Sue was awarded Order of the British Empire for her services to social care, after more than 32 years’ working in the public sector.
Sue brought experience of being an unpaid carer and a background in the voluntary sector with her when she joined the NHS in 1992, where she moved from public health medicine to various management roles during her 20 years there.
Sue's background brought her to the sharp end of meeting the needs of children, young people and adults with disabilities. This stimulated her interest in a career in the field of health, social care and housing.
Between 2006 and 2012, Sue was responsible for planning, commissioning and providing a range of health, social care and housing services as Joint Locality Director and later as Chief Officer in Torfaen.
This included the role of statutory Director of Social Services, which she retained until July 2016, when she became Chief Executive of the Care Council for Wales overseeing its transformation to Social Care Wales.
Under Sue’s leadership, the Register of Social Care Workers has grown from 11,000 to more than 60,000 registered people, with the addition of adult care home and domiciliary care workers.
The expansion of the Register means that more than 80 per cent of the workforce are now regulated and supported to provide good quality care and support across Wales.
Sue has also overseen the development of new vocational qualifications for social care, early years and childcare workers, and a jobs portal that has been created to provide a one-stop shop for employers and job seekers in Wales.
Additionally, Sue and her team worked in partnership with Health Education and Improvement Wales to develop the first joint health and social care workforce strategy for Wales.
In more recent years, Sue’s team has established a wide range of services to support the sector with research, data and innovation resources.
Earlier this year, Sue announced that she would be retiring in July after more than eight years at the helm of Social Care Wales.
Sue said: “It has been a privilege to establish Social Care Wales and work with the Board, the team and our partners, to support Welsh Government and sector colleagues to continuously improve social care and early years in Wales.
“I’d like to put on record my thanks to all those who work at the frontline, their managers and leaders and I wish Social Care Wales a continued journey of success.”
Mick Giannasi, our Chair, said: “I know that I speak for everyone in Social Care Wales when I say that we are absolutely delighted that Sue’s dedication and commitment has been recognised in this way.
“The award is incredibly well deserved and a fitting tribute to the enormous contribution which she has made to the development of the social care, children and early years sectors in Wales during a lifetime of public service.”