English: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Minister - Deputy Minister - I'm really pleased to hear you talking about reducing the number of children in care. The fact that there's been a 34 per cent increase in 15 years is really, really concerning. I'd like to know more about the variations that you're talking about. If there are areas of Wales where the rate of looked-after children is almost three times higher than in the north of Ireland, then I think we really need to know why. I'm really concerned about the privatisation of looking after children. There are private companies in Wales that don't welcome scrutiny, they don't want councillors to visit the homes - in fact, they refuse visits - and there is a complete lack of transparency and a huge - a huge - profit motive. I've got a case on my books where the child is begging to go back home - begging - but that child is worth certainly £300,000 a year, and it could even be £0.5 million; they won't confirm it, because of the client confidentiality. And so that care home is never going to let that child go - never. I can't go to the children's commissioner, because it's an individual case; I can't go to you - I've tried, but it's an individual case, and - . Maybe the Youth Parliament can help, because these children need a voice. And the case I'm talking about - . Being an independent, I was lucky to have a bigger budget; I was able to employ a really experienced social worker full-time, and it took two months of work to find the paperwork to find that, basically, the child should never have been taken into care. Errors were made and information was not passed across. That case is still ongoing. But, just to go back to the profit motive, I think it's scandalous. It's pleasing that the president of the family court is making this issue his No. 1 priority. For me, it's disappointing that six local authorities have not given targets, so I was wondering which local authorities they were. I want to mention as well parental alienation. It affects so many mothers, fathers, grandparents and also parents of children in care. Again, we're back to the profit motive. Lots of people do a tremendous job, but I think that we cannot ignore the fact that these children in some circumstances represent bags of money, and I have parents knocking on my office door telling me that they're being alienated from their children. This issue really does need to be looked at. In closing, I do want to emphasise I'm really concerned about the lack of scrutiny, the lack of transparency, with private companies making an absolute fortune. If we are the corporate grandparents, give us the opportunity to look after those children and to look after their interests. As it stands now, it's very, very difficult, and we're met with extreme hostility and, indeed, complaints.
Welsh: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. Gweinidog - Dirprwy Weinidog - rwy'n falch iawn o'ch clywed yn sôn am leihau nifer y plant mewn gofal. Mae'r ffaith bod cynnydd o 34 y cant wedi bod mewn 15 mlynedd yn peri pryder mawr. Hoffwn i wybod mwy am yr amrywiadau yr ydych chi'n sôn amdanynt. Os oes yna ardaloedd o Gymru lle mae cyfradd y plant sy'n derbyn gofal bron dair gwaith yn uwch nag yng Ngogledd Iwerddon, yna credaf fod gwir angen inni wybod pam. Rwy'n pryderu'n fawr am breifateiddio gwasanaethau gofalu am blant. Mae yna gwmnïau preifat yng Nghymru nad ydynt yn croesawu craffu, nad ydynt eisiau i gynghorwyr ymweld â'r cartrefi - yn wir, maen nhw'n gwrthod ymweliadau - ac mae diffyg tryloywder llwyr a chymhelliant enfawr - enfawr - i wneud elw. Mae gen i achos ar fy llyfrau lle mae'r plentyn yn ymbil am gael mynd yn ôl adref - yn ymbil - ond mae'r plentyn hwnnw'n werth £300,000 y flwyddyn yn sicr, a gallai fod yn £0.5 miliwn hyd yn oed; nid ydynt yn barod i'w gadarnhau, oherwydd cyfrinachedd y cleient. Felly, nid yw'r cartref gofal hwnnw byth yn mynd i adael i'r plentyn hwnnw fynd - byth. Allaf i ddim mynd at y comisiynydd plant, oherwydd mae'n achos unigol; allaf i ddim mynd atoch chi - rydw i wedi ceisio, ond mae'n achos unigol, ac - . Efallai y gall y Senedd Ieuenctid helpu, oherwydd mae angen llais ar y plant hyn. A'r achos yr wyf yn sôn amdano - . A minnau'n annibynnol, roeddwn yn ffodus o gael cyllideb fwy; llwyddais i gyflogi gweithiwr cymdeithasol profiadol iawn yn llawn amser, a chymerodd ddau fis o waith i ddod o hyd i'r gwaith papur a chanfod, yn y bôn, na ddylai'r plentyn byth fod wedi cael ei gymryd i mewn i ofal. Cafodd camgymeriadau eu gwneud ac nid oedd gwybodaeth yn cael ei throsglwyddo. Mae'r achos yn dal i fynd rhagddo. Ond, i ddychwelyd at y cymhelliad elw, rwyf i o'r farn ei fod yn warthus. Mae'n braf bod llywydd y llys teulu yn gwneud y mater hwn yn brif flaenoriaeth iddo. I mi, mae'n siomedig nad yw chwe awdurdod lleol wedi cyflwyno targedau, felly tybed pa awdurdodau lleol oeddent. Rwyf eisiau sôn hefyd am ddieithrio plentyn oddi wrth riant. Mae'n effeithio ar gynifer o famau, tadau, teidiau a neiniau a hefyd rieni plant mewn gofal. Unwaith eto, mae'n mynd â ni yn ôl at y cymhelliad o wneud elw. Mae llawer o bobl yn gwneud gwaith rhagorol, ond credaf na allwn anwybyddu'r ffaith bod y plant hyn mewn rhai amgylchiadau'n cynrychioli llawer o arian, ac mae rhieni'n curo ar ddrws fy swyddfa yn dweud wrthyf eu bod yn cael eu dieithrio oddi wrth eu plant. Mae gwir angen ystyried y mater hwn. Wrth gloi, rwyf eisiau pwysleisio fy mod i'n pryderu'n fawr am y diffyg craffu, y diffyg tryloywder, gyda chwmnïau preifat yn gwneud ffortiwn. Os mai ni yw'r neiniau a'r teidiau corfforaethol, rhowch gyfle inni ofalu am y plant hynny a'u buddion. Fel y mae pethau ar hyn o bryd, mae'n anodd iawn iawn ac rydym yn wynebu gelyniaeth eithafol ac, yn wir, gwynion.