Author: Kayleigh Fisher

The 2020 Youth Work Excellence Awards are now open for nominations.

All of the information you need to make a nomination, including the nomination form itself, is available online using the following link:

https://gov.wales/youthworkexcellenceawards

We would be grateful for your help in circulating this information widely through your networks. The closing date is Friday, 28 February 2020. 

Please contact Welsh Government with any queries via the mailbox: Youthworkexcellence.awards@gov.wales

Reducing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), preventing alcohol and substance misuse, and improving education and training opportunities are some key ways to help prevent suicide in Welsh children and young people.

A new review, published by Public Health Wales and Swansea University, examines the deaths of all children and young people in Wales who died by suicide between 2013 and 2017. A number of themes were identified which should be targets for preventing these terrible tragedies in the future. 

There is evidence from across the UK of an increase in deaths by suicide in young people since 2010. Combining a number of sources, the review sought to identify the factors related to suicide in 10-18 year olds in Wales. 

The review examines 33 cases of children and young people who took their own lives. Some of the issues surrounding these suicides included substance misuse; poverty; sexual abuse and assault; bereavement; shame; difficulties in education, employment or training; and lack of awareness around self-harm.

The review notes there is rarely a single reason why a child or young person takes his/her own life. It’s usually due to a variety risk factors, circumstances and adverse experiences. Despite this, suicide is potentially preventable. 

The review identifies six key opportunities for suicide prevention in children and young people. These are: 

1.  Prevention of alcohol and substance misuse. Including ongoing action to restrict the access of children and young people to alcohol, along with the full implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance to prevent substance misuse.
2.  Mitigation of ACEs. Including continued interventions for children who have experienced adverse childhood experiences such as sexual abuse, sexual assault or domestic violence. This should also include greater engagement with safeguarding boards to raise awareness of the importance of protecting children from the effects of domestic violence and sexual abuse to prevent suicide and self-harm.
3.  Management of self-harm. Including full implementation of the NICE guidance for the management of self-harm relating to children and young people.
4.  Raising the age of participation in education, employment or training. Including an exploration of support mechanisms to ensure children and young people between the ages of 16 and 18 are supported in education, employment or training; including work-based training.
5.  Better information sharing. Including an exploration of how information can be shared between non-state education settings, such as private schools, and state services.
6.  Better knowledge and awareness of self-harm and other risk factors for suicide. Including an exploration of evidence-based ways of increasing knowledge and awareness of self-harm and other risk factors for suicide, safety planning, help seeking and accessing services, as well as tackling stigma.

More information here: https://phw.nhs.wales/news1/news/averting-tragedy-suicide-prevention-in-welsh-children-and-young-people/

The Millennium Stadium Charitable Trust is Open to Receive Application from LOCAL Groups Seeking Funding.

The Millennium Stadium Charitable Trust was established through an agreement between the Millennium Stadium and the Millennium Commission and its income is generated through a levy on every ticket purchased by people attending public events at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

The Trust strives to enrich the quality of life in Welsh communities by investing in inspirational sporting, arts, environmental and community-based projects that will have a lasting impression on the people who will benefit.

The Trust achieves this by issuing grants to voluntary and charitable organisations throughout Wales. 

The Closing date for receiving Local Applications is noon on 10.01.2020 Trustees will meet 19.03.2020

Applicants may apply for up to £2,500.00 for grants where the projects remit will serve their local community or town.

Please visit the website for details and to down load an application form: www.millenniumstadiumtrust.co.uk

For queries relating to this round please contact Sarah Fox at: FoxSE Consultancy on Tel:  029 20 022 143 or Email: sarah@foxseconsultancy.co.uk or msct@foxseconsultancy.co.uk

Qualifications Wales have launched the Qualified for the Future consultation.

It will be looking at the kind of qualifications needed for the new curriculum. 

Their vision is that 16-year-olds in Wales take globally respected qualifications that inspire and prepare them for life, learning and work – and they want to know what you think!

You can find all the details by following this link:

https://www.qualificationswales.org/english/qualified-for-the-future/

After the passing of the Votes at 16 legislation last week we wrote an article about the big news on the European Youth Portal!

The Senedd and Elections Bill proposes to:

• lower the voting age to 16 for Assembly elections;
• change the name of the Assembly to ‘Senedd Cymru’ or the ‘Welsh Parliament’
• provide for Members to be known as ‘Aelodau o’r Senedd’ or ‘Members of the Senedd’;
• extend the right to vote to qualifying foreign citizens.

41 of the 60 Assembly Members voted in favour of the Bill, which is the biggest change to the Welsh democratic process in 60 years, when the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18, in 1959.

This amazing change means that 70,000 teenagers will get the vote from 2021 and also gives voting rights to 33,000 foreign nationals! It also means that from the 6^th of May 2020 our assembly will be renamed Senedd Cymru/Welsh Parliament as part of the changes.

Labour, Welsh Government ministers and Plaid Cymru all backed the bill, but the Conservatives and the Brexit Party opposed it.

Commenting on the momentous decision the Llywydd (Presiding Officer) Elin Jones said:

“This was a vote to empower our young people to participate in the democratic process by extending the vote to 16 and 17 year olds – a move which, for some, is long overdue.

This Bill, in my view, will create a more inclusive, diverse and effective Senedd, and will strengthen our democracy for the twenty first Century. One that will give our legislature a name which is a true reflection of its constitutional status and improves public understanding of the Senedd’s responsibilities. And one that will bring new energy to our democratic process.

I am pleased that Wales has taken this important step to strengthen the foundations of our parliamentary democracy, a move that future generations will thank us for.”

For us as an organisation that represents the Voluntary Youth Sector in Wales we are thrilled by the decision to offer more young people a direct say in their future.

For further information on the Assembly reform work please visit: www.assembly.wales/AssemblyReform

Awareness and Engagement Event (North Wales) for Organisations that can help to support the delivery of the New Curriculum in Wales

You are invited to attend a workshop to update you on the development of the new draft curriculum for Wales 2022 and to consider how other organisations can support delivery of the new curriculum in schools.

You will also have the opportunity to hear about some examples of good practice.  Please share the information with your wider network.

The workshop will be held at The Imperial Hotel, Llandudno, LL30 1AP on 11 December 2019  and will start at 10:00am and finish at 14:00pm.

Please register here  https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/organisations-who-can-support-delivery-of-the-new-curriculum-in-wales-tickets-82010747353

Calling community groups in North Wales!

You could win a share of more than £40,000 from North Wales PCC’s Your Community Your Choice fund

*Here’s the link*

We are delighted to announce the upcoming National Youth Work Conference:

When: 4th MARCH 2020
Where: CARDIFF CITY STADIUM
Who: YOUTH WORK PRACTITIONERS

Note: This is a DIARY MARKER only.

Further details of the event, including timings and content (plus how to book your place), will be released in due course.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Please see below a revised set of dates for the 2020 Spring and Summer CWVYS regional meetings.

Due to an increasingly crowded calendar of events for the sector, we have seen the need to change the dates as noted below:

We look forward to welcoming you to these meetings

The National Co-ordinator post for suicide and self-harm prevention is now out to advertisement until 11 December, 2019. 

Interviews will take place in early January.

This is a key Welsh Government commitment following the publication of the Everybody’s Business report and will assist in driving forward the implementation of the national and regional action plans for suicide and self-harm prevention under the Talk to Me 2 national strategy. 

Welsh Government are also appointing 3 regional leads in the new year to support the regional forums with their work. 

*Here you can find the Job description*

Please distribute widely and encourage colleagues to *apply here*

Please *click here* for sight of documents prepared by each UK nation for the Centre for Youth Impact.

CWVYS has developed close links with the CYI and currently have 6 Member organisations undertaking the YPQI as part of the first pilot in Wales. Six more will take on the programme in 2020 and another six  in 2021. 

CWVYS wrote the Wales paper, which you can access *here*