Voices from Care Cymru (VFCC), The national voice for care-experienced children and young people in Wales, has welcomed the First Minister's announcement where he set out potential commitments to continuing a radical reform of the care system, whilst calling for young people to remain at the heart of decision-making.
During First Minister's Questions on Tuesday, 20th of October, Lynne Neagle MS called for the Welsh Government to build on the previous administration's programme of radical reform and asked whether the First Minister would personally remain involved, reminding the Senedd that “care-experienced children are all our children.”
First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth reaffirmed his commitment to the programme, recognising the need to address the care cliff edge faced by young people transitioning out of care.
“We need to work right across Government, including the First Minister, to show those young people that we are serious in our words and in our deeds in supporting them,” he said.
Natasha Asghar MS also raised concerns about the challenges facing care leavers, including housing, employment, education and mental health. In response, the First Minister highlighted existing support for care leavers up to the age of 25, the re-established Wales Leaving Care Forum and the Government's commitment to a housing-first approach to homelessness.
Voices from Care Cymru responds
Since 2022, VFCC has facilitated and co-produced four national summits bringing care-experienced Young Ambassadors together with successive First Ministers and Welsh Ministers, helping to shape the Radical Reform Summit Declaration and its commitments to improving care in Wales.
Krit Misuk, Communications Manager at Voices from Care Cymru, said:
“We welcome the First Minister's willingness to continue discussions around the radical reform of the care system in Wales. While there is still much work to be done, we look forward to continuing our work with the Welsh Government and VFCC's established forum of care-experienced Young Ambassadors, who have played an important role in shaping reform through our national summits.
“Our focus is on building on the progress already made and working together to turn this shared ambition into meaningful, lasting improvements to the care and support system in Wales. Central to this is upholding the rights of children and young people under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), ensuring their voices are heard, their rights are respected and they remain at the heart of decisions that affect their lives.”
Brendan Roberts – Radical Reform Young Person Ambassador
“When we first came together for the Radical Reform Summit, our aim was to ensure that care-experienced children and young people had a real say in shaping the future of care in Wales.
“We were clear from the beginning that this couldn't be a one-off conversation. We wanted to work alongside Ministers to turn our shared vision into real change.
“It's encouraging to hear the First Minister recognise the importance of continuing this work. We hope to build on what we've achieved so far, with care-experienced young people continuing to play a central role in shaping the support and services that affect their lives.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
About Voices from Care Cymru
Voices from Care Cymru is the national voice for care-experienced children and young people in Wales. The organisation works alongside young people to ensure their voices influence the decisions, policies and services that affect their lives.
Through advocacy, participation and engagement with decision-makers, VFCC works to improve the experiences and outcomes of care-experienced children and young people across Wales.
Background to radical reform
- December 2022: The first Radical Reform Summit brought together 40 care-experienced young leaders, the First Minister and Welsh Ministers.
- May 2023: The Radical Reform Summit Declaration was developed with care-experienced Young Ambassadors and Ministers.
- March 2024: VFCC organised the third Care Experienced Summit, attended by five Welsh Government Ministers.
- May 2025: The fourth summit expanded participation to include younger care-experienced children.
- November 2025: A revised 56-point Radical Reform Declaration was signed with the First Minister and relevant Minister.
Media enquiries
For media enquiries, please contact Krit Misuk, Communications Manager, at krit.misuk@vfcc.org.uk.
