Written by Babe, Sophie, Patrick, Minnie, Nicole The Cardiff Young Researchers Group
Supported by Cath Larkins and Trudy Aspinwall, Ear2theGround, for Save the Children, Wales and Val Hawksworth, Cardiff Traveller Education Service Funded by The Welsh Assembly Government
Introduction This Short Report contains some of the ideas collected from children and young people during our Consultation on the Welsh Assembly Government Plan for Gypsy Travellers. We have chosen just some examples of your ideas for this short report, but all of your ideas are included in the goals and in the long report that we have given to the Welsh Assembly. Over 100 Gypsy and Traveller children and young people took part in the consultations, in 131 different ways: questionnaires, regional consultations and visits with young people living in 14 different local authorities across Wales. You had some excellent ideas that we think will help make the plan better for Gypsies and Travellers for generations into the future.
The Welsh Assembly has started reading your ideas and because of your ideas they will now add some more things to the plan.
If you want to read a full version of the report you can phone Save the Children on 02920 396838 and ask for a copy to be sent. Click on any line in this table to jump to the answers you want to read At the end of every section you can also Click back to contents
1. Education inside school ................................................................................................................ 3 Has bullying changed recently? ............................................................................................................................... 3 What would help you go to school more?................................................................................................................. 3 What would help Parents trust school more? ........................................................................................................... 4 What Gypsy and Traveller things should everyone at school learn about? ............................................................... 4 These are your School goals for the Welsh Assembly Plan:..................................................................................... 4
2. Education outside school -Jobs- Training ..................................................................................... 5 What jobs do Gypsies and Travellers do?................................................................................................................ 5 What’s good about getting a job?............................................................................................................................. 5 What’s difficult about getting a job?.......................................................................................................................... 5 What should we do about the problems? ................................................................................................................. 5 What Works for Gypsy Traveller Young People’s Employment................................................................................. 6 What should the Traveller Education Service do for you?......................................................................................... 6 These are your Education, Jobs and Training goals for the Welsh Assembly Plan:................................................... 6
3. Identity .......................................................................................................................................... 6 How do you describe yourself?................................................................................................................................ 6
4. Being Treated Fairly ..................................................................................................................... 7 What would help you be treated fairly? .................................................................................................................... 7 Understanding each other? ..................................................................................................................................... 7 What would help improve relationships between Travellers and Gorgias?................................................................ 7 What do you think would help improve communication? .......................................................................................... 7 What Problems do you have with the police?........................................................................................................... 8 What should we do about the problems with the police? .......................................................................................... 8 These are your Being Treated Fairly goals for the Welsh Assembly Plan: ................................................................ 8
5. Participation.................................................................................................................................. 9 Are you listened to?................................................................................................................................................. 9 These are your Participation goals for the Welsh Assembly Plan: ............................................................................ 9
6. Sport ........................................................................................................................................... 10 What sports do you want to do?............................................................................................................................. 10 What do you think would help improve sports for Gypsies and Travellers?............................................................. 10 These are your Sports goals for the Welsh Assembly Plan: ................................................................................... 10
7. Health ......................................................................................................................................... 11 What health problems do Gypsies and Travellers have?........................................................................................ 11 What would help improve Gypsies’ and Travellers’ health? .................................................................................... 11 These are your Health goals we set for the Welsh Assembly Plan: ........................................................................ 11
8. Where you live ............................................................................................................................ 12 What problems do you have on sites? ................................................................................................................... 12 What problems do you have living in council houses?............................................................................................ 13 These are your Where you Live goals we set for the Welsh Assembly Plan: .......................................................... 13
Travellers and Gypsies: Generations for the Future
1. Education inside school Has bullying changed recently? If everybody treated us equally Stick up for yourself and not stick it Have teachers who do something when you get bullied. Talk to the teacher or manager
Total A lot better 30% A bit better 15% No change 43% A bit worse 2% A lot worse 9% More than 60% of you thought that these were good ideas and very few thought they were bad ideas or not important: You answered
Some of you thought getting the police involved was very important, but 40% thought this was a bad idea.
What would help you go to school more? The ideas most people agreed about:
Make learning fun Give us teacher friends. Sometimes teachers can be really nice to you even if they are not your teacher and that really helps. The ideas that are important for some of you but not for others: Have a special Gypsy Traveller unit in or just outside the school Have school where there are more Gypsy and Traveller children Make sure the school anti- bullying policies talk about us and that they work. Make sure we are not beat up Give us free transport to go to school Give jobs to Gypsy teachers Teach everyone and us about our culture, like Appleby the same as Ramadan, they should all learn about our culture.
Some of you said good things about school. School is good I like school Teachers help us I have no problems with any of it as I went through education and I now have a full time job within education
Bad idea or not Important
Don’t know
Fairly or Very Important
4%
9%
76%
7%
9%
69%
Bad idea or not Important
Don’t know
Fairly or Very Important
16% 14%
6% 9%
60% 58%
5%
28%
52%
20% 24% 26%
12% 9% 17%
52% 54% 56%
25%
6%
54%
Some of you said your parents didn’t think about school in the same way as you. My mum stopped school when she was 11. They had to do what their parents did. My Gypsy family haven’t hardly got an education. My parents want me to have the chances they didn’t have. … Reading and writing is the most important thing in the world now for getting a job.
Some of you said education was important but that you had worries. Education is everything – you wouldn’t be able to get through life without education. The main problems I have is my reading – I’m getting really worried about it, I’ve only got another 7-8 months before I leave and I want a choice about what work I do – its difficult to have a choice if you cant read.
Well some have never been to school so they don't know what's it like and they don't think it is important
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What would help Parents trust school more? Most people agreed about these:
Bad idea or not Important
Don’t know
Fairly or Very Important
If they weren’t worried about drugs
2%
14 %
71%
These were important for some of you but not for others:
Bad idea or not Important
Don’t know
Fairly or Very Important
You need to encourage parents to realise that school is important and that without qualifications you don’t get a good job
22%
9%
56%
If there were free school dinners in high school
23%
14 %
49%
What Gypsy and Traveller things should everyone at school learn about? Bad idea or not Important
Don’t know
That they should not treat us unfairly
2%
1%
83%
These were important for some of you but not for others:
Bad idea or not Important
Don’t know
Fairly or Very Important
Our history and about Gypsies in the holocaust Different Gypsies and Travellers and the differences between ourselves
17% 15%
7% 8%
62% 56%
Most people agreed about these:
You said things like: All children should be taught that everyone is the same no matter what background they come from and nobody should be seen as "different"
Fairly or Very Important
One group saw two sides: Teach about Gypsies and Travellers? Yes: Teach everyone about our culture, like Appleby etc. Appleby is the best, horses and that – I goes to everything I can, horse fairs
We want to be treated the same as everybody else
No: I think if they teach it just gives them a chance to provoke you (then you fight back) – and our language is secret – it’s like a code – loads of black people have a code too and that’s theirs
These are your School goals for the Welsh Assembly Plan:
End bullying of Gypsy and Traveller children. Make sure that anti-discriminatory attitudes are taught in schools in a way that includes that Gypsies and Travellers being treated equally and fairly and have understanding /friendly teachers Encouraging Peer/Self support Have a main named teacher children can talk to who understands and named teachers in schools and education officers outside school who develop relationships with parents. Provide consistent support for pupils through their school life – ensuring funding is long term. Deal with wider issues of bullying (from adults and outside school too) Raise awareness in a fun way to police, teachers and children. Make sure children can not go to mainstream school or can change school if necessary.
Be flexible in where schools’ are and what they teach. Provide choice in education so Gypsy Travellers can go to school together in larger groups, or choose to be educated in schools, special units and work/training placements. Encourage parents to understand the importance of education and developing schools’ understanding of Gypsy Traveller cultures. Reassure parents (where honestly possible) about drug taking cultures in comprehensive schools. Make education more child-centred, fun and relevant to children’s interests and speed of learning. Consult more Gypsy Traveller children and young people on what should be taught about Gypsy and Traveller cultures.
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Travellers and Gypsies: Generations for the Future
2.
Education outside school -Jobs- Training
What jobs do Gypsies and Travellers do? Just because we are Gypsies it don't mean that we can't work anywhere.
Welder, varied manual work, buys and sells caravans and inherit business One is training to be a lawyer and another to be an artist Healer, Preacher, Waitress
Gels work in shops and boys work with wood, building and plumbing. Scrap block paving, trees, Teaching Cleaning trailers Manager of fast food (McDonalds) Pipe fitters Hairdressers, beauticians, teachers, secretaries, Housekeepers, LSA.
Some exceptional achievements There’s a dancer who’s a Gypsy – we went to see him – good on him I say Shane Ward – winner of X factor – he’s a Traveller Boxers – Billy Jo Saunders Footballers
What’s good about getting a job? Being able to get jobs would help other people to realise Travellers are good people who work hard.
What’s difficult about getting a job? We do want jobs. They won’t give you a job if they know you are from the Site My brother is a bricklayer – no one will take him on
If bullying/racism isn’t stopped and Gypsies fight back they will get a criminal record and it is hard enough to get a job as a Gypsy as it is!! Jobs is the biggest thing I am worried about (15yrs) – I don't like going to college, I want to go out and learn at the same time
They just give you a slap in the face Job centre – don't offer anything – the country people they don't like us and they don't understand us, if you live with your family it affects your benefits and they send you down for jobs you can’t do. I’m bullied on my training scheme by other workers. The manager don’t do nothing.
I want to work in an office but the way I see it now I’ll be minding my children and cleaning: but I don’t want to do that!
What should we do about the problems? Problems Some gorgers don't like us so there’s little chance of jobs One shop in ten chuck us out because we’re Travellers Gorgers take a pick at us and some of us will hit them
Solutions Train people to not discriminate Talk to the council Being polite helps get us jobs
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What Works for Gypsy Traveller Young People’s Employment WHAT HAPPENED WAS … My friends are getting jobs in local shops near the site. The girls are good at hair and beauty and almost every hairdresser has a Gypsy girl working in it. There are men working in petrol too. IT’S GOOD TO DO STUFF LIKE THAT BECAUSE… It helps Gypsies and Gorgias get on together and work together. And once some Gypsies get a job they can help others Gypsies get jobs. People trust us more when they can see it’s working alright with Gypsies working somewhere else. BUT IT WOULD BE EVEN BETTER IF…. Everyone around the country had the same chances.
What should the Traveller Education Service do for you? Most people agreed about these:
Bad idea or not Important
Don’t know
Fairly or Very Important
Give us a chance to get a job
4%
8%
52%
Give us a job
7%
15%
42%
These were important for some of you but not for others:
Bad idea or not Important
Don’t know
Fairly or Very Important
Organise work placements in places like McDonalds, Tesco, Primark, Marks and Spencer’s, The Assembly, Housing
10%
15%
33%
These are your Education, Jobs and Training goals for the Welsh Assembly Plan:
Challenge discrimination in employment and training. Traveller Education Services should arrange more work/training placements for young people and more jobs and training placements should be created, including in services like education, health and housing.
Share examples of Gypsy Traveller success at work more widely (within and outside the Gypsy Traveller community). Provide more Gypsy school/youth clubs. Make sure children and young people know about Traveller Education or equivalent services The Careers Service should review their services to Gypsy Traveller young people Click back to contents
3. Identity How do you describe yourself? Welsh Gypsy Irish Traveller Romany Gypsy Welsh English Traveller Gypsy Welsh Romany Grand Total
This is your Identity goal for the Welsh Assembly Plan Give children and young people other options when you are asked to tick boxes to tell people about your ethnic identity. It’s important to be able to say you are a Welsh Gypsy or an English Traveller, not just to have to tick a box that is British.
Questionnaire answers 21 17 11 9 3 1 3 65
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Travellers and Gypsies: Generations for the Future
4. Being Treated Fairly What would help you be treated fairly?
Understanding each other? One group talked about two sides: Other Gypsies understand us You can always trust Gypsies but don’t let Gorgias into your life. Talk to them but don’t get too close.
Help each other more, get to know each other, become best friends You and us need to understand each other. We have to respect them for them to respect us.
No! My mum’s a Gorgia and so is my Nan!
We go to youth club – it gets us off the site, there’s pool, computers, table tennis, football – it’s on from 7-9pm and it’s for everyone
You’ve got to persuade them it’s all right to mix.
What would help improve relationships between Travellers and Gorgias? Bad idea or not Important
Don’t know
Fairly or Very Important
If there was more TRUST
3%
6%
71%
If there was more RESPECT
2%
3%
755
7%
Most people agreed about these:
More Safety
2%
59%
Bad idea or not Important
Don’t know
Fairly or Very Important
14%
17%
47%
Bad idea or not Important
Don’t know
Fairly or Very Important
8%
11%
57%
Bad idea or not Important
Don’t know
Fairly or Very Important
Have Gypsies and Travellers on TV, on X-Factor, as news presenters
11%
8%
57%
Have our own radio station and talk about the things we want to
19%
18%
42%
Build our own websites and have our own TV channel
18%
14%
45%
Bad idea or not Important
Don’t know
Fairly or Very Important
Mix with Country People / Gorgias more
29%
3%
46%
Use Savvy Chavvy internet site
11%
37%
26%
These were important for some of you but not for others: Have an Inspector for Gypsies and Travellers to check up on Health Services, Education, training and employment providers and Councils, to make sure they are doing the job properly
What do you think would help improve communication? Most people agreed about these:
Use Traveller Times internet site These were important for some of you but not for others
Some really agreed with these ideas and some really didn’t
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What Problems do you have with the police? They stop and search you, in town, what's in your bags esp. in town – Because we’re Travellers -They come to the site to have a nosy
– But we won’t let them in to the trailers, they won’t listen to us -They don't like us. There’s 5 or 6 who don't like me
What should we do about the problems with the police? Problems Police hovering over the site If a bike or something silly goes missing they blame us, dogs and cars too When men go scrapping people think yours When we are travelling they look on the back of the trucks People in the shops don't trust you, they’re always following us and not allowing us to go in they tell us only one at a time, People pretending to be stacking shelves actually watching. Police comes down to the site without a warrant, come on to the sites in too many cars for minor incidents. Take numbers of cars on sites.
Solutions Solution – training, getting them into school Reporting discrimination, something needs to happen Understand we’ll stick up for our won Training to YP, police, community > myth busting, getting Gary McLeod Making links with YOTS Young people to know their rights Police should come to student centre or somewhere like this to learn Young people with help from a youth worker to do training Getting the community beat managers and the PCSO’s involved
Most people agreed about these:
The police should be trained by Gypsies and Travellers, about our culture and how to understand us better. The police should treat us a bit better, we are not dogs, Not manhandle or touch you The police should have warrants before they get into your trailer The police should do something when people throw eggs at our homes These were important for some of you but not for others The police should have meetings with us when they are not in uniform, so we can get to know each other in a more relaxed way.
Bad idea or not Important
Don’t know
Fairly or Very Important
2%
2%
96%
3%
5%
91%
13%
86%
9%
6%
85%
Bad idea or not Important
Don’t know
Fairly or Very Important
24%
7%
70%
These are your Being Treated Fairly goals for the Welsh Assembly Plan:
Develop mutual trust, respect and understanding by opportunities for Gypsy/Travellers and Gorgias/Country people to get to know and mix with each other in activities like youth clubs. Support/encourage Gypsy Travellers to train as Youth Workers Training teachers, Job Centre and council workers on fairer attitudes to Gypsy Travellers.
Support Gypsy Traveller children and young people’s access to mainstream media and Internet sites like Travellers Times. Improve Police–Gypsy Traveller relations through training, delivered by Gypsy Traveller young people and their workers. Create an Inspector or Commissioner for Gypsy Travellers who will check up on services
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Travellers and Gypsies: Generations for the Future
5. Participation Are you listened to? People do listen to Travellers in School. Some of my friends are on the school council and I'd like to be myself.
I don't have problems with being listened to. You have a choice in taking part in things. I am a grand council member of Funky Dragon and I get my voice heard and I have joined the steering group.
We go to Welsh Assembly We have had are voices heard We have our say
Yes but its all talk and no action … We want all action not talking,
Rights - make sure you are able to claim them. It’s your right to have a voice and a choice even if you don’t make the decision.
Most people agreed about these:
Youth centres on sites, where they give you training and certificates Youth workers who go out to where we live to get us involved These were important for some of you but not for others The police should have meetings with us when they are not in uniform, so we can get to know each other in a more relaxed way. Have our own groups to get our views across More Gypsy Travellers on school councils More Gypsy Travellers should join Funky Dragon – the Youth Parliament in Wales A website where young people can find out what is going on and participate The confidence to go out and do things
Bad idea or not Important
Don’t know
Fairly or Very Important
9%
8%
53%
12%
8%
56%
Bad idea or not Important
Don’t know
Fairly or Very Important
24%
6%
70%
13%
5%
51%
10%
12%
48%
17%
3%
49%
18%
8%
48%
5%
22%
43%
Gypsy and Traveller young people who go out and talk to others
11%
20%
43%
More public transport so we can get to events
8%
20%
40%
These are your Participation goals for the Welsh Assembly Plan:
Send youth workers out to meet with Gypsy Traveller children and young people where the live Set up Gypsy Traveller children and young people’s groups in which young people can work towards training and certificates Promote Gypsy Traveller representation on schools councils.
Use peer-led approaches Set up a national annual event at which groups of Gypsy Traveller children and young people can get together, be heard and have influence. Encourage politicians to meet with and respect Gypsy Travellers. Click back to contents
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6. Sport What sports do you want to do? Keep fit Basketball Baseball Football Rugby Ballet Running Swimming Dance Hockey Jogging Kickboxing Walking Boxing Athletics Cricket “By going to sports clubs like through kick boxing I got to know loads of people”
What do you think would help improve sports for Gypsies and Travellers? Bad idea or not Important
Most people agreed about these:
Don’t know
Fairly or Very Important
Have free leisure passes in the summer
2%
9%
89%
Everyone needs exercise – it’s mental, physical and social
8%
10%
81%
Sport should be in the new plan for Gypsy Travellers
8%
20%
72%
10% Bad idea or not Important
17%
73% Fairly or Very Important
Young people could train as sports leaders and go out to where we live These were important for some of you but not for others Youth clubs could run different sports and change them every day or every week The youth workers could go out to the young people and tell them to come along to do sports School sports programmes like the 5x60 scheme should go to all schools and out of schools round the sites as well.
Problems I can’t play kick boxing because I doesn’t know where they are Boys do more sport than girls do Can’t go swimming cos mam doesn’t have the time and money to take me Not enough room to play on the site Nearly all sports can cause injuries! Problem is that people quit the team when you join
Don’t know
11%
15%
74%
8%
22%
70%
4%
28%
68%
Solutions Information Vouchers for swimming You have to make friends Youth club Phone the council and ask them to make the field into a park: There is some space but there is rocks in the way - > move the rocks! We made our own gym (out of gas bottle)
These are your Sports goals for the Welsh Assembly Plan:
Include ‘Sport’ in the new plan for Gypsy Travellers in Wales Sports development officers to take include Gypsy Traveller communities in their planning and development of services Make sure existing sports programmes and outreach programmes include Gypsy Travellers and sites in their services
Encourage / set up opportunities for Gypsy Travellers to teach sports activities in schools – e.g. support GypsyTravellers to gain sports leader qualifications, invite sports people/dancers into schools or onto sites to teach/workshop Set up dance opportunities Click back to contents
Make sure free swimming/leisure centre passes are made available to all Gypsy Traveller young people When developing new sites or refurbishing sites - plan for space and facilities for sports Each site should have good, safe play facilities – i.e. space, equipment Support and encourage girls to participate in sports activities
Offer young people opportunities to do sports activities alongside participation/consultation activities as a positive way to encourage involvement Support young people to join sports clubs or to join existing teams (and set up their own)
7. Health What health problems do Gypsies and Travellers have? Same as anyone Hard to get an appointment, 3 hours at A&E Problems with appointments - sometimes it can be up to a months wait
Doctors say they will contact you in a few months with information and then they don't. They won't come out. Don’t even bother going to the doctors, go straight to hospital.
I'm too scared of the dentist. I'm scared of needles.
The men work hard and don't go.
What would help improve Gypsies’ and Travellers’ health? Bad idea or not Important
Most people agreed about these:
Don’t know
Fairly or Very Important
6%
66%
Bad idea or not Important
Don’t know
Fairly or Very Important
13%
5%
55%
13%
9%
51%
10%
23%
37%
30%
11%
34%
Build more sites and pitches. Then we could stay in one place and use health care services more easily. These were important for some of you but not for others Provide more and better sports activities. Then we would be healthier. Gypsy and Traveller young people should train everyone working in health. Then they would improve their attitudes and understand our culture. Crack down on obesity. Then we would be healthier. Better Public Transport. Then we could get to the doctors.
These are your Health goals we set for the Welsh Assembly Plan:
Improve access to health services by building more sites and pitches. Improve conditions on sites with poor facilities, including places to work on site. Provide better sports facilities and opportunities, including play facilities on sites. Raise awareness about healthy eating.
Make sure health information is accessible: spoken as well as written. Make sure health staff have Gypsy Traveller awareness training to improve cultural sensitivity, understanding and anti-discriminatory practice.
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8. Where you live What problems do you have on sites? Everybody needs to live somewhere safe and clean Proper facilities – toilet, bath, water, concrete Drainage More houses and slabs for when people visit Problems They’re damp, they’re write offs. There's spiders in the showers, frozen pipes. They should be knocked down and started again! The windows won’t close, freezing showers, damp and concreted base. We need 2 sinks to keep separate the washing and cooking
We should be able to have space for our families to stay and visit. The government needs to provide somewhere safe to live. We love to live!
Solutions We need a warm place, a cosy place, a place to live Somewhere we can call home Clean! No wonder people get a bad impression of us We have to pay council tax (has her own trailer) – the rent is £45 and council tax £35, I can’t pay this on incapacity benefit
One consultation day discussion of the priority issue “Where you live “led to this poster:
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Travellers and Gypsies: Generations for the Future
What problems do you have living in council houses? Not being close to other family members We miss our families being close We can’t just go to someone’s house/trailer because it is too far
I live in a house and I really miss the site – as soon as I am married I will be moving onto the site – I live next door to my cousin but the council doesn’t always let you do that I miss talking to Travellers, it’s the loveliest feeling in the world – waking up to all Travellers around you. When I get married I’ll be back on site as soon as I can
Too far from family. We are not used to being with the local community
These are your Where you Live goals we set for the Welsh Assembly Plan: Council Housing Council housing policy should allow Gypsy Traveller families to travel Council housing policy should take family connection needs into account when allocating housing to Gypsy Travellers
Sites Build/develop more sites in Wales to accommodate numbers of families and young adults wanting accommodation Learn from good practice examples in planning and developing new sites Consult with Gypsy Traveller communities on planning new sites Consult with children and young people on plans and designs for new sites or refurbishing existing sites Build more transient sites/ or sites in each LA to lessen instability for families e.g. won’t be moved on so much Train council officials in consulting with children and young people in all aspects of site management and development Transport links should be available on all sites Community play facilities and schemes should be extended to include sites where Gypsy Traveller children and young people live Facilities on sites should be fit for purpose, meeting health and safety standards Charges for services on sites should be reasonable Play and sport facilities should be available and accessible from all sites Review arrangements for security i.e. cameras, passes, barriers etc with Gypsy Traveller families for their sites Undertake road safety arrangements and inspection of condition of paved roads etc for each Gypsy Traveller site – involve children and young people in these discussions
Travelling Commissioner/inspector/advisors for families when travelling Site wardens/liaison officers who are child friendly/have play training Being Treated Fairly Train media on impact of negative reporting on Gypsy Travellers Train police Develop network of legal advisors for Gypsy Travellers on rights, benefits, planning issues, discrimination etc Youth services should ensure they reach out to Gypsy Traveller young people in their areas Encourage better communication between council officials and Gypsy Traveller communities Health Develop health records systems for people when they are travelling
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9. What did the Welsh Assembly Government say about your ideas? Your report has already been read by lots of people in the Welsh Assembly government, people who work for Inclusion, Education and Health. This is what they said: We think some of your ideas are new and really important like: Bullying “Teachers need to do something when bullying is reported”. This is a big issue because children won’t be encouraged to report a problem if nothing is done about it. Buddying schemes are also a good idea. Transport Transport is a big issue, which perhaps we don’t think about enough in our plan. Other people have said this to us as well. Parental Trust We like the idea of parents coming into school to improve the levels of trust. Our plans could be adapted to include this and we need to think about whether the link officer would be able to achieve this. The Police Other people have talked about this as well, so we will include more in the Plan about the police. Participation A full time youth worker for Travellers is a nice idea, but obviously this would vary in each local authority depending on the numbers of Gypsies and Travellers. We will think about consulting with the Traveller Education Service about how this fits with their jobs.
Sport We knew we hadn’t mentioned sport and we hope to add something to the plan about this.
We are pleased that many of the problems that you have talked about are exactly the sorts of things we are aiming to sort out with our plan. For example: Attendance You talked about ‘learning about things you want to learn about’. This is already in our plan and we think it would help people come to school more. But remember, all children have subjects they like and dislike – no one gets to do all ‘fun’ subjects! Health You talked about more sites, improve conditions, health professionals to have cultural training. All of this is in the plan already.
We will now be reading your ideas in more detail and working out what it is possible for us to do. Then we’ll write a new plan.
We have chosen one of the names you suggested for this, it will be called “Travelling to a Better Future”
Thank you for all of your brilliant ideas. Signed:
Carl Sargeant (Minister for Social Justice and Local Government)