Dear Editor,
The challenges faced over the last year have been unlike any other generation and the true scale of its impact will manifest in the months and years to come. For many children, the uncertainty and worry from the pandemic has taken a toll on their mental health, while others have felt trapped in unsafe homes – cut off from their usual support networks.
The scale of support required to help children and young people in Wales recover and reconnect is huge and the next Welsh Government has a duty to address this.
It’s crucial Senedd members take a deliberately long view, keeping children at the forefront of their recovery plans and ensuring services are fully resourced to meet the demand we foresee. At NSPCC Cymru/Wales we’ve laid out how we think they can do this – nspcc.org.uk/ManifestoWales – focusing on five key visions:
- Keeping children safe is everyone’s responsibility
- Every child is safe online
- Children are supported to speak out and recover from abuse
- Families struggling with perinatal mental health, domestic abuse or adversity linked to poverty can access early and adequate support
- Children get the mental health support they need
I’m urging all candidates to pledge their support to fight for safer childhoods.
Cecile Gwilym
Policy & Public Affairs Manager
NSPCC Cymru/Wales
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