Kate to visit first Action for Children projects since becoming patron

The Duchess of Cambridge will visit Wales today for her first engagements with Action for Children since becoming the charity’s patron.

Kate became patron of the charity, which cares for disadvantaged children from across the UK, in December – following on from the Queen.

The organisation helps all types of families, supporting children and carers through fostering and adoption and intervening early to stop neglect and abuse.

It also aims to make life better for children with disabilities.

In total, 7,000 staff and volunteers operate more than 600 services, improving the lives of 390,000 children, teenagers, parents and carers each year.

Kate previously visited Action for Children programmes at Cape Hill Children’s Centre in Smethwick in 2015.

During her visit today, she will see two of the successful projects in Wales, where the charity helped 13,000 children and young people last year.

She will first visit Torfaen to see MIST, a child and adolescent mental health project which has been running for 12 years.

The service works with both young people and their carers or birth families to address complex mental health needs.

Kate will then visit the Caerphilly Family Intervention Team (FIT) to learn about their work with children with emotional and behavioural difficulties, problems with family relationships and those who have or who are likely to self harm.

She will view the team’s family therapy work, which helps families understand the reasons behind certain behaviour.

The project is delivered by family support practitioners who are trained and supervised by a clinical psychologist and systemic psychotherapist.

_{Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2017, All Rights Reserved. Picture (c) Geoff Pugh / PA Wire.}