Deputy Chief Inspector of Care Inspectorate Wales
Who am I?
My name is Kevin Barker and I am a Deputy Chief Inspector of Care Inspectorate Wales.
What do I do?
I joined the former Social Services Inspectorate for Wales (SSIW) in 2002 and was appointed as Deputy Chief Inspector for CIW in August 2024.
I began my career as a social worker in Bristol and moved to Wales to work for West Glamorgan Council in 1989. I have held various roles including as a senior practitioner, principal social services officer and assistant director for a large voluntary agency. Most of my career before joining the inspectorate involved working in services for people with a learning disability. Most recently in CIW I was head of childcare and play inspection from 2018-2024.
My areas of interest and/or experience
I am interested in the difference inspection can make to improving things for the people who use the services we regulate and inspect. I firmly believe this requires collaboration and partnership working as the norm, rather than the exception.
What’s important to me
I want the potential of all people to be realised – including those whose opportunities are constrained by inequality and discrimination. Outside of work, I enjoy running as part of a social running club. I like history, poetry (relax – reading not composing) and novels. I support Bath rugby club – not a position that garners much favour in Wales!