Cardiff Youth Service has been announced as the latest recipient of the Quality Mark for Youth Work (QMYW) in Wales, receiving the silver award.

Administered by the Education Workforce Council (EWC), the QMYW is a national award which supports and recognises improving standards in the provision and performance of organisations that deliver youth work services. In order to receive the accreditation, youth work organisations must self-assess against a set of quality standards and pass an external assessment.

In achieving the silver, Cardiff Youth Service demonstrated that they promote inclusive practice, celebrate equality and diversity, plan their provision to meet the needs of young people, ensure that activities make an impact on young people and their outcomes, and deliver their services by an appropriately experienced and qualified workforce who involve young people in decision-making.

James Healan, Principal Youth Officer at Cardiff Youth Service said “This award demonstrates Cardiff Youth Services commitment to improving and learning as it provides support to young people throughout Cardiff.

“The young people are an integral part of the service and continue to provide invaluable insights into the support they require. We are proud that young people help shape the excellent activities and opportunities that we provide.”

Speaking on behalf of the assessment team, EWC’s Development Officer for the QMYW, Andrew Borsden said “The QMYW assessors were really impressed with Cardiff Youth Service being an active part of Cardiff Child Friendly City status. The participation of young people in planning activities, and in leadership roles was very encouraging. They also noted that the use of digital technologies was inspirational and very creative.

“Congratulations to the whole team on this well-deserved award.”

For more information about the QMYW, including how your organisation can apply, visit the EWC’s website.

Urban Circle Newport and Swansea MAD have been announced as the latest recipients of the Quality Mark for Youth Work (QMYW) in Wales, both receiving the bronze award.

Administered by the Education Workforce Council (EWC), the QMYW is a national award which supports and recognises improving standards in the provision and performance of organisations that deliver youth work services. In order to receive the accreditation, youth work organisations must self-assess against a set of quality standards and pass an external assessment.

To achieve the bronze, both organisations demonstrated that they have appropriate leadership and governance, effective monitoring and evaluation processes, are safe, and act within a legal framework of policies. They also showed that they provide a welcoming and safe environment for young people who can access trusted and skilled staff and volunteers.

Danielle Webb, Young People’s Development Officer at Urban Circle Newport, said, “We are so proud to have achieved the bronze QMYW.

“I would like to thank the whole assessment team, in particular Andrew Borsden for his guidance in the initial stages of application, and for the support and knowledge he shared during the self-assessment process. It was an absolute pleasure to work with you all”.

EWC’s Development Officer for the QMYW, Andrew Borsden said “It’s great to have Urban Circle Newport and Swansea MAD as quality mark holders. Both organisations bring a fresh approach to youth work in Wales. Meeting the needs of young people in their communities.

"The staff in both organisations are inspiring, enthusiastic, and tenacious and are worthy holders of the bronze quality mark..”

For more information about the QMYW in general, visit the EWC’s website.

The Education Workforce Council (EWC) has joined other organisations across Wales in taking part in the Defnyddia Dy Gymraeg (Use your Welsh) campaign.

The campaign, spearheaded by the Welsh Language Commissioner, is a call to action for organisations and individuals to embrace and utilise the Welsh language in their daily interactions. Be that at home, at work, when socialising, and when using services.  

Hayden Llewellyn, Chief Executive of the EWC said “As a fully bilingual organisation operating in Wales, we recognise the cultural richness and significance of the Welsh language.

“For those looking to access our services, we make it a priority that our information, support, and resources can be accessed seamlessly in both Welsh and English.

“As an employer, we aim to create an inclusive environment that respects and celebrates the linguistic diversity of our staff, encouraging them to use their Welsh throughout their working day”.

As a public sector organisation, the EWC is required to comply with a number of Welsh language standards. You can read the latest annual monitoring report on the website which provides information on their compliance and outlines how have implemented the standards.

For further information on the bilingual services the EWC offers, visit the website.

The Education Workforce Council (EWC) has welcomed proposals from Welsh Government seeking to amend the Regulations governing the membership of fitness to practise committees.

In response to a consultation, which closed on 1 December 2023, the EWC thanked Welsh Government for taking action on concerns raised by the independent professional regulator around the existing legislation.

Under current legislation, every committee must feature at least one registrant from the same registrant category as the person facing proceedings. This becomes challenging when sourcing members to sit on committees involving registrants from those categories with fewer registrant numbers, such as youth work.

If implemented, the proposals would give the EWC more flexibility to appoint members from a wider pool.

In his response on behalf of the EWC, Chief Executive Hayden Llewellyn said “We are pleased that Welsh Government are proactively addressing the concerns we have raised around sourcing appropriate fitness to practise committee members.

“The timeliness of this is all the more important given the recent expansion of categories required to registered with us, and the potential new categories expected from April 2024.”

The response is available to read in full on the EWC’s website.