2025 Caring in Welsh award

The Caring in Welsh Award is an annual award that recognises, celebrates and shares the work of those who’ve made a real difference to people’s lives by providing care and support through the medium of Welsh.

The award recognises the work of people working in social care, social work and childcare, play and early years from across the public, private, voluntary and co-operative sectors in Wales.

The 2025 Caring in Welsh award will be held at the Wrexham National Eisteddfod on 7 August 2025.

This year six workers from across the social care, social work and childcare, play and early years sectors were chosen as finalists for the Caring in Welsh award.

Dafydd Beatie, social worker, Conwy County Borough Council, Conwy

Dafydd was nominated by Paula Shoosmith, his line manager at Conwy County Borough Council’s Vulnerable People Team.

The Vulnerable People Team works with people whose needs don’t fit mainstream services but who still need support.

In Conwy’s rural community, Dafydd has often found a lack of Welsh language support leads Welsh speakers to feel isolated and less likely to engage with the help that’s available.

Dafydd knows that language and cultural connection are powerful tools for building meaningful relationships. By always beginning conversations in Welsh with people who are new to using care and support, Dafydd removes the barrier to accessing Welsh language supports they don’t have to ask.

This means people are more likely to engage with the service when help is offered. Dafydd’s approach has helped him build relationships with people who have been unwilling to use services in the past.

If a Welsh speaker can’t live independently and has to go to a placement, Dafydd works with hospital and community services to make sure it’s somewhere they can be supported in their own language. This has a huge impact on people living with illnesses such as dementia and people who need mental health care.

Dafydd sees the Welsh language as an important part of providing person-centred care in his community. He encourages his colleagues to take the same approach, speaking in Welsh with everyone, from fluent speakers to learners.

Leah Davies, registered manager, Mental Health Care UK Ltd, Denbighshire

Leah was nominated by Daniel Holmes, a member of her team at Mental Health Care UK Ltd.

Leah is a registered manager at Elm, one of Mental Health Care UK’s residential homes for adults with autism, learning disabilities and complex needs.

Although many of Elm’s residents are non-verbal, many also come from Welsh speaking communities. When they’re cared for in Welsh, residents are more engaged, comfortable and able to make emotional connections.

Leah has worked to bring more Welsh into Elm. She’s made sure all documentation and signage is bilingual, so that the language is visible in the home.

Leah has also arranged Welsh lessons for all non-Welsh speaking staff. The initiative is so successful that it’s been expanded and Mental Health Care UK’s other settings in the local area are now offering lessons to their staff, too.

Leah focuses on building her staff’s confidence in their Welsh language skills so they can communicate effectively with the residents because hearing their first language helps create a familiar and reassuring environment for them.

For Leah, person-centred care begins with making sure staff are confident and able to provide the support the residents need.

Outside Elm, Leah champions Welsh across Mental Health Care UK. She chairs the company’s Active Offer focus group. Here, Leah shares best practice and helps guarantee visible and accessible Welsh language services.

Under Leah’s influence, bilingual care and cultural inclusion have become important and integrated aspects of Mental Health Care UK’s services.

Myfanwy Harman, manager, Cylch Meithrin y Gurnos, Merthyr Tydfil

Myfanwy was nominated by Megan Morris, who’s worked with Myfanwy through her role at Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids' Clubs.

Myfanwy set up Cylch Meithrin y Gurnos in January 2023 to provide high-quality Welsh medium childcare and give local children a strong foundation in the Welsh language before starting school.

The cylch meithrin has since expanded to offer after-school childcare for children up to 12 years old. Myfanwy provides an opportunity for local children to use and to hear the Welsh language outside school. Under Myfanwy’s care, Welsh is a part of each child’s daily experience.

In a community with very few Welsh speakers, Myfanwy understands that for the language to flourish, it needs to take root in local families.

Myfanwy works to show parents that Welsh is for everyone and is an advantage for their children.

One parent said: “Myfanwy gives me the opportunity to practise speaking Welsh in a safe environment without judgement or having to worry about saying something wrong. She helps us learn new words too, not just through conversation but through the things my daughter comes home with from meithrin.”

Each member of the community, from adults to preschool children, is involved in teaching, learning and sharing the language. Myfanwy is changing attitudes and providing children with an important advantage.

But she’s also helping parents reconnect with their culture through their children: “I feel much more part of my community by having this shared culture and heritage.”

Rhiannon Faulkner, director, Meithrinfa Joio Day Nursery, Swansea

Rhiannon was nominated by Megan Pocock-Tommason and Sian Jewell, who’ve worked with Rhiannon through their roles at Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids' Clubs.

Rhiannon is the founder of Meithrinfa Joio Day Nursery, the first bilingual day nursery in Swansea registered with Care Inspectorate Wales.

The inclusive and welcoming environment Rhiannon has created at Meithrinfa Joio has led to a high demand among Welsh speaking families, as well as families who are keen for their children to start learning Welsh.

Rhiannon is passionate about giving local children the opportunity to use, hear and enjoy Welsh daily. Welsh is embedded into the nursery’s routines, its activities and displays, and all communication with parents is bilingual.

Rhiannon has created a culturally rich environment where children can thrive in both languages. For Rhiannon, Welsh is about more than just speaking the language. It’s about identity, opportunity and building a stronger bilingual future for local children, families and the community.

In 2024, Meithrinfa Joio won the Swansea Council Welsh Language and Culture award.

To support the Welsh language at Meithrinfa Joio, Rhiannon has made use of Cwlwm’s Welsh Promise scheme, which supports her staff to develop their language skills. The setting is now working towards the scheme’s gold award.

Rhiannon’s focus on building her staff’s confidence in their skills has had a huge impact. Welsh isn’t just spoken in the nursery, it’s a living part of the daily experience of each child and staff member.

One parent said: “It’s how all nurseries should operate. It’s clear Rhiannon is building a community, not just a childcare setting.”

Shan Jones, care home worker, My Choice Healthcare, Carmarthenshire

Shan was nominated by Sue Lanceley, her line manager at My Choice Healthcare.

Shan works on a unit for people living with dementia at one of My Choice Healthcare’s residential homes.

When a new resident arrives at the home, Shan makes sure to find out if they’re a Welsh speaker because she knows they’ll respond more positively to care and support when spoken to in their first language.

If a Welsh speaking resident becomes confused, upset or agitated, Shan speaks to them in Welsh. Hearing their familiar native language helps residents feel safe and understood. Shan’s compassion and ability to understand the importance of caring in Welsh has a clear impact on the people she supports.

Shan sees Welsh not just as a means of communication, but as a way of providing residents with comfort, dignity and connection. She’s very much valued and appreciated by family members, who can see the impact she has.

Welsh is a key part of Shan’s person-centred attitude to her work. Her Welsh language skills are a tool to calm and soothe where other methods fail.

Residents’ families have expressed their appreciation for Shan’s warmth and the reassurance she gives their loved ones. By providing Welsh language care, Shan upholds each resident’s connection to their cultural identity.

Sharon Parry, manager of a residential children’s home, Keys Group, Wrexham

Sharon was nominated by Tracey Evans, who works with Sharon at one of Keys Group’s residential homes.

Sharon always makes sure that the Welsh language and culture are visible in the home she manages. She celebrates important dates in the Welsh calendar, such as St David’s Day and St Dwynwen’s Day, and offers traditional Welsh foods to the children she looks after.

Many young people in care are placed far from their local communities. This can be isolating and make it harder for young people to feel settled and secure in their placements.

For young Welsh speakers, being able to carry on celebrating their culture and using their native language in their daily life can affirm their sense of identity and help them feel safe and acknowledged.

Local authorities are keen to make use of Sharon’s Welsh language skills and her cultural knowledge because of the benefit to the young people she cares for.

Sharon also promotes and supports the use of Welsh among staff and in the day-to-day running of the residential home. She provides a Welsh language handbook for young people who are new to the setting, responds to emails and letters in Welsh when needed and proofreads Welsh language documents.

If a Welsh speaking young person arrives at another of Keys Group’s residential homes, Sharon supports the staff there to provide an Active Offer and makes sure the needs of the young person are met.

The winner will be announced at an event at the National Eisteddfod in Wrexham at 11am on Thursday, 7 August 2025.