Policy and Influence
Our fundamental influencing priority is the prevention of trauma and the promotion of healing for those who do experience trauma.
We believe that experiences of trauma are behind almost all “policy challenges” that are discussed in modern day politics. Whether the issue being discussed is how to improve educational outcomes, substance use, or improving health services, trauma underlies the issue. Therefore, we seek to prevent trauma, avoid re-traumatisation, and create the conditions for recovery.
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Power Up project reply to Welsh Government consultation response: equal access to education and childcare
We're pleased to see Welsh Government note the importance of improving support for disabled children and young people in education and childcare.
However, we'd like to see Welsh Government reconsider some of choices so that every opportunity is taken to meet disabled young peoples’ needs.
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Welsh Government’s draft Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy: our response
The Draft Mental Health Strategy published by the Welsh Government marks a significant shift in how we understand mental health, and how the levers of government could be used to shift the wider social determinants that can lead to distress, trauma and harm across our communities.
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Welsh Government’s Suicide and self-harm draft strategy: our response
We welcome this strategy warmly, and we are clear that if delivered, particularly the much-needed progress on data collection and wider societal prevention and education, it will be significant difference to the lives of people in distress.
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Inquiry into obesity: our response to Health and Social Care Committee
Platfform welcomes the opportunity to respond to this inquiry into the prevention of ill health with a focus on obesity. For our response, we are bringing our understanding of mental health, and speak from our experience and expertise in supporting people in distress.
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New WHO-UN Guidance: an international blueprint for mental health
In October 2023, a ground-breaking set of guidance was published by the World Health Organisation and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
We believe this marks a huge opportunity to do things differently, including in Wales. Here's why.
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Ending Homelessness in Wales: our response to White Paper
This White Paper is proportionate, progressive and positive. However, we have concerns over funding, the creation of a ‘deliberate manipulation test’, and a need for a wider understanding of mental health to run through any legislation adopted as a result.
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Hopeless and Powerless: Platfform’s response to the Finance Committee’s consultation on the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25.
In over 30 years of delivering homelessness and housing services in Wales, we have never submitted a committee response like this one. We need to bear witness to the pain of the people we support, and the colleagues providing that support. And we need to find hope together.
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Belonging, Engaging and Participating: our response
The guidance published on Belonging, engaging and participating is a very positive contribution to the policy and practice around young people’s attendance in educational settings (both in school and other settings).
However, there are some clear and key areas where we would want to see significant changes, and where we believe opportunities have been missed.
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Draft Child Poverty Strategy for Wales: our response
We welcome the priority the strategy has placed on including the voice of the people of Wales. This is paramount in addressing the complexity of the problem at hand.
In our response, we outline how the strategy needs go even further to address the intersectionality and complexity at play.
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Reform for care-experienced young people: our view on Welsh Gov.’s response to report
In July 2023, the Welsh Parliament Children, Young People and Education Committee released a report calling for radical reform for care-experienced young people.
We feel that the Welsh Government's response - while containing some promising references to intervention, prevention, and trauma informed care - did not go far enough.
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Equality and Social Justice Committee: The public health approach to preventing gender-based violence
In May 2023, Platfform gave evidence to the committee. This evidence shows that we need to build connected and relational communities that can understand and articulate their shared experiences.
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“Start of a consensus to build something better”: Platfform’s perspective on the ‘Connecting the dots: tackling mental health inequalities in Wales’ debate
At the Senedd debate on 3rd May 2023, there was the start of a consensus. But we need a broader shared understanding of social determinants. What do they mean for people without experience of trauma, poverty or discrimination?
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Our Manifesto for Change
We’re calling for an evolution in the way that mental health is understood and treated. Read about our recommendations in our Manifesto for change.
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Consultation response on Homelessness Regulations
We support the approach to housing and homelessness that encompasses housing-first, rapid rehousing and a trauma informed housing strategy that has informed the development of the homelessness action plan.
We are also pleased that the consultation for regulations has acknowledged the need to re-examine intentionality and priority need within the homelessness legislation and look forward to this happening.
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Consultation response to the Welsh Government’s LGBTQ+ Action Plan
We support the aims and approach of the Action Plan, but believe it could be strengthened.
The plan recognises that LGBTQ+ people are more likely to experience mental health challenges. We would emphasise that experiencing prejudice and discrimination is a form of trauma, and that this is a form of collective trauma.
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Consultation response to Anti-Racism Plan
Racism is itself traumatic, and we are committed to eradicating it.
Our response below reflects this position and focuses on the key areas we would like to see strengthened.
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Briefing on ‘Personality Disorder’ and the labelling of survivors of abuse and violence
The ‘symptoms’ used to diagnose PD are understandable reactions to experiences of trauma. This is why many have argued it would be more appropriate to use the diagnostic term ‘complex PTSD’, which has a similar list of ‘symptoms’, instead.
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Lockdown: conversations for change
In 2020 we hosted Lessons from Lockdown, a series of national conversations with people working in public services: mental health, social care, substance use, homelessness and housing – about how lockdown impacted how we worked with people.
From the blog
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The cost of living, and the cost of delay: why deeper change is needed now
'The energy price cap, while welcome, won’t address the fears of those dreading winter in a cold house. It won’t stop their savings being eaten away. And it won’t undo the damage done to our collective health’ - our Head of Policy explains the need for deeper change.
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Financing the plan to end homelessness
Platfform is supporting Cymorth Cymru and Community Housing Cymru’s call for the Welsh Government to ensure their forthcoming budget truly helps to end homelessness in Wales.
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The Wales Basic Income Pilot: valuing people over paperwork
We want to see a world where people who may have received a mental health diagnosis no longer have to attend impersonal, system-led assessments in order to be able to eat.
