A Life-Changing Journey
When I first joined the group Voices for Bettws, or V4B as it is known, little did I know that the journey ahead would be life changing.
The parent voice group was set up by Save the Children Cymru to gather insight into local issues impacting families living in the Bettws, a community in Newport facing many challenges.
Over time, the group evolved into a trusted support network. Many members were parent carers facing barriers in accessing support for their children in school. They realised they held a wealth of knowledge that could help educators better understand and support children with additional learning needs but had no platform to be heard.
I’m Autistic and have ADHD, and when I first joined V4B, I had just left my job of twenty years to care for my children. Advocating for their needs had taken a huge toll simply because they were failed by education and mental health services and consequently, I was plunged into poverty myself.
I began contributing to Welsh Government consultations, working with health boards, and volunteering with a mental health charity supporting parents of children facing barriers to education.
When a role came up at Save the Children Cymru for a Community Project Officer in my local area, I jumped at the opportunity. Since then, I’ve watched fellow parents grow in confidence and make real progress.
Developing training for parents championing the needs of their children
In partnership with Children in Wales, Save the Children Cymru has recently supported a group of parents from Voices for Bettws to develop and deliver a powerful training programme focused on Additional Learning Needs (ALN).
This training, called ‘Celebrating Difference and Unlocking Every Child’s Potential’, is not just about raising awareness, it’s about shifting perspectives, building empathy, and unlocking the potential of children by recognising the expertise of those who know them best: their parents.
The workshops are interactive, reflective, and rooted in lived experiences. Through activities like “Sparks of Joy,” “Battery Check-ins,” and scenario-based discussions, professionals explore the emotional and practical realities families face.
The training has already been delivered to professionals in several local authorities in south Wales with overwhelmingly positive feedback. Now, V4B parents are recruiting and training other parents across Wales to deliver the sessions. It’s been incredible to witness parents come together, share their stories, and grow in confidence as they use their lived experience to bring change.
We even got to share the learning from the training with politicians at the Senedd as part of a recent cross-party group on disability discussion.
From the Senedd to meeting the UK’s Prime Minister
I was very pleased to have met and had an opportunity to chat to Sir Keir Starmer when he came to Wales to launch the UK Child Poverty Strategy.
From my perspective this is not just policy. Living in an economically deprived area and having experienced poverty myself and still paying off the debt from that time, breaking through the glass ceiling after that has been incredibly hard.
Child poverty strategies need to be shaped and delivered with families and the third sector organisations who actually see where the barriers are, and it was good to see this implemented as part of the process. Without that, it just will not land.
Messaging matters too. Stigma is the quicksand that traps people in poverty. Once you are pulled into it, every attempt to climb out is made harder by the judgement surrounding you.
But when Welsh and UK Governments work together positively and communicate in the same way, it gives families the clarity and hope they are desperately looking for.
