MORE than £800,000 is being provided to help parents going through child protection processes, ensuring their voices are heard and they feel supported every step of the way.

Speaking at the Parent Advocacy Network (PAN) Cymru Conference in Port Talbot, Minister for Children and Social Care Dawn Bowden confirmed £133,600 of the funding will be provided to roll out its popular Parent Café model to more areas.

The cafés offer parent-led peer support spaces, helping families build confidence and resilience.

Research shows parental advocacy reduces the number of children entering care, improves relationships between parents and social workers, and gives parents greater confidence in engaging with services.

The £800,408 total investment includes continued funding for professional advocacy providers National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS), Tros Gynnal Plant (TGP) Cymru and Mental Health Matters, alongside the investment in PAN Cymru’s peer-led approach.

Parental Advocacy is embedded in the Welsh Government’s Programme for Government, which includes a clear commitment to prevent families breaking up by funding advocacy services for parents whose children are involved in child protection processes.

A new National Framework for Parental Advocacy will be developed to ensure consistent support across Wales.

Minister for Children and Social Care, Dawn Bowden said: “We all want to improve outcomes for children and families across Wales.

“PAN Cymru has achieved remarkable progress in transforming how families experience and engage with children’s social services in Wales.

“When I visited a Parent Café last summer, I heard parents describe finding renewed purpose and improved wellbeing. The power of peer support can be life-changing and that was clear to see.

“This funding will help more families across Wales access this crucial support, helping to keep children safely with their families wherever possible.”

Advisory Project Manager at PAN Cymru, Fiona MacLeod said: “‘This funding marks a significant moment for PAN Cymru and for families across Wales.

“It recognises the power of parent led, professionally supported collaboration to strengthen families and communities and ensure families are genuinely heard with compassion and fairness.”

A PEMBROKESHIRE councillor has spoken out after learning that the Santander branch in Haverfordwest is set to close later this year, warning the decision will have a serious impact on local residents, families and businesses.

The bank’s Bridge Street branch is due to close on Monday (May 5) as part of a wider UK restructuring programme.

Councillor Thomas Baden Tudor said he was “lost for words” and urged the bank to reconsider, describing the closure as devastating for customers who rely on face-to-face services.

Santander says the decision is driven by declining footfall, with more customers banking online, and that services will remain available via digital platforms and Post Office counters.

However, the announcement follows a steady erosion of high-street banking in Pembrokeshire. The Herald recently reported that Haverfordwest’s former Halifax branch is set to reopen as a nail salon.

In what appears to be a serious failure of planning, there is now not a single bank branch left anywhere in south Pembrokeshire. Towns including Tenby, Pembroke and Pembroke Dock are all without face-to-face banking facilities.

North Pembrokeshire has also been affected, with Fishguard and St Davids now lacking bank branches.

Pembrokeshire is understood to be left with just four bank branches in total — Nationwide in Milford Haven, and HSBC, NatWest and Lloyds Bank in Haverfordwest.

THE WELSH AMBULANCE SERVICE has revealed a series of inappropriate 999 calls made last year — including one from a person who rang emergency services after accidentally swallowing a small amount of mouthwash.

The call was among dozens of examples released by the trust to underline the growing pressure on emergency services caused by non-urgent use of the 999 system.

Figures show that of the 414,118 incidents recorded by the Welsh Ambulance Service in 2025, around 15 per cent — 62,454 calls — were deemed not suitable for an emergency ambulance response. That equates to roughly one in every seven calls.

Other examples included callers reporting a sore throat, a loose tooth, ointment in an eye, and minor ear and finger injuries — conditions that could have been treated through alternative NHS services.

Senior ambulance leaders warned that such calls divert vital resources away from genuine emergencies, including heart attacks, strokes, serious injuries and life-threatening incidents.

Andy Swinburn, executive director of paramedicine, said staff are trained to respond rapidly to severe and urgent medical situations, but misuse of the emergency line slows response times for those in real danger.

“When people call 999 for minor ailments, it takes valuable time away from call handlers and clinicians who may be trying to help someone in cardiac arrest or with catastrophic bleeding,” he said.

“Our message is simple — use common sense and help us protect emergency services for those who need them most.”

Lee Brooks, executive director of operations, added that none of the highlighted calls required an ambulance and that many would now be dealt with by telephone advice only under the service’s updated clinical model.

“This is not about blaming people,” he said. “We understand that worry and anxiety can cloud judgement. But the ambulance service exists for urgent and life-threatening situations — not routine illnesses or minor injuries.”

He warned that calling 999 does not guarantee an ambulance will be dispatched, nor does arriving at hospital by ambulance mean a patient will be treated more quickly.

“While crews are tied up with non-urgent calls, someone else’s parent, child or friend could be lying unconscious after a serious collision or suffering a cardiac arrest,” he said.

The trust is urging the public to familiarise themselves with alternatives to 999, including NHS 111 Wales for urgent health advice, pharmacists for common conditions, and minor injury units for less serious injuries.

A spokesperson added that keeping basic medicines at home and staying on top of prescriptions can also reduce unnecessary pressure on emergency services.

The Welsh Ambulance Service said the real-life examples were shared to encourage responsible use of 999 and ensure help reaches those who need it most — when seconds truly matter.