THE Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent (OPCC) has become the first in Wales to be awarded the Children and Young People’s Participation Standards Charter.

It pledges a commitment to work toward the seven National Participation Standards when engaging and working with children and young people.

And Gwent PCC Jeff Cuthbert said: “I am delighted that my office has been awarded the Children and Young People’s Participation Standards Charter.

“My team and I are committed to ensuring the voices of children and young people are heard when shaping plans and policies, so I am pleased that this work has been recognised.

“My office works in partnership with many statutory and voluntary youth organisations across Gwent and funds many youth projects which provide fundamental support to divert our future generations from crime and anti-social behaviour.

“The impact these projects have is vital in protecting and reassuring our communities.

“The signing of the charter is the first step in achieving the National Participation Standards Kitemark award.

“The Kitemark process will assess how well my office engages, listens and feedback information to children and young people.

“I have every confidence this will be achieved in the future.”

The participation standards aim to help organisations put children and young people at the centre of their work when shaping processes, plans and projects.

Gwent OPCC was one of ten groups who were recently successful in achieving the charter.

Maenwhile, Mr Cuthbert has calling on public services in Wales to develop new ways of preventing and reducing child criminality and exploitation.

The call comes following a new report published his office that found recurring triggers in a group of local children identified through offending data.

These triggers included trauma within the home, such as witnessing or experiencing domestic abuse, and challenges within education, including the struggle to transition between primary and secondary school, and school exclusion.

The report, ‘Understanding The Triggers’, identifies a series of improvements that public services in Wales can make to tackle these issues at the earliest opportunity and reduce the risk of children becoming vulnerable to criminal exploitation.

The PCC said: “Understanding the ‘Triggers’ makes an important contribution to our collective understanding of child criminal and sexual exploitation in Wales by providing an evidence base to steer action and improve outcomes for vulnerable children.

“The report’s findings are stark and demonstrate the devastating impact criminality and exploitation has on children’s lives.

“In Wales we have already made significant strides in tackling these challenges, but we can and must go further.

“I believe we now have a real opportunity to reflect on current practices and consider new ways of preventing and reducing child criminality and exploitation.

“I am confident that we will seize this opportunity and build upon our work to improve the life outcomes for our most vulnerable children in Wales.”

The report was produced as part of a multi-agency research project carried out by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Gwent in partnership with Newport City Council, Gwent Police and the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board.