Welsh language in social care conference - 5 March 2025

9am: Registration

10am: Welcome and arrangements for the day

10.05am: Video from Dawn Bowden MS, Minister for Children and Social Care

10.15am: The leadership and strategic role of Social Care Wales

Sarah McCarty, Social Care Wales

10.25am: Welsh and well-being

Kate Newman, Social Care Wales

10.40am: Alison Roberts, Welsh Learner of the Year 2023

10.50am: Social Care Wales - Our Offer

Liz Parker and Sandie Grieve, Social Care Wales

11.05am: Video from Alison Roberts, Welsh Learner of the Year 2023

11.10am: Break

11.20am: Carousel – resources and experiences

• Welsh Language Commissioner – the support available
• National Centre for Learning Welsh
• Employer experience – Haulfryn Care Home

12.20pm: Lunch

1pm: Ian Gwyn Hughes, FAW

1.30pm: Carousel – resources and experiences

• Employer support team, Social Care Wales
• Bangor University – recruitment resource

2.10pm: Break

2.20pm: Efa Gruffudd Jones, Welsh Language Commissioner

2.30pm: Question and answer session with speakers

2.50pm: Summing up and closing the conference

Sarah McCarty, Chief Executive, Social Care Wales

Sarah began her career as a youth worker in Wales and was a founding member of the then-Children and Young People’s Welsh Assembly. She worked in a variety of statutory and voluntary settings, particularly with vulnerable young people and in supporting young people’s participation.

In April 2016, Sarah joined Social Care Wales as Director of Improvement and Development where she had oversight of workforce development, service improvement, research, data and innovation, and became Chief Executive in July 2024.

Sarah is committed to compassionate and systems leadership to support social care and early years services in Wales. Sarah has two children and is a Welsh learner.

Gemma Halliday, Assistant Director, Social Care Wales

Gemma started working with Social Care Wales in 2016 as a Workforce Development Manager, focusing on early years, careers and Welsh language. In 2019 Gemma became the Assistant Director for early years, Welsh language and equality, diversity and inclusion.

Gemma's background is in early years and education and she also holds a BA in Public and Social policy.

Before joining Social Care Wales, Gemma worked for Conwy County Borough Council for 12 years, leading on early years and childcare, including Welsh language development in the early years as part of the Conwy Welsh Language Strategic group.

Gemma grew up on Anglesey where she received a Welsh education at Ysgol Llandegfan and as such, being a learner herself, is an advocate for the Welsh language and the importance of Welsh within the health, social care and early years sector.

Kate Newman, Health and Well-being Development officer, Social Care Wales

Kate Newman is Social Care Wales’s Health and Well-being Development Officer. Kate’s role involves sharing information about what well-being at work means, why it’s important and how we can make a difference to supporting well-being at work.

Before working for Social Care Wales Kate worked across the public, private and third sector in roles covering community health development, public health commissioning, partnerships and relationships. 

Alison Roberts

Alison Roberts is a health assistant for Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board. She previously worked as a carer in the community on Anglesey.

Originally from Killin in Scotland, Alison now lives on a farm near Llanerchymedd with her husband, Sion, and their children. Alison has never had a formal Welsh lesson but in 2008 set out to teach herself Welsh. In 2023 Alison won the Welsh Learner of the Year award at the National Eisteddfod.

Sandie Grieve, Engagement and Development Lead Officer, Social Care Wales

Sandie has been working in the social care sector since 2004 and has worked for Social Care Wales since 2006. She’s been in her current role as an Engagement and Development Lead Officer since 2014.

Sandie is the operational lead on Welsh language and working bilingually for Social Care Wales. She works with the social care sector to raise their awareness about the importance of the Welsh language as a skill in Wales and encourages workers and employers to use and develop their skills.

Liz Parker, Engagement and Development Lead Officer, Social Care Wales

Liz has worked at Social Care Wales since 2003. She has worked as a Sector Engagement and Development Lead officer since 2018.

Liz is a member of the Welsh language team, and as part of her role engages with the social care and early years sector to promote the importance of the Welsh language and its impact on people’s lives.

Matthew Thomas, Tim Hybu Senior Officer, Welsh Language Commissioner

Mathew leads the Welsh Language Commissioner's Hybu team. The Hybu team aims to support businesses and charities to develop their Welsh language services on a voluntary basis, by encouraging them to create a Welsh language development plan and to work towards accepting the Welsh language offer.

The team also creates guidance and carries out research for the private and third sectors. Outside of work Mathew is interested in sport and volunteers with Caernarfon RFC.

Dona Lewis, Chief Executive, National Centre for Learning Welsh

Dona leads the Learn Welsh sector, which includes both face-to-face and virtual courses, tailored schemes for workplaces and innovative programmes for young people.

Originally from north east Wales, Dona joined the National Centre for Learning Welsh in 2016, as Deputy Chief Executive, following a varied career with early years specialists, Mudiad Meithrin. Dona spent 16 years with Mudiad Meithrin in a variety of roles, including Director of Administration, Deputy Chief Executive and interim Chief Executive.

Dona has been a council member for Adult Education Wales since 2020 and is a member of the advisory panel to monitor and scrutinise Welsh Government plans to improve the provision of Welsh language care in health and social care services.

Dona is also vice-chair of the governing body at her local primary school, near Cardiff.

Clare Roberts, Owner and Responsible Individual at Haulfryn Care Ltd

Clare is the owner and Responsible Individual of Haulfryn Care, having grown up in the family business. Haulfryn is a residential home that specialises in care and support for people living with dementia or mental health diagnoses.

Clare has more than 18 years’ experience working at Haulfryn, in roles ranging from domestic to care practitioner, to registered manager and now Responsible Individual. Clare has just submitted her dissertation to fulfil her master's degree in Population, Preventative Health and Leadership at Bangor University, after being awarded a full scholarship from the Welsh Government.

Clare is a true believer that you never stop learning and is always looking for ways to upskill and improve what they do for the people who live, work and visit Haulfryn.  

Clare gained her GCSE in Welsh at secondary school in 2002 and is a little ashamed to say that she didn’t use it again until in the last 12 months, with her colleagues’ support. Words and phrases that feel familiar are slowly being built back up, along with the confidence to use the language with those who live at Haulfryn.

Clare sees the many benefits that using the Welsh language can bring to people daily. It has also helped the team gain confidence when they hear it around the home and has helped support so many of them to enhance their Welsh language skills.

Abbie Edwards, Registered Manager, Haulfryn Care Ltd

Abbie is the Registered Manager at Haulfryn Care Ltd in Flintshire. Haulfryn is an elderly, mentally infirm (EMI) residential home, supporting people over the age of 65 who have a diagnosis of dementia.  Abbie started her career at Haulfryn in 2014 with no previous skills or experience in social care and has gained her qualifications and experience during her successful career at Haulfryn. 

Abbie has been instrumental in embedding the Welsh language into daily life at Haulfryn, recognising the importance of the language to Welsh speaking residents there and the positive impact of delivering services to them through their chosen language.  Abbie continues to support and encourage colleagues to use, learn and develop their Welsh skills, and works with a tutor to support workers to increase their confidence to use the skills they have.

Abbie loves working at Haulfryn and has reignited her passion for learning Welsh. This hasn’t been an easy journey for Abbie since leaving school, with words forgotten, or hidden away from lack of use. The language is very close to her heart, as she has grandparents who speak Welsh fluently. Her two children, who both attend Welsh medium schools, also keep Abbie very busy!  

Abbie was a finalist for the Social Care Wales Caring in Welsh Award in 2024.

Ian Gwyn Hughes, Football Association of Wales

Ian started his career with Cardiff Broadcasting Company, before moving to the BBC to present sports programmes on radio and television. He was a football commentator and editor for international matches and on Match of the Day.

Ian joined the Welsh Football Association in 2011, as Head of Communications, and has worked with the managers and men's national squad. Ian has been to two rounds of the Euros and the World Cup in Qatar with the Wales squad.

Emma Murphy, Employer Support Lead, Social Care Wales

Emma has worked in the Employer Support Team at Social Care Wales since August 2022.

She enjoys working with employers to share how we can support them and is keen to hear about their challenges and successes so she can feed these back to the organisation.

Before joining Social Care Wales, Emma worked in a local authority commissioning team, supporting the development and delivery of projects and working alongside local providers.

Dr Cynog Prys, Dr Rhian Hodges and Elen Bonner, Bangor University

Dr Cynog Prys, Dr Rhian Hodges and Elen Bonner are experts in language planning at Bangor University.

In their recent work they’ve been studying the link between the Welsh language and the economy within west Wales communities. As part of this, they’ve worked on a project funded by the Welsh Government's Arfor scheme to strengthen the economy in Gwynedd, Anglesey, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire.

The Bilingual Workforce Recruitment Package is the product of their work to address the challenges of Welsh language recruitment in the public, third and private sectors.

This resource is now available to employers looking for a new way to reach potential staff with skills in Welsh.

Efa Gruffudd Jones, Welsh Language Commissioner

Efa’s career has combined her interest in the arts and in the Welsh language. She worked for the Welsh Language Board and the Arts Council of Wales before being appointed Chief Executive of Urdd Gobaith Cymru, Wales's largest youth organisation, in 2004. 

In 2016, she was appointed Chief Executive of the National Centre for Learning Welsh, which is the body funded by the Welsh Government to provide strategic guidance in Welsh language teaching for adults in Wales.

In her position as Welsh Language Commissioner, Efa wants to make sure the Commissioner's powers are used to their full potential, to increase the use of the Welsh language, and to ensure the Commissioner plays a key role in efforts to secure a prosperous future for the language.