Translate the text from English to Welsh.



 
As the first year of the two year Welsh Independent Living Grant (WILG) transition period has just ended, I thought it would be an opportune time to update Members on progress.  

  

The Welsh Government is committed to independent living so that disabled people, wherever they live in Wales, are appropriately supported to achieve their wellbeing outcomes within their communities. As a result the majority of disabled people are supported to do this by their local authority who, under our social services legislation, have a legal duty to help them achieve their wellbeing outcomes. This will include their desire to live as independently as possible. Local authorities are funded in part to do this through the Revenue Support Grant we provide to local government.  

  

This has been the case since 2010 when the UK Government closed the Independent Living Fund (ILF) to new applicants. Consequently, disabled people were no longer able to receive payments from the ILF to help with the cost of independent living in addition to receiving separate support from their local authority, which was a condition of receiving ILF payments. As a result a two tier system was created where some disabled people in Wales were still being able to access both avenues of support, while the majority of disabled people could now only receive this from their local authority.    

  

In 2015 the UK Government closed the ILF altogether believing disabled people’s needs were best met locally by support provided by their local authority and as a result, in England the responsibility for providing this transferred to  local authorities. In Wales, responsibility was transferred to the Welsh Government, with fixed funding of £27 million a year. There were around 1,600 people in Wales in receipt of payments from the ILF at that time. This compares with the 60,000 or so who now receive community based care and support from their local authority.  

  

There was clearly a need at this time to make sure people in Wales who had received payments from the ILF were not left without support as a consequence of this decision. In response the Welsh Government introduced, as an interim measure, the WILG for local authorities. This was to provide the funding authorities would need to make payments uninterrupted to  people who had been in receipt of ILF payments whilst we considered the most appropriate way to support this discreet group in future. 


Prior to this a public consultation was held in 2014 on the principle of four alternative options to provide future support to this group. This was followed by detailed consideration by an ILF stakeholder advisory group of the viability of implementing a refined set of options based on the comments received. This stakeholder advisory group included organisations which represent disabled people in Wales, including Disability Wales and the All Wales Forum of Parents and Carers of People with Learning Disabilities.  

  

I understand that on balance the stakeholder advisory group recommended providing future support through local authorities so that all disabled people in Wales, both those who were able to receive ILF payments and those who were not, were provided with support in an equal, consistent manner. It was also to ensure the fixed funding transferred from the UK Government was used to maximum effect by being used directly for that purpose and not on the administration costs of separate arrangements for those who used to receive payments from the ILF. The Minister at the time, Rebecca Evans AM, confirmed this in her Written Statement of 3 November 2016\.  

  

Unlike in England, where the responsibility for support was passed immediately to local authorities without guidance, we have been careful to undertake this in a managed approach. As a result we introduced in April last year a two year transition period during which local authorities will agree with people who used to receive ILF payments the wellbeing outcomes they wish to achieve, how they will be delivered and what support they require. This can be by received direct from their local authority, or direct payments can be made by the authority to enable people to arrange  support themselves. We have provided local authorities with clear guidance on how to undertake this process, stressing the need for this to be done in partnership with people who need care and support.  

  

In the second year of this period people have been transferring over to receive their future support from their authority, with the WILG ceasing in March this year and the full funding of £27 million a year transferring into the RSG from this financial year onwards to enable authorities to provide that support. Since the start of the transition period we have carefully monitored local authorities’ performance and will continue to do so throughout. The latest data, which covers the first year of this period, shows over 75% of people who used to receive ILF payments have now either completed the review of their future support with their local authority, or are in the process of doing so. Consequently over a third of all people who received payments (around 400 of the current total of 1,300\) are now receiving their support from their local authority, in the same way as the majority of disabled people in Wales. In addition, authorities are reporting that most people are receiving support similar to that they received using their ILF payments, with no significant issues being raised. The remaining people are to have completed the review of their future support by the end of September and to be receiving support from their local authority by the end of March next year.    

  

This position reaffirms that our decision to introduce this change in a phased approach was the right one, with the two year transition period providing the much needed time people affected and local authorities alike require to agree the correct level and form of support people require to maintain their ability to live independently. It is understandable, however, some people affected will be apprehensive about this change and I have previously met the leaders of a campaign to retain the WILG to explain the reasons for the change taking place. That said I am not complacent and have recently commissioned the All Wales Forum, working with Disability Wales, to produce a questionnaire for people going through this process to let us have their views on their experiences and where any improvements in the process may be made. In addition, I am writing to local authorities to reinforce the importance of this transition and of the conversations they are holding with people in ensuring they receive the future support particular to them to deliver their wellbeing outcome of living independently in the community.          







Translation:


 
Wedi i flwyddyn gyntaf cyfnod pontio dwy flynedd Grant Byw'n Annibynnol Cymru ddod i ben, meddyliais y byddai nawr yn gyfle da i roi rhagor o wybodaeth i'r Aelodau am y cynnydd hyd yma.  
  
Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ymrwymo i gefnogi'r egwyddor o fyw'n annibynnol fel bod pobl anabl, ble bynnag yng Nghymru y maent yn byw, yn cael cefnogaeth briodol i gyflawni eu canlyniadau llesiant o fewn eu cymunedau. O ganlyniad, mae mwyafrif y bobl anabl yn cael cymorth i wneud hynny gan eu hawdurdod lleol sydd â dyletswydd gyfreithiol, dan ein deddfwriaeth gwasanaethau cymdeithasol, i'w helpu i gyflawni eu canlyniadau llesiant. Bydd hyn yn cynnwys eu dyhead i fyw mor annibynnol â phosibl. Caiff awdurdodau lleol eu cyllido i wneud hyn yn rhannol drwy'r Grant Cynnal Refeniw yr ydym yn ei ddarparu i lywodraeth leol.   
  
Dyma sydd wedi bod yn digwydd ers 2010 pan benderfynodd Llywodraeth y DU gau'r Gronfa Byw'n Annibynnol i ymgeiswyr newydd. O hynny ymlaen, nid oedd modd i bobl anabl gael taliadau o'r Gronfa i helpu gyda chostau byw'n annibynnol ar ben cymorth ar wahân gan eu hawdurdod lleol, a oedd yn amod ar gyfer derbyn taliadau'r Gronfa. O ganlyniad fe gafodd system dwy haen ei chreu, gyda rhai o bobl anabl Cymru yn medru cyrraedd at gymorth o'r ddwy ffynhonnell, ond y mwyafrif o bobl anabl ond yn medru derbyn cymorth gan eu hawdurdod lleol.    
  
Yn 2015, penderfynodd Llywodraeth y DU gau'r Gronfa yn llwyr, gan gredu mai'r ffordd orau o ddiwallu anghenion pobl anabl oedd drwy gefnogaeth gan eu hawdurdod lleol. O ganlyniad, trosglwyddwyd y cyfrifoldeb dros ddarparu hyn yn Lloegr i'r awdurdodau lleol. Yng Nghymru, trosglwyddwyd y cyfrifoldeb i Lywodraeth Cymru gyda swm penodol o gyllid, sef £27 miliwn y flwyddyn. Roedd tua 1,600 o bobl Cymru'n derbyn taliadau o'r Gronfa bryd hynny. Mae hyn o gymharu â'r oddeutu 60,000 sydd bellach yn derbyn gofal a chymorth cymunedol gan eu hawdurdod lleol.   
  
Roedd yn amlwg ar y pryd bod angen sicrhau na fyddai pobl yng Nghymru a arferai dderbyn taliadau o’r Gronfa yn cael eu gadael heb gymorth o ganlyniad i’r penderfyniad hwn. Mewn ymateb, cyflwynodd Llywodraeth Cymru, fel mesur dros dro, Grant Byw'n Annibynnol Cymru i awdurdodau lleol. Roedd hyn i ddarparu'r cyllid y byddai ei angen ar awdurdodau i wneud taliadau di\-dor i bobl a fu'n derbyn taliadau o'r Gronfa, wrth i ni ystyried y ffordd fwyaf priodol o ymdrin â’r grŵp penodol hwn yn y dyfodol.  
  
Cyn hyn, cynhaliwyd ymgynghoriad cyhoeddus yn 2014 ar egwyddorion pedwar opsiwn gwahanol i ddarparu cymorth i'r grŵp hwn o bobl yn y dyfodol. Yna bu grŵp cynghori rhanddeiliaid y Gronfa yn ystyried ymarferoldeb gweithredu set fanylach o opsiynau ar sail y sylwadau a ddaeth i law. Roedd y grŵp cynghori hwn yn cynnwys sefydliadau sy'n cynrychioli pobl anabl yng Nghymru, gan gynnwys Anabledd Cymru a Fforwm Rhieni a Gofalwyr Cymru Gyfan i bobl ag Anableddau Dysgu.  
  
Rwy'n deall i'r grŵp cynghori, ar ôl ystyried, argymell darparu cymorth yn y dyfodol drwy awdurdodau lleol er mwyn i holl bobl anabl Cymru \- boed yn arfer derbyn taliadau o'r Gronfa neu beidio \- gael cymorth mewn ffordd gyson, gyfartal. Roedd hefyd i sicrhau bod y swm penodol o gyllid a drosglwyddwyd oddi wrth Lywodraeth y DU yn cael yr effaith orau bosib drwy gael ei ddefnyddio at y diben hwnnw yn unig, ac nid ar gyfer costau gweinyddu trefniadau ar wahân i'r rhai arferai dderbyn taliadau o'r Gronfa. Cadarnhawyd hyn gan y Gweinidog ar y pryd, Rebecca Evans AC, yn ei datganiad ysgrifenedig dyddiedig 3 Tachwedd 2016\.   
  
Yn wahanol i Loegr, lle pasiwyd y cyfrifoldeb dros gymorth ar unwaith i awdurdodau lleol heb unrhyw arweiniad, rydym wedi gofalu ein bod yn rheoli'r broses hon. O ganlyniad, ym mis Ebrill llynedd cyflwynwyd cyfnod pontio o ddwy flynedd. Yn ystod y cyfnod hwn, disgwylir i awdurdodau lleol ddod i gytundeb gyda'r rhai arferai dderbyn taliadau o'r Gronfa ynghylch y canlyniadau llesiant y maent yn dymuno eu cyflawni a sut y bydd hyn yn digwydd, a pha gymorth sydd ei angen arnynt. Gall pobl gael cymorth yn uniongyrchol gan eu hawdurdod lleol, neu dderbyn taliadau uniongyrchol oddi wrth yr awdurdod er mwyn medru trefnu'r cymorth eu hunain. Darparwyd canllawiau clir i'r awdurdodau lleol ynghylch sut i gyflawni'r broses hon, gan bwysleisio'r angen am weithio mewn partneriaeth gyda’r bobl sydd angen gofal a chymorth.   
  
Yn ystod ail flwyddyn y cyfnod pontio hwn, mae pobl wedi bod yn trosglwyddo i dderbyn cymorth gan eu hawdurdod, gyda Grant Byw'n Annibynnol Cymru yn dod i ben ym mis Mawrth eleni a'r swm llawn o £27 miliwn y flwyddyn yn cael ei drosglwyddo i'r Grant Cynnal Refeniw o'r flwyddyn ariannol hon ymlaen er mwyn galluogi'r awdurdodau i ddarparu'r cymorth hwnnw. Ers dechrau'r cyfnod pontio rydym wedi bod yn monitro perfformiad awdurdodau lleol yn ofalus, ac fe fyddwn yn parhau i wneud hynny. Mae'r data diweddaraf, sy'n edrych ar flwyddyn gyntaf y cyfnod hwn, yn dangos bod 75% o'r bobl arferai dderbyn taliadau o'r Gronfa bellach naill ai wedi cwblhau eu hadolygiad o'u cymorth ar gyfer y dyfodol gyda'r awdurdod lleol, neu yn y broses o wneud hynny. O ganlyniad mae bron i draean o'r holl bobl arferai dderbyn taliadau (tua 400 o'r cyfanswm presennol o 1,300\) bellach yn derbyn cymorth gan eu hawdurdod lleol, fel mwyafrif pobl anabl Cymru. Ar ben hynny, mae awdurdodau yn adrodd bod y rhan fwyaf o bobl yn derbyn cymorth tebyg i'r hyn a gafwyd wrth ddefnyddio'u taliadau o'r Gronfa, heb i unrhyw broblemau sylweddol godi. Bydd gweddill y bobl yn gorffen eu hadolygiadau o'u cymorth ar gyfer y dyfodol erbyn diwedd mis Medi, ac yn derbyn cymorth gan eu hawdurdod lleol erbyn diwedd mis Mawrth y flwyddyn nesaf.    
   
Mae’r sefyllfa hon yn cadarnhau unwaith eto i ni wneud y penderfyniad cywir wrth gyflwyno’r newid fesul cam, gyda’r cyfnod pontio dwy flynedd yn rhoi cyfle i bobl sy’n cael eu heffeithio a’r awdurdodau lleol fel ei gilydd gytuno ar y lefel a’r ffurf orau o gymorth i gynnal gallu pobl i fyw’n annibynnol.  Mae'n ddealladwy, er hynny, bod rhai pobl sy'n cael eu heffeithio yn teimlo'n betrus am y newid, ac rwyf eisoes wedi cyfarfod ag arweinwyr ymgyrch i gadw Grant Byw'n Annibynnol Cymru i egluro'r rhesymau dros y newid. Fodd bynnag, rwy'n barod i wrando ac rwyf wedi comisiynu Fforwm Cymru Gyfan, yn gweithio gydag Anabledd Cymru, i gynhyrchu holiadur i bobl sy'n mynd drwy'r broses er mwyn casglu eu barn am eu profiadau a gweld lle gellid gwneud unrhyw welliannau. Ar ben hynny, rwy’n ysgrifennu at yr awdurdodau lleol i bwysleisio pwysigrwydd y cyfnod pontio a’r sgyrsiau y maent yn eu cynnal â phobl er mwyn sicrhau eu bod yn derbyn y cymorth penodol sydd ei angen arnynt yn y dyfodol i gyflawni eu canlyniad llesiant o fyw’n annibynnol yn y gymuned.