Guidance, Document

Parental advocacy: guidance for providers (2026 to 2027)

Guidance for organisations delivering Welsh Government-funded parental advocacy services, including independent professional parent advocacy and peer support for parents involved with children’s services.

First published: 30 July 2026

Last updated: 20 August 2026

In this page

Introduction

Parental Advocacy is delivered across Wales by:

NYAS Cymru
TGP
Mental Health Matters

The service has been well received and demand has grown as more parents seek support to have their voices heard within statutory children's services.

As a result, funding has been secured for a further year to provide a more consistent service for parents across Wales.

The vision for Parental Advocacy in 2026 to 2027

The Parental Advocacy Framework for Wales 2026 to 2027 will support parents involved with statutory children's services through 2 approaches:

Independent Professional Parent Advocates (IPPA)
peer support through Parent Cafés

Independent Professional Parent Advocates (IPPA)

The framework funding provides a national IPPA service for parents whose child, or children, receive statutory services.

The service focuses on parents whose children are involved in child protection processes.

Independent Professional Parent Advocates provide one-to-one advocacy through accredited advocates. They support parents through the child protection process by helping them:

understand the process and its implications for their child and family
express their views and feelings to professionals

Independent advocates are available through:

NYAS Cymru (Gwent, Cardiff and the Vale)
TGP Cymru (North Wales, Mid and West Wales, and Cwm Taf Morgannwg)
Mental Health Matters (Swansea and Neath Port Talbot)

Peer support

The framework funding will support the development of peer support through training in the PAN Cymru Be Strong Families Parent Café model across Wales, alongside groups established by IPPA providers in their local areas.

Peer support provides:

access to support networks within the community
opportunities to engage with other parents who have had similar experiences

Peer support can act as a step-up or step-down service alongside IPPA advocacy.

Peer support can help parents gain the understanding and confidence to speak for themselves during formal processes. This may reduce the need for professional advocacy.

It can also help parents understand the additional support available through professional advocates when their children are involved in statutory child protection procedures.

Parent Advocacy Network (PAN) Cymru

Parent Advocacy Network (PAN) Cymru has been funded to coordinate the phased rollout of the Be Strong Families model.

PAN Cymru will work with IPPA providers who also support peer groups.

PAN Cymru will coordinate the expansion of Parent Cafés that support parents with experience of the child protection process.

The model will be rolled out in 4 to 6 local authorities during the 2026 to 2027 funding year.

The longer-term aim is to make the PAN Cymru Parent Café model available across Wales so that parents have consistent access to peer support.

Further information about the role of PAN Cymru is included later in this guidance.

Local peer support groups

Alongside this work, providers of direct support also run peer support groups in their local areas:

TGP Cymru
NYAS Cymru
Mental Health Matters

These groups can complement and support the work of PAN Cymru.

National Advocacy Forum

The Welsh Government will support effective partnership working between parental advocacy providers across Wales.

It will meet quarterly with:

TGP Cymru
NYAS Cymru
Mental Health Matters
PAN Cymru

These meetings will support discussion on the implementation and delivery of parental advocacy services.

The Welsh Government will also coordinate a national advocacy forum involving providers and a wider range of stakeholders, including:

academics
parents
third sector organisations
local authorities
Regional Safeguarding Boards

The forum will provide an opportunity to discuss parental advocacy within the wider policy context.

Independent Professional Parent Advocacy (IPPA)

IPPA is a one-to-one partnership between a parent and an independent professional advocate.

The advocate is trained and paid to undertake their professional role in supporting:

parents
primary carers
people with parental responsibility for a child involved in safeguarding procedures with children's services

What independent professional advocates do

Advocates support individuals to:

have their voices heard in decision-making forums relating to their children
understand processes, roles and how to make informed decisions
understand the options available to them
express their views, wishes and feelings to professionals and decision-making forums relating to their children

IPPAs operate independently of local authorities and professionals managing safeguarding procedures. This helps ensure there is no conflict of interest in the support provided to parents.

What independent professional advocates do not do

IPPAs do not:

provide legal advice or legal representation
make decisions on behalf of individuals
replace the role of support workers, carers or statutory professionals
act as a complaints handling body

However, advocates may support individuals to understand and engage with complaints processes where appropriate.

Independent Professional Parent Advocates

The role of the IPPA should reflect the requirements set out in Annex 1 of the Part 10 Code of Practice (Advocacy) under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014.

IPPAs must be appropriately skilled and qualified to carry out their role. This is expected to include advocacy accreditation at level 4.

They should have the necessary checks and training to support vulnerable people and be able to signpost them to further support.

All IPPAs should have:

regular DBS checks
safeguarding training that meets regional social care requirements
a full understanding of relevant legislation, including:
- UK GDPR
- data protection legislation
- the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)

The service must be available in Welsh for Welsh-speaking parents and carers.

Eligibility for advocacy

Parental advocacy services funded through this grant are available to:

parents
primary carers
people with parental responsibility

whose children are subject to safeguarding proceedings with children's services.

Parents, carers and people with parental responsibility should not already be receiving advocacy services that would duplicate the support available through this grant.

The grant will fund IPPA support while children in their care are involved in safeguarding processes with children's services.

This may include support from:

notification of the initial child protection case conference
registration on the child protection register
deregistration from the child protection register

Referrals

Providers should promote a clear referral process for IPPA services.

This should include:

self-referral
professional referral

Advocacy support should be available as soon as safeguarding procedures are initiated by children's services.

There may be occasions when families receiving support through care and support plans have complex needs, including safeguarding concerns.

In these circumstances, advocacy may help families understand the implications of social care processes and any next steps.

Providers should also promote access to peer support through:

their own peer support groups
Parent Cafés, where available locally

IPPA plan

Once a referral has been accepted, the advocate should ensure the parent or carer understands:

what IPPA is
how it can support them
the boundaries of the support available
expectations for engagement

This should be set out in an accessible agreement or plan.

The agreement should provide a shared understanding of:

the outcomes the parent or carer wants to achieve
how long support will be provided
what support is included
what support is not included

The agreement should be reviewed regularly.

Support

IPPA support may be provided throughout safeguarding processes.

Key safeguarding meetings include:

initial child protection case conferences
core group meetings
child protection review meetings

Advocates will also need to meet parents and carers to:

prepare for meetings
provide debrief sessions after meetings

The level of support expected should be set out in the IPPA plan.

Providers may also encourage parents and carers to participate in:

peer support groups
peer support forums

What is not eligible for Welsh Government funding

If safeguarding processes progress to legal proceedings and parents are notified of a pre-proceedings meeting, Welsh Government funding cannot be used to provide advocacy during the Public Law Outline (PLO) process.

At this stage, parents have access to legal aid. Their legal representative should explain the process and its implications.

Where additional support is needed, it should be commissioned separately by the local authority to support meaningful participation in the PLO process.

Advocacy support during pre-proceedings is covered by Best practice guidance: support for and work with families prior to court proceedings (March 2021), endorsed by ADSS Cymru.

The guidance states:

"important that appropriate support is in place to facilitate the effective participation of the family. This may include non-legal advocacy services, intermediaries or interpreters, for example".

It also states:

"It is crucial that the parents clearly understand this process and what is expected of them. It is important to consider learning disabilities and/or mental capacity here. Parents may require the support of an advocate or an intermediary or an interpreter if English is not their first language."

Funding also cannot be used where proceedings have progressed and the local authority has applied to the court under the Children Act 1989.

In these circumstances, local authorities should follow Practice Guidance on the use of Intermediaries, Lay Advocates and Cognitive Assessments. Decisions regarding support will rest with the judge.

Adult advocacy under Part 10

Under the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act, local authorities have a duty to provide advocacy relating to an individual's own care and support needs.

As parental advocacy relates to the care and support needs of a person's child, individuals may not be entitled to advocacy under Part 10 for this purpose.

Spot purchasing

Providers may provide IPPA services to local authorities for other statutory or preventative processes, including:

care and support processes
the Public Law Outline (PLO)

where the local authority provides separate funding.

Providers will need to consider:

organisational capacity
their ability to meet commitments associated with Welsh Government-funded services

before accepting additional work.

Peer Advocacy

Peer advocacy, as described in the Part 10 Code of Practice, involves a person acting as an advocate for another person who shares a common experience or background.

Within this framework, parent peer advocacy is provided by parents with lived experience of statutory children's services who support other parents going through similar processes.

Parent peer advocates can help parents:

understand processes
prepare for meetings
express their views, wishes and feelings
build confidence
reduce isolation

Their lived experience can help build trust and complement, but not replace, the role of Independent Professional Parent Advocates (IPPAs).

Peer advocacy may be accessed:

before IPPA support
alongside IPPA support
after IPPA support

This provides a flexible step-up or step-down approach, depending on a parent's needs.

Collective parent peer advocacy

Collective parent peer advocacy brings parents together to:

share experiences
build support networks
reduce isolation
strengthen confidence when engaging with services

This may include facilitated groups and evidence-based approaches such as the Be Strong Families Parent Café model.

Funding for 2026 to 2027 will support the expansion of the Parent Café model through PAN Cymru and its rollout to additional local authority areas.

PAN Cymru: Be Strong Families Parent Café and Vitality Café

PAN Cymru provides national coordination, training and implementation support for the Parent Café and Vitality Café models across Wales.

The models are designed to:

support early intervention and prevention
be used appropriately within safeguarding and child protection contexts, including where there is a need to reduce escalation, build trust and strengthen protective factors

PAN Cymru's role focuses on capacity building rather than direct delivery.

The service supports local authorities and delivery partners to develop the skills, confidence and structures needed to deliver cafés independently and sustainably within their own services and communities.

Local authorities and partner agencies will need to consider and plan for the resources required to embed the model beyond the initial training phase.

PAN Cymru can also provide:

implementation support
consultancy
follow-up development support

This support is available on a commissioned basis and subject to an agreed fee structure.

Overview of the Parent Café and Vitality Café models

Parent Cafés are structured, facilitated conversations that bring parents and carers together in emotionally safe and non-judgemental spaces.

The 2026 to 2027 funding year is the first year of a phased national rollout of Parent Cafés.

The model will initially be introduced in 4 to 6 local authorities, subject to future funding.

The model is evidence-informed and focuses on:

reducing isolation
strengthening parental confidence and resilience
supporting reflection, mutual support and connection

Vitality Cafés are based on the same framework, with additional emphasis on wellbeing and recovery, including:

emotional wellbeing
physical wellbeing
relational wellbeing

Both models are intended to complement statutory systems rather than replace them.

They are particularly suited to relationship-based approaches used within early help and safeguarding services.

What PAN Cymru will deliver

National coordination and quality oversight

PAN Cymru will:

provide national leadership for the Parent Café and Vitality Café programme in Wales
act as a central point of contact between Welsh Government, local authorities and partner organisations
coordinate training activity
provide governance oversight and quality assurance
maintain fidelity to the PAN Cymru Be Strong Families Parent Café framework
support consistent practice across Wales while allowing flexibility to meet local needs

This helps ensure the model is implemented safely, ethically and consistently, particularly within safeguarding contexts.

Training and implementation support

PAN Cymru will provide:

2-day Parent Café facilitator training
1-day Vitality Café training
2 days of consultancy support to help local areas embed the model

Training cohorts will typically include:

professionals
parents with lived experience

This supports co-production.

Cohorts are usually around 20 participants but may range from 6 to 25 participants depending on local circumstances.

Implementation support focuses on:

identifying appropriate use within early help and safeguarding pathways
ensuring clarity around boundaries and referral routes
supporting initial delivery and learning as cafés become established

Learning resources and knowledge sharing

PAN Cymru will provide:

core learning materials
training resources
practical resources aligned with the model
opportunities to share learning across participating local authorities

Scale and focus of delivery in 2026 to 2027

PAN Cymru will continue to support work already underway in:

Pembrokeshire, where the model is being embedded following initial Parent Café training
Cardiff, where training and expansion will continue
Neath Port Talbot, building on existing Flying Start, Parent Support Services and local authority activity

This work will focus on ensuring training leads to sustainable practice.

Alongside this, PAN Cymru will begin structured engagement with a further 4 to 6 local authorities, subject to readiness and available capacity.

This will include active involvement from North Wales during year 1.

Use in early help and safeguarding contexts

Local authorities can use the Parent Café and Vitality Café models flexibly.

Early help and prevention

The models can be used for:

building protective factors
supporting families with emerging needs
reducing escalation into statutory services

Safeguarding and child protection