Author: Chris

Guest article – ClwydAlyn

ClwydAlyn housing association in partnership with Wrexham Council and developers Harley and Clarke will soon welcome its first tenants into a new supported living scheme in Wrexham that will provide a safe haven for single parents and their children.

This comes following a recent review into supported living which identified a need for specific accommodation within the area.

Executive Director of Care & Support at ClwydAlyn, Edward Hughes said:

“Created with the hope to provide safety, refuge and guidance to pregnant women, or a parent with young babies who have little or no support; this collaborative venture will offer a safe haven for giving them the hope they need to get back on their feet.

“Many of these parents are no stranger to abuse, neglect and trauma and this new scheme will be a place where they will be welcomed with open arms into safety.

“Now in its final stages of development, the scheme will provide residents with the love they need to help them thrive, offering support throughout pregnancy, birth and beyond with their children in a safe space that will hopefully help them find a way forward.”

The accommodation will consist of four units with shared communal lounges such as a resident lounge, kitchen, dining room and garden, staffed 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

Each resident will have a dedicated support officer, with the support being tailored to meet the individual needs and aspirations of residents. During their stay we will equip them with the skills to enable them to live independently in the community whether this being learning how to manage a home, improve their health and wellbeing, or access employment or training.

The support workers will also work alongside our residents to help prepare for motherhood during their pregnancy and to assist them to build a strong foundation to go on and enjoy a fulfilling and rewarding lifetime as a parent.

Councillor David A Bithell, Wrexham Council’s Lead Member for Housing, said:

“Every parent and baby should have somewhere safe, where they can get the support and kindness, they need to build a positive future.

“As a council, we’re committed to protecting vulnerable parents and their children, and this new supported housing facility will make a real difference to so many lives.

“I’m delighted we’ve been able to work with ClwydAlyn on this project, and it’s a great example of how organisations can work together to support the most vulnerable in our communities.”

Edward Hughes added:

“No single parent should be left alone or afraid, and these new homes will ensure that they will be placed in a safe and supportive environment that will help them rebuild their lives and enable them to become strong, independent, and focused parents.”

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A national bank holiday has been declared across the UK to mark the funeral of our beloved Queen Elizabeth II next Monday, September 19.

As a mark of respect and wherever possible, most of Wrexham Council’s public-facing services will close for the day.

This is in line with councils across the UK, and reflects the approach taken to other bank holidays during the year.

Councillor Mark Pritchard, Leader of Wrexham Council, said: “The Queen’s funeral will be a sad and historic day for the nation, and like other councils across the UK, we’ll be pausing our services wherever possible as a mark of respect.

“The Queen was loved and admired by so many people, and the bank holiday will be a day of reflection as we mourn the loss of a very special monarch.”

Schools

All primary and secondary schools across the county borough will be closed.

Bins and recycling

Bin collections that normally take place on Mondays will take place on Saturday instead.

So if your waste and recycling is due to be collected on Monday, we’ll collect it on Saturday, September 17 instead (please put it out on Friday evening if you can).

Household waste recycling centres

Our household waste recycling centres at Brymbo, Plas Madoc and Wrexham Industrial Estate will be closed.

This is in line with the approach being taken by many other councils across the country.

Libraries

Our libraries will be closed for the bank holiday.

Tŷ Pawb, Visitor Information Centre and Wrexham Museum

Tŷ Pawb, the Visitor Information Centre and Wrexham Museum will be closed.

Pentrebychan Crematorium

The crematorium will be open for services that have already been booked.

Contact Wrexham

The contact centre will be closed.

Registration Service

The Registration Service at the Guildhall will be closed for the day.

All services will return to normal the following day (Tuesday, September 20).

Wrexham Council continues to make improvements to social services.

The report follows a full inspection by CIW in June of this year, which included a detailed assessment of services provided by the council.

The report highlights:

• The improvement journey children’s social services has been on since 2019.
• Commitment across the council – from senior leaders, managers and politicians – to provide appropriate resources for an “ambitious and child-focused service that promotes the wellbeing of children.”
• The successful appointment of people to senior departmental posts, and the positive impact this has had on culture, expectations and standards.
• Strong working relationships with other agencies, and positive changes to mental health support services.

Positive progress

Councillor Rob Walsh, Lead Member for Children’s Services, says:

“The report recognises the progress we’ve made in children’s social care, while providing us with a continued focus on where we need to improve.

“One of the key things that CIW recognise is the commitment across the council to improve and appropriately resource services. This has played a key part in helping us move forward.

“However there’s still work to be done. For example, we need look at how outcomes are considered and how social workers are assigned to the children we support.

“Our improvement plans will help us put renewed focus on these areas.”

CIW notes that “some progress has been made resulting in developments to practice and better outcomes for children”

Good practice in Adult Services

The inspection also highlighted many positive areas of work in adult social care, including:

• “Good examples of effective and timely response to adult safeguarding reports.”
• Good multi-agency working with partner organisations.

Councillor John Pritchard, Lead Member for Adult Social Care, says:

“The report highlights several areas of good practice, which is really positive.

“It also confirms what we need to focus on next – including the need to create better access to services like occupational therapy and domiciliary care.

“These are the things we’ll be focusing on now, and we’ll make the improvements needed as we move forwards.”

Commitment and dedication

Councillor Mark Pritchard, Leader of the Council, says:

“I’m pleased that the CIW Inspection Report acknowledges the commitment and dedication of the Chief Officer for Social Care and all of the staff who have been involved to take this forward.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all councillors who supported the budget, which then allowed us to put extra funding of over £10m into Social Care within Wrexham.

“I recognise that in Wrexham we are on an improvement journey and we must continue to protect the most vulnerable people within our communities.”