English: But Bridgend, of course, isn't an outlier. In Torfaen, over half of the children at 18 months of age were assessed as having significant language delay, but following the intervention, the children were screened again at three years old, 85 per cent of children screened were assessed as having age-appropriate language skills, with only 8 per cent recorded as having significant language delay. These are genuine success stories and we'll reap the rewards of these interventions in years to come. Sadly, however, the Flying Start speech and language therapist services are facing cuts, and therapists are increasingly worried about the future of such important support services for childcare practitioners and for parents. It's essential that such services are retained. In fact, given the limited geographical focus of Flying Start, and given that the majority of children living in poverty in Wales actually live outside of these defined areas, surely the aim must be for the Welsh Government to roll this service out to every part of Wales. So, I'd like to ask the Cabinet Secretary, when she responds to this debate, to at least commit to continuing to ensure funding for these existing valuable services, and, given the importance of early language skills, maybe also to comment on her plans for how other young children living in poverty in Wales may be able to access the quality support that they need for good speech and early language development. As well as ensuring the continued prioritisation of speech, language and communication within Flying Start and areas of social disadvantage, there's a need to ensure that all opportunities are exploited to make sure that parents, carers and the wider workforce understand the importance of speech, language and communication, and that key public health messages around this area are shared effectively as well. The strongest influence on the early language skills of young children are their parents and their carers. Poverty can strongly reduce parents' ability to respond to their child's early language needs and offer a home learning environment that enhances language skills in the early years. So, supporting parents to foster a communication and language-rich home environment is fundamental to improving children's early speech, language and communication development. Positive steps have already been taken in Wales, as I mentioned, for example, as well, the recently launched Healthy Child Wales programme has a specific focus on speech and language development at the 15-month health visitor family health review. The recent Take Time to Talk, Play and Listen campaign, which promotes oracy, is to be welcomed as well, as is the extra funding and support for schools in the next financial year through regional consortia to help improve the language skills of learners. However, the Take Time campaign has a primary focus on older children, and the evidence suggests that we must ensure a relentless focus on promoting these key messages across portfolios at the earliest stage possible to make the most impact. Beyond the home environment, there's strong evidence of the benefits of high-quality early education and childcare from the perspective of vocabulary and literacy development. Early years practitioners have a crucial role in supporting children's development; they share the early learning and skills that provide the foundation for school readiness, and support good future progress through education and later life. The early years workforce is also vital in closing the language gap between children from high and lower income families, which begins in infancy, promoting social mobility, of course, and offering children the best start in life. It's welcome that the early years childcare and play workforce plan recognises the importance of early language development within the new childcare qualifications, and details opportunities for practitioners to specialise in this area. It's also positive that speech and language therapists, as the experts in this area, have been involved in these developments. However, given the importance of the issue of early language development, we need to ensure that training is accompanied by appropriate ongoing professional development and governance. The Flying Start approach, where nursery settings are able to access speech and language therapy support, is a very helpful model in this regard. Looking beyond training, early language development needs to be mainstreamed, considered as part of inspection regimes, for example, and outcome frameworks need to be adapted to reflect progress in speech, language and communications. In Northern Ireland, a strategic post has been created to ensure a cross-cutting approach to early language development across portfolios. Maybe the Cabinet Secretary could comment on how early language development is being prioritised across Welsh Government portfolios in her response. What leadership is there in place to ensure the necessary focus and expertise on this key area here in Wales? Also, will the Cabinet Secretary commit to looking at learning from that strategic approach that we are seeing in Northern Ireland? So, in summary, there have been many positive developments with regard to supporting early language development in Wales. However, as I've outlined, the profound consequences of not supporting children's early language skills and not identifying long-term or persistent speech, language and communication needs necessitate a broader cross-Government response and a greater strategic leadership across Wales. It's vital that, as a nation, we do more to ensure that children develop strong language skills by the time they start school and ensure this area has sufficient focus. Failure to do so will mean more of the same economic, health and social challenges in years to come. Success, though, would transform the prospects of tens of thousands of Welsh children and with them, of course, the prospects of our future generations and of our nation. Diolch.
Welsh: Ond nid yw Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr ar ei phen ei hun, wrth gwrs. Yn Nhorfaen, aseswyd bod oedi sylweddol o ran sgiliau iaith dros hanner y plant yn 18 mis oed, ond yn dilyn yr ymyrraeth, sgriniwyd y plant eto'n dair blwydd oed, ac aseswyd bod gan 85 y cant o'r plant a sgriniwyd sgiliau iaith priodol ar gyfer eu hoedran, gyda dim ond 8 y cant wedi'u cofnodi fel rhai ag oedi sylweddol o ran eu sgiliau iaith. Mae'r rhain yn nodi llwyddiant gwirioneddol a byddwn yn elwa o'r ymyriadau hyn mewn blynyddoedd i ddod. Yn anffodus, fodd bynnag, mae gwasanaethau therapyddion iaith a lleferydd Dechrau'n Deg yn wynebu toriadau, ac mae therapyddion yn poeni mwyfwy am ddyfodol gwasanaethau cymorth pwysig o'r fath ar gyfer ymarferwyr gofal plant a rhieni. Mae'n hanfodol fod gwasanaethau o'r fath yn cael eu cadw. Mewn gwirionedd, o ystyried ffocws daearyddol cyfyngedig Dechrau'n Deg, ac o gofio bod y rhan fwyaf o'r plant sy'n byw mewn tlodi yng Nghymru mewn gwirionedd yn byw y tu allan i'r ardaloedd hyn, oni ddylai fod yn nod i Lywodraeth Cymru gyflwyno'r gwasanaeth hwn i bob rhan o Gymru. Felly, pan fydd yn ymateb i'r ddadl hon, hoffwn ofyn i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ymrwymo o leiaf i barhau i sicrhau cyllid ar gyfer y gwasanaethau gwerthfawr hyn sydd eisoes yn bodoli, ac o ystyried pwysigrwydd sgiliau iaith cynnar, efallai hefyd i wneud sylwadau ar ei chynlluniau o ran sut y gall plant ifanc eraill sy'n byw mewn tlodi yng Nghymru gael y cymorth o ansawdd sydd ei angen arnynt ar gyfer datblygiad iaith a lleferydd cynnar da. Yn ogystal â sicrhau bod lleferydd, iaith a chyfathrebu yn parhau i gael eu blaenoriaethu gan Dechrau'n Deg ac mewn ardaloedd difreintiedig yn gymdeithasol, mae angen sicrhau y manteisir ar bob cyfle i wneud yn siŵr fod rhieni, gofalwyr a'r gweithlu ehangach yn deall pwysigrwydd lleferydd, iaith a chyfathrebu, a bod negeseuon iechyd cyhoeddus allweddol yn y maes hwn yn cael eu rhannu'n effeithiol yn ogystal. Y dylanwad cryfaf ar sgiliau iaith cynnar plant ifanc yw eu rhieni a'u gofalwyr. Gall tlodi gyfyngu'n helaeth ar allu rhieni i ymateb i anghenion iaith cynnar eu plentyn ac i gynnig amgylchedd dysgu yn y cartref sy'n gwella sgiliau iaith yn y blynyddoedd cynnar. Felly, mae cynorthwyo rhieni i feithrin amgylchedd cartref gyda chyfathrebu ac iaith gyfoethog yn sylfaenol bwysig i wella datblygiad lleferydd, iaith a chyfathrebu cynnar plant. Rhoddwyd camau cadarnhaol ar waith eisoes yng Nghymru, fel y soniais, er enghraifft hefyd, mae gan y rhaglen Plant Iach Cymru a lansiwyd yn ddiweddar ffocws penodol ar ddatblygiad iaith a lleferydd yn adolygiad iechyd teulu yr ymwelydd iechyd yn 15 mis. Mae'r ymgyrch ddiweddar, Mae 'na Amser i Siarad, Chwarae a Gwrando, sy'n hybu llafaredd, i'w chroesawu hefyd, fel y mae'r cyllid a'r cymorth ychwanegol i ysgolion yn y flwyddyn ariannol nesaf drwy'r consortia rhanbarthol i helpu i wella sgiliau iaith dysgwyr. Fodd bynnag, mae ffocws yr ymgyrch Mae 'na Amser yn canolbwyntio'n bennaf ar blant hŷn, ac mae'r dystiolaeth yn awgrymu bod yn rhaid inni sicrhau ffocws diwyro ar hyrwyddo'r negeseuon allweddol hyn ar draws y portffolios ar y cam cynharaf posibl i gael yr effaith fwyaf. Y tu hwnt i amgylchedd y cartref, ceir tystiolaeth gref o fanteision gofal plant ac addysg gynnar o ansawdd da o safbwynt datblygu geirfa a llythrennedd. Mae gan ymarferwyr blynyddoedd cynnar rôl hollbwysig yn cefnogi datblygiad plant; maent yn rhannu'r dysgu cynnar a'r sgiliau sy'n darparu sylfaen ar gyfer parodrwydd ysgol, ac yn cefnogi cynnydd da yn y dyfodol drwy addysg ac yn ddiweddarach mewn bywyd. Mae gweithlu'r blynyddoedd cynnar yn hollbwysig hefyd i gau'r bwlch iaith rhwng plant o deuluoedd incwm isel a theuluoedd incwm uchel, sy'n dechrau yn eu babandod, gan hyrwyddo symudedd cymdeithasol, wrth gwrs, a chynnig y dechrau gorau i blant mewn bywyd. Mae'n dda bod y cynllun gweithlu gofal plant a chwarae ar gyfer y blynyddoedd cynnar yn cydnabod pwysigrwydd datblygiad iaith cynnar o fewn y cymwysterau gofal plant newydd, a manylion cyfleoedd i ymarferwyr arbenigo yn y maes hwn. Mae'n gadarnhaol hefyd fod therapyddion iaith a lleferydd, fel yr arbenigwyr yn y maes hwn, wedi cymryd rhan yn y datblygiadau hyn. Fodd bynnag, o ystyried pwysigrwydd datblygiad iaith cynnar, dylem sicrhau bod datblygiad proffesiynol parhaus a llywodraethu priodol yn digwydd ochr yn ochr â hyfforddiant. Mae dull gweithredu Dechrau'n Deg, lle mae cylchoedd meithrin yn gallu cael cymorth therapi lleferydd ac iaith, yn fodel defnyddiol iawn yn hyn o beth. Wrth edrych y tu hwnt i hyfforddiant, mae angen i ddatblygiad iaith cynnar gael ei brif ffrydio, a'i ystyried yn rhan o gyfundrefnau arolygu, er enghraifft, ac mae angen i fframweithiau canlyniadau gael eu haddasu i adlewyrchu cynnydd o ran lleferydd, iaith a chyfathrebu. Yng Ngogledd Iwerddon, crëwyd swydd strategol i sicrhau ymagwedd drawsbynciol tuag at ddatblygiad iaith cynnar ar draws portffolios. Efallai y gallai Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet wneud sylwadau ar sut y mae datblygiad iaith cynnar yn cael ei flaenoriaethu ar draws portffolios Llywodraeth Cymru yn ei hymateb. Pa arweiniad a geir i sicrhau'r ffocws angenrheidiol ac arbenigedd yn y maes allweddol hwn yma yng Nghymru? Hefyd, a wnaiff Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ymrwymo i edrych ar ddysgu o'r dull strategol a welwn yng Ngogledd Iwerddon? Felly, i grynhoi, cafwyd llawer o ddatblygiadau cadarnhaol o ran cefnogi datblygiad iaith cynnar yng Nghymru. Fodd bynnag, fel rydym wedi amlinellu, mae canlyniadau difrifol peidio â chefnogi sgiliau iaith cynnar plant a methiant i nodi anghenion lleferydd, iaith a chyfathrebu hirdymor a pharhaus yn galw am ymateb trawslywodraethol ehangach a mwy o arweinyddiaeth strategol ledled Cymru. Mae'n hanfodol ein bod, fel cenedl, yn gwneud mwy i sicrhau bod plant yn datblygu sgiliau iaith cryf erbyn eu bod yn dechrau yn yr ysgol ac yn sicrhau bod digon o ffocws ar y maes hwn. Bydd methiant i wneud hynny'n golygu mwy o'r un heriau economaidd, heriau iechyd a heriau cymdeithasol mewn blynyddoedd i ddod. Fodd bynnag, byddai llwyddiant yn trawsnewid rhagolygon degau o filoedd o blant Cymru a chyda hwy, wrth gwrs, y rhagolygon ar gyfer cenedlaethau'r dyfodol a'n gwlad. Diolch.