Robs Weekly Round-Up

06 April 2023

Dear colleagues,

While this is a shorter week for many staff ahead of the bank holiday weekend it has been no less busy and I am pleased to have a host of positive developments to share with you all.

Yesterday, Care Inspectorate Wales published their report into our Social Services directorate and I am proud to say it is glowing in its praise.

CIW assessed both Children and Young People’s Services and Adult Services and recognised the high level at which both are operating. The inspectors commented on the strong senior leadership within the department and the clear strategic plans that are in place to evaluate improvements.

Our teams were praised for the improvements that have been made since the last CIW review in November 2021, and the report highlights the most important point – that this improvement is resulting in better outcomes for children, young people and their families.

I would like to thank every member of our Social Services team. These colleagues do an incredible job, under increasingly difficult circumstances. What is clear to me from the report is their commitment to delivering the best possible care to those they support and the incredible compassion that runs through all of their work. I am immensely proud to work alongside colleagues like this and know that many others share this sense of pride too. Diolch yn fawr iawn.

I am also pleased to share that following my update on the project last week Oracle Fusion is now live. The system is a big step forward from our previous platform and considerably more user friendly. This week’s go-live is a significant milestone in our journey to becoming a digital first organisation.

Almost all colleagues should now have received login details that will enable you to access employee and manager self service in Fusion. There have been a number of updates to colleagues across the week and you can catch-up on these by visiting the Oracle Fusion hub on StaffNet. You’ll also find links to online training designed to support those using the system for the first time.

Giving colleagues the ability to self-serve will be a key element of our new Digital Strategy, which is currently being finalised. Oracle Fusion is the first of many new platforms that will become available to staff in the next year. Work is currently underway on developing a number of new tools to help us all work together and smarter and I am exciting to see even closer working across the organisation as a result.

Once again I’d like to give a shout out to everyone who has been involved in the Oracle project. Many staff worked across the weekend to ensure Monday’s go-live went smoothy. I’d like to thank everyone for their commitment throughout what has been a hugely complex and at times hugely challenging project. This week’s seamless rollout is the result of all your hard work. Diolch pawb.

I’d also like to commend a host of Vale schools who last week came together to celebrate the Cymraeg Campus awards. Cymraeg Campus is a language charter, used to promote the use of Cymraeg in schools. The recent census data showed there are more Welsh speakers than ever in the Vale of Glamorgan and this is in no small part down to colleagues across the education sector providing such great support to those who wish to learn and live their lives bilingually.

Llongyfarchiadau mawr i’r ddysgwyr i gyd a dderbyniodd eu gwobrau yr wythnos hon ac i bawb oedd yn eu cymorthwyo a chefnogi. You can read the full list of schools and see some lovely pictures of the pupils with their certificates online.

Finally, many of you I’m sure will be looking for ways to enjoy the good weather over this Easter weekend. Those with young families could do a lot worse that paying a visit to Porthkerry Country Park to take advantage of the new play area what opened earlier this week. The fencing came down just in time for the Easter holidays and it was great to see so many children enjoying the new facility when it opened on Tuesday. I happened to have the afternoon off on Tuesday, and I spent some time walking in the park and along the coast next to Porthkerry.  The new play area was certainly a big hit with visitors.  It was good to bump into Mel Stewart and talk about how popular the new play area was and to learn more about the work our rangers were doing in the park, despite the recent challenging wet weather. Beyond this our Visit the Vale team have curated a great list of Easter events that cater to all ages and tastes so head over to their website or social media channels if you are looking for inspiration.

On this note, thanks to all our staff who will be working hard over the extended weekend to keep the Vale looking at its best for the rest of us to enjoy.  It is appreciated, as always.

Whatever you do this Easter I hope you enjoy. Thanks as always for your efforts this week.

Diolch yn fawr pawb.

Rob.