The Birth of Public Child Protection Wales

For several years members of Public Child Protection Wales (PCP Wales) supported families, young people and children. We have supported additional needs, educational support, difficulties accessing services and short falls in provisions. Thresholds for support at a level almost impossible to reach without being forced into turmoil, serious hardship, then intrusive intervention. Academics are confused by people’s reluctance to engage with services, academics have rarely, if ever, been on receiving end of these services, the policies in practice, and the manner in which people within the services approach families, nor have they been on the receiving end of well-documented “workplace culture”. We have come to recognise these are not isolated incidents, it is widespread.

Additional needs is another problem here. Schools seem to have a huge say over who gets on the pathway to diagnosis and who does not. We struggle to see what qualifies them to make this decision; parents have complained of difficulties when questioning these qualifications, children’s mental health and health deteriorates, support is non existent until diagnosis, even after diagnosis there is the further fight for support, funding, and statements of educational needs. Widespread in-depth training could provide a wholesome network of support regardless of this pathway and criteria. CAHMS waiting list is extortionate, one must consider the pressure on that services it contributed to by the problem’s mentioned in this paragraph.

Wales is supposed to be a country of Children’s Rights, a needs-based approach and person-centred care, getting these things honoured is another matter. Children have no voice; the documents tell us they do but practice proves otherwise. Parents have no voice; they are told what to do and how things will operate, they are led to believe they are partaking in the technicalities but when it boils down to it it’s no more than a box ticking exercise. Local Authority is a system of criteria and Welsh Government is fast becoming an institution the people can no longer relate to.

Our care system has a lot to answer for. Babies born to care leavers are taken not taken because the mother failed their child but because the system failed that baby’s mother as a child. A young person needs a warm, loving, stable environment in which they learn and grow. Children in the care system are hugely ignored. What is considered evidence in a criminal court is dismissed in the family court, this needs to change.

RSE (Relationship and Sex Education) in the new Curriculum and Assessment Bill 2020, mandated against the parents’ wishes is a step too far. We now realise it is time to act, it is time to address these issues once and for all. How will we do that? We will do that by becoming a voice for the voiceless, we will fight these policies not fit for purpose and ensure a wholesome approach. Children should not be trapped in the realms of local authority and the same can be said for children trapped in isolation, poverty and abuse. As a team we bridge the gap between the formalities and the people, we bring the people to the forefront and ensure a high standard of training across all services working with children, young people and families. In fact, we will fight for an independent service to advocate for children and young people, a service which will hold authorities to account.

PCP Wales

Public Child Protection Wales wants to spread our message of hope and compassion. We believe that a single action can make a difference in the community, and that collective action can greatly impact the world. Through advocacy and outreach activities, our team strive to make a safer, better tomorrow.

What we do

Helping create a brighter future for the children of Wales

Public Child Protection Wales is achieving more with our initiatives than ever before. We work on many exciting projects to help improve the lives of others, and are  proud of the progress we continue to make. Learn more about what we do, who we help, and how we work every day to promote positive change.

Education- our say, our way!

We are fighting to remove RSE from the mandatory element of the Curriculum and Assessment Bill 2020.

Our current Campaign is to raise awareness of; the removal of the parental opt out for sex education, inform of the switch from maths and science to RVE (Religion Values and Ethics) and RSE (Relationship and Sex Education) which is mandated in the Curriculum Bill 2020 from age 3, and highlight the connection to the global roll out of Comprehensive Sex Education, which sexualises children and fails to safeguard, this global roll out features on our RSE Draft 2019.

Support for those who need it

Helping The Community

Child abuse and exploitation has been on the political agenda a long time however, we rarely see much improvement. From institutional abuse, intrafamilial abuse, inadequate support for Special Educational Needs, School bullying, serious assaults and sexual assaults, and policies not fit for practice. Our services often victimise people further instead of providing support.  
We want adequate services for those who need it, it must be easy to access and readily available.
Members of our team have supported families and and successfully helped survivors of abuse and will continue to do so.
We give thanks to the families that entrust us with their concerns and the courageous survivors who have turned their lives around and become heroes, their stories are our inspiration, when voices are heard children are empowered.