Over £10 Million support to vital social care services

Organisation Name

Project Title – and project aim

Action for Children

Skills PLUS (Skills+): Skills+ is a service for Care-Experienced Young People (CEYP) aged 14-24. The project will deliver bespoke Pathways that support CEYP’s transition to adulthood, through a range of interlinked interventions designed specifically to reduce their vulnerabilities and equip them with the resilience, skills/tools to help them to cope positively with the challenges of independent living.

Centre for Sight and Sound

Live Well with Hearing Loss: To empower people with hearing loss to remain pro-active through their hearing loss journey with the provision of a post diagnostic in clinic service. and preventing social isolation through volunteer befrienders and an at home service for the frailer at risk person.

Age Cymru

Developing person-centred service models to identify, and better meet the needs of older carers and carers of people with dementia: The aim of the project is to; support the early identification of older carers to provide timely and person-centred information and advice, to enable older carers to influence policy, service design and delivery and decision making by ensuring their voices are heard through our national programme, and to better meet the needs of older carers and carers of people living with dementia.

Age Cymru

The HOPE Project (Helping others to participate and engage: The HOPE project will promote access to early intervention support at community level through a range of advocacy models for older people and carers across Wales.

Age Cymru Sir Gar

Befriending Life Links: To provide one to one support for lonely and isolated older people and develop and deliver in partnership with them and other organisations a befriending strategy.

All Wales Forum of Parents and Carers

Caring Communities of Change – Learning Disability Family Carers co-producing innovative solutions: An innovative project putting learning disability family carers and their relatives at the heart of collaboration in service design and delivery across Health and Social Care in Wales.

All Wales People First

Hear me! Include me! Respect me!  (a community, citizenship, health and well-being project): A project which intends to increase the influence of learning-disabled self-advocates across Wales in the design and evaluation of key learning disability services, in co-production with local authorities, the third sector and Welsh Government. The project will assist people with learning disabilities to work locally, nationally and regionally to assist those charged with delivering duties under the Social Services and Well Being Wales Act, and other key Welsh Government legislation.

Autism Spectrum Connections Cymru

Autism One Stop Shop Project: To provide specialist support for autistic adults seeking to gain, maintain and develop vocational opportunities, including, volunteering, part time, and full time work and education.

To support individuals to understand the benefits system, to apply and if necessary appeal decisions. To undertake better off calculations when supporting individuals into workplace opportunities and become more independent through budgeting plans.

Provide a range of social inclusion opportunities, working alongside the NAS social support scheme funded by the Third Sector Grant Scheme.

To work collaboratively with appropriate stakeholders, including WG, NAT, IAS services in Cardiff & The Vale and Gwent, and to identify suitable and robust third sector partnerships which add value to any offer provided by this project.

To seek innovative ways for project delivery owing to the current restrictions placed upon movement and future uncertainty presented by the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Care & Repair

Managing Better: Managing Better is a national integrated network of specialist caseworkers, hosted by Care & Repair agencies working with Health and Social Care partners to identify high priority patients, with a sensory loss, that require independent living support.

Care & Repair in Powys

Mamwlad (Homeland): The aim is to ensure that the most socially and physically isolated older people in Powys have knowledge of and access to support services to improve their quality of life.  Through collaborative working it targets the farming community who are naturally independent and reluctant to seek help

Carers Trust UK (Wales)

Carer Aware – transforming carer recognition, respect and support across health and social care settings in Wales: Through a partnership of two expert national carer organisations – Carers Wales and Carers Trust Wales, this project will transform carer recognition, respect and support across health and social care settings in Wales. We will empower carers to play a central role in shaping services and practice, delivering participatory action planning sessions, training, e-learning packages, toolkits and other resources to support professionals to be more carer aware. Health care professionals will be equipped to act as carers’ champions and facilitators of change, and we will produce tools to test and pilot the development of a Carer’s Passport for healthcare settings in Wales. 

Carers UK (Wales)

Carer Wellbeing and Empowerment Project: The purpose of the project is to inform, support and empower unpaid carers to manage their caring role whilst looking after their own health and wellbeing. The project delivery will work to ensure that carers access the right information and support at the right time, empower carers to speak with confidence and shape the services intended for them and support working carers and those carers wishing to return to the workforce to have a life outside caring.

Re-engage Ltd (prev Contact the Elderly)

Daring to Dream – Communal Activity & Social Groups to Reduce Loneliness and Social Isolation among the Over-75s in Wales: project will increase Re-engage’s capacity to respond to loneliness and social isolation among over-75s across Wales, through initiating and running 27 free, volunteer-run Communal Activity & Social (CAS) Groups for over-75s. Isolated, older people and volunteers in urban and rural Wales will improve their sense of well-being through participation in Re-engage groups.

Cruse Bereavement Care Cymru

Transforming Bereavement Support in Wales - Putting Bereaved People First in Wales: That all people in Wales are able to access the bereavement support they need, when they need it.

Cyfannol Women’s Aid

Ar Trac: Ar Trac will support children and young people who have experienced or witnessed domestic abuse, and exhibiting difficulties with their family and peer relationships.  By addressing these difficulties and building upon strengths within childhood, Ar Trac aims to minimise the impact of the adverse childhood experiences associated with domestic abuse and improve physical and mental well-being later in life.

The project is delivered by locally based domestic abuse agencies who have a wealth of experience and understanding of their local communities, and will shape the project locally to better meet the needs of children and young people.

Ethnic Youth Support Team Wales

Supporting BME Children & Young People in Wales: The service aims to improve the wellbeing outcomes of BME Children and Young People with social care needs, through a race-, faith- and culture-sensitive, person-centred and rights-based support service, building on and connecting to EYST’s work with BME Children and Young People in Swansea.

The services is a referral-based service for BME Children and Young People aged 0-25 with ‘additional’ or ‘multiple’ support needs, working directly with them through early intervention and prevention to achieve specific wellbeing outcomes: securing rights and entitlements, improving physical and mental health, supporting transition to independent adulthood, and protecting from abuse and neglect.

Learning Disability Wales

21st Century People: The project will target the false societal perception that PWLD are only users of services and/or dependants on others. 21st Century People will extend LDW’s strong existing networks, working with mainstream organisations and change-makers both within and outside of the world of disability. Together we will empower these mainstream services and providers to give PWLD the 21^st Century, world-class support they deserve.

Lucy Faithfull Foundation

Keeping Children Safe from Sexual Abuse - public education, training and resources to improve the ability of parents, carers, and those who work with children and families to prevent sexual harm and take appropriate action if they have a concern

Lucy Faithfull Foundation

Early intervention for vulnerable or at-risk families: a child sexual abuse and exploitation early action and prevention project: Keeping children safe from sexual abuse – public education, training and resources to improve the ability of parents, carers, and those who work with children and families to prevent sexual harm and take appropriate action if they have a concern

National Youth Advocacy Service

Gwent Parent Advocacy Programme: To support Welsh Government’s plans for providing family intervention support with the aim of reducing numbers of children entering the care system in Wales. The project’s key aim is preventative intervention whilst ensuring the rights of the child are fully upheld.

National Youth Advocacy Service

Project Unity: To break the cycle of children of care-experienced mothers being taken into care and the prevention of children becoming subject to child protection processes. By providing intensive wraparound support and building peer support networks.

Platfform (formally - Gofal )

Young People's Project 13-16yrs: Platfform’s Young People’s Project will provide a safe space for young people aged 13-16 years to pause, breathe and connect. Through the provision of a twelve week wellbeing programme, peer support and one-to-one support, young people will be given the opportunity to explore what mental health and wellbeing means to them. Young people will have the opportunity to meet others facing similar challenges, share stories of recovery and every day strategies for wellbeing. The project will provide the opportunity for young people to train to become peer mentors and will give young people a platform to shape the direction of the project.

Race Equality First Ltd

Minority Ethnic BAME People Community Support: This project aims to support members of diverse communities to receive appropriate care when engaging with health care providers. It will also support health service providers to better understand the cultural and religious needs of minority ethnic BAME people when planning healthcare provision.

Royal National Institute of Blind People

Vision Friends: 150 Vision Friends will be provided with the knowledge, confidence and skills to identify and recognise people with sight loss. They will help or empower 600 people with sight loss to access the services and support that they need, or make practical changes to their everyday tasks, as early as possible. This will help reduce the number of falls or accidents and enable people to stay independent within their homes for as long as possible.

Scope

Working on Wellbeing – Wales: Unemployed disabled people in Wales will have significantly improved their emotional wellbeing by developing new skills and confidence through specialised employment and educational support and enhanced their economic wellbeing and independence by gaining or moving closer to employment

The Down's Syndrome Association

Successful Transitions, Developing Resilient Adults With Down’s Syndrome: We will work with adults with Down’s syndrome and their families to develop their capacity to make successful transitions into adult life. We will provide a helpline, information resources, access to specialist advisors and facilitate training opportunities for family-carers and professionals.  Adults with Down’s syndrome will gain greater control over their lives, becoming more included in their community through the income generating and social opportunities of paid work or taking part in activities, through our DSActive project.

The Fostering Network

Fostering Communities: Fostering Communities is a whole systems approach to supporting looked after children and their foster families, throughout Wales. At its heart is a ground-breaking, co-production model, facilitating a shared power approach to programme design, delivery and evaluation. The project will empower the fostering community to improve wellbeing outcomes for looked after children and young people within the national wellbeing framework

The National Autistic Society

Spectrum Clubs: Reducing isolation through the growth of social groups for autistic adults in Wales: We aim to increase the number of NAS peer support and social groups available to autistic adults across Wales, and to reduce the feelings of isolation amongst those who attend. 

Versus Arthritis

CWTCH Cymru- Communities with Touchpoints can help: CWTCH Cymru will empower people with arthritis to be agents of their own health and wellbeing, enabling healthcare professionals (HCPs) and people with arthritis to work together equally to plan and deliver care and support, including effective community-powered services. It will support people living with arthritis and other musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions to access reputable, relevant information and community-powered support to manage their condition effectively, through activities including information sessions, improved access to established services, peer support networks, activity classes, 1:1 support, tailored workshops, and signposting to local services appropriately.

Whizz-Kidz

Moving On: To increase life satisfaction and happiness of young wheelchair users in Wales through sports and movement based skills programmes in health and education settings.

Woman Connect First

Let’s Age Well: Let’s Age Well aims to improve access to early intervention and preventative services and lifestyles for BME women aged 50+.  It does this through providing culturally appropriate, co-produced activities that will equip those women with the skills and confidence to take preventative action in relation to their present and future care and support needs.

Organisation Name

Project Title – and reason for funding

Family Fund Trust

Family Fund Trust - Take a Break Wales

The Family Fund is a UK wide organisation that provides grants to families with disabled and seriously ill children. Grants from the Family Fund specifically fund those in most need - families on a low income who care for a disabled or seriously ill child - and go some way to helping to alleviate the pressures in their family life. Funding is considered important for the ongoing operation of the Family Fund in Wales. The services provided are valued by the recipients.

The grants were previously focussed on short breaks and respite however during the COVID-19 pandemic this has been expanded to include other items to enable families to have breaks at home, e.g. iPads, sensory toys and play equipment. COVID-19 has also led to an increase in the volume of applications being received due to the difficulties being faced by families raising disabled children. 

MENCAP Cymru

Wales Learning Disability Helpline:  Mencap Cymru supports people with a learning disability, their families and carers. The helpline was launched in 1999 with grant assistance and has been funded by the Welsh Government ever since. Although usually referred to as a helpline, the service also offers face to face support and deals with complex case work for families. The service supports people to understand and access services to which they have a right and to understand better how to access these services within the framework of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 (the 2014 Act).  Without Welsh Government funding, the service would not be able to continue.

Wales Mobility Driving Assessment Service

Wales Mobility Driving Assessment Service (WMDAS):  Funding is considered important to the ongoing operation of the WMDAS as this organisation is highly reliant on Welsh Government funding. Without funding the WMDAS will have to close and will be unable to deliver the following services:

• Enabling people with disabilities to drive using expert adaptations
• Providing specialist assessments in fitness to drive which is becoming ever more important given the ageing population and increasing rate of dementia
• Offering passenger assessments for clients who are experiencing difficulties entering or exiting vehicles
• Engaging in road safety work such as their work with Dyfed Powys Police and their ‘Older Driver Fitness to Drive ‘project
• Providing a free information and advice service on issues such as the DVLA, legislation, Motability schemes, driver tuition etc.

The level of funding for 2022-23 has increased by £95k to fully cover the costs of the organisation in delivering this service in Wales. This service supports the Programme for Government in terms of supporting equaity for disabled people    

Wales Council of the Blind

Wales Council of the Blind -

Wales Council of the Blind (WCB) is the umbrella agency representing vision impairment within Wales. WCB works closely with the Welsh Government to improve the lives of people with sight loss within Wales and sits on the steering group for the Eye Healthcare Delivery Plan and the Low Vision Service Wales Advisory Group.  

Association for Fostering and Adoption Cymru (AfA Cymru - hosted by St David’s Children Society)

The Association for Fostering and Adoption (AFA) Cymru:  AFA Cymru is a subsidiary of the St David’s Children’s Society, which took on the training and consultancy arm of the British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF).

AFA Cymru has been a valued policy partner to the Welsh Government, providing expert advice on the development of legislation and guidance on fostering, adoption and special guardianship. It also plays an important role in promoting good practice and support around permanency and stable placements, and is the one organisation in Wales which works across all permanency options for looked after children. 

AFA Cymru is reliant upon WG funding for the bulk of its work, although it generates some income from training and has some contract work (e.g. to provide administrative support to the National Fostering Framework). It would not be viable, nor would it be appropriate, for AFA to pass on the full cost of its training and consultancy activities to recipients, who mostly work within the public or voluntary sectors. Without ongoing support from WG it is very unlikely that its parent organisation (St David’s) could maintain AFA Cymru, and its valuable services would be lost.

Children in Wales

Children in Wales : Children in Wales is an important representative body for children and plays a significant role in a number of social care-oriented Welsh Government groups. The proposed funding will support the organisation to deliver training on corporate parenting to agencies across Wales.

NSPCC - contribution to ChildLine Cymru

ChildLine Cymru: The ChildLine service provides a free, confidential 24 hour service to young people until the age of 19 in the UK.  The service is available in English and Welsh and offers support on any topic for which the young person seeks support with, from abuse and bullying to exam stress and relationships. The Welsh Government has provided a contribution to maintain the ongoing provision of the ChildLine Cymru by the NSPCC.