New homeless centre opens in Cardiff

Posted by Now Cardiff on Sep 17, 2012

The new state of the art Single Assessment Centre on Dumballs Road was officially opened today by Huw Lewis AM, Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage alongside Cardiff Councils Cabinet Member for Communities, Housing and Social Justice, Cllr Lynda Thorne and Howard Gough Chair of the Huggard.

The new centre replaces the former Tresillian House hostel, as well as the Huggard hostel and day centre and marks a new era for homeless provision in the Capital

Funded by Cardiff Council, The Welsh Government, Hafod Housing Association, Huggard and the Big Lottery the new  £9.4 million provision provides a partnership approach to tackling homelessness.

The Single Assessment Centre includes a health suite where health services can be accessed and will comprise two hostels with 44 ensuite bedrooms and 16 overnight emergency beds, a new Huggard Day Centre along with training and development facilities including a café which will help retrain those living in the centre.

Cabinet Member for Communities, Housing and Social Justice, Cllr Lynda Thorne, said: ‘This is an exciting new service for those in housing need within the city.  It provides joined up services by many partner organisation who are working together to prevent homelessness and limit its often devastating effects’.

“The new centre will be a leading example not only in Wales but the rest of the UK on how to provide homeless provision and help rehabilitate some of the community’s most vulnerable people.

“The centre offers an all encompassing service with a medical centre, young person’s advisory service, and will provide training opportunities.”

The Hostel will be run by a number of key service providers including Cardiff Council, The Huggard, the Salvation Army, Llamau, and the Cardiff & Vale University Health Board.

Cllr Thorne, added: “The new centre is a prime example of skilled organisations working together to provide the best solution. Together their expertise will help to not only give people a bed for the night but help people get back on their feet.

“The centre on Dumballs Road has been a long time coming and will set a benchmark to ourselves and other councils across the UK in how homeless people should be treated.”

Contractor Cowlin Construction were commissioned to build the state of the art centre which features three sedum roofs, various external finishes with gardens and an allotment.

Housing Regeneration and Heritage Minister Huw Lewis said: “It is a pleasure to open this first class facility and I am delighted that Welsh Government funding has contributed to both the construction and the running of the centre. Housing all the services in one building will mean that the centre is not just providing a roof over people’s heads but also helping them to address any other issues they have and to find a long term home. It is an excellent example of what can be achieved when government, local authorities and the third sector all work together.”

Howard Gough the Chair of Huggard  said  “Huggard exists to support and empower homeless people to achieve their maximum potential in life and this development will provide the absolutely best facilities available to enable the organisation to achieve this.”

He also paid tribute to the Welsh Government and Cardiff Council for their long standing policies for fighting social exclusion.

The ceremony also commemorated the work of Paul Summers, the architect who designed the scheme but sadly passed away before the buildings were constructed.

Trading standards issues warning about tooth whitening

Posted by Now Cardiff on Sep 17, 2012

Cardiff Council’s Trading Standards is advising potential customers not to have their teeth whitened unless a dentist has assessed whether such treatment is right for them. Also, while tooth whitening can improve the appearance of natural teeth, it is important that people are fully aware of what to expect and how it can be conducted safely.

The popularity of teeth-whitening has increased tenfold in the past five years and at least 100,000 people have some form of treatment every year. However, there is particular concern over the dangers relating to the supply of illegal tooth whitening products both for use at home and the use of such products by people who are not registered with the General Dental Council.

Tooth whitening products contain bleach and should be used with caution. It is illegal, for example, to supply products which contain more than 0.1% hydrogen peroxide. Cardiff Trading Standards has successfully prosecuted one company for selling a home tooth whitening kit containing over 10% hydrogen peroxide and there have been reported cases of tooth whitening kits containing 30% hydrogen peroxide.

Other “bleaching” products such as sodium perborate and chlorine dioxide are being used by some lay people. These products are unsafe, often very acidic and their use is strongly discouraged.

Using too much bleach poses a real threat of permanent damage to a person’s health; tooth enamel may be damaged, and people can suffer prolonged and increased tooth sensitivity. Indeed, it’s possible to damage the nerve enough to require root canal therapy. Also, since the bleaching trays are not custom-fitted, the uneven distribution of bleach may cause spotting.

Furthermore, despite the widespread availability of products, most consumers are unaware that tooth whitening may only lawfully be provided by those who are registered dental professionals; specifically dentists, or dental hygienists or dental therapists working to a dentist’s prescription.

Provision by lay people is unlikely to be done in the controlled surroundings of a dental surgery, sometimes being done in beauty “parlours”, open areas in shopping centres or even in peoples own homes.

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StreetGames deliver outdoor sports sessions for kids

Posted by Now Cardiff on Jul 15, 2011

Cardiff Council’s Leisure Services has once again teamed up with the national StreetGames project to deliver outdoor sports sessions for kids during the summer holidays.

Following its success last year the Active StreetGames team will be providing a five week programme of summer camps in parks across the city.

The initiative provides a range of supervised activities for children aged seven to 11 at just £2 per child for each session.

StreetGames is a national youth charity which aims to introduce doorstep sport to communities across the city.

Doorstep sport aspires to tailoring sports sessions to suit the specific demands of young people and the community in which they are run.

The sessions are supported by members of the Co-operative StreetGames Young Volunteers Programme, a scheme that helps 16-25 year olds from the local area gain sports qualifications and community leadership skills whilst volunteering at the project.

Activities on offer include dodge ball, tag games, mini athletics, Ultimate Frisbee, cricket, basketball to name a few.

The programme aims to encourage young people to get active by trying new activities and having fun playing sport and games with their friends. Activities are normally chosen by the children, with consideration to age, ability and location.

In previous years the programme has been extremely popular, on average attracting between 30 and 50 children per session.

Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Nigel Howells said: “This initiative is in its fifth year and provides a fantastic outdoor sports provision for children throughout the city.

“It also brings the fantastic activities provided by our leisure centres to the wider community, and encourages young people to visit these facilities and take up sport and leisure on a permanent basis.”

Cardiff gets multi-million pound schools’ investment

Posted by Now Cardiff on Jul 13, 2011

Around £180m of approved investment has been committed to school buildings in Cardiff in recent years as part of the Council’s aspiration of developing viable and successful schools across the city.

A report detailing the past achievements and the existing financial model in the Schools Organisation Plan will be received by the Executive next week as it considers a future funding strategy in preparation for the Welsh Government’s 21st Century Schools investment programme.

In tackling issues such as surplus places, school building repair backlogs and the increase in demand for Welsh-medium provision the Council has committed significant investment as part of its vision to offer good quality learning opportunities in order to raise standards of achievement at fit for purpose, local schools for local children. This is illustrated by:

• £7m for 10 new nursery units (five granted and five being progressed) including investment in primary provision also
• £3.9m for three new Welsh-medium primary schools, including investment to Bryn Celyn Primary
• £7.9m for two existing Welsh-medium primary schools transferring to new build premises
• £14m for the award winning state-of-the-art new special school, Ty Gwyn, in Caerau
• £17m for amalgamations of 10 sets of infant and junior schools into all-through primaries (six complete and four underway)
• £6.5m for four new Integrated Children’s Centre facilities (two complete and two underway)
• £12.2m investment at the two existing Welsh-medium secondary schools,  Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf and Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Plasmawr, including new Special Educational Needs (SEN) facilities, technology and teaching blocks as well as upgraded sports facilities
• Planning permission has been submitted for the construction of two new secondary schools – St Teilo’s (which is being relocated to new premises) and the new high school in the east of the city, while there are plans for the refurbishment of the existing St Teilo’s premises to create the city’s third Welsh-medium secondary school. The St Teilo’s plan also includes investment in Cardiff High School and Llanishen High School. The total amount of investment committed to these projects is £63.6m.

The report outlines how the Council has been the body driving investment in Cardiff’s school buildings with 70 per cent of funding to date being provided by the Council and 30 per cent being provided by the Welsh Government. However, for future schemes the majority of funding will need to be provided by the Welsh Government.

The Council is awaiting the outcome of its bid for 21st Century Schools Band A funding to continue its investment programme in schools in Cardiff where it is hoped that investment from the Welsh Government over the entire programme will at least match the investment delivered by the Council. The report also highlights a planned consultation with head-teacher representatives on Cardiff’s School Budget Forum which could enable some £6 million of investment in schools IT to transform the learning environment for the 21st century.

Executive Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, Cllr Freda Salway, said: “We have accomplished a great deal over the last few years as part of our vision of creating 21st Century schools across the city. The level of investment in schools is evidence of this Council’s strong commitment to education in the city.

“We are keen to keep the ball rolling and ensure that the excellent progress we have made is continued. 21st Century Schools funding from the Welsh Government will be key to ensuring we can make further progress with our plans to provide all children and young people in the city with the best opportunities to achieve their potential.”

Council Executive considering nursery consultation recommendations

Posted by Now Cardiff on Jul 11, 2011

Recommendations to consult on the establishment of nursery provision at three schools across the city will be considered by Cardiff Council Executive next week.

The proposals are to:

• establish Millbank Primary School at one form of entry with nursery provision thus extending the age range of the school from four to 11 to three to 11
• establish nursery provision at Ysgol Pen Y Groes thus extending the age range of the school from four to 11 to three to 11
• establish nursery provision at Ysgol Pen y Pîl thus extending the age range of the school from four to 11 to three to 11

The Council has been reviewing the role of nursery schools as part of its vision of viable and successful schools and wherever possible, is seeking to create all-through primary schools catering for children aged three to 11.  In these instances this can be achieved by opening nursery units attached to existing primary schools.

The proposal to create nursery provision at Millbank Primary forms part of wider schools organisation proposals to reorganise primary provision in Caerau and will create additional Early Years education places in the area, bringing Millbank in line with other all-through primary phase arrangements and reducing existing pressure on oversubscribed maintained nursery settings in the area.

The proposal would be implemented from September 2014 with 24 full time equivalent, or 48 part time, nursery places operating for two sessions a day.

Ysgol Pen Y Groes in Pentwyn was permanently established in 2009 and since then there has been the commitment to consult on the establishment of a Welsh-medium nursery unit at the school. Demand for provision continues to grow and there is need for a long term solution to accommodate the growth.

The proposal is to establish a nursery unit as part of the primary school from September 2012 at the earliest with 24 full time equivalent places or 48 part time places, operating for two sessions a day.

Ysgol Pen y Pîl was established as a starter class in 2007 and permanently established in the premises of the former Trowbridge Infant School in January 2011. The establishment of a nursery at the school will help meet local demand for high quality, Welsh-medium nursery education.

The proposal is to establish 24 full time equivalent, or 48 part time nursery places, operating for two sessions a day from September 2012.

Executive Member for Education and Lifelong Learning, Cllr Freda Salway, said: “These proposals will allow the Council to continue creating all-through primary schools across the city to provide continuity and consistency in primary phase education.

“The proposals have been developed to meet demand for both English-medium and Welsh-medium primary places with high quality nursery education.”