English: I've not been able to contribute to this report as I normally would, as I've been unable to attend the meetings of the Children, Young People and Education Committee because I've been looking after my children, which is something of an irony. I have a 13-year-old stepdaughter who is currently struggling with schoolwork, and a four-year-old autistic daughter, and a three-year-old very neurotypical daughter who loves being on television, and I don't know where she gets it from. Every time I try and do anything on Zoom, they're in the background, and the Chair will testify to that, because her first comment when we did our first Zoom meeting was that I should feed them more ice pops to get them off my back. So, it has certainly been a challenge, and I've found with my youngest child the return to childcare has been very welcome and has made life easier, and I've also found with my 13-year-old stepdaughter that she has been able to access schoolwork and is now back in school, and her mother's been hugely supportive of her, and I've stood in awe to see that. The problem has been with my four-year-old autistic daughter, who's five on Saturday. It's been the biggest challenge of my life, and the past 10 weeks have been incredibly difficult. She was diagnosed autistic at the age of three and we've been seeking a statement for her, a statutory assessment for her, since last September, when she was first eligible to apply, and she was turned down on what I believe to be a technicality. I think, by now, if things had been normal she would have had a statement. She hasn't accessed any support or care that she needs whatsoever in the period of lockdown. It's simply been heartbreaking, very difficult, to see the regressive steps that she's taken and her language taking steps backwards. The reason I say this is not for my own sake, because I have the wherewithal to contact the school and contact local authorities to deal with these issues, but I have had constituents contacting me in exactly the same position. I'd like to read you an extract from an e-mail from someone who has been in touch with me. This parent says, 'I'm the parent of four children between seven and 16'. I've edited bits of the e-mail so that you won't be able to identify the person. 'My oldest daughter has ASD and clinically diagnosed anxiety, one child is transgender, has ASD and was a school refuser until this year. My 11-year-old has a diagnoses of global development delay and is due to start at a special school in September. My seven-year-old has a diagnosis of ASD. In addition to this, I'm a carer for my partner, who has three significant health conditions, which affect their ability to function day to day. Two of the children have a statement of special educational needs, and I'm about to start the process of applying for a statement for my youngest daughter.' So you can imagine I empathise particularly with that aspect. 'My family has suffered greatly during lockdown. The abrupt withdrawal of the children's routines and the removal of any possibility of support for all of us has had a terrible effect. The children's social services have massively deteriorated and their challenging behaviour has got much worse. This has put huge strain on the relationship between my partner and myself. Initially I attempted to home school, but because of the children's additional needs and my role as a carer for the five disabled members of the family, it soon became clear to them that this was an impossible task. They've received no meaningful education since then.' I understand and I empathise with that, and this is a condition and a situation that is far worse than the situation I find myself in, but what concerns me is that there are more people in Wales who are not reporting these conditions and we simply don't know about these situations because of that lack of reporting. I'm a member of the local Sparrows additional learning needs voluntary group, and I know that there are parents there, too, who are in these positions and are struggling, particularly those children without statutory assessments - particularly those children. But also, when we talk about vulnerable children, and the definition of 'vulnerable', what do we mean by 'vulnerable'? Are they vulnerable because of their environment, or are they vulnerable because of the particular needs they have that parents simply aren't able to meet? These are questions that must be answered by the Welsh Government and by local authorities, and must be answered better than they have been answered so far. What I would say as well is I welcome what we've done in Wales to take children back to school. It is massively welcome, and it's progress in Wales that is way ahead, I think, of the rest of the United Kingdom, and it is making a huge difference. But the concern I have got is, if there is a second wave, if there is a further lockdown, parents must not be - particularly those parents I've mentioned today - put in that position again.
Welsh: Nid wyf i wedi gallu cyfrannu at yr adroddiad hwn fel y byddwn i'n ei wneud fel rheol, gan nad wyf i wedi gallu bod yn bresennol yng nghyfarfodydd y Pwyllgor Plant, Pobl Ifanc ac Addysg oherwydd fy mod i wedi bod yn gofalu am fy mhlant, sy'n dipyn o eironi. Mae gen i lysferch 13 oed sy'n cael trafferth gyda gwaith ysgol ar hyn o bryd, a merch awtistig bedair oed, a merch niwro-nodweddiadol iawn dair oed sydd wrth ei bodd yn ymddangos ar y teledu, ac nid wyf i'n gwybod ar ôl pwy y mae hi'n tynnu. Bob tro y byddaf i'n ceisio gwneud unrhyw beth ar Zoom, maen nhw yn y cefndir, a bydd y Cadeirydd yn tystio i hynny, oherwydd ei sylw cyntaf pan gawsom ni ein cyfarfod Zoom cyntaf oedd y dylwn i eu bwydo gyda mwy o bops iâ er mwyn iddyn nhw roi llonydd i mi. Felly, mae'n sicr wedi bod yn her, ac rwyf i wedi canfod gyda fy mhlentyn ieuengaf y bu'r dychweliad i ofal plant i'w groesawu'n fawr ac mae wedi gwneud bywyd yn haws, ac rwyf i hefyd wedi canfod gyda fy llysferch 13 oed ei bod hi wedi gallu cael gafael ar waith ysgol ac mae hi yn ôl yn yr ysgol erbyn hyn, ac mae ei mam wedi bod yn hynod gefnogol ohoni, ac rwyf i wedi bod yn llawn parch ati o weld hynny. Bu'r broblem gyda fy merch awtistig bedair oed, sy'n bump ddydd Sadwrn. Dyma fu her fwyaf fy mywyd, ac mae'r 10 wythnos diwethaf wedi bod yn eithriadol o anodd. Cafodd ddiagnosis o awtistiaeth yn dair oed ac rydym ni wedi bod yn ceisio cael datganiad ar ei chyfer, asesiad statudol ar ei chyfer, ers mis Medi diwethaf, pan oedd hi'n gymwys am y tro cyntaf i wneud cais, ac fe'i gwrthodwyd ar yr hyn sydd, yn fy marn i, yn bwynt technegol. Rwy'n credu, erbyn hyn, pe bai pethau wedi bod yn arferol byddai wedi cael datganiad. Nid yw wedi cael unrhyw gymorth na gofal sydd eu hangen arni o gwbl yn ystod cyfnod y cyfyngiadau symud. Yn syml, mae wedi bod yn dorcalonnus, yn anodd iawn, gweld y camau atchweliadol y mae hi wedi eu cymryd a'i hiaith yn cymryd camau yn ôl. Nid yw'r rheswm yr wyf i'n dweud hyn er fy mwyn fy hun, oherwydd mae gen i'r modd i gysylltu â'r ysgol a chysylltu ag awdurdodau lleol i ymdrin â'r materion hyn, ond rwyf i wedi cael etholwyr yn cysylltu â mi yn yr un sefyllfa yn union. Hoffwn ddarllen i chi ddarn o neges e-bost gan rywun sydd wedi bod mewn cysylltiad â mi. Meddai'r rhiant hwn: 'Rwy'n rhiant i bedwar o blant rhwng saith ac 16 oed.' Rwyf i wedi golygu darnau o'r e-bost fel na fyddwch ch'n gallu adnabod yr unigolyn: 'Mae gan fy merch hynaf anhwylderau yn y sbectrwm awtistig a diagnosis clinigol o orbryder, mae un plentyn yn drawsrywiol, ag anhwylderau yn y sbectrwm awtistig ac roedd yn gwrthod mynd i'r ysgol tan eleni. Mae gan fy mhlentyn 11 oed ddiagnosis o oedi o ran datblygiad cyffredinol a disgwylir iddo ddechrau mewn ysgol arbennig ym mis Medi. Mae gan fy mhlentyn saith oed ddiagnosis o anhwylderau yn y sbectrwm awtistig. Yn ogystal â hyn, rwy'n gofalu am fy mhartner, sydd â thri chyflwr iechyd sylweddol, sy'n effeithio ar y gallu i weithredu o ddydd i ddydd. Mae gan ddau o'r plant ddatganiad o anghenion addysgol arbennig, ac rwyf i ar fin dechrau'r broses o wneud cais am ddatganiad ar gyfer fy merch ieuengaf.' Felly gallwch ddychmygu fy mod i'n uniaethu yn arbennig â'r agwedd honno: 'Mae fy nheulu wedi dioddef yn fawr yn ystod y cyfyngiadau symud. Mae canslo trefn ddyddiol y plant yn sydyn a chael gwared ar unrhyw bosibilrwydd o gymorth i bob un ohonom ni wedi cael effaith ofnadwy. Mae gwasanaethau cymdeithasol y plant wedi dirywio'n aruthrol ac mae eu hymddygiad heriol wedi gwaethygu llawer. Mae hyn wedi rhoi straen enfawr ar y berthynas rhwng fy mhartner a minnau. Rhoddais gynnig ar addysgu gartref i ddechrau, ond oherwydd anghenion ychwanegol y plant a'm swyddogaeth fel gofalwr i bum aelod anabl o'r teulu, daeth yn amlwg iddyn nhw'n fuan bod hon yn dasg amhosibl. Nid ydyn nhw wedi cael unrhyw addysg ystyrlon ers hynny.' Rwy'n deall ac yn cydymdeimlo â hynny, ac mae hwn yn gyflwr ac yn sefyllfa sy'n waeth o lawer na'r sefyllfa yr wyf i'n cael fy hun ynddi, ond yr hyn sy'n peri pryder i mi yw bod mwy o bobl yng Nghymru nad ydyn nhw'n hysbysu am y cyflyrau hyn ac nid ydym ni'n gwybod am y sefyllfaoedd hyn oherwydd y diffyg hysbysu hwnnw. Rwy'n aelod o'r grŵp gwirfoddol anghenion dysgu ychwanegol Sparrows lleol, a gwn fod rhieni yno hefyd, sydd yn y sefyllfaoedd hyn ac yn ei chael hi'n anodd, yn enwedig y plant hynny heb asesiadau statudol - yn enwedig y plant hynny. Ond hefyd, pan fyddwn ni'n sôn am blant agored i niwed, a'r diffiniad o 'agored i niwed', beth ydym ni'n ei olygu wrth ddweud 'agored i niwed'? A ydyn nhw'n agored i niwed oherwydd eu hamgylchedd, neu a ydyn nhw'n agored i niwed oherwydd yr anghenion penodol sydd ganddyn nhw nad yw rhieni'n gallu eu diwallu? Mae'r rhain yn gwestiynau y mae'n rhaid i Lywodraeth Cymru ac awdurdodau lleol eu hateb, ac mae'n rhaid eu hateb yn well nag y'u hatebwyd hyd yn hyn. Yr hyn y byddwn i'n ei ddweud hefyd yw fy mod i'n croesawu'r hyn yr ydym ni wedi ei wneud yng Nghymru i fynd â phlant yn ôl i'r ysgol. Mae hynny i'w groesawu'n fawr iawn, ac mae'n gynnydd yng Nghymru sydd ymhell ar y blaen, rwy'n credu, i weddill y Deyrnas Unedig, ac mae'n gwneud gwahaniaeth aruthrol. Ond y pryder sydd gen i, os bydd ail don, os bydd cyfyngiadau symud pellach, mae'n rhaid peidio â rhoi rhieni - yn enwedig y rhieni hynny yr wyf i wedi sôn amdanyn nhw heddiw - yn y sefyllfa honno eto.