English: This brings me to the first priority - safely reducing the number of children in need of care. It is noted that, despite reports having researched the cause of increased numbers of children in care, these numbers continue to rise. It is too early to say that this is despite the First Minister's reduction in expectations. In July the Deputy Minister made a statement advising that only 16 local authorities had set targets to reduce their looked-after population. So, I wonder whether the other authorities have yet set their own targets. I do appreciate the positive ambition, but at present I doubt that it will be achieved. Reductions must be secured safely, so I do welcome the reinforcement of moves towards the prevention and intervention agenda. Fifteen million pounds has been allocated to expanding these preventative and intervention services via the integrated care fund. Now, according to the Wales Audit Office, the fund's overall impact in improving outcomes for service users remains unclear, so I would appreciate some assurances today that the money is not being prevented from achieving its positive ambition. Indeed, I agree that there needs to be an agenda that is definitely more focused on prevention. Only last week I did call for the founding of family drug and alcohol courts here to help solve problems in families at risk of losing their children. We also do need more support for children's services, i.e. our departments, who have some fantastic people working on the front line, wanting to support families and wanting to support these children. For example, my own authority, Conwy Country Borough Council, has seen a 23 per cent increase in the number of looked-after children since 2016, and social services departments are set to have a £2.25 million overspend this financial year. In the short term, local authorities like Conwy deserve emergency financial support where an additional financial strain caused by the increasing number and complexity of cases can actually be proven. Support for looked-after children is also provided by schools. However, sadly the percentage of children achieving the core subject indicator at key stage 2 fell to 58.3 per cent in 2018-19. We have the pupil development grant for the remainder of the Assembly term, but I suppose the question I would have is we do need to see how effective this is in helping with this combined agenda. The 'School Funding in Wales' report found that the PDG had actually, in some instances, been used to top up and bolster core funding. That cannot be right. Similarly, it is noted that £15 million has been provided to develop therapeutic services, but how much of a difference is this making? Almost 100 children from north Wales have been sent out of the region for mental health treatment in the last four years. The report identifies that it is difficult to access the right help at the right time because of thresholds to specialist services, so I would like to see some progress, working with the Deputy Minister on this. Likewise, we need positive change on the alarming finding that it is becoming more difficult to match children to appropriate placements: 9.2 per cent of children had three or more placements in 2018-19. It is now a year since the Public Accounts Committee recommended a national strategic approach to commissioning placements. So, it is time for us to actually deliver this. Certainly, I welcome the report before us today, and the good work it outlines, but hope to have shown that more needs to be done to ensure that we safely prevent. We want to see all intended support reach our looked-after children and we all need to do more to help the front-line services we so heavily rely on to help our young people in care. Thank you.
Welsh: Daw hyn â mi at y flaenoriaeth gyntaf - gostwng yn ddiogel nifer y plant y mae angen gofal arnyn nhw. Er bod yr adroddiadau wedi ymchwilio i achos y cynnydd yn nifer y plant mewn gofal, nodir bod y niferoedd hyn yn dal i godi. Mae'n rhy gynnar i ddweud bod hyn er gwaethaf disgwyliadau is y Prif Weinidog. Ym mis Gorffennaf, gwnaeth y Dirprwy Weinidog ddatganiad yn dweud mai dim ond 16 o awdurdodau lleol a oedd wedi gosod targedau i leihau eu poblogaeth sy'n derbyn gofal. Felly, tybed a yw'r awdurdodau eraill wedi gosod eu targedau eu hunain eto. Rwy'n gwerthfawrogi'r uchelgais gadarnhaol, ond ar hyn o bryd rwy'n amau a gaiff ei chyflawni. Rhaid sicrhau bod gostyngiadau'n ddiogel, felly rwy'n croesawu'r camau i atgyfnerthu'r symudiadau tuag at yr agenda atal ac ymyrryd. Mae £15 miliwn wedi'i ddyrannu i ehangu'r gwasanaethau ataliol ac ymyrryd hyn drwy'r gronfa gofal integredig. Nawr, yn ôl Swyddfa Archwilio Cymru, mae effaith gyffredinol y gronfa o ran gwella canlyniadau i ddefnyddwyr gwasanaethau yn parhau i fod yn aneglur, felly byddwn yn gwerthfawrogi rhywfaint o sicrwydd heddiw nad yw'r arian yn cael ei atal rhag cyflawni ei uchelgais cadarnhaol. Yn wir, rwy'n cytuno bod angen agenda sy'n bendant yn canolbwyntio mwy ar atal. Yr wythnos diwethaf, fe wnes i alw am sefydlu llysoedd teuluol cyffuriau ac alcohol yma i helpu datrys problemau mewn teuluoedd sydd mewn perygl o golli eu plant. Mae arnom ni hefyd angen mwy o gefnogaeth i wasanaethau plant, h.y. ein hadrannau, sydd â rhai pobl wych yn gweithio ar y rheng flaen, sydd eisiau cefnogi teuluoedd ac sy'n dymuno cefnogi'r plant hyn. Er enghraifft, mae fy awdurdod i, Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Conwy, wedi gweld cynnydd o 23 y cant yn nifer y plant sy'n derbyn gofal ers 2016, a disgwylir y bydd adrannau gwasanaethau cymdeithasol yn gwario £2.25 miliwn yn ormod yn y flwyddyn ariannol hon. Yn y tymor byr, mae awdurdodau lleol fel Conwy yn haeddu cymorth ariannol brys lle gellir profi mewn gwirionedd bod straen ariannol ychwanegol oherwydd y nifer cynyddol o achosion a chymhlethdod y sefyllfa. Mae ysgolion hefyd yn darparu cymorth i blant sy'n derbyn gofal. Fodd bynnag, yn anffodus gostyngodd canran y plant a gyflawnodd y dangosydd pynciau craidd yng nghyfnod allweddol 2 i 58.3 y cant yn 2018-19. Mae gennym ni'r grant datblygu disgyblion ar gyfer gweddill y tymor Cynulliad, ond mae'n debyg mai'r cwestiwn a fyddai gennyf yw bod angen i ni weld pa mor effeithiol yw hyn o ran helpu gyda'r agenda gyfunol hon. Canfu'r adroddiad 'Cyllido Ysgolion yng Nghymru' fod y grant datblygu disgyblion wedi cael ei ddefnyddio, mewn rhai achosion, i ychwanegu at y cyllid craidd a'i gryfhau. Ni all hynny fod yn iawn. Yn yr un modd, nodir bod £15 miliwn wedi cael ei ddarparu i ddatblygu gwasanaethau therapiwtig, ond faint o wahaniaeth y mae hyn yn ei wneud? Mae bron i 100 o blant o'r gogledd wedi cael eu hanfon allan o'r rhanbarth am driniaeth iechyd meddwl yn y pedair blynedd diwethaf. Mae'r adroddiad yn nodi ei bod hi'n anodd cael y cymorth cywir ar yr adeg gywir oherwydd trothwyon ar gyfer gwasanaethau arbenigol, felly hoffwn weld rhywfaint o gynnydd, gan weithio gyda'r Dirprwy Weinidog ynghylch hyn. Yn yr un modd, mae angen newid cadarnhaol yn sgil y canfyddiad brawychus ei bod hi'n mynd yn anos paru plant â lleoliadau priodol: cafodd 9.2 y cant o blant dri neu fwy o leoliadau yn 2018-19. Aeth blwyddyn heibio bellach ers i'r Pwyllgor Cyfrifon Cyhoeddus argymell dull strategol cenedlaethol o gomisiynu lleoliadau. Felly, mae'n bryd i ni gyflawni hyn mewn gwirionedd. Yn sicr, rwy'n croesawu'r adroddiad sydd ger ein bron heddiw, a'r gwaith da y mae'n ei amlinellu, ond gobeithiaf ei fod wedi dangos bod angen gwneud mwy i sicrhau ein bod yn atal yn ddiogel. Rydym ni eisiau gweld yr holl gymorth y bwriedir ei roi yn cyrraedd ein plant sy'n derbyn gofal ac mae angen i bob un ohonom ni wneud mwy i helpu'r gwasanaethau rheng flaen y dibynnwn mor drwm arnyn nhw i helpu ein pobl ifanc mewn gofal. Diolch.