Children in care work on University project to improve future care placements/ Plant mewn gofal yn gweithio ar brosiect prifysgol i wella lleoliadau gofal yn y dyfodol

Children in care work on University project to improve future care placements

Looked after children from Neath Port Talbot have been working on a Swansea University based project to improve a young person’s experience while in care.

The project, known as Lleisiau Bach/Little Voices, aims to help young people to research and have their say on issues which matter to them. The project encourages adults and children to work together to influence relevant decision makers through joint research and community action.

Eleven representatives from the Council’s youth council for children in care made the decision to work on a specific project to improve the information given to young people before and during a care placement.

Working closely with the facilitators at Little Voices, the young people attended three sessions at Swansea University where they discussed their issues and undertook their research. They developed a questionnaire which has been sent to all the looked after children in Neath Port Talbot to gather a broader range of views on people’s experiences. The next stage of the project is to analyse the feedback from the questionnaires and present the findings to senior officers of the Council.

Councillor Alan Lockyer, Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Services, said:

“The Lleisiau Bach/Little Voices project is a great learning experience for those taking part and is also an excellent opportunity for them to help improve how future young people settle into their care placement. Being placed into care can be a challenging time for a young person so it is vital we make the process as smooth as possible. It is a key priority for the Council to give all young people the best start in life so they are given the chance to reach their full potential.

“I look forward to viewing the findings of their research to determine how we put their suggestions in practice.”

The Council’s youth council for children in care, also known as YoVo (short for Your Voice Matters) was established in April 2017 to act as a voice for children and young people in care. Your Voice Matters meet on a monthly basis and is open to children and young people between the ages of 11 and 18 who are in care or are care leavers. The group aims to combine fun activities with key learning projects.

Helen Dale, Engagement Officer at Wales Observatory, said:

‘Working with the young people has been fantastic-I know how much this means to them. Having the information they need to help them while in care and being involved in decision making is vital. I look forward to supporting them to work alongside the senior officers in Neath Port Talbot to achieve their recommendations.’

The Big Lottery-funded Lleisiau Bach/Little Voices project is managed by the Wales Observatory on Human Rights of Children and Young People at Swansea University’s Hillary Clinton School of Law in partnership with Bangor University. It is a collaborative project with international, national and local partners and was launched in 2012.

Plant mewn gofal yn gweithio ar brosiect prifysgol i wella lleoliadau gofal yn y dyfodol

Mae plant sy’n derbyn gofal gan Gastell-nedd Port Talbot wedi bod yn gweithio ar brosiect ym Mhrifysgol Abertawe i wella profiadau pobl ifanc pan fyddant mewn gofal.

Enw’r prosiect yw Lleisiau Bach a’i nod yw helpu pobl ifanc i ymchwilio i faterion sy’n bwysig iddynt a dweud eu dweud amdanynt.

Gwnaed y penderfyniad gan 11 cynrychiolydd o gyngor ieuenctid ar gyfer plant mewn gofal y cyngor i weithio ar brosiect penodol i wella’r wybodaeth a roddir i bobl ifanc cyn ac yn ystod lleoliad gofal.

Gan weithio’n agosach gyda hwyluswyr Lleisiau Bach, aeth y bobl ifanc i dair sesiwn ymchwil ym Mhrifysgol Abertawe lle aethant ati i drafod a mynegi eu barn drwy greu mapiau meddwl. Lluniwyd holiadur ganddynt sydd wedi’i anfon at bob plentyn sy’n derbyn gofal yng Nghastell-nedd Port Talbot i gasglu amrywiaeth barn ehangach am eu profiadau. Cam nesaf y prosiect yw dadansoddi’r adborth o’r holiaduron a chyflwyno’r canfyddiadau i uwch-swyddogion y cyngor.

Meddai’r Cynghorydd Alan Lockyer, Aelod y Cabinet dros y Gwasanaethau Cymdeithasol i Blant,

“Mae’r prosiect Lleisiau Bach yn brofiad dysgu gwych i’r rhai sy’n cymryd rhan ac mae hefyd yn gyfle gwych iddynt helpu i wella sut mae pobl ifanc y dyfodol yn ymgartrefu yn eu lleoliad gofal. Gall bod mewn gofal fod yn amser heriol i berson ifanc, felly mae’n allweddol ein bod yn sicrhau bod y broses mor llyfn â phosib. Un o flaenoriaethau allweddol y cyngor yw rhoi’r dechrau gorau mewn bywyd i bob person ifanc er mwyn iddo gael y cyfle i gyrraedd ei botensial llawn.

“Rwy’n edrych ymlaen at weld canfyddiadau eu hymchwil er mwyn penderfynu sut byddwn yn rhoi eu hawgrymiadau ar waith.”

Ariennir y prosiect Lleisiau Bach/Little Voices gan y Loteri Fawr ac fe’i rheolir gan Arsyllfa Cymru ar Hawliau Dynol Plant a Phobl Ifanc ym Mhrifysgol Cymru mewn partneriaeth â Phrifysgol Bangor. Prosiect ar y cyd â phartneriaid rhyngwladol, cenedlaethol a lleol yw ef a lansiwyd yn 2012.

Sefydlwyd cyngor ieuenctid ar gyfer plant mewn gofal y cyngor, a adwaenir hefyd fel YoVo (talfyriad o ‘Mae’ch Llais yn Cyfrif’), ym mis Ebrill 2017 i roi llais i blant a phobl ifanc mewn gofal. Cynhelir cyfarfodydd misol gan ‘Mae’ch Llais yn Cyfrif’, sydd ar agor i blant a phobl ifanc rhwng 11 a 18 oed sydd mewn gofal neu sy’n gadael gofal. Nod y grŵp yw cyfuno gweithgareddau difyr â phrosiectau dysgu allweddol.