“Hearing directly from care experienced young people on what is working, and what needs to change, is so crucial” – Sioned Williams MS
Sioned Williams MS, Plaid Cymru Member of Senedd for South Wales West, is sponsoring an event at the Senedd, hosted by the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, which aims to share the experiences of care experienced young people.
The event, called ‘Lwc/Luck’, on Tuesday 12 November, will see a mock living room and bedroom built in the Senedd foyer, with objects carrying messages from young people in care, including members of the Hope Group - a girls’ rights group in Neath Port Talbot.
Ms Williams, whose office is in Neath has called the event “crucial” for sharing the story of care experienced young people who often feel “unheard”.
Experiences shared through the exhibition include children feeling unsupported and self-harming, feeling isolated from decision-making in their own care, and having possessions packed in black bags without their involvement.
The Children’s Commissioner for Wales has implored the Welsh Government to “really listen to what children are saying in this exhibition” so that the messages “influence the planned review to the current codes of practice for councils.”
Sioned Williams MS, Plaid Cymru Member of Senedd for South Wales West, said:
“It’s a real privilege to have sponsored this unique and important exhibition today which aims to bring to life the experiences of members of the Hope Group - a girls rights group in Neath Port Talbot who want us to hear their views and share their experience of foster care so the best decisions are made around the needs and the support available for looked after children.
“I live in and represent Neath Port Talbot in the Senedd, and so when I was asked to be involved in bringing this event to the Senedd, I of course jumped at the chance.
“One of the Senedd committee inquiries I have been part of, and have been most affected by, was that on radical reform of care services for children and young people. We conducted a long and detailed inquiry, putting children and young people’s voices and experiences at its centre. The response we had from Welsh Government was disappointing, and I know many of the young people we had spoken to felt unheard.
“That’s why coming together like this, to hear from young people, by means of new ways of communicating their views on what is working, and what needs to change, is so crucial.”