More than just Words

Do you realise that providing our services through the medium of Welsh makes a huge difference to the care we give to individuals? That it can make them feel at home, safe and respected? It can also make it much easier for individuals to explain their emotions and wishes and give us confidence that we truly understand what is important to them

The Government's latest 5-year plan on the provision of health and care services through the medium of Welsh emphasises once again the need for the ‘active offer’ Of course, you will be familiar with this term – it's on your WCCIS forms, on your supervision policy and in many other places. But, what exactly does it mean?

To provide a service in Welsh without anyone having to ask for it or choose it.

To do this we need to: always start conversations in Welsh to invite individuals to use their Welsh with us identify if a person speaks Welsh, and make sure the worker visiting them speaks Welsh using the Welsh that we have Even if you are not fluent or confident in the Welsh language, using even small words here and there can make a world of difference to a person ' s care

Remember that asking individuals about their ‘language of choice’ or 'preferred language' does not count as an active offer and it is important to recognise our responsibility to meet the individual's language needs; that being, speaking in Welsh if they speak Welsh.

For us to understand the our workforce’s ability to deliver services in Welsh, it is important that we have data about the language abilities of all staff It is a duty on all staff to complete the language selfassessment found on the self-service system. Please, if you haven't done this already, give ten minutes of your time to fill it. The workforce support team will also be contacting line managers over the coming weeks to encourage them to ensure that staff members have completed it.

Remember that help is available to develop your Welsh skills wherever you are on your journey; whether it's starting to learn for the first time or fluent but not as confident in writing Please do not hesitate to contact the Welsh Language Learning and Development Officer, Bet Huws, if you would like to know more about the support available – bethuws@gwynedd.llyw.cymru