Under the Welsh Language Act 1993, every public body providing services to the public in Wales is required to prepare a scheme setting out how it will provide those services in Welsh.
It describes how we will give effect, so far as is both appropriate in the circumstances and reasonably practicable, to the principle established by the Welsh Language Act that, in the conduct of public business and the administration of justice in Wales, the Welsh and English languages should be treated on a basis of equality.
Further information on the scope and purpose of Welsh language schemes can be found in the Welsh Language Board’s guidelines.
Welsh Language Report 2023-24
Overview
This is our thirteenth annual monitoring report. It demonstrates that CCW has continued to deliver the statutory Welsh language obligations in line with our Welsh Language Scheme (WLS).
In 2023/24, nine CCW members of staff continued with their weekly Welsh language learning during CCW business hours. Welsh language lessons were financed by the Welsh Government through the National Centre for Learning Welsh. Welsh learners are continuing with that commitment in 2024/25. The organisation also remains committed to our people’s development and helping them achieve Welsh language qualifications which can help make CCW business services available in Welsh.
Our online Board Committee for Wales meetings continued to use simultaneous translation and took place bilingually in Welsh and English.
We continue to use the ReciteMe translation tool to make our website services, advice and publications available in Welsh. In the past year we have switched to summarising many of our publications and policy work on our website pages for improved accessibility. This has improved accessibility of even more content in Welsh through the use of the Recite me translation tool.
Water and the environment are getting a lot of public attention in Wales. To respond to Welsh public interest we engaged future generations in the making of our first Welsh Language Waterfall podcast. Episode #64 Cymru Currents Waterfall episode engaged a group of Ysgol Gymraeg Gwynllyw students in a conversation of valuable water efficiency lessons and reflections on water issues in Wales and abroad.
Some of our Wales-focussed and Welsh language educational resources are also now available on the Welsh Government Digital Education Hwb. This includes our Welsh language and Wales focussed Water podcast episodes (#45 & #64) and our Walking with Water educational activity flyer. These resources available to Welsh language schools, carers and families for educational activities and reflections on water.
We continued to hold an annual Welsh culture event on St. David’s Day. We use these events to raise awareness of our Welsh language obligations in a fun and engaging way.
We continue to make a big effort to ensure our public-facing teams have enough resources to deliver our services in Welsh.
In 2023/24 we recruited 12 Cardiff-based Consumer Relations staff. One of them was a Welsh speaker, however they have since left. In 2024/25, we are hoping to recruit more Welsh speakers in Consumer Relations through a similar process.
Welsh language implementation actions from our Welsh Language Scheme
Target: Ensure staff and others engaged in framing and implementing new plans/ initiatives or policies are aware of commitments under our Welsh Language Scheme.
Report: Our intranet continues to make Welsh language guidance and tools accessible to our team. We use it as a reference page to remind people how to deliver our scheme, make translation decisions, and provide our services to Welsh speakers effectively. In March 2024, we held another internal Welsh culture event through which we raised awareness of the Welsh language and our Welsh language obligations in a fun and engaging way.
Date of completion: Ongoing
2.1 Written correspondence & 2.2 Telephone communications:
Target: Update and report on the record of individuals and organisations that prefer to correspond in Welsh.
Report: Our Welsh language scheme only requires CCW to report email and written correspondence, but we proactively pay equal attention to recording telephone or other communications. This year we recorded two additional requests for communication in Welsh (one email and another by phone). We received no complaints about our Welsh language services.
Date of completion: April 2023 – April 2024
2.2 Telephone communications:
Target: Ensure that the public can speak in Welsh or English when dealing with us by telephone.
Report: Our Consumer Relations team interacts with members of the public in Wales through a dedicated number (0300 034 3333). We have continued to use our recorded greeting messages using our own CCW Welsh language speaker and created a friendlier and warmer tone in Welsh. Callers dialling this number are greeted bilingually. Consumer Relations Managers continued to ensure that all colleagues based in Birmingham understood the importance of recording Welsh language requests and offering a Welsh language communication option. Our internal protocol for providing our telephone service in Welsh remains the same.
Date of completion: April 2023 – April 2024
2.3 Public & Face to face meetings:
Target: Ensure colleagues that arrange and attend public meetings in Wales are aware of commitments under our Welsh Language Scheme.
Report: Our online Board Committee for Wales meetings continued to use simultaneous translation and took place bilingually in Welsh and English. These take place twice a year.
Date of completion: April 2023 – April 2024
3.4 Internet Communication:
Target: Continue to increase the Welsh language content on CCW website:
- Make Welsh language material accessible and prominent on website.
- Ensure information, which is relevant to Wales, is also available in Welsh
Report: We continue to make important public information available on our webpages in Welsh through the ReciteMe tool, e.g. how to make a complaint about their water services, in Welsh and a series of FAQs. In the past year we have switched to summarising more of our publications and policy work on our website pages for improved accessibility. This has improved accessibility of even more content in Welsh through the use of the Recite me translation tool.
Date of completion: April 2023 – April 2024
3.5 Press notices, other publicity material (and media activity):
Target: Original media activity was not mentioned in our Scheme but we have added this as it is an important way in which we communicate messages to customers.
Report: Our communications team routinely translate all media releases which feature important messages for water consumers in Wales, to Welsh. Statements and news items on our website are available in Welsh through the ReciteMe Tool. When we receive media requests for interviews we offer interviews in Welsh through our Welsh language independent board member. For example, in July 2024, we explained the impact of Ofwat’s draft determination on future prices in Welsh as well as English interviews with Welsh media. Please contact [redacted email address] for more information or to request other examples of our publicity material in Welsh.
First CCW Welsh language Waterfall podcast: Water and the environment are getting a lot of public attention in Wales. To respond to Welsh public interest we engaged future generations in the making of our first Welsh Language Waterfall podcast episode #64. Cymru Currents Waterfall episode engaged a group of Ysgol Gymraeg Gwynllyw students in a conversation about valuable water efficiency lessons and reflections on water issues in Wales and abroad.
CCW Educational material in Welsh: Some of our Wales-focussed and Welsh language educational resources are also now available on the Welsh Government Digital Education Hwb. This includes our Welsh language and Wales focussed Water podcast episodes and our Walking with Water educational activity flyer available to Welsh language schools, carers and families for educational activities on water.
Our latest strategy and work programme documents for 2024–25 can be found in Welsh at Strategy and Forward Work Programme 2024-25 and Strategaeth (pdf).
CCW research and other publications: In the past year we have switched to summarising more of our publications and policy work online for improved accessibility. This has improved accessibility of our content in Welsh too through the Recite me tool. Here is an example of how a summary of our Annual Tracking Water Matters report is now accessible in Welsh online through the ReciteMe tool. For all CCW commissioned research projects, we ask suppliers to confirm that they can offer survey interviews in Welsh if preferred.
Date of completion: April 2023 – April 2024
4.1 & 4.2 Staffing and Recruitment:
Target: Identify jobs where the ability to speak Welsh is essential or desirable and formulate job descriptions accordingly.
Monitor and list the number of Welsh speakers / learners to establish and monitor its linguistic resources.
Report: CCW Welsh-speaking staff and appointments- number of public appointments (1), employees (1), and Consumer Advocates (2) speaking Welsh: Welsh speakers account for 1.2% of our total staff number in England and Wales (1 out of 83) and 6.25% of our members of staff based in Wales (1 out of 16). As of March 2024 we had four Welsh speakers:
- One Appointed and Independent Board member (out of five)
- Two consumer advocates (All Consumer Advocate appointments came to an end June 2024 and they have not been renewed)
- One member of staff
We continue to make Welsh language a desirable requirement during relevant recruitment, and our recruitment partner has been heavily targeting this requirement. We have continued to make efforts to advertise on Welsh-language websites such as Lleol and Safle Sywddi, and we have a Welsh version of any Cardiff office-based vacancy advertised via our external recruitment partners
In 2023–24, we recruited 12 Cardiff-based Consumer Relations staff. One of them was a Welsh speaker, however they have since left. In 2024–25, we are hoping to recruit more Welsh speakers in Consumer Relations through a similar process. We are making a big effort to ensure our public-facing teams have enough resources to deliver our services in Welsh.
Date of completion: April 2023 – April 2024
4.3 Promoting the Scheme:
Target 1: Ensure employees and others engaged in framing and implementing new plans/initiatives or policies are aware of commitments under our Welsh Language Scheme and the guidance available to them for its implementation.
Report: We have continued to raise awareness of our Welsh language, culture and obligations through our fourth annual St. David’s Day Welsh culture event in March 2024. At the event we publicised and further discussed Welsh-language learning opportunities.
Date of completion: April 2023 – April 2024
Target 2: Ensure all employees are aware of the responsibilities and content of the scheme as part of the induction programme and as and when necessary.
Report: Line managers are aware it is their responsibility to bring our Welsh language obligations to the attention of new starters.
Date of completion: Ongoing
4.4 Learning Welsh:
Target: Encourage and support employees who wish to learn or improve their spoken/ written Welsh
Report: Our Welsh language learners completed 60 out of 120 hours of Welsh language lessons, with 89% participation (8 out of 9). Four colleagues from our Consumer Relations team will continue their learning, directly supporting our goal of enhancing customer service in Welsh. The new programme started in September 2024, and at the end, participants will have the option to sit the exam and gain a qualification in Welsh.
Through this initiative, we now have one additional fluent Welsh speaker, along with two colleagues who have significantly improved their ability and confidence in speaking Welsh. Additionally, two team members are learning Welsh for the first time, developing a foundational understanding of the language. This progress ensures these team members can effectively engage with customers in Welsh, with further interactions being managed by our fluent speaker.
Lessons remain open to the wider group, the business maintain its commitment to provide the time and support learners need, and we plan to run the programme annually.
We have also fostered a social learning environment, where the group is deepening their understanding of Welsh culture, further enhancing their ability to serve our Welsh-speaking customers.
Date of completion: Ongoing to September 2025
4.5 Translation services:
Target: Ensure CCW staff likely to require Welsh Language translation facilities have access to a list (of translators/processes) as well as to appropriate electronic translating tools.
Report: Translation guidance, scoring system, and Tracker: All internal translation guidance and contacts continue to be visible and accessible through a dedicated internal Welsh language intranet page.
In line with our WLS commitment, we’ve translated:
- Our public meeting invitations, agendas, and notices. We also use simultaneous translation where appropriate.
- Our monthly newsletter
- Press releases relevant to Wales
- Relevant social media posts
- Video captions of new content
- Key strategic documents/research/reports
- Other key Wales stakeholder updates, letters and emails
Our Translation Tracker spreadsheet recorded 40 items that were translated into Welsh. Please contact [redacted email address] for more info.
4.7 Monitoring the Scheme:
Target: Review progress on implementation plan/Submit progress to Welsh Language Commissioner.
Report: Our Executive Team is involved in all our Welsh language awareness and review efforts. The cost of CCW’s Welsh Language obligations delivery was over £7,557.31 in 2023-24. This includes costs of the ReciteMe tool, translating and publishing documents, social media and media releases mentioned above, as well as translations for submissions and other correspondence.
Date of completion: October 2024
4.8 Reviewing and Amending the Scheme:
Target: Review the Scheme.
Report: We understand that the recent Welsh language standards implementation does not include CCW as previously communicated to us by the Commissioner’s office. We remain committed to the review of our Welsh Language Scheme within the next two years, due to resources pressures. It remains important for us to prioritise Welsh Language learning and self-development for members of our WLS delivery team first.
Date of completion: 2023–24