English: As chair of the cross-party groups on hospices and palliative care and on funerals and bereavement in both this and the last Senedd, I've worked with our group member, Rhian Mannings, who submitted this petition and who founded the all-Wales charity 2 Wish Upon a Star, providing essential bereavement support for families who have suddenly or traumatically lost a child or young adult under 25, which may be from suicide or may be through accident or illness. She told me that sudden death is the forgotten death in Wales and that, although the charity has effectively become a statutory service in Wales, working with every health board and every police force, they receive no statutory support and have to raise every penny themselves, despite reducing pressure on mental health teams by helping to tackle the unforeseeable trauma of unpredictable death and loss. She started her fight, as we've heard, after her husband and son were taken from her suddenly. No preparation, she said, no warning, and then nothing, and states that the lack of support they received led directly to her husband taking his own life. Indeed, her determination to provide the support she would have wanted to receive after the death of her son and husband is why we are debating this most critical of issues today. There is currently no official bereavement support for families in Wales. It's all provided by organisations like 2 Wish Upon A Star or hospices like Tŷ Gobaith children's hospice near Conwy, where services include their snowflake room - a special, temperature-controlled room where families and friends can spend time saying goodbye, in their time and in their own way, to children who have died. The cross-party groups welcome the draft national framework for the delivery of bereavement care, published last week. Group members contributed significantly to its development, and our work programmes include focus on many of the topics contained within the framework. The framework's ambition to ensure that people in Wales have timely access to quality bereavement care and support touches at the very heart of today's debate. No family should be left alone and isolated after the loss of a child. In cross-party group meetings, we've also discussed instances of lack of understanding by public sector bodies of the specific bereavement needs of black and minority ethnic families in Wales. Indeed, the cross-party group on hospices and palliative care and Compassionate Cymru inquiry recommended tailored services to meet the specific needs of racialised communities, involving people from diverse communities to co-produce services. Today's petition rightly calls for the Welsh Government to support a service here in Wales to ensure that families who unexpectedly lose their child or young adult, aged 25 years and under, get the support they require. Let us heed the senior North Wales Police detective who told me, 'The services that 2 Wish Upon A Star provided the families across Wales who have suffered such a tragic event is very much needed and something that has been evidently lacking in north Wales from my own professional experience. North Wales Police has definitely seen the benefit of the services 2 Wish Upon A Star provide, not only in providing the families with a suitable environment within a hospital setting to discuss the circumstances with the professionals involved, but also somewhere where they can begin to come to terms with their loss. Furthermore', they said, '2 Wish Upon A Star provides essential ongoing professional support mechanisms for the family network thereafter.' And in addition to supporting families, 2 Wish Upon A Star has supported training to North Wales Police officers, which has had a significant impact on how they deal with the death of any child. 'Their involvement has undoubtedly assisted us', they said, 'in professionalising our approach.' I'll leave the last word to a senior North Wales Police staff member, who e-mailed, 'I was aware of 2 Wish Upon A Star from discussions in the workplace with colleagues. Unfortunately, I subsequently found myself in the position whereby I witnessed at first hand the benefit that 2 Wish Upon A Star can bring to those who suffer the incomparable devastation that only the loss of a child can bring. In my case, it was the death of my eight-week old nephew. I can confidently say that the benefit to his parents from 2 Wish Upon A Star has been immeasurable and continuing.' 'Without the help of schemes like this', he said, 'the darkness that can surround those suddenly and traumatically bereaved will be so much harder to navigate. I urge you', he said, 'to give this debate your fullest support.' Diolch.
Welsh: Fel cadeirydd y grwpiau trawsbleidiol ar ofal lliniarol a hosbisau ac ar angladdau a phrofedigaeth yn y Senedd hon a'r Senedd ddiwethaf, rwyf wedi gweithio gyda'n haelod o'r grŵp, Rhian Mannings, a gyflwynodd y ddeiseb hon ac a sefydlodd yr elusen 2 Wish Upon a Star yng Nghymru, sy'n darparu cymorth profedigaeth hanfodol i deuluoedd sydd wedi colli plant a phobl ifanc o dan 25 oed yn sydyn neu'n drawmatig o ganlyniad i hunanladdiad neu drwy ddamwain neu salwch. Dywedodd wrthyf mai marwolaeth sydyn yw'r farwolaeth sy'n cael ei hanghofio yng Nghymru, ac er bod yr elusen wedi dod yn wasanaeth statudol i bob pwrpas yng Nghymru, gan weithio gyda phob bwrdd iechyd a phob heddlu, nid ydynt yn cael unrhyw gymorth statudol ac mae'n rhaid iddynt godi pob ceiniog eu hunain, er eu bod yn lleihau'r pwysau ar dimau iechyd meddwl wrth helpu i fynd i'r afael â thrawma marwolaeth annisgwyl a cholled na ellid bod wedi'u rhagweld. Dechreuodd ei brwydr, fel y clywsom, ar ôl iddi golli ei gŵr a'i mab yn sydyn. Dim paratoi, dim rhybudd ac yna dim byd, meddai, a dywed fod y diffyg cymorth a gawsant wedi arwain yn uniongyrchol at hunanladdiad ei gŵr. Yn wir, ei phenderfyniad i ddarparu'r cymorth y byddai wedi dymuno ei gael yn sgil marwolaeth ei mab a'i gŵr yw'r rheswm pam ein bod yn trafod y mater hollbwysig hwn heddiw. Ar hyn o bryd, nid oes cymorth profedigaeth swyddogol i deuluoedd yng Nghymru. Fe'i darperir gan sefydliadau fel 2 Wish Upon A Star neu hosbisau fel hosbis plant Tŷ Gobaith ger Conwy, lle mae gwasanaethau'n cynnwys eu hystafell plu eira - ystafell arbennig y rheolir ei thymheredd lle gall teuluoedd a ffrindiau dreulio amser yn ffarwelio, yn eu hamser ac yn eu ffordd eu hunain, â phlant sydd wedi marw. Mae'r grwpiau trawsbleidiol yn croesawu'r fframwaith cenedlaethol drafft ar gyfer darparu gofal profedigaeth a gyhoeddwyd yr wythnos diwethaf. Cyfrannodd aelodau'r grŵp yn sylweddol at ei ddatblygiad, ac mae ein rhaglenni gwaith yn cynnwys ffocws ar lawer o'r pynciau sydd wedi'u cynnwys yn y fframwaith. Mae uchelgais y fframwaith i sicrhau bod pobl Cymru'n gallu cael gofal a chymorth profedigaeth amserol o ansawdd yn greiddiol i'r ddadl heddiw. Ni ddylai unrhyw deulu fod ar eu pennau eu hunain ac wedi'u hynysu ar ôl colli plentyn. Mewn cyfarfodydd grŵp trawsbleidiol, rydym hefyd wedi trafod enghreifftiau o ddiffyg dealltwriaeth gan gyrff y sector cyhoeddus o anghenion penodol teuluoedd du ac ethnig leiafrifol yng Nghymru mewn perthynas â phrofedigaethau. Yn wir, argymhellodd ymchwiliad Cymru Garedig a'r grŵp trawsbleidiol ar ofal lliniarol a hosbisau wasanaethau wedi'u teilwra i ddiwallu anghenion penodol cymunedau ar sail hil, gan gynnwys pobl o gymunedau amrywiol i gydgynhyrchu gwasanaethau. Mae'r ddeiseb heddiw yn galw ar Lywodraeth Cymru, yn gwbl briodol, i gefnogi gwasanaeth yma yng Nghymru i sicrhau bod teuluoedd sy'n colli plentyn neu oedolyn ifanc 25 oed ac iau yn annisgwyl yn cael y cymorth sydd ei angen arnynt. Gadewch inni wrando ar yr uwch dditectif o Heddlu Gogledd Cymru a ddywedodd wrthyf, 'Mae angen mawr am y gwasanaethau a ddarperir gan 2 Wish Upon A Star i'r teuluoedd ledled Cymru sydd wedi dioddef profiad mor drasig, ac mae'n rhywbeth sy'n amlwg wedi bod ar goll yng ngogledd Cymru yn fy mhrofiad proffesiynol personol. Mae Heddlu Gogledd Cymru yn bendant wedi gweld budd y gwasanaethau y mae 2 Wish Upon A Star yn eu darparu, nid yn unig wrth ddarparu amgylchedd addas mewn ysbyty i'r teuluoedd drafod yr amgylchiadau gyda gweithwyr proffesiynol, ond rhywle hefyd lle gallant ddechrau dygymod â'u colled. Yn ychwanegol at hynny', dywedant, 'mae 2 Wish Upon A Star yn darparu mecanweithiau cymorth proffesiynol parhaus hanfodol i rwydwaith y teulu wedi hynny.' Ac yn ogystal â chynorthwyo teuluoedd, mae 2 Wish Upon A Star wedi cefnogi hyfforddiant i swyddogion Heddlu Gogledd Cymru, sydd wedi cael effaith sylweddol ar sut y maent yn ymdrin â marwolaeth unrhyw blentyn. 'Heb os, maent wedi ein cynorthwyo ni', dywedant, 'drwy broffesiynoli ein dull o weithredu.' Rwyf am adael y gair olaf i uwch aelod o staff Heddlu Gogledd Cymru, a anfonodd e-bost, 'Roeddwn yn ymwybodol o 2 Wish Upon A Star o drafodaethau yn y gweithle gyda fy nghydweithwyr. Yn anffodus, bûm mewn sefyllfa wedi hynny lle gwelais â'm llygaid fy hun y budd y gall 2 Wish Upon A Star ei roi i'r rheini sy'n dioddef y galar aruthrol nad oes dim ond colli plentyn yn gallu ei greu. Yn fy achos i, digwyddodd hynny ar ôl marwolaeth fy nai wyth wythnos oed. Gallaf ddweud yn hyderus fod y budd a roddodd 2 Wish Upon A Star i'w rieni wedi bod yn anfesuradwy ac yn barhaus.' 'Heb gymorth cynlluniau fel hyn', meddai, 'byddai'n gymaint anoddach ymdopi â'r tywyllwch a all amgylchynu'r rheini sy'n cael profedigaeth sydyn a thrawmatig. Rwy'n eich annog', meddai, 'i roi eich cefnogaeth lawn i'r ddadl hon.' Diolch.