On September 16th 2026, we held the Caring for Change: Family Carers, Community and the Future event at Cabaret, at the Wales Millennium Centre.
This event was the culmination of six years of work; gathering good practice and pockets of excellence across Wales and using the learning to enable family carers to co-produce, with Local Authorities and Third Sector, services that would improve their wellbeing.
The area of improvement addressed by the project had been identified through ongoing conversations with families in Wales and could be divided into three main areas, which were the themes of the day, Transitions, Respite and Short Breaks and our over-arching theme – Caring Communities.
The event was an occasion to bring together all the incredible project’s stakeholders and partners to share with each other the ideas and community-based models that are making a difference for citizens in Wales and look at how we can upscaled there grassroot level projects and include them in government programmes of work.
As always, Carers are at the heart of everything we do and we want to take a moment to thank all the family carers who have co-produced the project with us and have supported our work throughout the years. We wouldn’t be able to do anything of what we do without your voices, expertise and lived experience. Thank you for your time, your effort and your knowledge.
Transitions
For transitions, we heard from Dr Louise Rixon, who is a parent carer, family researcher and charity manager of the Gwent Parent Carer Network and from Kim Dolphin, who is the Carers Services Development Manager at Monmouthshire County Council. They presented the Monmouthshire Toolkit, also known as the Parent Carer Handbook, that was co-produced between the the Local Authority, The GPCN and the All Wales Forum.
Please find the presentation here – Presentation Toolkit
And the Toolkit/Parent Carer Handbook on the Monmouthshire County Council website, here.
Kathryn Morgan, who is the National Embedding Co-Lead at IMPACT, talked to us about the Transitions from Child to Adult Services project between IMPACT and Pembrokeshire County Council. The project wanted to shine a spotlight on their Transitions service for young people with learning disabilities. The Local Authority acknowledged that improvements could be made and wanted to explore how to ensure a smooth experience for young people as they move from Child to Adults Services.
English subtitles https://youtu.be/uAnUC_yqeYU
Welsh subtitles https://youtu.be/MTbhATHHvm8
This film shared at the event which is a part of the presentation, was coproduced with young adults and their families as part of the IMPACT ‘Transitions from Child to Adult services’ project in partnership with Pembrokeshire County Council. It captures the experiences of young people with learning disabilities as they prepare for adulthood. Gathering national and local evidence about what works is the initial stage of every IMPACT project. Over 60+ interviews took place in Pembrokeshire, which included young people and their families who wanted to ensure their experiences would be heard. The young people have a shared ambition – that their voices and the key messages within the film will be elevated and shared with a much wider audience, including social care professionals, commissioners, policy and decision makers.
Please find the presentation here – IMPACT Transitions project – Presentation
And you can see more of Kathryn and IMPACT’s work on their website.
Last to present on the Transitions theme was the Good Life Alliance, which is a Wales-based alliance of individuals and organisations looking at improving transitions from home for people with learning disabilities in Wales.
Presenting on behalf of the Alliance we had Rhian Jones, CEO for Drive -Wales, a supported living provider for adults with a learning disability in South East Wales and Belinda Bradley, who is part of the North Wales Learning Disability Transformation team (North Wales Together).
Please find the presentation here – GLA Presentation
And you can find our more about the Good Life Alliance here.
Creative Short Breaks
Our first presentation on Creative Short Breaks was from Kay Tyler, who is a parent carer themselves. They have been a member of The Grapevine, a group of Parents and Carers of Adults with Learning Disabilities since 2016. They are also a Carer Representative on a number of Local, Regional and National Forums and a Trustee of the All Wales Forum of Parents and Carers of People with Learning Disabilities.
The Grapevine is group of parents & Carers of adults with learning disabilities in Rhondda Cynon Taf. The groups aim is to challenge and change service provision to ensure people with learning disabilities and their parents & carers lead a “good life”.
The presentation introduced us to the group, the activities they do and the value a good group break, created under the All Wales Forum Seibiant project, brought to the Carers wellbeing.
Please find the presentation here – The Grapevine & Seibiant Project Presentation
We then heard from Nick Andrews is a Registered Social Worker and Research and Practice Development Officer in Swansea University, where he co-ordinates the Developing Evidence Enriched Practice (DEEP) programme.
During the presentation, Nick outlined a collaborative journey from one-size- fits-all respite towards personalised short breaks. This included an introduction to a set of principles for the development of short breaks, which were co-produced with unpaid carers. He also outlined some key findings from an evaluation of the Welsh Government funded Short Breaks Scheme by Bangor University using surveys and storytelling.
Please find the presentation here – Short Breaks Presentation – Nick Andrews
Find out more about the DEEP programme here.
Last on Short Breaks, we heard from Gwen Anslow, from the All Wales Forum. Gwen is the Project and Engagement coordinator for the All Wales Forum. Having joined the team at the beginning of Caring Communities of Change, Gwen has been a part of every branch of the project and supported the Forum during the pandemic to reconnect digitally with its network of peer support groups. Since January 2026, Gwen has taken the lead on the Seibiant projects.
Please find the presentation here – Presentation Short Breaks & Seibiant
Creative Communities
For our over-arching theme on creative caring communities, we first heard from Dal Dwylo CIC founder and directors: Rachel Martin, Toni Bailey and Elaine Winch, who are also parent carers and are the Carer representatives for the North Wales Regional Partnership Board.
All are passionate advocates for change, increased opportunities and support for parents and carers. Their presentation spoke about how Dal Dwylo CIC was created and, importantly, to why it was created and the meaningful change it brings to local carers to have peer support and opportunities.
Please find the presentation here – Dal Dwylo Presentation
And find out more about what Dal Dwylo CIC do here.
The second presentation was from Davina Carey-Evans who is the founder & director of Piws and an Accessibility & Disability Inclusion Consultant, helping organisations identify barriers, listen to lived experience and turn insight into practical, meaningful change.
PIWS is a community-driven organisation focused on improving accessibility across the tourism sector in Wales. They work closely with venues, event organisers, and local communities to create more inclusive experiences for disabled people and families with additional access needs. Their membership programme provides tailored support, resources, training, and promotional opportunities for businesses committed to accessibility. At the heart of PIWS is a belief that inclusive tourism benefits everyone—socially, economically, and culturally.
Please find the presentation here – PIWS Presentation
To close the day, the last presentation was from Huw Griffiths who is Head of the Dragon’s Heart Institute, leading programmes that develop leaders and accelerate innovation across health and social care in Wales.
The Dragon’s Heart Institute is a network of leaders spearheading innovation, sustainability, and health equity. They do this work by bringing leaders together across sectors, sharing knowledge, channelling innovation to the frontline, and accelerating progress in healthcare, social care, and beyond.
Please find the full presentation here – Dragon Heart Presentation
Find out more on the Dragon’s Heart Institute here.
We also had an exhibitors in the space, we have listed them here together with links to get in touch with them.
If you are interested in any of these projects and would like us to connect you to them or if you have any questions, please get in touch with us at events@allwalesforum.org.uk
Thank you to everyone who joined us on the day and made this incredible event possible.
