WAHWN News
The Well-being of Future Generations Act ten years on
The Equality and Social Justice Committee’s report, “The Well-being of Future Generations Act ten years on,” has now been laid before the Senedd.
The report, which reviews the implementation of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, finds that while awareness and understanding of the Act have grown across public bodies, there's still work to be done to achieve the seven well-being goals.
For our members and sector, the report underlines the ongoing need to advocate the value of arts and health approaches within preventative health and social care, and to support stronger recognition for our work within policy, planning and investment decisions across Wales.
The Committee states that prevention is not yet sufficiently embedded in decision-making and public spending, and endorses the Auditor General’s recommendation that the Welsh Government should reconsider its approach to identifying and supporting investment in prevention. It calls for stronger action to improve understanding of preventative spend, better integration of prevention into budgeting processes, and clearer mechanisms to protect and incentivise early intervention.
The findings reinforce the importance of making the case for arts and cultural approaches as part of Wales’ preventative infrastructure. As public bodies are asked to place greater emphasis on prevention, there is an opportunity to demonstrate the role of creative and community-based practice in delivering these outcomes.