Keith Towler, the Children’s Commissioner for Wales, has launched his first Child Poverty Strategy. His strategy highlights the need to focus on children as well as their families when seeking to tackle poverty, acknowledging that they have their own rights in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and that these rights can provide a framework for positive change.

As part of the strategy document there are examples of good practice from around Wales. Following his visit to the Purple Routes Project earlier in the year, the Commissioner writes “It was clear that the Purple Routes project is providing a valuable resource to children and young people and that this work sits within a wider commitment to the importance of play as evidenced in the Carmarthenshire Children and Young People’s Play Strategy. Importantly the decisions about what to provide are partly based on a community consultation which involved children and young people across communities in Carmarthenshire in making short films about play opportunities.

Further details about the Child Poverty Strategy can be found at www.childcomwales.org.uk

The Pembrokeshire County Show is the largest 3-day Agricultural County Show in Wales with almost 100,000 people visiting the County Showground every August to enjoy a fantastic array of displays, competitions, entertainments and shopping.

So come along, meet the team and join in the fun!

The Children’s Commissioner for Wales will spend five days this summer visiting some of Wales’ 150 Communities First areas in an attempt to recruit new community ambassadors for his office.

On 13th August, Keith Towler will visit various projects including Purple Routes at Morfa Spray and Play park from 10.30am-12.30pm, to see the work being undertaken by local projects and Communities First partnerships to tackle child poverty. He will also be using his visit to introduce a pilot community ambassador scheme which will see young people from each area visited invited to become the Commissioner’s ambassador in their area.

Speaking ahead of his visits, the Commissioner said:

“Some of these projects and partnerships provide a lifeline to children, young people and their families. So I want to spend some time with them to hear first hand their daily issues and help identify some of the work being undertaken to provide these young people with the best start in life. I’m also keen to establish an ongoing relationship with these projects and partnerships so that they can directly influence the work of my office, including a new child poverty strategy I’ll be developing for my team. We’ll be exploring the idea of a establishing a new community ambassador scheme which is based on the highly effective school ambassador model we’ve implemented in primary schools across Wales. The team and I are really looking forward to heading out on the road.”

Purple Routes is a Carmarthenshire Big Lottery funded play project.

Communities First is the Welsh Government’s flagship programme to improve the living conditions and prospects for people in the most disadvantaged communities across Wales. The partnerships the Commissioner will be visiting have been chosen in particular because of the work they do in tackling food poverty, educational inequality and opportunities for play for children and young people from low income households.

Mair Stephens, Chair of the Carmarthenshire Association of Voluntary Services said:

“This exciting and innovative project will leave a legacy. As children learn through play the skills they develop will be there to help them throughout their adult life.”

NJC Point 33 – £27,849

Based in Carmarthen

Closing Date – 13.04.12

A vacancy has become availaible to employ a Regional Development Coordinator (RDC) for Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire to support and develop the strategic co-ordination of children and young people’s play in the region.  The RDC will further develop the Regional Play Association for Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, and also develop and support local Play Networks in both counties to improve and increase support for play providers across all sectors.  Secondments will be considered, with the prior approval of the current employer.

For an application pack, telephone 01267 245555 or go to www.cavs.org.uk

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