Cross-Party Group Annual Report.

2021/22

Saving Futures: Cross Party Group on Preventing Child Sexual Abuse.

1. Group membership and office holders.

Chair: Jayne Bryant MS

The Secretariat is jointly provided by NSPCC Cymru, Stop it Now! Wales, Survivors’ Trust Cymru, Stepping Stones North Wales and RASASC NW

2. Previous Group Meetings since the last AGM.

Meeting  1.

Meeting date:   5^th October 2021

Attendees:

Speakers 

Julie Morgan MS, Deputy Minister for Social Services

Jayne Bryant MS 

Sam Clutton, Senior Policy Manager, Children’s Safeguarding, Welsh Government

Claire Short, Stop it Now

Elinor Crouch-Puzey

Attendees 

Tracey Holdsworth

Alan Collins

Sarah Walton

Claire Short

Hayley Fry

Jayne Bryant MS

Julie Morgan MS

Sam Clutton

Amy Bainton

Daisy Williams

Jan Pickles

Catrin Simpson

Deborah Job

Leanne Parsell

 Faith McCready

Philip Walker

Kelly Shannon

Rob Lowe

Sophie Hallett

May Baxter-Thornton

Kirsty Hudson

Nici Evans

Altaf Hussain MS

Debbie Woodroffe

Shannon Orritt

Daisy Williams

Sarah Walton

Carys Morgan-Jones

Summary of issues discussed:

This was the inaugural meeting of the sixth Senedd term so began with reconvening the chair and secretariat. Jayne Bryant MS was re-elected chair and NSPCC Cymru, Stop it Now, Survivors Trust, Stepping Stones and RASARC North Wales were re-elected joint secretariat.  

Key points from speakers

Julie Morgan MS, Deputy Minister for Social Services;

· Welcomed the return of this important CPG and acknowledged the role it played in the fifth Senedd term

· The new programme for government includes the role of early intervention and prevention work with children and young people and the importance of timely support 

· Acknowledged the important role the safeguarding boards played during the pandemic. The Minister is grateful to the work of the public and third sector during this time. 

· Welsh Government pledged £80,000 to specialist services to help reduce waiting lists and launched the ‘This is sexual violence’ campaign. 

· Acknowledged the stall in progress due to the Covid pandemic but that the NHS collaborative is in action

· The new NHS collaborative will give consideration to recommendations from the Light House report and how it will inform the work in Wales.

· There is a focus on implementing the current CSA Action Plan. Decisions about next steps and a review of progress will take place in the summer. 

· Recommendations from the Independent Inquiry into CSA will be considered when it is finalised 

Claire Short, Stop It Now and Elinor Crouch-Puzey, NSPCC Cymru;

Presentation focused on the importance of the public health approach

· The role of the CPG 

· Key focus for this Senedd term;

· Threat from online harms

· Early intervention work with perpetrators

· Role of direct services

· Ensuring equal access to services 

Sam Clutton, Welsh Government;

· The Action Plan has helped cement cross-government working

· In response to the key focus for the CPG secretariat – work on online harms by the digital inclusion team and everyone’s invited campaign 

· Traumatic Stress Wales is working to equip professionals to respond to trauma in an informed way

· Work will continue to improve access to and outcomes for protected characteristics with a commission out on Sell t Wales on anti-racism work

· Acknowledged delay in progress due to pandemic and provided update on progress against the action plan to date. 

Meeting  2.

Meeting date: 15^th February 2022

Attendees:

Speakers  

Professor EJ Renold – Cardiff University

Professor Carlene Firmin – Durham University 

Jayne Bryant MS  

 

Attendees  

David Hopkins - guest

Lowri Williams – Youth Justice Service

Faith McCready – South Wales Police

Rachel Williams – Stepping Stones North Wales

Sara Evans - Crime Services, North Wales Police

Katie Ellis - Crime Services, North Wales Police

Nia Henman – NHS Corporate Safeguarding Team

Mel Gadd – Sex Education Company

Tom Lewis-White - Senedd Commission Staff

Gillian Jones – Lucy Faithful Foundation

Nici Evans – CSA Centre

Kate Rothwell- Digital Learning Division, Welsh Government 

Helen Middleton - CAVC

Sarah Walton-Jones – Lucy Faithful Foundation

Daisy Williams – Lucy Faithful Foundation

Sarah Witcombe-Hayes – NSPCC Cymru

Philip Walker – Survivors Trust 

Ross Walmsley – NSPCC Cymru

Sian Garstang - Equity in Education

Karen Bamford - Independent Safeguarding and Reviewing Officer

Sarah Keefe - guest

Caryl M Davies – school safeguarding, Carmarthen 

Shannon Orritt - Member Support Staff, Senedd

Nicola Giles – Curriculum, Welsh Government

Elizabeth Flowers – Children’s Commissioners Office

Berni Durham-Jones – Stepping Stones North Wales 

Mandy Gibbs – Multi-agency CSA Centre

Hannah Evans-Price – PCC Office, South Wales Police

Cecile Gwilym – NSPCC Cymru

Brody Anderson - Member Support Staff, Senedd

Claire Short – Lucy Faithful Foundation

Deborah Sargent - Digital Learning Division, Welsh Government

Eleri Griffiths - Member Support Staff, Senedd

Joanna Williams - NHS Wales Health Collaborative

M Matthews - St Teilos CiW High School 

Catrin Simpson - Cardiff and Vale UHB - Child Health

Linda Elias – Dyfed Powys Police 

Sian Erickson – Safeguarding 

Fflur Emlyn – RASAC 

Summary of issues discussed:

Key points from speakers

Professor EJ Renold – Cardiff University “We don’t tell the teachers”: unboxing peer-to-peer sexual harassment in primary and secondary schools. 

· Welsh Government have responded to issues of peer-on-peer harassment prior to the Estyn report on sexual harassment in secondary schools. 

· A collective/online movement, including ‘Everyone’s Invited website’ was the catalyst for the Estyn engagement

· There has been a normalisation of sexual harassment in schools – incidents are so common – it is reported that it can be normalised or trivialised by teachers and young people therefore keep it to themselves

· This work must also be carried out in primary schools

· A response to sexual harassment must be embedded into a whole school approach

· Wales has the potential to address these issues in a holistic way – with an emphasis on the rights of children

· It is vital that professional learning is central to work to tackle harassment in schools

 Professor Carlene Firmin MBE, Durham University ‘Developing a Contextual Safeguarding approach to child sexual abuse in Wales’

· There is a mismatch between where harm is experienced and where social work is focused, traditionally this has been the assessment of the family, rather than the contexts.

· We need to form partnerships with sectors/individuals who are responsible for young people and collaborate and work alongside young people, ensuring that work is strengths based.

· Targeting the individual child/family and moving them on can create ‘victim vacuums’ where the context causing the harm isn’t challenged.

· Currently four areas in Wales adapting contextual safeguarding model – Swansea is a formal contextual safeguarding test site. Newport, Cardiff, and Neath Port Talbot implementing in parallel test sites – planned champions network across Wales.

· It is everyone’s responsibility to work collectively to safeguard children, not just to refer into safeguarding.

· ‘Context weighting’ – important to consider the most significant context that is most vulnerable for the child. For example.

· Mapping activities around the school site

· Assessment of a peer group and building the school’s capacity to be protective

· Implementation of change led by the school such as staff attitudes and safety mapping

Annual Financial Statement.

Cross Party Group on Preventing Child Sexual Abuse

Chair: Jayne Bryant MS

Secretariat: NSPCC Cymru, Stop it Now! Wales, the Survivors’ Trust Cymru.

Group’s Expenses.	None.	£0.00
Costs of all goods.
Benefits received by the group or individual Members from outside bodies.	No benefits received.	£0.00
Any secretariat or other support.	No financial support received.	£0.00
Services provided to the Group such as hospitality.
Date	Description and name of provider	Cost
		0
Total cost