English: First of all, I endorse David Melding's comments about the former Minister and the non-partisan nature of this. I also extend congratulations on your new position. There are lots of good things here, and I've heard lots of good things that you've said today. I notice that you said you want to see a reduction in the numbers of children coming into care. I note that you say 'the more we can help families stay together during difficult times, by offering the right level of support' - that that's the right way to do things. But what concerns me about the cases I get time after time after time is that parents who desperately want to keep the children in this region, South Wales Central, appear to be losing them for a whole variety of reasons, one of which, often, is not safety. I have a case on my books where it's recognised that the parents love the children, the children love the parents, and unfortunately for the parents, they called in children's services to get support, and they've ended up losing the children, and they're desperately fighting to get them back, because that particular children's services department say that these parents don't have the skills to parent. I would question that judgment, because far too often parents are saying to me that adoption and care is almost becoming an industry, and the interactions that I've had with families - . Ironically, I've just had a message through today from a mother who wants me to go and visit because she's in danger of losing her child. I would say, really, as a former professional teacher, families need support, but what they're getting is a very adversarial system that interrogates, almost, and there is a tick-box approach from social workers under tremendous pressure. So, I wondered what you thought of those things, and whether or not you're looking at countries around the world where there is no forced adoption, because forced adoption is something that is really troubling me, looking at the kind of cases that I've picked up for far too long, actually, not only in here, but across the road as well.
Welsh: Yn gyntaf oll, rwy'n ategu sylwadau David Melding am y cyn-Weinidog a natur amhleidiol hyn. Hoffwn innau hefyd estyn llongyfarchiadau i chi ar eich swydd newydd. Mae llawer o bethau da yma, ac rwyf wedi clywed llawer o bethau da yr ydych chi wedi eu dweud heddiw. Sylwais eich bod wedi dweud yr hoffech chi weld gostyngiad yn nifer y plant sy'n dechrau derbyn gofal. Sylwais eich bod yn dweud po fwyaf y gallwn ni helpu teuluoedd i aros gyda'i gilydd yn ystod cyfnodau anodd, drwy gynnig y lefel gywir o gymorth' - mai dyna'r ffordd iawn o wneud pethau. Ond yr hyn sy'n fy mhoeni i am yr achosion a gaf i dro ar ôl tro ar ôl tro yw ei bod yn ymddangos bod rhieni sy'n awyddus iawn i gadw eu plant yn y rhanbarth hwn, Canol De Cymru, yn eu colli am amrywiaeth eang o resymau, ac yn aml, nid yw diogelwch yn un ohonynt. Mae gennyf achos ar fy llyfrau lle y cydnabyddir bod y rhieni yn caru'r plant, y plant yn caru'r rhieni, ac yn anffodus i'r rhieni, eu bod wedi galw ar y gwasanaethau plant am gymorth, ac yna wedi colli'r plant, ac maen nhw'n ymladd yn daer i'w cael yn ôl, oherwydd bod yr adran gwasanaethau plant benodol honno yn dweud nad oes gan y rhieni hyn y sgiliau i fod yn rhieni. Rwyf i'n amau'r farn honno, oherwydd yn rhy aml o lawer mae rhieni yn dweud wrthyf bod mabwysiadu a gofal bron â bod yn ddiwydiant, ac mae'r ymgysylltu yr wyf i wedi ei gael â theuluoedd - . Yn eironig, dim ond heddiw cefais neges gan fam sydd eisiau imi fynd i ymweld â hi oherwydd ei bod mewn perygl o golli ei phlentyn. Byddwn i'n dweud, mewn gwirionedd, fel cyn-athro proffesiynol, bod angen cymorth ar deuluoedd, ond yr hyn y maen nhw'n ei gael yw system wrthwynebol iawn sy'n cwestiynu, bron, a cheir dull ticio blychau gan weithwyr cymdeithasol sydd o dan bwysau aruthrol. Felly, roeddwn i'n meddwl tybed beth oedd eich barn am y pethau hynny a pha un a ydych chi'n edrych ar wledydd ledled y byd lle na cheir unrhyw fabwysiadu gorfodol, gan fod mabwysiadu gorfodol yn rhywbeth sy'n peri llawer o bryder i mi, mewn gwirionedd, wrth edrych ar y math o achosion yr wyf i wedi edrych arnynt am ormod o amser o lawer, mewn gwirionedd, nid yn unig yn y fan hon, ond dros y ffordd hefyd.