The Wrexham Fair Share Integration project

 

The Wrexham Fair Share Integration project is a 1-year project running from September 2009 – August 2010, aimed at integrating children and families from migrant, refugee, asylum seeker and Gypsy and Traveller families into out of school childcare clubs. The project is funded from The Big Lottery’s Fair Share programme, administered through the Community Foundation in Wales and was developed after Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids’ Clubs recognised the need for marginalised children and families to be integrated into out of school childcare clubs.

 

A part time Development Officer is working on the project and is gathering base-line information from all relevant sources. She is currently identifying and forging links with appropriate forums and organisations so that she can provide a coordinated approach to identify children and families from migrant, refugee, asylum seeker, Gypsy and Traveller families who will benefit from attending out of school childcare clubs. Support is being given to out of school childcare clubs to work with parents from these groups to encourage them to join new and existing club management committees. Children from migrant, refugee, asylum seeker, and Gypsy and Traveller families are being given the opportunity to attend taster sessions in clubs As the children settle in clubs this will hopefully have a ‘knock on’ effect for their families enabling them to integrate and build up their own support networks within communities more successfully.

Community Focused Schools Childcare Programme

From 2008, a new childcare element to the Community Focused Schools* funding was made available to develop new childcare clubs around the school day and during school holidays to help meet the needs of pupils, parents and communities across Wales.

Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids’ Clubs has specialist expertise, knowledge and experience in developing and supporting over 1500 childcare clubs in Wales. We are currently contracted in all 22 local authorities to develop and support childcare clubs. In addition we are specifically contracted on the CFS childcare programme in 12 local authorities.

We have produced a report (including useful case studies) which:
· Reports our progress (to October 2009 including the development of 55 new clubs for Welsh and English medium primary and secondary aged children and support given to families on low incomes and with children with specific needs).
· Helps inform future work/developments on the programme.
· Could help facilitate replication in other local authorities/clubs.

The report can be downloaded here.

*‘A Community Focused School (CFS) is one that provides a range of services and activities often beyond the school day to help to meet the needs of its pupils, their families and the wider community.’ (Community Focused Schools Guidance Circular, National Assembly for Wales, 2003)

The Carmarthenshire Play Learn and Grow Healthy project, is a 3-year ‘Healthy Friends’ theme project, working primarily with children aged 7/8 and 10/11 through a ‘buddying’ project, and extending to reach younger children and their families from 2 upwards.

The project will aim to raise awareness of the value of physical activity/healthy eating and introduce ideas for ‘buddying’ in a traditionally non-educational environment. Often work in this area is focused on health programmes delivered through schools, however, this project will provide ‘learning through play’. Activity will predominately focus on ‘buddying’ with junior aged children attending out of school childcare clubs and Childminders. Training and support will be given to all children volunteering to become ‘buddies’

The project is funded with £425,797 from the Big Lottery Fund’s (BIG) Way of Life initiative, which aims to develop new and innovative ways of promoting healthy eating, activity and play among children through projects that involve the whole family.

Childhood obesity has been one of the most worrying health trends in Wales over the last decade ,with more children overweight than ever before. WOL aims to combat childhood obesity by using three different models, which the successful projects are using to deliver the programme.

The Project Partners, Clybiau Plant Cymru Kids' Clubs, Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin and Wales Pre -school Playgroups Association have a history of working successfully together. They have representation within Local Authorities on the Children and Young People’s Partnerships and have links with the Health, Social Care and Well-being Partnership. with all relevant aspects of the Education Department, Local Health Board and N.H.S Trust.

For more information about the project please contact the project manager:

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The Kids’ Clubs Project

Clubs for older children and young people

Clubs for children with additional needs

Non traditional out of hours clubs

Management models in clubs

Hotchpotch

Glossary of terms

Appendix

The Kids' Clubs At Play film showcases out of school childcare clubs in Wales and the impact of The Kids' Clubs Project which was funded by the European Objective 1 programme.

For details about the toolkit, which is available in electronic format , or in A4 folder format,and cost of  the accompanying  comprehensive training package, please contact Bethan Pocock [ project manager] at our National office . For further information about the content of the toolkit please click on the link to access a description of the toolkit.