English: I thank very much David Melding for his contribution and for his welcoming of the announcements today, and I really would like to begin by thanking David for the work that he does, and he has done for many years, as a real champion for children and young people in care and leaving care. I commend him and, again, thank him for the work that he does on the ministerial advisory group as well. I'll address immediately the issue raised regarding targets. When the First Minister announced the additional £10 million last year, he said it would be his intention to eradicate youth homelessness in Wales in 10 years, so that would be by 2027. I am under no illusions as to how difficult a task that is going to be. In the first instance, it's very hard to grasp a figure of how many young people are homeless, because many of them don't necessarily identify themselves as being homeless. If they feel unable to stay within the family home and are sleeping on a friend's sofa, for example, they don't identify as homeless, but we would certainly consider them to be so. Equally, young people can become homeless as a result of the family losing their home as well. So, we understand that the estimate of young homeless people is around 7,000, and that figure is a figure given to us by the End Youth Homelessness Cymru campaign. I think that really does give us an idea of the magnitude of the job ahead of us. David Melding referred to the St David's Day fund. I'm really pleased that we're able to add additional funding to this, because we have seen the impact that it's already been making. Since its launch just last year, it's helped over 1,900 care-experienced children and young people to receive funding to support their transition into adulthood. Case studies show that the funding has been really used very flexibly and creatively by local authorities to meet the needs of those young people in the same way that birth parents might support their children. So, for example, the fund has been used to pay for driving lessons to enable care leavers to access employment and education; bridging payments to enable continuity of tenancy and residence, or due to an unexpected shortfall in benefits, for example; enrolment on courses; materials for study; laptops for further and higher education studies; and also clothing and uniforms for work as well - so, all the kinds of costs that young people can incur in their move on to adult life. So, it's a really exciting fund, and I'm glad to see the difference that it's already making. One of the really exciting parts of the statement today for me, I think, is that innovation fund. I really do want to have that space where we can come forward with good ideas, because one thing I've learned in the year that I've been working closely with this sector is that it is a sector brimming with good ideas and a desire to move forward and look at solutions and opportunities. So, I'm really looking forward to the kind of schemes that will come forward. Just for clarity, there'll be a bidding process for that funding, and the criteria are currently finalised for that. The funding sits within the homelessness prevention grants, and there'll be a panel within the Welsh Government to assist us in determining which will be the successful programmes, but, absolutely, housing first could be one of those of kinds of programmes. I was really pleased to have the opportunity to visit the Rock Trust in Scotland, which was the first ever housing first project in the UK. It started in 2017, so it's still early days there, but they are very enthusiastic about what's being achieved there. I liked it when David Melding used the phrase 'whatever it takes', because that, actually, is the Rock Trust's approach to housing first - it is about whatever it takes. I've also been very clear with local authorities that our housing legislation must be seen within the spirit of it as well, rather than just discharging the duties to the letter of the law. An example would be a young person who risks homelessness. There's an immediate intervention by the local authority to try to prevent that homelessness, but, for one reason or another, it doesn't work out. Well, they've discharged their duties, but, actually, the spirit of the law would mean that they keep going back to ensure that that young person doesn't become homeless. So, we've been very clear with local authorities on that. Again, the point that David Melding raises about wide-ranging understanding of the risks of youth homelessness and how to identify it is important, and is, again, something that has been identified as suitable for further funding in my statement today. Thank you.
Welsh: Diolch yn fawr iawn i David Melding am ei gyfraniad ac am ei groeso i'r cyhoeddiadau heddiw. Hoffwn ddechrau drwy ddiolch i David am y gwaith y mae'n ei wneud, ac y mae wedi'i wneud ers blynyddoedd lawer, fel eiriolwr gwirioneddol ar gyfer plant a phobl ifanc mewn gofal ac sy'n gadael gofal. Rwy'n ei gymeradwyo ac, unwaith eto, yn diolch iddo am y gwaith a wna ar y grŵp cynghori gweinidogol hefyd. Hoffwn roi sylw ar unwaith i'r mater a godwyd ynghylch targedau. Pan gyhoeddodd y Prif Weinidog y £10 miliwn ychwanegol y flwyddyn ddiwethaf, dywedodd mai ei fwriad f yddai dileu digartrefedd ymhlith pobl ifanc yng Nghymru mewn 10 mlynedd, felly byddai hynny erbyn 2027. Nid wyf dan unrhyw gamargraff o ran pa mor anodd fydd y dasg. Yn y lle cyntaf, mae'n anodd iawn deall faint yn union o bobl ifanc sy'n ddigartref, oherwydd nid yw llawer ohonynt o anghenraid yn disgrifio eu hunain yn ddigartref. Os ydynt yn teimlo na allant aros yng nghartref y teulu ac maent yn cysgu ar soffa ffrind, er enghraifft, nid ydynt yn disgrifio eu hunain fel pobl ddigartref, ond byddem ni yn sicr yn ystyried eu bod yn ddigartref. Yn yr un modd, gall pobl ifanc gael eu hunain yn ddigartref o ganlyniad i'r teulu'n colli eu cartref. Felly, rydym yn deall yr amcangyfrif bod tua 7,000 o bobl ifanc yn ddigartref, a'r ffigur hwnnw yw'r ffigur a roddwyd i ni gan yr ymgyrch Dileu Digartrefedd Ieuenctid Cymru. Credaf fod hynny mewn gwirionedd yn rhoi syniad inni o faint y dasg sy'n ein hwynebu. Cyfeiriodd David Melding at y gronfa Dydd Gŵyl Dewi. Rwy'n falch iawn ein bod ni'n gallu cyfrannu arian ychwanegol at hon, oherwydd rydym wedi gweld yr effaith y mae wedi'i chael eisoes. Ers ei lansio y llynedd yn unig, mae wedi helpu dros 1,900 o blant a phobl ifanc â phrofiad o fod mewn gofal i gael arian i gefnogi eu cyfnod pontio i fod yn oedolion. Mae'r astudiaethau achos yn dangos bod y cyllid wedi cael ei ddefnyddio yn hyblyg ac yn greadigol iawn gan awdurdodau lleol i ddiwallu anghenion y bobl ifanc hynny yn yr un modd y gallai rhieni biolegol gefnogi eu plant. Felly, er enghraifft, defnyddiwyd y gronfa i dalu am wersi gyrru i alluogi'r rhai sy'n gadael gofal i gael cyflogaeth ac addysg; taliadau pontio er mwyn galluogi parhad tenantiaeth a phreswylfa, neu oherwydd diffyg annisgwyl mewn budd-daliadau, er enghraifft; cofrestru ar gyrsiau; deunyddiau ar gyfer astudiaeth; gliniaduron ar gyfer astudiaethau addysg bellach ac uwch; a hefyd dillad a gwisgoedd ar gyfer gwaith - felly, pob math o gostau y gall pobl ifanc orfod eu hysgwyddo wrth iddynt symud ymlaen at fywyd fel oedolyn. Felly, mae'n gronfa gyffrous iawn, ac rwy'n falch o weld y gwahaniaeth y mae'n ei wneud eisoes. Un o rannau cyffrous iawn y datganiad heddiw i mi, rwy'n credu, yw'r gronfa arloesi honno. Rwyf wirioneddol eisiau cael y gofod lle gallwn gyflwyno syniadau da. Oherwydd un peth a ddysgais yn ystod y flwyddyn y bûm yn cydweithio'n agos â'r sector hwn yw ei fod yn sector sy'n byrlymu â syniadau da ac awydd i symud ymlaen ac edrych ar atebion a chyfleoedd. Felly, rwy'n edrych ymlaen at y math o gynlluniau a fydd yn cael eu cynnig. Er mwyn eglurder yn unig, bydd proses ymgeisio am y cyllid hwnnw, ac mae'r meini prawf yn cael eu cwblhau ar hyn o bryd ar gyfer hynny. Mae'r cyllid yn eistedd o fewn y grantiau atal digartrefedd, a bydd panel o fewn Llywodraeth Cymru yn helpu i benderfynu pa rai fydd y rhaglenni llwyddiannus. Ond yn bendant, gallai tai yn gyntaf fod yn un o'r mathau hynny o raglenni. Roeddwn yn falch iawn o gael y cyfle i ymweld â'r Rock Trust yn yr Alban, sef y prosiect tai yn gyntaf cyntaf erioed yn y DU. Dechreuodd yn 2017, felly mae'n ddyddiau cynnar o hyd yno, ond maent yn frwdfrydig iawn ynghylch beth sy'n cael ei gyflawni yno. Roeddwn yn hoffi pan ddefnyddiodd David Melding yr ymadrodd 'beth bynnag y mae angen ei wneud', oherwydd, mewn gwirionedd, dyna ddull Rock Trust o weithredu tai yn gyntaf - mae'n fater o beth bynnag y mae angen ei wneud. Hefyd, rwyf wedi bod yn glir iawn gydag awdurdodau lleol bod yn rhaid i'n deddfwriaeth tai gael ei h ystyried o fewn ysbryd hynny hefyd, yn hytrach na dim ond cyflawni dyletswyddau i lythyren y gyfraith. Un enghraifft fyddai person ifanc mewn perygl o ddigartrefedd. Ceir ymyriad uniongyrchol gan yr awdurdod lleol i geisio atal y digartrefedd hwnnw, ond, am ryw reswm neu'i gilydd, nid yw'n gweithio. Wel, maent wedi cyflawni eu dyletswyddau, ond, mewn gwirionedd, byddai ysbryd y gyfraith yn golygu eu bod yn dal i fynd yn ôl i sicrhau na fydd y person ifanc hwnnw yn cael ei hun yn ddigartref. Felly, rydym wedi bod yn glir iawn gydag awdurdodau lleol ar hynny. Unwaith eto, mae'r pwynt y mae David Melding yn ei godi ynglŷn â dealltwriaeth eang o beryglon digartrefedd ieuenctid a sut i'w nodi yn bwysig, ac y mae, unwaith eto, yn rhywbeth a nodwyd yn addas ar gyfer cyllid pellach yn fy natganiad i heddiw. Diolch i chi.