North Wales Voluntary Organisations Support Group

Objectives

To provide a forum for informal support to individuals and information sharing opportunities
To identify & share good practice provided by voluntary organisations working in North Wales, based on the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
To identify & improve the contribution & influence of voluntary organisations in the children services planning & review mechanisms in North Wales. To plan strategies as to how to improve the contribution of voluntary agencies in this process.
To explore opportunities to develop partnerships and support between individuals and voluntary organisations in North Wales

Contact: Anita Myfanwy, Development Officer, North Wales Children in Wales, 24-26 High Street, Caernarfon Tel: 01286 677570;
Email: anita.myfanwy@childreninwales.org.uk / allison.hughes@childreninwales.org.uk

For details of future meetings, please see our Events Page.

Issues discussed at the last meeting:

Once a year a joint meeting is held between the North Wales Voluntary Organisations Support Group and the North Wales Children's Rights Practice Exchange Group. In 2009 it was held on 7 July 2009 at Glasdir in Llanrwst. The meeting was attended by members of both groups where various topics were discussed and included presentations on:

Papyrus by Anne Parry. Papyrus is a charity dedicated to the prevention of young suicide and was founded in 1997 by parents who had lost a son or daughter to suicide. Papyrus has many aims and one of which is to represent people affected by suicide, not just parents alone. Papyrus has a website www.papyrus-uk.org and a helpline based in Swansea called HOPELineUK tel: 0870 170 4000 or 01978 367333 which is open every day of the year.

Stressed Out! Teachers Pack by Gareth Thomas & Pat Doorbar of TJB Cymr. TJB Cymru was established in 2001 and is based in Penrhyndeudraeth. Following research carried out into Rural Conwy residents' perceptions of health and wellbeing issues, TJB Cymru have produced a teacher's pack which enables children to learn about the causes of stress, what physical effects it has on the body and techniques to alleviate symptoms. For more information e-mail Gareth Thomas at gareth@tjbcym.net.

A presentation on the work of the Partnership Support Unit to support the work of Children and Young People's Partnerships by Hawis Jones. The Partnership Support Unit is funded by WAG and hosted by the WLGA. It was established as a response to an identified need to support the implementation of the Children Act 2004 in Wales, strengthening partnership working and strategic planning for children and young people's services. The purpose of the PSU is to improve outcomes for children and young people by supporting partnership working and strategic planning.

Minutes from previous meetings