Mid and West Wales Advocacy

How can we help?

We offer Independent Professional Advocacy Services to children and young people living in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys.

We also provide advocacy to children and young people under the age of 18 who want to raise a concern or make a complaint in relation to a NHS service.

What is Advocacy?

Advocacy aims to empower vulnerable young people by giving them a voice to share their thoughts and feelings, making sure they get heard. By informing them about their rights and providing a way to communicate, it gives them more say in decisions that can impact their lives.

The aim of advocacy is to assist in the following areas:

  • Amplify the voice of young people
  • Ensure young people understand their rights
  • Give young people a space to talk openly
  • Improve communication between a young person and their social worker / carer
  • Allow young people to make a complaint

Our advocacy service is independent – we are not part of Social Services.

Learn more about our Advocacy Services here >

Learn more about the role of an advocate and what services we offer watching the video below:

Our eligibility criteria

Mid and West Wales Advocacy Service is available for the following groups of children and young people:

  • Looked after children
  • Children in need of care and support under the Social Services Health and Well-Being (Wales) Act 2014
  • Children and young people leaving care, up to 21 years of age (25 years of age if in further education)
  • Children and Young People making a representation or making a complaint regarding NHS services

How do I get in touch?

We are friendly and easy to talk to, give us a call on the number below.

We have easy to use referral forms for parents/carers & professionals and we accept telephone referrals too. To make a referral now please click on the Refer button in the Ways to get in touch section below.

Children and young people – you can call the free phone number (below) and ask for an advocate – it’s that easy – no forms required!

Other services in this area

The following services also operate in the Mid and West Wales area:

Health Advocacy

Our Mid and West Wales Advocacy team provide specialist support to children and young people who are making a complaint regarding NHS Services.

Mid and West Wales Independent Visiting Service

Independent Visiting is a service for children and young people who are in care. An independent visitor is a volunteer who provides companionship to young people, someone to do fun activities with and serve as a positive role model.

Mid and West Wales Parent Advocacy Service

Parent Advocacy Service aims to reduce the number of children entering the care system and keep families together, by providing a voice and support to parents as they navigate the child protection system.

Ceredigion Safe Stars

Safe Stars are a participation group who promote safety for young people. The group meets regularly and organise fun activities to raise awareness about important issues.

Travelling Ahead: Wales Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Advice and Advocacy Service

Travelling Ahead provide individual and community advocacy amongst Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families across Wales.

Restorative Approaches Family Group Meeting Service

[Pembrokeshire] A Family Group Meeting is where family members, friend and relevant people come together to discuss and make plans for the future, with the assistance of a trained practitioner.

Belong – Refugee and Asylum Programme

Belong is a group for young people seeking asylum and refugees aged 14-24 which aims to helps young people to gain confidence and strive for the best they can be.


Project address

Cardiff University Social Science Research Park (SPARK), Spark, Maindy Road, Cardiff CF24 4HQ

Ways to get in touch

Telephone (Aberaeron): 01545 571865
Email: midandwestwales@tgpcymru.org.uk
Freephone number: 0808 168 2599

Feedback

We welcome feedback from all children and young people who use our service. Feedback helps us make our service better.

Please follow this link to tell us about the advocacy service you received from us >


Who is in our team

Kath De Filippo
Team Manager
Vicky Thomson
Senior Advocate
Jess Owen
Independent Professional Advocate
Becky Morton
Independent Professional Advocate
Hannah Sedgewick
Independent Professional Advocate
Jacqui Ball
Independent Professional Advocate
Kerry Llama
Independent Professional Advocate
Nia Lewis
Independent Professional Advocate
Phil Layton
Independent Professional Advocate
Sarah Hope
Independent Professional Advocate
Steve Whyte
Independent Professional Advocate
Sue Hagerty
Independent Professional Advocate and Participation Officer
Peta Beaumont
Independent Professional Advocate and Participation Officer
Chloe Llewelyn
Independent Visiting Coordinator
Ann Harris
Administrator