CEC 5

Senedd Cymru | Welsh Parliament

Y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg | Children, Young People and Education Committee

Gwasanaethau i blant sydd wedi bod mewn gofal: archwilio diwygio radical | Services for care experienced children: exploring radical reform

Ymateb gan Annibynnol | Evidence from Individual

Before care: Safely reducing the number of children in the care system

Please outline a maximum of three top priorities for radical reform of services for safely reducing the number of children in the care system.

Priority 1

Keep the children within their family - ensure all avenues explored

Priority 2

Work on the root cause of the problem eg removal of a domestic violence perpetrator rather than removal of the children

Priority 3

Work with the parent/s / family; not against them

In care: Quality services and support for children in care

Please outline a maximum of three top priorities for radical reform of services for children in care.

Priority 1

Prioritise jerking the family together

Priority 2

Stop the embedded culture of social workers lying or twisting the truth to suit a predetermined outcome and remove time limits on being able to make a complaint in a Children’s services matter. No time limit should exist as complainants are too fearful of making a complaint during proceedings for fear of it being held against them then when proceedings  are over, they’re time barred from doing  so. Wrong.

Priority 3

Reevaluate the situation / where parent is at regularly rather then the structure if that’s the process and they’re in it now fur tte long haul  so it needs to be seen through. Have the courage to suggest to seniors that things could be done differently /the situation has changed and advise altering the process.

After care: On-going support when young people leave care

Please outline a maximum of three top priorities for radical reform of the on-going support provided when young people leave care.

Priority 1

Don’t drop them the minute proceedings are over.

Priority 2

Have a plan / programme to ensure children are supported post trauma.

Priority 3

Allow complaints without a blanket barring of them based on a time limit to do so, as it is currently the case.

Anything else

Children’s services looked after / court teams need very very close and regular external monitoring of every step of every case as the damage to children they can cause in a very short space of time can last that child a lifetime.