Translate the text from Welsh to English.



 
Fel rhan o raglen barhaus Llywodraeth y DU o ddiwygio lles, mae elfennau o’r Gronfa Gymdeithasol bresennol a ddarperir gan Lywodraeth y DU, yn benodol y Grantiau Gofal Cymunedol a Benthyciadau Argyfwng Dewisol, yn dod i ben ddiwedd mis Mawrth 2013\. Felly bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn cyflwyno ei chynllun ei hunan o 1 Ebrill 2013\. Gelwir y cynllun newydd yn Gronfa Gymorth Ddewisol.  

Yn dilyn ymgynghori ac ymgysylltu â’n sefydliadau partner ar draws y Sector Statudol a’r Trydydd Sector yng Nghymru, rwyf wedi penodi Gwasanaethau Cyhoeddus Northgate i weithio fel ein darparwr i gyflwyno’r cynllun newydd hwn yng Nghymru, a hynny mewn partneriaeth â Chronfa’r Teulu a Chyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Wrecsam.    

Diben y Gronfa Gymorth Ddewisol yw cynnig taliadau neu gymorth o fath arall er mwyn galluogi pobl i fyw’n annibynnol a darparu cymorth brys i bobl y mae angen diogelu eu hiechyd a’u lles. Bydd y taliadau hyn ar gael i bobl sydd heb unrhyw fodd o dalu am eu costau byw ar y pryd; nid ydynt wedi’u bwriadu i dalu costau treuliau parhaol. Felly, nid oes angen ad\-dalu’r taliadau o’r gronfa hon. Bydd yn rhedeg yn y lle cyntaf am ddwy flynedd, a bydd y gyllideb flynyddol yr wyf wedi’i neilltuo ar gyfer y gronfa newydd yn £10\.2 miliwn bob blwyddyn.

Mae dwy elfen i’r Gronfa Gymorth Ddewisol. Yr elfen gyntaf fydd y Taliadau Cymorth Unigol. Caiff y rhain eu gwneud i gynorthwyo pobl sy’n agored i niwed fel y gallant fyw’n annibynnol yn y gymuned lle mae’n amlwg nad oes modd gwneud hyn heb gymorth. Bydd y taliadau hyn yn helpu i osgoi’r angen am ofal sefydliadol, yn lleddfu unrhyw bwysau eithriadol ar deuluoedd ar incwm isel ac yn helpu pobl sydd ar fudd\-daliadau lles sy’n gysylltiedig ag incwm i adsefydlu yn y gymuned.

Ail elfen y Gronfa fydd y Taliadau Cymorth Brys. Bydd y rhain ar gael i bawb dros 16 oed i dalu am dreuliau sy’n codi oherwydd argyfwng neu drychineb na ellir ei ragweld. Nid yw’r hawl i dderbyn y taliadau hyn yn seiliedig ar dderbyn budd\-daliadau lles sy’n gysylltiedig ag incwm.

Bydd yr Adran Gwaith a Phensiynau yn parhau i wneud rhai benthyciadau mewn argyfwng. Bydd hyn yn digwydd mewn achosion o galedi ac yn talu am gostau bwyd a gwres pan fydd budd\-dal i bobl sy’n agored i niwed wedi’i wrthod neu’i wahardd. Bydd rhagdaliadau tymor byr o fudd\-daliadau lles yn parhau i fod ar gael yn achos hawlydd na all dalu am gostau bwyd a gwres cyn iddo dderbyn ei fudd\-dal neu daliad diwrnod cyflog nesaf.

Caiff y trefniadau a’r meini prawf cymhwyster am Daliadau Cymorth Dewisol Llywodraeth Cymru eu hadolygu wrth i’r gronfa gael ei gweithredu o fis Ebrill ymlaen. Bydd Gwasanaethau Cyhoeddus Northgate yn datblygu ac yn cynnal perthynas waith agos â sefydliadau partner cydnabyddedig ar draws y Trydydd Sector a’r Sector Cyhoeddus yng Nghymru. Bydd hyn yn sicrhau bod y bobl sy’n fwyaf agored i niwed yn ein cymdeithas yn gallu manteisio ar y gefnogaeth a’r cymorth sydd eu hangen arnynt yn yr hinsawdd economaidd sydd ohoni.







Translation:


 
As part of the UK Government’s ongoing programme of welfare reform, elements of the current Social Fund provided by the UK Government, specifically the Discretionary Community Care Grants and Crisis Loans, are being discontinued at the end of March 2013\. The Welsh Government will therefore be introducing its own scheme from 1 April 2013\. The new scheme will be called the **Discretionary Assistance Fund**.  


Following consultation and engagement with our partner organisations across the Statutory and Third Sector in Wales, I have appointed Northgate Public Services working in partnership with the Family Fund and Wrexham County Borough Council as our provider to deliver this new scheme in Wales.  


The purpose of the Discretionary Assistance Fund is to offer payments or in kind support to enable or maintain independent living and to provide urgent assistance to people where there is an identified need to safeguard health and well being. These payments will be made available to people who have no other means of meeting the immediate cost of living and are not intended to meet the cost of ongoing expenses. As such, payments from this fund are not repayable. Initially to run for two years, the annual budget I have set aside for the new fund will be £10\.2 million each year.    


There are two elements to the Discretionary Assistance Fund. The first element of the fund will be **Individual Assistance Payments**. These will be made to support vulnerable people live independently in the community where it is evident that this cannot be achieved without help. These payments will help avoid the need for institutional care, ease exceptional pressure on low income families and help resettlement into the community for people in receipt of income related welfare benefits.


The second element of the fund will be **Emergency Assistance Payments**. These will be available to all people aged 16 and over to meet expenses incurred because of an unforeseen emergency or disaster. Eligibility to receive these payments is not based on receipt of income related welfare benefits.  


The **Department of Work and Pensions** will continue to make certain crisis loan payments in cases of hardship to meet the costs of food and heating where there has been a benefit payment to vulnerable people disallowed or sanctioned.  Short term advances of welfare benefit will also continue to be available when a claimant is unable to manage to meet the cost of food and heating before their next benefit or wage payday payment is made.


The arrangements and eligibility criteria for the Welsh Government’s Discretionary Assistance Payments will be kept under review as the fund is implemented from April. Northgate Public Services will develop and maintain a close working relationship with recognised partner organisations across the Third and Public Sector in Wales to ensure that the people most vulnerable in our society are able to access the support and help they need in the current economic climate.