English: Thank you for your statement. I have to say the vast amount of autism-related casework my office is handling and the personal stories from outside of north Wales we're receiving indicate that huge sums of money continue to be spent getting it, sadly, very, very and sometimes tragically wrong. How do you respond to concerns raised with me that one of the four integrated autism service, or IAS, areas where the service has been launched are now saying they just want to become a diagnostic service and lose their support worker function? Another area is already making representations that, despite already receiving an extra £150,000 to £170,000 annually from local authorities and health boards on top of their IAS funding, they can't cope with the level of referrals they're receiving, and these are medical, not social referrals, not focused on prevention and intervention. Concern has been expressed to me that the majority of people accessing current non-IAS services will disappear or present in crisis. There is a concern about the lack of numbers being picked up by the IAS and the lack of services from IAS to pick up the slack from third sector bodies that, progressively, are losing local support, despite being supported sometimes by hundreds of local members of the autism community. You referred to the 26-week waiting time standard from referral to first-assessment appointment. What measures have the Welsh Government put in place to take action when health boards aren't meeting that target? Is the waiting-time data being updated quarterly, and if not, what action is the Welsh Government taking? How many autistic people have benefited from employment as a result of the Getting Ahead 2 programme? Did the Welsh Government achieve accreditation in the 'positive about working with autism' charter last year, and how is it maintaining its accreditation this year and beyond? How many people have accessed the integrated service in each of the four health boards where the service was launched, which professionals have received awareness training, and what are the priority areas, as we look forward, on that? Of course, in addition to awareness training, which is often led by non-autistic people who are professionals in the medical or caring professions, which have a medical focus, what action are you taking or will you take to address the massive deficit in autism acceptance and equality training led by trainers who are autistic people or members of the autism community, focused on autistic and non-autistic people working together to overcome the disabling barriers in society? Has the advisory group agreed a work plan? Will the Welsh Government publish that work plan if it has? How is the Welsh Government responding to the recommendations contained in the interim independent evaluation of its autism strategy and integrated autism service, which found weaknesses and inconsistencies in both assessment and diagnostic services for adults with autism and in support services for adults and children with autism? It said 'Success requires a co-productive approach involving staff, service users and carers in the design, implementation and evaluation of the IAS.' But there are concerns about the top-down approach, which they said had 'stifled this'. With the service being launched in north Wales on 27 June, as you said, what action will you be taking when you learn of stories that I raised last week, such as those of the judicial review proceedings settled recently, prior to a full hearing, when Flintshire council agreed to provide a formal apology and make a damages award after failing to assess and meet the needs of an autistic young person with additional needs, and to take full account of her parent carers' needs? That's just one case. I have I don't know how many similar cases - primarily but not exclusively in Flintshire - at the moment. How would you respond to the Flintshire parent who e-mailed me yesterday regarding the response to her Flintshire CAMHS complaint, which said, 'Your daughter doesn't have an ongoing anxiety condition', and was simply an apology for poor communication, but they'd been forced to a private psychiatrist because of lack of care, who has diagnosed the daughter with severe PTSD, depression and anxiety? She says, 'We're now glad we're getting treatment and a recommendation for home tutoring, thanks to our private psychiatrist, but my daughter should have received this when she asked Flintshire CAMHS for help six months ago.' I've nearly finished, but a key issue is the genderised issue. I've raised this many times, but I'm still almost daily receiving casework where girls clearly requiring autism diagnoses are being told they couldn't possibly have a diagnosis. A letter, for instance, from the health board here: 'It's difficult to marry the description of difficulties given by some families with the information from teaching staff who report no or minimal issues in the school environment. This is not indicative of children with ASD', when a wealth of national and international research and evidence directly contradicts that, in relation to the masking and coping strategies that many children, and particularly girls, adopt. You say that calls for autism legislation -
Welsh: Diolch i chi am eich datganiad. Mae'n rhaid imi ddweud bod y swm enfawr o waith achos sy'n gysylltiedig ag awtistiaeth y mae fy swyddfa i yn ei drafod a'r straeon personol o'r tu allan i'r gogledd yr ydym yn eu derbyn, yn awgrymu bod symiau enfawr o arian yn parhau i gael eu gwario, dim ond i'w gael, yn anffodus, yn anghywir iawn, iawn ac weithiau'n drasig o anghywir. Sut ydych chi'n ymateb i bryderon a godwyd â mi bod un o'r pedair ardal gwasanaeth awtistiaeth integredig, neu IAS, lle lansiwyd y gwasanaeth yn dweud erbyn hyn eu bod eisiau bod yn wasanaeth diagnostig a cholli eu swyddogaeth gweithiwr cymorth? Mae ardal arall eisoes yn nodi, er gwaethaf derbyn £150,000 i £170,000 ychwanegol bob blwyddyn gan awdurdodau lleol a byrddau iechyd ar ben eu cyllid IAS, na all ymdopi â nifer yr atgyfeiriadau y maen nhw'n eu cael, ac mae'r rhain yn atgyfeiriadau meddygol, nid rhai cymdeithasol, nid rhai sy'n canolbwyntio ar atal ac ymyrryd. Mynegwyd pryder wrthyf i y bydd y rhan fwyaf o'r bobl sy'n defnyddio gwasanaethau nad ydynt yn rhai IAS ar hyn o bryd yn diflannu neu'n ymddangos mewn argyfwng. Mae pryder am y diffyg niferoedd sy'n cael sylw gan yr IAS a'r diffyg gwasanaethau gan IAS i gario'r baich a drosglwyddir o gyrff trydydd sector sy'n colli'n gynyddol y cymorth lleol, er gwaethaf y ffaith eu bod wedi eu cefnogi weithiau gan gannoedd o aelodau lleol o'r gymuned awtistiaeth. Fe wnaethoch chi gyfeirio at safon amser aros o 26 wythnos o'r adeg atgyfeirio i'r apwyntiad asesu cyntaf. Pa fesurau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi'u rhoi ar waith i gymryd camau pan nad yw byrddau iechyd yn cyflawni'r targed hwnnw? A yw'r data amser aros yn cael ei ddiweddaru bob chwarter, ac os nad yw, pa gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd? Faint o bobl awtistig sydd wedi manteisio ar gyflogaeth o ganlyniad i'r rhaglen Ar y Blaen 2? A wnaeth Llywodraeth Cymru gyflawni achrediad yn y siarter 'bod yn fodlon gweithio gydag awtistiaeth' y llynedd, a sut y mae'n cynnal ei achrediad y flwyddyn hon a thu hwnt? Faint o bobl sydd wedi cael gafael ar y gwasanaeth integredig ym mhob un o'r pedwar bwrdd iechyd lle lansiwyd y gwasanaeth, pa weithwyr proffesiynol a gafodd hyfforddiant ymwybyddiaeth, a beth yw'r meysydd blaenoriaeth, wrth inni edrych i'r dyfodol, ar hynny? Wrth gwrs, yn ogystal â hyfforddiant ymwybyddiaeth, sy'n cael ei arwain yn aml gan bobl nad ydynt yn awtistig, sy'n weithwyr proffesiynol yn y proffesiynau meddygol neu ofalu, sydd â phwyslais meddygol, pa gamau ydych chi'n eu cymryd neu a fyddwch chi'n eu cymryd i fynd i'r afael â diffyg enfawr o ran derbyn awtistiaeth a hyfforddiant cydraddoldeb sy'n cael ei arwain gan hyfforddwyr sy'n bobl awtistig neu sy'n aelodau o'r gymuned awtistiaeth, sy'n canolbwyntio ar bobl awtistig a phobl nad ydynt yn awtistig yn gweithio gyda'i gilydd i oresgyn y rhwystrau sy'n anablu mewn cymdeithas? A yw'r grŵp cynghori wedi cytuno ar gynllun gwaith? A fydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn cyhoeddi'r cynllun gwaith hwnnw os yw ar gael? Sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ymateb i'r argymhellion a geir yn y gwerthusiad annibynnol interim o'i strategaeth awtistiaeth a'r gwasanaeth awtistiaeth integredig, a ganfu wendidau ac anghysondebau yn y gwasanaethau asesu a diagnostig i oedolion ag awtistiaeth ac yn y gwasanaethau cymorth ar gyfer oedolion a phlant ag awtistiaeth? Dywedodd: Er mwyn llwyddo, fod angen dull cydgynhyrchiol sy'n cynnwys staff, defnyddwyr gwasanaethau a gofalwyr wrth ddylunio, gweithredu a gwerthuso yr IAS. Ond mae yna bryderon am y dull o'r brig i lawr, y dywedwyd ei fod wedi rhwystro hyn. Gan fod y gwasanaeth yn cael ei lansio yn y gogledd ar 27 Mehefin, fel y gwnaethoch chi ddweud, pa gamau fyddwch chi'n eu cymryd pan fyddwch chi'n clywed y straeon a godais yr wythnos diwethaf, fel y rhai o'r achos adolygiad barnwrol a setlwyd yn ddiweddar, cyn y gwrandawiad llawn, pan gytunodd cyngor Sir y Fflint i roi ymddiheuriad ffurfiol a rhoi dyfarniad iawndal ar ôl methu ag asesu a diwallu anghenion person ifanc awtistig ag anghenion ychwanegol, ac ystyried yn llawn anghenion gofalwr ei rhiant? Un achos yn unig yw hwnnw. Mae gen i wn i ddim faint o achosion tebyg - yn bennaf, ond nid yn unig yn Sir y Fflint - ar hyn o bryd. Sut y byddech chi'n ymateb i'r rhiant yn Sir y Fflint a anfonodd neges e-bost ataf ddoe ynghylch yr ymateb i'w chŵyn i CAMHS Sir y Fflint, yn dweud, 'Nid oes gan eich merch gyflwr gorbryder parhaus', a dim ond ymddiheuriad ydoedd am gyfathrebu gwael, ond roeddynt wedi gorfod mynd at seiciatrydd preifat oherwydd diffyg gofal, sydd wedi rhoi diagnosis bod y ferch ag achos difrifol o Anhwylder Straen Wedi Trawma, iselder a gorbryder? Mae hi'n dweud, 'Rydym ni'n falch nawr ein bod yn cael triniaeth ac argymhelliad am diwtora gartref, diolch i'n seiciatrydd preifat, ond dylai fy merch fod wedi cael hwn pan ofynnodd hi i CAMHS Sir y Fflint am gymorth chwe mis yn ôl.' Rwyf i bron â gorffen, ond mater allweddol yw'r mater o rywedd. Rwyf wedi codi hyn droeon, ond rwy'n dal i dderbyn gwaith achos, bron bob dydd, lle dywedir wrth ferched sydd ag angen amlwg am ddiagnosis o awtistiaeth nad yw'n bosibl o gwbl iddyn nhw gael diagnosis o'r fath. Llythyr, er enghraifft, gan y bwrdd iechyd yn y fan yma: 'Mae'n anodd cyfuno'r disgrifiad o'r anawsterau a roddir gan rai teuluoedd â'r wybodaeth gan staff addysgu sy'n adrodd dim neu ychydig iawn o broblemau yn amgylchedd yr ysgol. Nid yw hyn yn nodweddiadol o blant sydd ag ASD', pan fo cyfoeth o ymchwil a thystiolaeth genedlaethol a rhyngwladol yn gwrthddweud hynny'n uniongyrchol, o ran y strategaethau cuddio ac ymdopi y mae llawer o blant, ac yn enwedig merched, yn eu mabwysiadu. Rydych chi'n dweud bod galwadau am ddeddfwriaeth awtistiaeth -