During the last Senedd term, the Welsh Government’s Ending Homelessness Action Plan committed to developing ‘a resilient and valued workforce recognised for their expertise’ . The Ending Homelessness National Advisory Board, which oversaw delivery of the action plan, established a Workforce Task and Finish Group to focus on this issue.
Clare Budden, CEO of ClwydAlyn, chaired the group and ensured that the views of frontline workers were central from the very start. Six online engagement events were held by the Frontline Network Wales, where frontline workers were encouraged to share their views on the key issues facing them and their colleagues, as well as the changes required to develop a resilient and valued workforce. This shaped the workplan for the Workforce Task and Finish Group, and led to the establishment of five sub-groups focused on pay, support systems for staff, recruitment and retention, training and qualifications, and commissioning.
The sub-groups, which consisted of people from third sector support providers, local authorities, and housing associations, spent the next three years conducting research, engaging with the wider sector, considering approaches from other sectors and UK nations, and developing reports and recommendations. Each sub-group submitted reports to the Ending Homelessness National Advisory Board, received feedback, and finalised their recommendations.
In October 2025, the Ending Homelessness National Advisory Board approved the final Workforce Task and Finish Group report – available in English and Welsh. This report included each of the sub-group reports as individual chapters, and set out a clear pathway to achieving a resilient and valued homelessness and housing support workforce, recognised for its expertise.
It was sent to the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government in November 2025, who subsequently shared it with the Chair of the Senedd Housing and Local Government Committee at the end of March 2026.
Following the Senedd elections in May 2026, we are keen for the new Welsh Government maintain a focus on this issue and deliver the report’s recommendations. As a result, we have written a number of articles and letters, in an attempt to put the homelessness and housing support workforce back on the agenda:
In a recent issue of Welsh Housing Quarterly, Clare and our Director, Katie, co-authored an article titled ‘Valuing our People‘, outlining our call to the new Welsh Government.- Clare has also written to the Chair of the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee about this issue. She highlighted the previous committee’s inquiry into housing support for vulnerable people, which shone a light on the pressures facing the homelessness and housing support workforce. Given the Workforce Task and Finish Group’s report landed on the desk of the previous committee chair just before the election, Clare asked the committee to consider it during this Senedd term and use its role to hold the new Welsh Government to account on delivery.
- Clare has also written to the Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning, asking her to consider the report and recommendations and set out how she plans to take this work forward.
Katie has also raised this issue with the Cabinet Minister and senior officials, advocating for the workforce to be a focus under the planned overarching housing strategy. We will keep you updated on any further developments!