20IN REVIEW19 MAY OCTOBER Analysis of factors The Value of contributing to the high Trade Unions rates of care in Wales Achieving a prosperous Powers and policy levers economy: insights from – what works in delivering other nations and regions Welsh Government policies What Works Summit: Welsh Policy and Politics devolved nations and in Unprecedented Times collaboration JULY What Works Summit: PEP Talk Episode 3: DECEMBER MARCH Improving outcomes for Assessing the Gender Equality children and young people impact of trade Why a ‘Just Transition’? Migration union activity Tackling inequalities Decarbonisation and JANUARY in Wales What Works Summit: through gender budgeting economic justice Youth mental health Launch of our new Integrated early Sustainable Public podcast. PEP Talk Emma Taylor-Collins Emma Taylor-Collins years system Procurement Dr Hannah Durrant Episode 1: Youth gave evidence about and Professor James presented the Centre’s Homelessness our work on austerity to Downe presented our Preventing youth How can public services Theory of Change to the Senedd’s Equality, work on austerity to the homelessness in better treat vulnerable the Universities Policy Supporting Improvements Local Government and Welsh Government Wales debtors Engagement Network in Health Boards Communities Committee Treasury Directorate 2019 AT A GLANCE Responding to citizens Supporting At the tipping point: Tackling Inequality Developing a in debt to public improvements Welsh Local through Gender Budgeting strategic approach KEY services in health boards Government and to procurement Austerity Gender Equality – Beyond contracting: Improving cross-cutting Learning from Mobilising meaningful Blog public service working What Works Summit: Nordic Nations connections between stewardship to Local Economic evidence and practice Event maximise public value Welsh Government’s Performance Male Suicide: potential responses a silent epidemic The politics of evidence: How do we tackle to UK Government’s Dr Andrew Connell in conversation with Podcast loneliness? Evidence immigration reform presented our PEP Talk Episode 2: Dr Justin Parkhurst of supporting younger work on youth Council tax and and older people Dr Helen Hodges and homelessness at vulnerable debtors The Preston Model: Presentation Dr Paul Worthington the Urdd Eisteddfod a panacea for Wales? The Nordic Exchange presented our work on Welsh local Report on Gender Equality responding to citizens government in debt to public JUNE NOVEMBER and austerity Analysing the powers services to the Money Welsh Government and policy levers of the Action Trust Partnership Lunch and Learn Welsh Government Board SEPTEMBER FEBRUARY APRIL Introduction 2019 was marked by political We have also continued to play We have also drawn on our uncertainty and polarised policy an important role as part of the experience of working with debates. This made it important UK-wide What Works network, policy makers to contribute that policy makers and public collaborating with other What new insights to the academic services could access reliable Work Centres to ensure that literature on evidence use. independent evidence about policy makers in Wales have what works. access to the evidence that The depth, breadth, and volume they generate on health of the body of the work that we For the last two years, we have improvement, educational produced in 2019 was a real worked closely with academic attainment, economic growth, group effort, and we want to experts, public services, and social care, early intervention, thank our funders, the experts Welsh Government ministers ageing better, homelessness, who we’ve worked with, our to bridge the gap which often wellbeing, and reducing crime. Advisory Group, and the whole exists between policy and team at the Wales Centre for research. We’ve published more There has been growing interest Public Policy for making the last than 40 reports and convened in the demand-led approach 12 months such a success. numerous events which have to mobilising evidence that we brought together over 100 have developed, and we were researchers from across the delighted to be selected as UK, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, one of the two finalists for the Norway and Sweden with policy prestigious Economic and Social makers and practitioners Research Council Impact on to discuss the big policy Public Policy Prize. challenges facing Wales. Our reports were Traffic to our website downloaded more increased by more than 20% In 2019... than 4000 times. compared to 2018 figures. The events we organised attracted almost 400 We gained over 500 new attendees and more than 30 speakers, including Twitter followers and 425 speakers from Canada, Norway, and Iceland. new newsletter subscribers. • 4 • About Us The Wales Centre for The Centre: Public Policy helps to improve policy making • supports Welsh Government and public services by Ministers to identify, access, supporting ministers and and use authoritative public service leaders to evidence and independent access and apply rigorous expertise that can help independent evidence inform and improve policy; about what works. It works in partnership with leading • works with public services to researchers and policy access, generate, evaluate, experts to synthesise and and apply evidence about mobilise existing evidence what works in addressing and identify gaps where key economic and societal there is a need to generate challenges; and new knowledge. • draws on its work with The Centre is independent Ministers and public Through secondments, PhD of government but works services, to advance placements and its Research closely with policy makers understanding of how Apprenticeship programme, and practitioners to evidence can inform and the Centre also helps to build develop fresh thinking improve policy making capacity among researchers about how to address and public services and to engage in policy relevant strategic challenges in contribute to theories research which has impact. health and social care, of policy making and education, housing, the implementation. For further information economy and other please visit our website devolved responsibilities. at www.wcpp.org.uk • 5 • Health and Social Care CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE HOW LOCAL GOVERNMENT HAS SUPPORTING HEALTH WHO ARE LOOKED AFTER RESPONDED TO BUDGET CUTS BOARDS The number of children and Constraints on public spending Another complex and high- young people taken into care in have presented challenges profile policy challenge is Wales is increasing and there for Welsh councils. Spending how to support health boards are significant concerns about on services fell by 12% from where there are concerns the state of care provision 2009/10 to 2016/17, and the about patient care and/or and commissioning. We local government workforce overspending. We reviewed the are producing independent decreased by around 37,000 staff. existing evidence and convened evidence and analysis to In partnership with the Welsh a workshop with senior support public services to Local Government Association, Welsh Government officials, improve outcomes for this we conducted a detailed study academic experts, and public group. of how councils in Wales have service leaders with first-hand responded to budget cuts. We experience of turning around We published a detailed concluded that there needs to be underperforming councils empirical analysis of the factors a debate about the sustainability and health bodies in England that are driving increases in of Welsh local government and and Wales. Our report on the numbers of children and how councils can be supported supporting improvements in young people in care across to be resilient. The analysis was health boards summarises the Wales and we are undertaking presented at the Wales Fiscal evidence on ways of tackling three pieces of work on ways of Analysis Conference and to the problem. redesigning commissioning. Welsh Government officials at one of our regular ‘lunch We have conducted a literature and learn’ sessions, as well review on the experiences as to SOLACE Wales and at a of commissioning from the briefing for officials in the Welsh perspectives of children and Government Treasury Directorate. young people and their birth families. REDUCING LONELINESS With experts at the Institute for Public Care, we have conducted Loneliness has also attracted an international review of increasing attention. In 2019, commissioning practices. we reviewed what the evidence says about We are developing a suite of loneliness in Wales and briefings and infographics in Spring 2020 we are on current provision in Wales convening a major working with the Children’s conference to explore Commissioning Consortium what works in tackling Cymru. social isolation and loneliness. TACKLING SUICIDE Mental health has increasingly been recognised as a key public policy issue and the First Minister asked us to provide a short review analysing recent trends and what the current state of the evidence about rates of male suicide. • 6 • Economy and Work GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY SOCIAL PARTNERSHIP PUBLIC PROCUREMENT We analysed what Wales can We conducted a review of the Public procurement accounts learn from high-growth regions evidence on the value of trade for a significant proportion of across Europe. unions, both to their members Welsh public spending and it and to employers. Building has been claimed that it offers We convened a What Works on this work, we convened a way for governments and Summit on economic growth a workshop that