The Children’s Commissioner for Wales and her team promote and safeguard the rights and welfare of children and young people in Wales. There is an opportunity available for a three-month internship at the Commissioner’s offices in Swansea, with some travel for fieldwork, and the possibility of an element of home-based working.

Deadline: Thursday 15 October 2015

This internship is an exciting opportunity to contribute to a research project exploring experiences of Welsh looked after children and young people living in residential care. It is based at the Children’s Commissioner’s offices.

The Children’s Commissioner for Wales

The Children’s Commissioner for Wales and her team promote and safeguard the rights and welfare of children and young people in Wales.

In 2001, the National Assembly for Wales decided Wales needed a children’s champion following the central recommendation from Lost in Care: the Waterhouse report which called for the establishment of an independent Children’s Commissioner for Wales whose role should ensure children’s rights are respected.

Sally Holland is the current Children’s Commissioner for Wales and she has a team of 26 people working with her to help realise her vision for children and young people in Wales.

The Children’s Commissioner for Wales and her team (CCFW) work to achieve positive change for children and young people in Wales by:

• Supporting children and young people to find out about children’s rights
• Listening to children and young people to find out what’s important to them
• Advising children, young people and those who care for them if they feel they’ve got nowhere else to go with their problems
• Influencing government and other organisations who say they’re going to make a difference to children’s lives, making sure they keep their promises to children and young people
• Speaking up for children and young people nationally on important issues – being the children’s champion in Wales.

CCFW work for every child and young person in Wales who is under 18, or 25 years old if they’ve been in care.

The Project

In the 2015/2016 work plan CCFW will be exploring the experiences of Welsh looked after children and young people living in residential care. The intention is to undertake further research which will seek to determine:

• how children and young people are involved in decisions surrounding placements;
• whether the primary consideration is the nature of the child’s needs;
• examining the pathway of a child into residential child care including previous placement history;
• exploring whether their rights are being protected through the provision of support services and
• exploring whether they are kept safe from harm in this care setting.

The qualitative findings will provide an overview of the current issues faced by Welsh looked after children and young people and will provide the CCFW team with invaluable information to hold duty bearers to account as they implement the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2016, the Regulation and Inspection Act (2017) and subsequent subordinate legislation.

The internship

The internship will last 3 months and can commence any time in the period between 1st November 2015 and 4th January 2016.

The internship represents an exciting opportunity to:

• Work directly with children and young people, exploring their experiences of living in care;
• Contribute positively to a rights based project designed to influence the implementation of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2016, the Regulation and Inspection Act (2017) and subsequent subordinate legislation.

The specific remit of the internship will be negotiated between the successful applicant and the project sponsor, Andy Wallsgrove, Head of Operations. It may for example include:

• The development of research methodologies, the design of surveys;
• Working as a full member of the project team, contributing to planning meetings;
• Conducting interviews with children young people and professionals; and
• Analysing and making sense of the evidence received.

At the conclusion of the internship the intern will be required to present an analysis of their findings in a format that be used by the CCFW team to draft an influencing report.

The post will be based in the Children’s Commissioner for Wale’s offices in Llansamlet Swansea SA79FS. Home working for part of the working week can be offered to assist interested people who do not live locally to Swansea.

Travel to care homes across Wales will also be required, all reasonable expenses for these visits will be reimbursed in line with the Children’s Commissioner for Wales Expenses Guidelines.

Applications

This internship is open to any ESRC DTC – funded Doctoral student except those within 3 months of the start or end of their studentship. We are looking for someone who is excited by this opportunity and has good analytical, communication and inter-personal skills required for working with children and young people.

Those interested should first discuss this opportunity and its timing with their supervisor, whose approval will be necessary. Please send a letter of application (max one side of A4) and a CV (max two sides of A4) by email to WalesDTC@cardiff.ac.uk by 4pm on day of the deadline. Your letter should confirm that you have the agreement of your main supervisor and should specify a start-date. It should also include how you feel the internship would be of benefit to your Doctoral programme. The successful applicant will be notified by the end of October 2015.