Cross-Party Group Annual Report.
2023/2024
Saving Futures: Cross Party Group on Preventing Child Sexual Abuse.
Chair: Jayne Bryant MS/replaced by Buffy Williams MS (elected 1st May 2024)
Secretariat: The Secretariat is jointly provided by NSPCC Cymru, Lucy Faithfull Foundation, Survivors’ Trust Cymru, Stepping Stones North Wales and RASASC NW, We Stand.
Context: 2023/2024 was a period of flux for the CPG and the policy context and environment surrounding CSA. Welsh Government is in the process of consulting on the next Welsh Government action plan on preventing child sexual abuse. Due to the election of a new First Minister and the subsequent cabinet reshuffle there has been the election of a new Chair, Buffy Williams, since May 2024. The CPG would like to thank Jayne Bryant MS for her commitment and dedication as outgoing chair of the CPG.
Meeting Date: 27th June 2023 - Virtual
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Speakers Jayne Bryant MS – Chair Emma Barton – Wales Violence Prevention Unit Anna Glinski – Centre of Expertise on CSA Elinor Puzey – NSPCC
Attendees Berni Durham-Jones- Stepping Stones Nici Evans - CSA centre Sarah Walton-Jones- Stop It Now Catherine Lewis - South Wales Sally Howells - Cyfannol Helen Khezrzadeh -Children’s Society Melissa Wood- Barnardos Clare Sharp - CIW Catrin Simpson- SARC Sarah Keefe - Tarian |
Naomi Evans - S. Wales Police Heather Heaney - Monmouthshire Damian Rees - Swansea Janice Dent - Newport Faith McCready - School Beat Jan Pickles Jo Williams - Welsh SARC
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Jayne then opened the meeting explaining it will focus on CSA data collection.
Emma Barton – Violence Prevention Unit
· The portal includes publicly available data but stored in one place
· It allows identification of at risk groups and violence ‘hotspots’
· Produces quarterly monitoring reports on ‘spikes and trends’ in data
· Plans to include data from SARCs, education and online harms
Anna Glinski – Centre of Expertise on Child Sexual Abuse
· CSA is no less common than other forms of child abuse, but data tells a different story
· CSA will remain hidden if we don’t have data sets.
Meeting Date: 1st May 2024 - In Person/Hybrid, Ty Hywel
In Person
· Buffy Williams MS – Member of the Senedd for the Rhondda – CPG Chair Elect (BW)
· Ryan Evans (RW)- Senior Researcher and Communications Officer, Buffy Williams MS
· Ruth Mullineux-Morgan – Senior Policy Officer, NSPCC Cymru (RMM)
Online/Virtual
· Claire Short, Manager at Lucy Faithful Foundation Wales (CS)
· Phil Walker - UK National Dev manager at Survivors Trust (PW)
· Becky Booth Chief Exec “We Stand”. (BB)
· Gill Jones - Lucy Faithfull Foundation Wales (GJ)
Apologies
· Rasasc North Wales
· Stepping Stones North Wales
RM welcomed everyone to meeting, thanks BW for agreeing to chair group. Brief run through of agenda.
BW introduced herself. Rhondda MS + Chair CYPE. Thanks members for attending.
RMM asked organisations to introduce themselves and their work/focus as well as their priorities for the CPG/work on CSA over the next 12-18 months.
· CS, Manager at Lucy Faithful Foundation Wales (previously “Stop it now”). Provides short history of Stop it Now, education sessions to parents, carers and Professionals. Funded by Welsh Gov, brief outline of array of focus groups (at risk families vulnerable to child sexual abuse), engagement, and interventions which finish with a robust family safety plan. Developed resources with Stonewall and others. New “Sure” website for young people. Involved from beginning as Secretariat group.
· PW - UK National Dev Manager at Survivors Trust, been there for 15 years. First 3 years as Wales National Development Manager. Umbrella organisation for rape and sexual abuse specialist voluntary sector in UK and Ireland. 119 member agencies, nearly all of whom are charities, mostly community based who provide counselling and support to survivors. Hold a whole host of regional meetings, forums and workshops for member agencies. This helps gain a good understanding of the specialist sexual violence and sexual abuse voluntary sector and the challenges encountered by member agencies when supporting survivors. Work with many UK Governments Departments, Wales Government and Traumatic Stress Wales. Members of CPG from implementation. Wish in Wales is for us to have a better understanding of how many survivors of abuse there are in Wales and for counselling and support to be available to all survivors when they need it and close to where they live. Believes consultation so far into to new Welsh Gov CSA plan is good.
· BB Chief Exec “We Stand”. Support families surrounding the victim of Abuse. Run for 30 years, started with 4 mums who had no support following children who experienced sexual abuse. Kept throughout the years to the mission of supporting parents. National helpline UK wide. Based predominantly in South East London. Feel as though they were not part of the landscape in Wales, so currently Cardiff Based funded by MOJ. View to grow across Wales. They provide Individual counselling, parenting workshops through trauma, in house solicitor for advice. First meeting at the CPG.
· GJ - Also at Lucy Faithfull. Happy with Claire’s overview. Gill is based in North Wales.
Decisions: N/A
Actions: N/A
· RMM proposes BW as the new Chair. CS seconds. Buffy Willams MS elected the new chair of the CPG.
RMM presented some powerpoint slides and provided an overview of the history and progress to date of the CPG:
· Established 2016
· Focus at that point was National strategy to prevent CSA.
· Led to launch of first Welsh gov CSA plan in 2019.
· May 2022, CPG Roundtable to meet with experts of CSA.
· Consultation now underway on second CSA action plan, will see towards end of this year.
· Future role will be monitoring progress with robust accountability process.
RMM gave an overview of previous meetings which include
· Marginalised children
· Survivor led and young person led peer on peer
· AGMs
· Legacy report
RMM moved on to provide key objectives for 2nd action plan contained in the Legacy report, these are:
· Integrated training.
· Improve data collection on prevalence and survivors.
· Improve relationships with other violence prevention work.
· Significant risk of online harm.
· Peer on peer sexual abuse action plan scrutiny and delivery
· Centralise prevention work
· Funding of response and support service must be more sustainable.
Decisions: N/A
Actions: N/A
· RMM opens up to discussion for forward work programme
· RMM raises format and timing of meetings as potential topic area of consideration for both the Steering Group and the CPG moving forwards
· RMM also suggests launch, celebrate and review the 2nd Welsh Governemnt action plan when published
· RMM discussion of a showcase of preventative work, involving CYP and survivor voice could be a potential topic. BW mentions the virtual game “Danielle” created by None in 3 as potential speakers.
· CS says new and vital strand of CSA is working with offenders. Suggests work around why we need to work with young and adult offenders, not just victims and survivors. With the aim of raising awareness.CS adds it is important we see the real effects of deterrence work.
· PW, speaking about future meetings, there needs to be a discussion around role of specialist voluntary sector and the counselling and support it provides to survivors in Wales. Would like to see attendees share experiences on challenges such as waiting lists and new referrals.
· BB would like to see work undertaken on wider family role on prevention and support. Happy there's a strand in CSA on wider members/significant adult care giver. Work around working in partnership and building alliances with others on data sharing and pathways.
· RMM mentions previous CSA Centre of Expertise project to align platform to share data.
· PW mentions the CSA Centre of Expertise centre report, and the importance of putting Welsh angle on that.
· RMM mentions that CSA Centre of Expertise work closely with the CPG.
· There will be further discussion at a future CPG Steering Group and we will come up with a long list of topics plus a suggested timetable to put to/agree with BW.
· CS mentions reviewing Senedd members list.
· BW agrees and mentions colleagues she would like to approach
· To be discussed at upcoming CPG Secretariat meeting – suggested revised list to be sent to BW and BW to approach colleagues.
2nd July 2024
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.
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Group’s Expenses.
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None. |
£0.00 |
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Costs of all goods.
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Benefits received by the group or individual Members from outside bodies.
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No benefits received. |
£0.00 |
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Any secretariat or other support.
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No financial support received. |
£0.00 |
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Services provided to the Group such as hospitality.
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Description and name of provider
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Cost |
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0 |
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Total cost
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