The Welsh Government has supported Children in Wales over three years to develop a range of new resources for care experienced children and young people across Wales, and for the professionals who support them.

As one part of the project, they have been working collaboratively with children and young people to co-produce a series of health and well-being guides, in line with the National Participation Standards. The topics relate to young people’s rights under Part 6 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 and the UNCRC.

Each guide is available in English and Welsh. We want more care experienced children and young people to be aware of their rights to have more voice and control in the care and assessment process and for the professionals who support them to have a range of tools to support this. The full range of guides can be accessed at www.childreninwales.org.uk/resources/looked-after-children

DATE : 11th June 2019

THEME: Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a permanent, lifelong disability caused by drinking alcohol during pregnancy. It affects a considerable number of children and young people in the UK. Crucially, looked after and adopted children, who are often born into drug and alcohol abusing families, are more likely to be affected than those in the general population. Studies suggest that at least one-third of looked after children come into care with a parental history of alcohol misuse.

Although the situation is slowly improving, there still are many British professionals in health, education and social services who have a poor awareness of, and a lack of training in, the complexity of this invisible disability. Increased professional knowledge and understanding are key to successful future management of this disorder – and social workers have a vital role to play. This conference will address some key questions: What is FASD, and how can it affect children? How is it diagnosed and managed? How can social workers ensure that they take FASD into account when working with and placing children and supporting them and their families?

AUDIENCE: Social workers, Adoption and LAC teams, Adoption and Fostering Panel members and chairs, medical advisers and educational professionals especially those working with children with special needs.

SPEAKER: Dr Mary Mather is a retired Consultant Community Paediatrician. She has been involved in the medical assessment of looked after children since 1990. She has been the medical adviser to 3 local authority panels, a voluntary adoption agency and an intercountry adoption panel. She was also the designated doctor for safeguarding for over 20 years.

She has been involved in a national training programme for midwives on the impact of exposure to alcohol in pregnancy. She also trains medical advisers in adoption and fostering to increase their confidence in making an FASD diagnosis and provides input to the preparation group for intercountry adopters.

She has published 32 articles in peer-reviewed journals. She is the author of “Doctors for Children in Public Care” and co-author of “Parenting a Child with an Invisible Disability: The Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders”. She has recently written a Good Practice Guide for social workers on dealing with FASD. She was also responsible for the BAAF guidelines on the assessment of obesity and smoking in substitute carers.

Attachments:

Booking Form

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Welcome to an early spring issue of the newsletter where we provide information on the law relating to permanency planning and placements in Wales.

Once again, the newsletter is mainly focussed on the new regulatory framework, in both adoption and fostering, most of which is coming into force at the end of this month, on 29 April.  

See attached Bulletin

Attachments:

AFA Cymru Spring 2019 Legal Bulletin

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