Wednesday, February 9, 2022

Would you like to bring about change like this within your local community and/or Parliament? If you think this is you, please fill out an application (here) and someone from the WAVE Trust team will get in touch.

 

Following a debate about the 70/30 Campaign and prevention of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) in the Welsh Assembly (Senedd) last week, WAVE Trust are delighted to announce that the Welsh Conservative party has become the latest to formally adopt our UK-wide goal of reducing levels of child maltreament (child abuse, neglect, experiencing domestic violence) by at least 70% by 2030.

The Welsh Conservatives now join Scottish Labour, UK Labour, Plaid Cymru, the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland and the Liberal Democrats in pledging their support for 70/30.

 

'Turning pain into purpose'

"I am privileged to argue in favour of the WAVE Trust’s ambition for a 70% reduction in ACEs by the end of the decade. We have to go beyond good intentions and deliver in this important, yet forgotten, area", said Gareth Davies MS, Welsh Assembly representative for Vale of Clwyd.

Claire Andrews, 70/30 Campaign lead ambassador for Wales, said: "I am very happy that Adverse Childhood Experiences have finally been brought to debate in Wales and how surreal it was that my story helped in turn to bring this matter forward.

"Turning pain into purpose is very important to me and I am very proud to be holding the flag for the WAVE Trust 70/30 Campaign. My hope is that we can get the 70/30 motion put through over the next few months to help reduce childhood maltreatment abuse and neglect by 2030 so we can put an end to this debilitating battle and cycle for children and families all over Wales in the future."

 

Fuelling the ACEs conversation in Wales

Due to the work of 70/30 ambassadors such as Claire, and WAVE Trust's 70/30 Campaign Officer Alex Williamson, the Welsh Conservatives were supported and encouraged to submit a motion to the Welsh Assembly that recognised the impact of ACEs and called for early intervention to be prioritised.

Here is the full motion text that was passed following the debate, that proposed the Senedd should:

1. Recognise the impact that adverse childhood experiences have on health, eptainment and substance abuse later on in life.
2. Believe that tackling distress during childhood and early intervention must be prioritised in order to give the best start to all children in Wales.
3. Note the evidence that there has been an increase in adverse childhood experiences as a result of COVID-19.
4. Call on the Welsh Government to incorporate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child fully into Welsh law.

 

WAVE would like to congratulate everyone involved in helping to bring this issue yet again to prominence in a country that is increasingly taking seriously the challenge of tackling ACEs, and supporting services to become trauma-informed.

Would you like to bring about change like this within your local community and/or Parliament? If you think this is you, please fill out an application (here) and someone from the WAVE Trust team will get in touch.