On Saturday 5 October PACEY Cymru held their second event to celebrate the achievements of members in Wales over the past 12 months and recognise their ongoing commitment to the childcare and early years sector.

It was wonderful to see so many members and partners at the event and to have the opportunity to come together to celebrate, engage, share, learn and develop.

Those present heard updates from PACEY Cymru and from inspiring guest speakers including Frances Rees from Autism Cymru talking on the subject of neuro-diversity and Professor Ben Ambridge talking about his top ten evidence-based tips for boosting children’s language development.

The event recognised the achievement of the following;

• Those who have registered as a childminder in the last twelve months.
• Those who have completed Camau training.
• Those who have achieved a level of, or who are working towards, the Welsh Promise.
• Regional Childminder of the Year

Alongside this we also presented a number of awards as part of the event including;

• Rewarding Registration
• Contribution to the work of PACEY
• Welsh language learner of the year
• Social media star
• Well-being champion
• Partnership in practice

We want to say a huge congratulations to all our nominees and award winners at the event. Read more about these below.

If you have been inspired by reading about members achievements and want to be involved in our work in Wales please email paceycymru@pacey.org.uk.

Rewarding Registration

Celebrating PACEY members who have worked to register as a childminder in Wales and supported others.

Nominees:

• Kirsty Ginder, Gwynedd
• Rachel Hart, Swansea
• Sara Ahmed-Pattisahusiwa , Ceredigion
• Tabitha Lewis, Denbighshire

Winner: Rachel Hart, Swansea

Rachel has proactively accessed the support that has been available through Swansea funding on her journey to registration and though she has faced challenges along the way she has kept going. We’re looking forward to seeing Rachel’s setting up and running in the near future.

Contribution to the work of PACEY

Members have engaged with PACEY and contributed to our work in various ways over the last twelve months. This includes those who are part of our Volunteer Insight Panel (VIP) as well as those who have supported with the production of case studies, blogs and filming activity.

Nominees:

• Alison Burt Ryan, Casnewydd/Newport
• Alison Sussex, Sir Ddinbych/Denbighshire
• Sarah Sharpe, Bro Morgannwg/Vale of Glamorgan
• Victoria Johns, Sir Gaerfyrddin/Carmarthenshire

Winner: Alison Sussex, Denbighshire

Alison was the first childminder in Denbighshire to join Flying Start and is working with the PACEY and Local Authority teams to map out how Flying Start Advisory visits will look for childminders and is supporting with work linked to the Healthy and Sustainable Pre-school Scheme.

Welsh Language learner of the year

PACEY Cymru as part of the Cwlwm consortia recognises the importance of developing the Welsh language and is proud of taking an active role in contributing to the Welsh Governments target of one million Welsh speakers by 2050. Many PACEY members in Wales have demonstrated their commitment to developing their own Welsh language skills and in supporting children to develop their skills.

Nominees:

• Amanda Morris-Rees, Pembrokeshire
• Amy De-Silva, Gwynedd
• Heather Davies, Pembrokeshire
• Maureen Wood, Anglesey

Winner: Maureen Wood, Anglesey

Maureen is hugely committed to the development of her own Welsh language skills and to ensure that these have a positive impact on the children using her service. She has undertake Camau training at Sylfaen level. Maureen joins the PACEY Cymru monthly Welsh language webinars and is close to achieving the silver level award of the Welsh Promise. We’ve been pleased to see Maureen implement the learning into her practice and share this with others.

Social Media Star

Over the last twelve months PACEY Cymru have been keen to increase the engagement with members on social media and for members to share ideas with peers to promote quality practice.

The sharing of images and videos through our social media platforms encourages others to think about the profession as a source of childcare for their children, as a career choice as well as inspiring other childcare providers.

The nominees for our social media star were made for their contribution and engagement with PACEY Cymru over the last year and the winner chosen based on the level of engagment, inspiration to others and variety of posts shared.

Nominees:

• Annette Skipper,Swansea
• Claire Lowe, Ceredigion
• Karean Carr, Vale of Glamorgan
• Samantha Evered, Cardiff

Winner: Samantha Evered, Cardiff

Samantha has been the top contributor on PACEY Cymru’s Instagram sharing images and reels that show the day to day life in a setting.

Well-being Champion

Celebrating PACEY members who have worked in their setting to support children’s well-being in Wales.

Nominees:

• Katy Steele, Carmarthenshire
• Libby Leyshon (North Cornelly Playgroup), Bridgend
• Terri Steele, Ceredigion
• Victoria Johns, Carmarthenshire

Two winners were awarded in this category.

Winners:

• Katy Steele, Carmarthenshire

Parents and carers who nominated Katy talked about the impact that Katy had had on their children’s well-being this included supporting a child in her care with a below the knee amputation and working hard to ensure her disability did not hold her back. They noted that she works hard to give children opportunities and encourages them to reach for the stars.

• Terri Steele, Ceredigion

Parents and carers talked about the difference that Terri has made to their children’s lives including teaching sign language to children and opportunities for outdoor learning supporting well-being. Devastatingly one parent talked about the loss of their son who had been going to Terri’s setting. The parent shared that despite how upsetting this must have been for Terri herself, she has provided continuous support to the family over the last year. More importantly, she has provided their other child with security, compassion, and a place where her little brother will always be remembered and loved.

Partnership in Practice

Celebrating members who have worked in partnership with a local authority childcare team in Wales and in doing so supported raising the profile and professionalism of childminding.

Nominees:

• Helen Andrews Rees, Rhondda Cynon Taf
• Sammi Orme, Powys
• Sarah Sharpe, Vale of Glamorgan
• Carys Flynn, Eleri Williams, Terri Steele, Ceredigion

Two winners were awarded in this category.

Winners:

• Sammi Orme, Powys

We heard from the LA how Sammi supported with a campaign to promote childminding in Powys. They also shared how she has set up a WhatsApp group for childminders in her area to connect and creates networks of support.

• Sarah Sharpe, Vale of Glamorgan

We heard from the LA how Sarah works in partnership with various LA colleagues on local and national initiatives/s and involves the LA with childminding activities she has organised which are taking place in the Vale. This included an event during childminding week. In addition Sarah recently attended and spoke at a ‘Choosing Childminding as a Career’ promotional event in the LA and is a volunteer on a project with Barnados.