The Fforwm Magu Plant is a multi agency forum, established in response to calls from organisations involved in family support, run by a steering group from many organisations.

Aims and Values:

Aims

• To be a national network of all those working with children and their families in Wales.
  
• To support the development of regional networks of those working with families and the networks of mothers, fathers and carers.
  
• To promote the sharing of expertise and good practice, the dissemination of relevant information, training and quality standards.
  
• To proactively seek the views of parents, carers and children in Wales and work to ensure these views are communicated to policy makers and practitioners, through influencing social policy and instigating social change.
  
• To promote the development and universal policies and practices that foster men and women as carers of children.
  
• To seek to commission and influence the research agenda to investigate and reflect the needs of mothers, fathers and carers in Wales.
  
• To work to raise awareness of the importance of the care children receive within their families and it's impact on the development of children throughout their lives.

Values

• Bringing up children is the responsibility of both the family and the wider community.
  
• To ensure that all children have positive and supportive relationships with male and female parents, carers and other adults.
  
• Promoting families as an integral part of society, the natural environment for the growth and well being of all its members.
  
• Promoting experiences that empower families to achieve their potential.
  
• To seek to enable mothers, fathers, carers and children to have their views heard and respected.
  
• To adhere to the rights of the child as laid out in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
  
• To recognise and respect the diversity of families and different ways of organising care for children. We value the importance of children's future role as carers, irrespective of gender.

For further information, please contact Lucy Akhtar, Tel: 029 2034 2434, E-mail: lucy.akhtar@childreninwales.org.uk.

Resources

• Involvement of Parents as Partners: Children in Wales Conference Report October 2005 (pdf 716k)
• Welsh Assembly Government Parent Participation Guidance (2006)