More than 50,000 staff working in social care in Wales are set to receive an extra £1,000 in their pay packet as part of a new funding boost.
Deputy Minister for Social Services Julie Morgan confirmed the Welsh Government would be investing £96m to give workers the one-off payment, which is on top of the £43.2m announced in December to introduce the real living wage.
Read more: All the new benefit and pension rates in full as MPs approve universal credit changes
It will be available to almost 53,000 social care staff eligible for the real living wage, as well as some managers, from April. Here is a breakdown of who will receive the payment:
Role |
Number of staff |
Adult Care Home Manager |
1,346 |
Adult Care Home Worker |
15,565 |
Domiciliary Care Manager |
1009 |
Domiciliary Care Worker |
25,000 |
Residential Child Care Manager |
312 |
Residential Child Care Worker |
3385 |
Personal Assistants |
6370 |
Total |
52,987 |
Deputy Minister Julie Morgan, who has previously worked in social care, said she has had weekly meetings with the sector throughout the pandemic. On Wednesday she spent the afternoon meeting staff at The Fields Care Home in Newport.
She said: "The introduction of the real living wage in social care is one of our key priorities and I'm pleased we have been able to do this in our first year of government.
"At a time when we are facing a cost-of-living crisis, this additional payment to care workers receiving the real living wage shows our commitment to supporting people and encouraging more people to consider a rewarding job in care.
"I've seen first-hand the difference social care workers make to people’s everyday lives and I know just how valued they are.
"We want to see more people take up permanent jobs in social care and start a rewarding career. We also hope those who are considering leaving social care, or who have already left, will stay."
The extra payment, which is aligned to the introduction of the real living wage, will be £1,498 before deductions for tax and national insurance. Care workers on basic rate of income tax can expect to receive £1,000 after deductions.
In response to the announcement, Unison Cymru Wales care lead Mark Turner said: "Unison welcomes the extra payment and this is a boost for care workers and hopefully will persuade those who have left the sector to return and receive the payment.
"However, the real living wage is not enough. It is a start but the Welsh Government has to address the poor terms and conditions of those in the care sector in Wales and that's why Unison is calling for a publicly-delivered National Care Service."
The Welsh Government expects the additional payment and the real living wage to be processed in people's pay at some point between April and June due to the "complexity of the care sector and the large number of employers involved". It will be available as a single payment or in monthly instalments.
Mario Kreft MBE, the chair of Care Forum Wales, said he was concerned that ancillary staff, such as cooks, care support workers and cleaners, might miss out.
"There is a question mark about those people who have slogged their guts out during the Covid nightmare, through all of the challenges, who may not be eligible," he said.
"I am thinking of people who may have been dealing with infection control, catering and cleaning staff because they have all played an absolutely key role in keeping people safe.
"We really need to have clarity that these people are not going to be overlooked because there has been an astonishing commitment by the social care sector and social care workers in different settings come in all shapes and sizes."
A national recruitment campaign is also being funded by the Welsh Government as part of steps to professionalise the sector and improve career progression opportunities.
To get the latest WalesOnline newsletters emailed to you directly for free click here.
