WIREDGOV

Children and young people with care experience gathered in Cardiff over the weekend for Wales' fourth annual care summit.

The Exploring Radical Reform Summit creates a vital platform where young people can directly engage with Welsh Government ministers to help shape wide-ranging reforms to care services across Wales.

For the first time, younger children aged 9 to 14, who are currently in care, joined 40 young leaders with care experience.

Actor Michael Sheen, patron of Voices from Care Cymru, addressed the young people through special video messages.

Minister for Children and Social Care, Dawn Bowden, who attended alongside Ministers for Education, Social Justice, Finance and Welsh Language, and Mental Health and Wellbeing, yesterday said:

Listening directly to young people with experience of care is essential to creating meaningful reform.

Including younger children for the first time this year brought fresh perspectives that will help us build a care system that truly meets their needs. Their voices are not just being heard – they are actively shaping policy.

It is timely that this summit takes place in the same month as National Children’s Day. We want a Wales for all children, where every child feels valued, respected and heard.

Young Ambassador and Co- Chair of the event, Georgia Toman, yesterday said:

It really means a lot to care experienced young people that Welsh Ministers spend time listening to us and taking us seriously.

We know big change can't happen overnight, but it was good to hear from cabinet secretaries and minsters what they and their teams have been doing to deliver Radical Reform. Our plea to them was to keep the pressure up. With the Senedd election in a year's time we are keen to see as much achieved as possible.