MEIC - Info, Assistance and Advice Service

Description

The MEIC service has been in place since June 2010 as a pan Wales resource to provide a bi-lingual (English and Welsh) helpline service for children and young people in Wales between the ages of 0 – 25 years. This provision is available 7 days a week from 08 a.m. to midnight providing information, advice and advocacy to children and young people in Wales. The MEIC service provides children and young people to quickly access help and support with any issues. MEIC is a fully bilingual service which offers support on line, by phone and by text. Throughout the pandemic, this service has proven to be of even greater importance to provide support to young people who, due to the lockdown measures, have been unable to access their normal means of support and advice (e.g. via school, youth groups, access to peers, trusted adults and in some cases, family members). The full impact of the pandemic upon children and young people in Wales is yet to be determined, however, it is undoubtable that consistency of support will be required in the coming months. In addition it is important to ensure that the existing provision is appropriately evaluated to ensure that the next contract is developed to enable the service to respond to the demands generated as a result of the pandemic.