Challenge (Before)
In June 2025, a refugee family with three children expressed interest in attending English classes for children. The mother said that she and her kids felt quite isolated because of the language barrier.
Intervention (Action)
A DPIA staff member helped them to sign up for the Play, Learn & Thrive Project. The children started attending English classes and took part in a variety of summer events: Movie Mornings, Caerphilly Castle Walk, Cardiff Barrage Walk, Superbugs Shop, Family Saturdays in the National Museum, Railway Garden events, Soft Play sessions, and Cooking sessions.
To increase participation, the DPIA Coordinator not only signposted information about events in the Project WhatsApp group, but also messaged people directly with suggestions for age-appropriate activities, showed the best route to the meeting point, and shared information about events run by our partners (WRC, Trinity Centre) and other DPIA projects (Shaping My Future, WSS).
Since my mother’s English was quite limited, we invited her to events where other Arabic speakers were present, which made it more comfortable for her.
Results (After)
The children look more confident, their spoken English has improved significantly, and they have made friends among PLTP service users. They smile more. The eldest child (10 years old) has shared her plans for her future occupation. The mother is now more aware of the variety of community spaces, parks, and walking routes available for children. Their favourite activity is Family Saturdays in National Museum.
