CARDIFF, Wales:  The Welsh Government will be spending more than 4 million pounds in the next three years to give a helping hand to organisations representing the needs of children and families up and down the country. They include Autism Cymru, Wales's National Charity for Autism

The Welsh Deputy Minister for Social Services, Gwenda Thomas, said on January 24 that 17 organisations, each providing services for children, young people and their families working within the health and social services sector, would be allocated 1,475,723 pounds for 2008-09; 1,393,582 for 2009-10 and 1,272,478 for 2010-11 from the Children and Families Organisation Grant (CFOG).

A competitive bidding round for the CFOG – a grant providing core funding for voluntary organisations working on a pan-Wales level to develop child and family support - was held between August and October 2007 with 40 applications received in total.Organisations that were successful for the first time in bidding for the grants were Autism Cymru, Adoption UK, RNIB Cymru, and the Lucy Faithfull Foundation (Stop It Now).

Founded in 2001, Autism Cymru aims to make a real difference to the provision and delivery of services for people with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) in Wales. Its primary task has been to influence and help develop a strategic vision for autism in Wales. Autism Cymru has worked closely with the Welsh Assembly Government in the development of the consultation document on the Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Strategic Action Plan for Wales.

Commenting on today’s announcement, Gwenda Thomas said: "The Welsh Assembly Government is totally committed to ensuring that our children have every opportunity to develop and grow in a happy, healthy and supportive environment.

"The organisations that have successfully applied for the Children and Families Organisation Grant play a crucial role in supporting children and their families who need extra support."

(Source: News Wales, January 24, 2008)