New study proves the success of support for parents who have children taken into care

Grief and shame are common emotions among parents who have had their children taken into care, but now they are turning their lives around with the help of new services being rolled out across Wales.

One of the first of those Reflect services, run by Barnardo’s Cymru in Gwent, has just been evaluated by Cardiff University and the research showed that every parent had benefitted from the help and some had made significant changes to their lives.

While some parents had been helped to find safe accommodation, escape unhealthy relationships or tackle substance abuse, others who had previously been too anxious to leave the house, had started socialising again, begun volunteering or developed a healthier lifestyle.

The positive findings from the Children’s Social Care Research and Development Centre (CASCADE) have been published at a time when similar services to Reflect have been introduced across Wales over the past 12 months with the help of £850,000 from Welsh Government.

Barnardo’s has been running the pilot Reflect project in partnership with Newport City Council since September 2016. The aim is to give women and their partners the time and support they need to make positive changes to their lives to avoid becoming repeat visitors to the family court. It is estimated that one in four women involved in care proceedings will face having another child removed within seven years without help.

James Saunders, Children’s Services Manager with Barnardo’s Cymru, said:

“We know that for parents who have had a child removed from their care, accessing ongoing support has been difficult in the past. If their circumstances don’t change there is potential for the situation to repeat itself.

“Reflect has offered practical and therapeutic support to parents, helping them make long-term, positive changes within their lives. In parents who came to the end of the Reflect programme during the evaluation period we have seen an increase in their self-confidence, resilience and belief in both themselves and a positive future.”

He said the parents were often very vulnerable themselves with many being the victims of domestic violence, suffering long-term issues with their emotional health or struggling with substance misuse.

Dr Louise Roberts from CASCADE at Cardiff University who led the evaluation said: “The findings provide encouraging evidence that the newly developed service is having a positive impact for highly vulnerable parents.

“The research findings highlighted the high level and multi-faceted needs of women and their partners and the process of building relationships and trust was often time consuming and challenging. The sensitive, respectful and non-judgmental approach of Reflect workers was important in overcoming these barriers and the ability of the service to provide practical as well as emotional support was highly valued.

“Parents appreciated having ‘someone on their side’ and women and their partners made both small and significant steps towards positive change.”

Parents are supported for up to two years. They get tailor-made help ranging from counselling and confidence building to debt management.

Reflect began in Newport as one worker in the Barnardo’s Newport Partnership following discussions with Aneurin Bevan Health Board. After a short pilot, funding was provided through the Welsh Government’s Improving Outcomes for Children and Young People Workgroup. It quickly expanded to cover the whole of Gwent and now Wales.

Neath Port Talbot’s Positive Steps project and Action for Children’s Reflect service in Carmarthenshire also provide support for mothers whose children have been taken into care and all remaining authorities have now set up similar services with the backing of Welsh Government. Barnardo’s Cymru are currently managing services for Cardiff and Vale, Merthyr, Rhondda, Cynon Taf and Bridgend as well as Gwent.

Services will be working together closely to promote consistency, share learning and develop best practice.

Astudiaeth newydd yn profi bod rhoi cymorth i rieni y caiff eu plant eu cymryd i ofal yn llwyddo

Mae galar a chywilydd yn emosiynau cyffredin ymysg rhieni pan fydd eu plant wedi’u cymryd i ofal, ond nawr maen nhw’n cael trefn ar eu bywydau gyda help gwasanaethau newydd sy’n cael eu cyflwyno ar draws Cymru.

Mae un o’r gwasanaethau Reflect cyntaf hynny, sy’n cael ei redeg gan Barnardo’s Cymru yng Ngwent, newydd gael ei werthuso gan Brifysgol Caerdydd ac mae’r ymchwil yn dangos bod pob rhiant wedi elwa o’r help a bod rhai wedi gwneud newidiadau sylweddol i’w bywydau.

Tra mae rhai rhieni wedi cael help i ddod o hyd i gartref diogel, i ddianc o berthynas afiach neu i fynd i’r afael â cham-drin sylweddau, mae eraill a oedd gynt yn rhy bryderus i adael y tŷ wedi dechrau cymdeithasu eto, wedi dechrau gwirfoddoli neu wedi datblygu ffordd iachach o fyw.

Cafodd canfyddiadau cadarnhaol y Ganolfan Gofal Cymdeithasol i Blant – Ymchwil a Datblygu (CASCADE) eu cyhoeddi ar adeg pan oedd gwasanaethau tebyg i Reflect wedi’u cyflwyno ar draws Cymru dros y 12 mis diwethaf, gyda £850,000 o help gan Lywodraeth Cymru.

Mae Barnardo’s wedi bod yn rhedeg prosiect peilot Reflect mewn partneriaeth â Chyngor Dinas Casnewydd er mis Medi 2016. Y nod yw rhoi’r amser a’r cymorth y mae eu hangen arnynt i fenywod a’u partneriaid i wneud newidiadau positif i’w bywydau i osgoi gorfod mynd i’r llys teulu dro ar ôl tro. Amcangyfrifir y bydd un o bob pedair menyw sy’n rhan o achos gofal yn wynebu cael plentyn arall wedi’i dynnu oddi arni o fewn saith mlynedd, heb iddi gael help.

Dywedodd James Saunders, Rheolwr Gwasanaethau Plant gyda Barnardo’s Cymru:

“I rieni sydd â phlentyn wedi cael ei dynnu o’u gofal, gwyddom iddi fod yn anodd iddynt gael cymorth cyson yn y gorffennol. Os na fydd eu hamgylchiadau’n newid, mae potensial i’r un sefyllfa godi eto.

“Mae Reflect wedi cynnig cymorth ymarferol a therapiwtig i rieni, gan eu helpu i wneud newidiadau cadarnhaol, tymor hir, yn eu bywydau. I’r rhieni hynny sydd wedi dod i ddiwedd rhaglen Reflect yn ystod y cyfnod gwerthuso, rydym wedi gweld cynnydd yn eu hunanhyder, eu gwytnwch a’u ffydd ynddynt eu hunain ac mewn dyfodol positif.”

Dywedodd fod rhieni yn aml yn fregus iawn eu hunain a bod llawer yn dioddef cam-drin domestig, fod ganddynt broblemau tymor hir gyda’u hiechyd emosiynol neu fod camddefnyddio sylweddau yn creu problemau iddynt.

Dywedodd Dr Louise Roberts o Cascade, a arweiniodd y gwerthusiad: “Mae’r canfyddiadau yn dystiolaeth galonogol fod y gwasanaeth hwn sydd newydd ei ddatblygu yn cael effaith gadarnhaol ar rieni sy’n hynod o fregus.

“Amlygodd canfyddiadau’r ymchwil y lefel uchel o anghenion amlweddog sydd gan fenywod a’u partneriaid ac roedd y broses o feithrin perthnasoedd ac ymddiriedaeth yn aml yn heriol ac yn cymryd llawer o amser. Roedd agwedd sensitif, llawn parch, gweithwyr Reflect a’r ffaith nad oeddent yn barnu yn bwysig o ran goresgyn y rhwystrau hyn ac roedd gallu’r gwasanaeth i ddarparu cymorth ymarferol yn ogystal ag emosiynol yn cael ei werthfawrogi’n fawr.

“Roedd rhieni’n gwerthfawrogi cael ‘rhywun ar eu hochr nhw’ ac roedd menywod a’u partneriaid yn gwneud camau bach, a chamau o bwys, tuag at newid cadarnhaol.”

Caiff rhieni gymorth am hyd at 2 flynedd. Maent yn cael help sydd wedi’i deilwrio iddyn nhw, yn amrywio o gwnsela a meithrin hyder i reoli dyledion.

Dechreuodd Reflect yng Nghasnewydd fel un gweithiwr ym Mhartneriaeth Casnewydd Barnardo’s yn dilyn trafodaethau gyda Bwrdd Iechyd Aneurin Bevan. Ar ôl peilot byr, darparwyd arian drwy Grŵp Gwella Canlyniadau i Blant a Phobl Ifanc Llywodraeth Cymru. Ehangodd yn gyflym i gwmpasu Gwent gyfan, a Chymru erbyn hyn.

Mae prosiect Camau Cadarn Castell-nedd Port Talbot a gwasanaeth Reflect Gweithredu dros Blant yn Sir Gaerfyrddin hefyd yn darparu cymorth i famau y mae eu plant wedi cael eu cymryd i ofal ac mae’r holl awdurdodau eraill erbyn hyn wedi sefydlu gwasanaethau tebyg gyda chefnogaeth Llywodraeth Cymru. Ar hyn o bryd mae Barnardo’s Cymru yn rheoli gwasanaethau i Gaerdydd a’r Fro, Merthyr, Rhondda Cynon Taf a Phen-y-bont, yn ogystal â Gwent.

Bydd y gwasanaethau’n gweithio’n agos gyda’i gilydd i hyrwyddo cysondeb, i rannu’r hyn sy’n cael ei ddysgu ac i ddatblygu arferion gorau.