⭐️ Voice and Participation ⭐️
We started the month by hosting an in-person event which brought together professionals from across north Wales for workshops and discussions around disability and additional learning needs. Its aim? To put the voice and participation of disabled children, and children with additional learning needs at the heart of all work that affects them. We heard expert advice from our workshop leads, fantastic discussions from attendees, and were treated to a superb presentation from young people at St Christopher’s Wrexham who inspired everyone in the room with their insights and advice.
❤️ Thanks to everyone who came!
#MyThingsMatter
“Their stories matter, their things matter, they matter” – dyfyniad pwerus o ddigwyddiad pwerus a gynhaliwyd fel rhan o ymgyrch NYAS #MyThingsMatter. Ei neges allweddol oedd pwysigrwydd urddas i bobl ifanc sydd â phrofiad o ofal wrth iddyn nhw symud lleoliadau, gan adleisio’r galwadau a wnaeth fy swyddfa trwy ein gwaith diweddar ein hunain.
Byddwn yn parhau i godi’r galwadau hyn gyda Llywodraeth Cymru, gan gynnwys drwy gyfarfod gyda phobl ifanc sydd wedi’i drefnu ar gyfer mis Mai.
Learner Travel Update
Children being asked to walk almost 6 miles a day to get to school and back
Unsuitable routes to get their education – dark alleys, slippery paths, no pavements
The Commissioner outlined the significant problem of Learner Travel ahead of an important debate in the Senedd on Tuesday 25 March.
🔗 Go to our Learner Travel position paper for our latest thoughts on this issue, and to watch:
-
A video of a journey undertaken by our team
-
Parents’ experiences
What we want to see from the Welsh Government:
-
Consider how mileage thresholds can be reduced; what are the exact costs and benefits of different thresholds?;
-
Review responsibilities for local authorities to risk assess walking routes to transport pick up points;
-
Examine how certain groups of children are particularly affected by the current arrangements, including but not limited to children with disabilities, those attending welsh medium education, and those eligible for free school meals
Pupils’ views on toilets
What are the rules in your school?
How do you feel about using the toilets in your school?
How would you describe your school toilets?
These were some of the questions we asked over 1,000 children and young people who took part in our Monthly Matters survey this month on school toilets – a huge response that reflects the level of interest in this issue.
We’ll be analysing the answers and publishing the results next month. If you supported young people to take part in this survey, thank you!
You can learn more about our Monthly Matters surveys on our website.
Our youth panel and community ambassadors
We had a great day with our advisory panel in south Wales and were joined by representatives from our community ambassador groups including NYAS young mums; HOPE Care experienced girls group from NPT; the Vale Rights Ambassadors; Mixtup – a mixed ability youth club, and club of Dyslexic young people from Swansea. The group of 20 young people worked really well together to share their views on our new website, and take part in a workshop delivered by Transport for Wales who gathered their views on public transport. In the afternoon we had a craft activity to paint a mug with Louise from Craftsea, this was a a relaxing and informal opportunity to chat and get to know each other. We look forward to the next meeting in July!
Key issues covered in TV interview
The Commissioner’s interview with ITV’s political programme Sharp End last week covered some key children’s rights issues:
-
Online safety, and reflections from the Netflix series ‘Adolescence’
-
The inadequacy of current governance arrangements and oversight of religious institutions when it comes to safeguarding
-
Financial pressures facing families across Wales and how young people are impacted