English: Thank you, Chair, and thank you for the opportunity to discuss this report and thank you for the work that the children's commissioner does to try and improve the lives of children and young people in Wales. There is no doubt that the COVID-19 crisis has changed the lives of the children of Wales in a dramatic manner, with schools and childcare settings closed for long periods of time, lectures and lessons delivered online, playgrounds closed and major restrictions on opportunities to socialise. And it's no surprise that there's been more demand than ever before for the Childline service, and there are major concerns as to how the pandemic is impacting the mental health of children and young people in the present and in the longer term. Although COVID-19 may have changed the lives of the children of Wales forever, one could argue that many of the issues contained within this report - this latest annual report - tell the same old stories, unfortunately. The report includes a broad range of well-established concerns on the quality of mental health services for children, children continuing to live in poverty and children in care not receiving the specialist care that they need. These are some of the complex issues that impact the lives of children and young people and are likely to have been exacerbated by COVID-19. And one could argue that the need to ensure that the Welsh Government's policy approaches are successful is more important than ever before. We therefore need to implement the 18 detailed and sensible recommendations made by the commissioner across a range of specific areas: in terms of residential care for children with complex needs, in terms of personal advisers for young people leaving care, reforms to corporate parenting, support for young offenders and strengthening child protection measures. These are just a few examples. There are many very practical recommendations contained in this report that could make great differences to particular groups of children and young people. There is one area that is a cause of specific concern, namely elective home education, an issue the commissioner has made recommendations on in her past four annual reports - that's four annual reports. She has called for some legal changes in this area. Now, prior to COVID-19, the Welsh Government had consulted on statutory guidance and regulations to tackle the commissioner's concerns, but in June the education Minister announced that that work couldn't be completed within this Senedd term. In September the commissioner stated that she does intend to use her statutory powers for the very first time to review the actions of Welsh Government in this area. I support this and I believe that the commissioner has been very patient indeed on this issue - too patient, perhaps - and that swifter action and a swifter review from the commissioner would have led to the improvement that we need to see. Unfortunately, another area that the Welsh Government has decided not to take action on is the need for teachers in independent schools to register with the Education Workforce Council. We will all recall the headteacher in a Ruthin school who was sacked from his post after a report discovered that pupils there were at risk of harm because of failings in child protection. Extending the law that places a duty on private schools as well as state schools to register their teachers is one way of seeking to avoid such serious failings for the future, but action on this too has been pushed on to the next Senedd, and once again, the commissioner has stated that she will use her statutory powers in order to review the actions of the Welsh Government in this area. I know that this public health crisis means that we must shelve some legislative issues, but these would have been quite simple issues to deal with, and one has to question the wisdom of leaving both of these issues on the table when the well-being of the children of Wales is one of the main priorities of this Government and this Senedd. The commissioner will use her statutory powers on two issues, and they are two issues of concern for everyone in the Senedd, and it's a cause of concern that she has to use those statutory powers. Before I conclude, I would just like to draw attention to the commissioner's report 'No Wrong Door' and the need for regional boards to ensure that no child or family will fall through the net in seeking support for mental health and behavioural issues. This is a very important report, and we need to maintain a focus on this work. The 'Happy, healthy and safe' manifesto is also of interest, with some of the ideas certainly corresponding to Plaid Cymru's priorities. There'll be an opportunity to discuss some of the issues contained within the children commissioner's manifesto in our debate on education tomorrow, so I won't expand on that. The report before us today does include a period prior to the COVID period, from 1 April 2019 to the end of March 2020. Now, the next report will deal with a very difficult COVID period, and it's likely to have a very different flavour and will focus on issues that will have emerged anew during the COVID crisis, or that have been highlighted anew as issues that are of some importance. But it's important that we maintain a focus on those issues in this report too. I'd like to thank the commissioner and her team for the collaboration between us, and I look forward to further collaboration during the rest of this Senedd term.
Welsh: Diolch, Cadeirydd, a diolch yn fawr iawn am y cyfle i drafod yr adroddiad yma ac am y gwaith mae'r comisiynydd plant yn ei wneud i geisio gwella bywydau plant a phobl ifanc yng Nghymru. Does dim dwywaith fod argyfwng COVID-19 wedi newid bywydau plant Cymru mewn ffordd hollol ddramatig, gydag ysgolion a lleoliadau gofal plant ar gau am gyfnodau hir, darlithoedd a gwersi yn cael eu haddysgu ar-lein, meysydd chwarae ar gau a chyfyngiadau mawr ar gyfleon i gymdeithasu. A dydy o ddim syndod y bu mwy o alw nag erioed o'r blaen am y gwasanaeth Childline, ac mae pryderon mawr ynghylch sut mae'r pandemig yn effeithio ar iechyd meddwl plant a phobl ifanc yn y presennol ac yn y tymor hir. Er efallai bod COVID-19 wedi newid bywydau plant Cymru am byth, fe ellir dadlau bod llawer o'r materion yn yr adroddiad yma - yr adroddiad diweddaraf - yn dweud yr un hen straeon wrthym ni, yn anffodus. Mae'r adroddiad yn cynnwys ystod eang o bryderon hir sefydlog ynghylch ansawdd gwasanaethau iechyd meddwl i blant, plant yn parhau i fyw mewn tlodi a phlant mewn gofal nad ydyn nhw'n cael y gefnogaeth arbenigol sydd ei hangen arnyn nhw. Dyma rai o'r problemau cymhleth sy'n effeithio'n fawr ar fywydau plant a phobl ifanc ac sy'n debygol o gael eu gwaethygu gan COVID-19. Ac fe ellir dadlau bod yr angen i sicrhau bod dulliau polisi Llywodraeth Cymru yn llwyddo yn bwysicach nag erioed o'r blaen. Mae angen felly bwrw ati i weithredu y 18 o argymhellion manwl a synhwyrol mae'r comisiynydd wedi'u cyflwyno ar draws sawl maes penodol: o ran gofal preswyl plant gydag anghenion cymhleth, o ran cynghorwyr personol ar gyfer pobl ifanc sy'n gadael gofal, diwygio rhianta corfforaethol, cefnogaeth i droseddwyr ifanc a chryfhau mesurau diogelu plant. Dim ond rhai enghreifftiau ydy'r rheini. Mae yna lawer o argymhellion cwbl ymarferol allai wneud gwahaniaeth mawr i grwpiau penodol o blant a phobl ifanc. Mae yna un maes yn codi pryder penodol, sef addysg ddewisol yn y cartref, mater y mae'r comisiynydd wedi gwneud argymhellion yn ei gylch yn ei phedwar adroddiad blynyddol diwethaf - pedwar adroddiad. Mae hi wedi galw am newidiadau cyfreithiol ynghylch hyn. Cyn COVID-19, mi oedd Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ymgynghori ar ganllawiau statudol drafft, a rheoliadau i fynd i'r afael â phryderon y comisiynydd, ond ym mis Mehefin fe gyhoeddodd y Gweinidog Addysg nad oedd modd cwblhau'r gwaith a oedd wedi'i gynllunio o fewn tymor y Senedd yma. Ym mis Medi mi wnaeth y comisiynydd ddweud ei bod hi'n bwriadu defnyddio ei phwerau statudol am y tro cyntaf i adolygu camau gweithredu Llywodraeth Cymru yn y maes yma. Dwi'n cefnogi hyn ac yn credu bod y comisiynydd wedi bod yn amyneddgar iawn, iawn efo hyn oll - yn rhy amyneddgar, efallai - ac y byddai gweithredu cynt ac adolygiad cynt gan y comisiynydd wedi arwain at y gwelliant sydd ei angen. Yn anffodus, maes arall y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi penderfynu peidio â gweithredu yn ei gylch ydy'r angen i athrawon mewn ysgolion annibynnol gofrestru efo Cyngor y Gweithlu Addysg. Mi fyddwn ni i gyd yn cofio am y pennaeth mewn ysgol yn Rhuthun a gafodd ei ddiarddel o'i swydd ar ôl i adroddiad ganfod bod y disgyblion yno mewn peryg o niwed oherwydd methiannau mewn diogelu plant. Mae ymestyn y gyfraith sydd yn rhoi dyletswydd ar ysgolion preifat yn ogystal ag ysgolion y wladwriaeth i gofrestru eu hathrawon yn un ffordd o geisio osgoi methiannau difrifol fel hyn i'r dyfodol, ond mae'r gweithredu ar hyn hefyd wedi'i wthio ymlaen i'r Senedd nesaf, ac unwaith eto, mae'r comisiynydd wedi cyhoeddi y bydd hi'n defnyddio ei hawliau statudol er mwyn adolygu gweithredoedd Llywodraeth Cymru yn y maes hwn. Dwi'n gwybod bod yr argyfwng iechyd yn golygu bod yn rhaid rhoi heibio rhai materion deddfwriaethol, ond materion syml fyddai'r rhain, ac mae'n rhaid cwestiynu doethineb gadael y ddau fater yma ar y bwrdd pan fod lles plant Cymru yn un o brif flaenoriaethau'r Llywodraeth a'r Senedd hon. Mae'r comisiynydd yn mynd i ddefnyddio ei phwerau statudol efo dau fater, sy'n ddau fater o bryder i bawb yn y Senedd, ac mae'n fater o bryder ei bod hi'n gorfod mynd i'r pen draw i ddefnyddio ei phwerau statudol. Cyn cloi, hoffwn i jest dynnu sylw at adroddiad y comisiynydd o'r enw 'Dim Drws Anghywir', a'r angen i fyrddau partneriaethol rhanbarthol sicrhau na fydd unrhyw blentyn neu deulu yn cwympo rhwng dwy stôl wrth chwilio am gymorth ar gyfer iechyd meddwl a materion ymddygiad. Mae hwn yn adroddiad pwysig, ac mae angen cadw'r ffocws ar y gwaith yma. Mae'r maniffesto, 'Hapus, iach a diogel', o ddiddordeb hefyd, efo rhai o'r syniadau'n sicr yn cyd-fynd efo blaenoriaethau Plaid Cymru. Bydd yna gyfle i drafod rhai o'r materion sydd ym maniffesto'r comisiynydd plant yn ystod ein dadl ar addysg yn y Senedd yfory, felly wna i ddim ymhelaethu ar hynny. Mae'r adroddiad sydd ger ein bron ni heddiw yn cwmpasu cyfnod oedd cyn yr argyfwng COVID i bob pwrpas, sef o 1 Ebrill 2019 tan ddiwedd Mawrth 2020. Mi fydd yr adroddiad nesaf yn cwmpasu cyfnod anodd iawn y COVID, ac mae'n debyg y bydd o o naws gwahanol ac yn canolbwyntio ar faterion fydd wedi dod i'n sylw o'r newydd yn ystod yr argyfwng COVID, neu yn cael eu tanlinellu o'r newydd fel materion o bwys. Ond mae'n bwysig cadw sylw a chadw pwyslais ar y materion sydd yn yr adroddiad yma hefyd. Hoffwn i ddiolch i'r comisiynydd a'i thîm am y cydweithio sydd wedi bod rhyngom ni, a dwi'n edrych ymlaen am gyfnod o gydweithio pellach yn ystod gweddill tymor y Senedd yma.