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• Enhancingaccommodationandmeetingaccommodationsupportneedsofyoung people who are care leavers (including those leaving residential care) and following custodial sentences. Local initiatives in place to improve arrangements need to be consolidated moving forward
• Improvingthesupportofferedforfamilyrelationships,particularlyfornewparents or parents who are experiencing stress due to other factors such as imprisonment or disability. This will be instrumental in reducing the risk of domestic abuse or other offending behaviours (Welsh Government, 2016)
• Increasing the level of support available for child victims of sexual abuse; a recent study also suggested gaps in capacity in this area across Wales (Allnock et al, 2015)
• Achievingbetterintegrationbetweenchildren’sservices,mentalhealthandlearning
disability to address specialist needs of specific children and young people
• Improvingaccesstochildsexualhealthservices
Co-production
• Developingcommunity-based,user-ledservices
Cooperation, partnership and integration
• Developing consistent methodology such as Signs of Safety to underpin care and support across the region
• Developingaconsistent,outcomes-basedperformanceframeworkforchildrenand young people’s services across the region
• Developing links between Integrated Family Support Services (IFSS) and other council services such as adult care and housing as well as community-based services, to help families back to independence and enable them to function effectively within their communities
• Reconfiguringcommissioningprocessesforhighcost,lowvolumecareandsupport packages for children with complex needs are needed to ensure best outcomes for service users and improve financial efficiency. The possibility of developing new services on a regional basis should also be explored
Opportunities should be taken to take these areas forward in partnership across the region; thereby ensuring consistency of provision and enabling a ‘once for West Wales’ approach wherever possible. The regional partnership arrangements provide a mechanism for this and for sharing of effective practice and approaches as they are developed. Shared strategic challenges such as improving services while budgets are being reduced, workforce development and delivering effective services in a highly rural area will also benefit from a consistent approach across the region. These should be considered as the regional Area Plan is developed in response to this assessment.
Existing strategies such as the ‘Together for Children and Young People’ strategy for child and adolescent mental health in Wales and Child Poverty Strategy for Wales (Welsh Government, 2015) will be reviewed and refocused as appropriate to ensure delivery of the identified areas for improvement.
West Wales Population Assessment March 2017 Children and young people