New virtual support service funded by Innovative Communities

Innovative Communities, part of RDP Sir Gar’s Innovative Hubs scheme, has awarded £25k for CYCA (Carmarthenshire Youth and Children’s Association) to research and develop a localised Virtual Support Interactive Gateway.

“Thanks to the funding we have received through the RDP Innovative Communities fund, we are able to provide an alternative support service to families suffering from emotional distress throughout rural Carmarthenshire.” Says CYCA’s Barry Johnson.

It’s hoped the new service will allow for long term engagement between staff and clients as the ‘virtual’ service would require less resources and will give more control to clients in terms of the rate at which they progress as support will not be restricted to a set time or day.

Consultations were held with Counsellors and Mentors and the findings were that the inflexibility of the face to face only approach caused a variety of problems. The Virtual Support Interactive Gateway would help alleviate many of the barriers identified as it will be accessible via multi platforms such as phones and tablets.

CYCA, established in 1981, have been successfully delivering services for young people and their families for over 30 years and this project will operate within a wide partnership network, including Carmarthenshire County Council, CAVS, schools, colleges, Communities 2.0, Families First, Team Around the Family (TAF) and others as identified through the research phase.

Innovative Communities has been funded by the Rural Development Plan for Wales 2007-2013 which is funded by the Welsh Government and European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.