New children`s charity in Wales to take up services

Plans are underway to form a new charity in Wales following the
Children’s Society’s controversial decision to pull out of the
principality, writes Alex Dobson.

The staff group, formed immediately after the Children’s Society
made its decision last year, says it has already begun the process
of establishing an all-Wales charity and the new charity should be
in place by July this year.

It is hoped that charity will be able to extend and develop
advocacy projects in line with the recommendations of the
Waterhouse Tribunal into child abuse in north Wales, and the recent
Carlile review into preventing abuse within the NHS in Wales.

Both reports highlighted the need for effective advocacy
networks for children, and the Children’s Society was one of the
major providers of advocacy work with children in Wales

It emerged that Children in Wales, the national umbrella
children’s organisation, will be the holding body that will oversee
the projects during the interim stage from July this year to March
2003.

A spokesperson for the staff group said: “After July this year
the Children’s Society will have severed its links with Wales and
the advocacy projects will be hosted by Children in Wales, which
means that on a practical level employees will continue to be
paid.