Youth Work in Wales

New four year plan to strengthen the role of Youth Work in Wales

A new plan to strengthen the role of Youth Work in Wales has been unveiled by Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology, Ken Skates.

Thursday 20 February 2014

The new four year National Youth Work Strategy, which will be unveiled today at the National Youth Work Conference in Llandudno, aims to elevate the status of youth work as both a service and a profession.

The new plan comes as the Welsh Government prepares to celebrate the most outstanding youth workers and youth projects in Wales at the Youth Work in Wales Excellence Awards 2014, which is also being held tonight in Llandudno’s Venue Cymru.

The National Youth Work Strategy sets out how Youth Work can support the Welsh Government’s priorities of narrowing the gap in educational achievement and reducing the number of young people who are not engaged in education, employment and training.

The new strategy strives to achieve four key outcomes.

The first will be ensuring that young people across Wales can continue to have access to diverse formal and non-formal learning opportunities, opportunities that stretch their horizons and help them grow in confidence.  

The second will be strengthening the relationship between youth work organisations in Wales and formal education on both a local and national basis.

This would include seeing youth workers playing more of a formal role in supporting young people who are most at risk of disengaging with education and training – an integral part of the Welsh Government’s Youth Engagement and Progression Framework.

The third outcome is a better co-ordinated and more consistent youth work offer to young people, with youth work organisations in the statutory and voluntary sector working together more effectively.

Key to the overall success of the strategy will be the ability to demonstrate the impact and outcomes of youth work. A National Outcomes Framework will be developed specifically for this purpose.

The Deputy Minister said:

“Tonight we’ll be celebrating some of Wales’ most outstanding youth workers and youth projects. This new strategy is all about ensuring that we draw on this excellence and expertise to improve the lives of young people in Wales.

“That’s why we’ve placed such an emphasis on strengthening the relationship between youth organisations and formal education. When it comes to supporting a young person to stay on in education, a Youth Worker could make all the difference.

“Together we can build and sustain high quality, efficient and well-integrated youth work provision that meet the needs of all of our young people.

“Youth Work is one of our society’s most important and underused resources. By strengthening the service in this way, we can ensure that all of our young people have the opportunities and support they need to succeed”

Additional Learning Needs Consultation on provision of early years & primary education - Process Continues

RESPONSES FOR ADDITIONAL LEARNING NEEDS REQUIRED! You can now submit your responses via the following link: Response to ALN provision for 3-11 year olds This will contribute towards a 3rd Sector Response to the consultation. No doubt many of you will have seen the additional information that is now available on the Powys County Council Website to help support the Additional Learning Needs provision in early years and primary phase of education Consultation. The additional information is more detailed information from the Estyn reports regarding the performance of each of the schools which has an Additional Learning Needs Unit. PAVO will be collecting comments and making a response, onbehalf of the 3rd sector.  Please forward your comments to us so that we can present a comprehensive response from those who attend and those who do not attend Additional Learning Needs Units. extract from the letter from Powys County Council: Dear Stakeholder

Powys County Council is holding a formal consultation on restructuring its services for Additional Learning Needs and in particular provision for supporting pupils with special educational needs in the early years and primary phase of education. The consultation begins on 3rd February 2014 and closes at 5.00pm on 17th March 2014. The purpose of this letter is to draw your attention to an adddendum which serves as providing additional inromation to the consulation document which is available on the Council’s website  www.powys.gov.uk/haveyoursay If you require further information, or copies of the documentation in a different format, then please contact the Local Authority  on 01597 826422 or education@powys.gov.uk Annwyl Fudd-ddeiliad Mae Cyngor Sir Powys yn cynnal ymgynghoriad ffurfiol ar ailstrwythuro’i wasanaethau ar gyfer Anghenion Dysgu Ychwanegol ac yn benodol ei ddarpariaeth i gefnogi disgyblion ag anghenion addysgol yn y blynyddoedd cynnar a’r cyfnod addysg cynradd. Bydd yr ymgynghoriad yn dechrau ar 3 Chwefror 2014 ac yn cau am 5.00pm ar 17 Mawrth 2014. Mae dogfen ymgynghori ar gael ar wefan y Cyngor www.powys.gov.uk/haveyoursay ac mae copïau wedi’u hanfon at bob ysgol.  Os oes angen rhagor o wybodaeth arnoch, neu gopïau o’r ddogfennaeth ar ffurf wahanol, yna cysylltwch â’r Awdurdod Lleol ar 01597 826422 neu anfonwch e-bost at education@powys.gov.uk

Newtown/Llanidloes Get Together 6th March, Newtown, 4pm-6pm

Announcement of a Review of the Powys Young Carers Service

Announcement of a Review of the Powys Young Carers Service

Powys Carers Service has seen the number of Registered Young Carers increase by more than 30% over the last year and we have reached a critical point in our growth as a service. This means that we cannot keep opening our doors to new Young People at the same rate as we have seen over the last few years. With this in mind we have decided to review the status of ‘Young Carer’ and the services that we offer. This Review will take place from January until the end of March and we will be giving you opportunities to feed in your thoughts and ideas to this process.

The results may see a change in the definition of what a Young Carer is and therefore a reduction in the numbers of Young Carers registered. There may also be changes to the services we offer in order to target our funding and resources to those most in need.

We plan to consult and seek the views of young carers & their families, schools, youth service, social services & other support agencies in Powys. We will also be talking to other Young Carers Services in the UK to find out what they offer.

We will do this in the following ways

paper questionnaires

online surveys

website forums

facebook, twitter & email

face to face meetings

consultation events

telephone conversations

sessions in schools & colleges

conversations within young carers clubs

Consultation with statutory services and our commissioners

It is important that we gather the views of as many people as possible and we would be delighted to hear from you about your opinions and ideas. Please let us know what you think would be the best way to feed in your views. We will commit to be as inclusive as possible in this process and meet your identified communication preference

Please reply to dux@powyscarers.org.uk and label your email REVIEW

Or call 01597 823 800

Dux : Team Leader : Powys Young Carers

Play Radnor's Newsletter - take a look NOW!

Take a look at Play Radnor's Newsletter which tells you about what they are upto, including:

Dig for Fun at the Play Radnor garden every Monday afternoon at 1.30pm

Forest Schools programme

The Hungry Caterpillar - stay & play sessions at Ysgol Trefonnen

It's not scrap

Project Wild Thing


Download Play Radnor's Newsletter HERE

Opportunity for those interested in a Career in TV

The Network is a free media training event held at the Edinburgh International Television Festival in August, designed for anyone interested in a career in TV. 

Last year, 50 people – including 5 from Wales – took part in various practical activities including

• Making the News with Sky News
• Scriptwriting and Directing with Casualty
• Production skills with CBBC
• Research and Shooting with the Million Pound Drop
• Pitching your own idea with Thames TV (The X Factor, Take Me Out)

One of last year’s participants, Max Davies from Aberystwyth, was working part-time in a bar when he applied for the Network, having been unsuccessful applying for work with the BBC and Channel Four.  Now working in Cardiff in documentary production for Wild Dream Films, he believes his experience with The Network was the kickstart his media career needed.

 

“The Network 2013 was without doubt one of best few days of my life” says Max, “I was directed to interviews with the likes of RDF and TwoFour.  I'm also co-producing the launch of Casualty's 'Behind the Scenes' content.”

 

Max is just one of the many participants now working in the media.  To get a foot in the door with The Network 2014, there’s no need to have any qualifications or experience, just a passion for getting into television.  If you meet the following criteria, you can apply: 

• You must be over 18 years of age by August 2014
• If you are in full time education you must currently be in your final year of college/university and available for work in 2014
• This is not a scheme for presenters. The Network is a training opportunity for those who want to work behind the camera
• You must have less than 3 months PAID experience in TV

The deadline for applications is 31^st March 2014 – it’s completely free to apply for The Network, and successful applicants will have free accommodation and meals in Edinburgh in August. 

 

Apply online at www.thenetwork-tv.co.uk

PAVO Development Officer Support via SKYPE 13th February 11am-2pm

SKYPE SESSION

Would you like to attend one of our outreach sessions, but find it hard to attend? Take part in our Skype session, where you can take the opportunity to chat with a Development Officer about your queries.  

THURSDAY13^TH FEBRUARY 2014 from 11 am – 2pm.  

Skype name: pavo.development

Powys teaching Health Board: Public Appointments Vacancies

Powys teaching Health Board Public Appointments 

Two posts are currently being advertised for Powys teaching Health Board

• Vice Chair to Powys Teaching Health Board
• Independent Member (Third Sector) to Powys Teaching Health Board

For more details about the posts and application forms click    Powys teaching Health Board Public Appointment

Closing date  24 February 2014.

Powys Environmental Partnership: Annual Conference

Annual Conference
6th March 2014 10am - 1.30pm
WLGA Building, Royal Welsh Agricultural Showground, Llanelwedd, LD2 3SY

Agenda includes presentations from:

Ystradgynlaid Volunteer Centre: Pressing for More

Llangattock Community Woodland Group: Green Craft

Celf o Gwmpas: Reaching Out, Reaching In

Ecosystems Approach by Dr James Latham

"The Wales we Want" a national conversations for future generations

Please confirm your attendance by Friday 28th February to:

pep@powys.gov.uk or phone: 01597 826165

Children & Young People's Partnership - Check List

We are piloting a process to find out if organisations working with children & young people in Powys are aligning the way they work to help support families in Powys.

You can now download a checklist to work through with:

• your volunteers
• your staff
• your trustees

to find out where you are on a scale from "Flying High"  to not even being on the starting blocks.  Most organisations will fall somewhere in between, ofcourse.

The checklist covers:

Safeguarding
Children's Rights
Working with other Agencies
Inclusive practice
Planning & Monitoring


You don't have to do all sections.  Just concentrate on one area for development then move onto the next.

Click here to Download a copy

Once you have worked through a section and have identified information or support please contact PAVO who can point you in the right direction.

Don't forget to leave us feedback on this.  We can only improve this if you tell us how it is, or isn't, working.