The challenge of ensuring that the rights and well-being of children are met in the present financial climate is to be discussed at Children in Wales’ Annual Policy Conference, which will take place on 24 and 25 November in Newport.

A report published tomorrow highlights a number of ways in which children and young people who live in low-income or benefit households in rural Wales are being excluded from services that are available to their contemporaries living in urban areas.

Experts from across Britain and Ireland are meeting in Cardiff next week to discuss how to prevent injuries to children and young adults. The two-day conference will look at effective interventions for injuries caused though accidents, self-harm and violence. It will cover a range of issues and prevention approaches from across the UK, Europe and internationally. The conference will also consider accident prevention measures for injuries occurring in the home, on the road and through domestic fires.

New research reveals the extent of drug and alcohol use amongst children and young people in Wales today. However, the research goes on to demonstrate that a strong father/child relationship can act as a protective factor against the worst of these excesses.

An international comparison of work being untaken to prevent childhood accidents shows Wales lagging behind most of our European counterparts. In 2005, 81 children and adolescents in Wales died as a result of injury. But if the rate of injury death had been at the same level as the safest country in Europe that year, the Netherlands, 33 of these lives, or 41%, would have been saved.

Preliminary statistics released by Children in Wales and Catch22 today show that children who enjoy a good relationship with their father are less likely to engage in underage drinking, take drugs or smoke cannabis.

Parents and practitioners will be finding out more about the new programme improving the support provided to the families of young children with disabilities at an event in Llandrindod Wells next Monday, 23 March 2009.

Education experts are meeting in Cardiff this Friday to look at ways of reducing bullying in Welsh Schools. Bullying and declining social behaviour regularly feature in the news headlines and there are few people who work with children and young people who won’t have experience of the problem. Experts meeting at the one-day conference will look at initiatives that can change values across a whole school.

Children and young people in Wales are to get a unique chance to learn about research and feed back their views about it at a event organised by to commemorate Wales’ first Children’s Commissioner, the late Peter Clarke.

A new programme improving the support provided to the families of young children with disabilities is to be implemented across Wales.

A new cross-European research programme will examine how improving the qualifications and skills of those working with our youngest children can help reduce poverty and improve social inclusion.

A poster informing young people of their rights when visiting a doctor has been launched today.

Children in Wales welcomes two reports, issued by the World Health Organisation today, highlighting the enormous loss to society caused by childhood injuries.

Robert Croft, cricketing legend and father, will be speaking at a conference to mark Parents Week at the Royal Welsh Showground 23 October.

Families from across Wales will be among thousands marching through London this weekend calling on the UK Government to keep its promise on ending child poverty. The UK Government promised to halve child poverty by 2010 but are in real danger of missing this target. In the current economic climate, it is particularly important that the Government takes bold action now to ensure a better future for all our children.

First Minister, Rhodri Morgan, will today give an address at a major international children’s conference. WorldForum 2008 is a three day conference bringing children’s experts from across the world together to consider the best ways of intervening early when children have problems. Experts attending the conference in Cardiff will discuss how they intervene early in their own countries in a range of situations. They will consider issues such as mental health, family support, education and child protection. Delegates will also consider methods that can prevent problems from arising in the first place.

A major international conference will bring children’s experts from across the world to Cardiff next week. WorldForum 2008 will consider the best ways of intervening early when children have problems. Delegates will consider how early intervention works in a range of situations including child protection, youth justice, education, child trafficking, work with children with disabilities and many others. Delegates will also consider methods that can prevent problems from arising in the first place.

The children’s charity, Children in Wales is co-hosting a major international conference in Cardiff at the end of September for experts from across the world.

Children and young people attending the National Eisteddfod this week will be able to enter a competition to say what they would change to make things better for children and young people. The children’s charity, Children in Wales is distributing postcards at the Eisteddfod which ask “If you were running Wales what is the one thing you would do to make things better for children and young people?”

Children’s Organisations in Wales are coming together at this year’s National Eisteddfod in Cardiff, with a week long programme of activities promoting children’s rights.