English: I'm very pleased to be able to rise to make a very short contribution to this debate. Siân Gwenllian has already set out the case for our amendments, and I'm extremely grateful to the Deputy Minister for accepting them, though, like Siân, I would like a little bit more clarity about what exactly that means in terms of numerical targets. I know how passionate the Deputy Minister is about this cause. We've got form, going back to the time when we both worked for Barnardo's, and I was particularly glad to see her being given this responsibility. I'd associate myself with the comments that she's made about David Melding and his commitments. David referred, of course, to our days scrutinising the aftermath of the Waterhouse report. I think it was a very difficult time for all of us, hearing things that we did not want to hear and acting on them. This report, I think, which I'm very pleased to welcome, shows how far we've come, but it also illustrates how far we still have to go. I'd like to make three very brief comments, and, first of all, I'd like to ask the Deputy Minister how she ensures that all the work in this area takes a rights-based approach, right the way through the whole system, because much of what sometimes does go wrong can be avoided if we understand that these children and young people are the holders of rights. We have a groundbreaking piece of legislation here, the Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011, though I think there are some of us that would like to see it amended and strengthened. I'd like to hear from the Minister today how she ensures that all of those dealing with these children are clear about what that rights-based approach means. From myself, I have some casework and some anecdotal evidence that suggests that that isn't, perhaps, always the case, that there are still some difficulties, for example, with the way that CAFCASS officers work with young people in these situations. So, I'd be grateful for some reassurance on that issue. To come back briefly to our amendment 3, I was very glad to hear the Minister say that there would be no punitive measures for local authorities that don't meet their agreed targets. Now, the Deputy Minister knows that I've been very concerned about the nature of some of the discussions between her officials and some local authorities; they perhaps haven't always been as consensual as she would like them to be. But I'm very glad to hear from her today that, obviously, the agenda has moved on, that things are much more positive. But I am still concerned that if you put a number on anything, it's easy to deliver. It's much easier to deliver a number than it is to deliver a qualitative measurement. I would just like to urge the Minister today to ensure that there are no inappropriate pressures being put on local authorities to meet the target and, in the context of our amendment 2, to ensure that we do have that long-term re-engineering of resources towards the preventative agenda that I know we all support. Finally, I was very glad to hear from David Melding about progress on the corporate parenting agenda. I agree with him, it is a fairly hideous term. I think we can all put our thinking caps on and see if we can come up with something better. But I'm pleased to hear the work is progressing, and I hope that this can be accelerated with a view to creating a comprehensive, wide-ranging legislative framework that takes corporate parenting outside local authorities alone - or whatever we decide to call it when we come up with something better - and gives it real legislative teeth. Because while I'm sure, across this Chamber, there is a broad consensus about the importance of the work that we do to support our looked-after children, as Siân says, they're our children too - ein plant ni - that isn't always the case everywhere. This doesn't always get to the top of people's agendas, and, sometimes, we will need that legislative framework to ensure that there is no difference between the rights of a looked-after child in one part of Wales and the rights of a looked-after child in another. I think it would be fair to say that, in the last 20 years, Wales has been responsible for some groundbreaking work around the rights of looked-after children, but, as David and the Deputy Minister have both said, there is still much to do, and I look forward to working with colleagues across this Chamber and at the local level to ensure that that agenda is progressed.
Welsh: Rwy'n falch iawn o allu codi i wneud cyfraniad byr iawn i'r ddadl hon. Mae Siân Gwenllian eisoes wedi cyflwyno achos dros ein gwelliannau, ac rwy'n hynod ddiolchgar i'r Dirprwy Weinidog am eu derbyn, er, fel Siân, hoffwn ychydig mwy o eglurder ynghylch beth yn union y mae hynny'n ei olygu o ran targedau rhifiadol. Rwy'n gwybod mor angerddol yw'r Dirprwy Weinidog dros yr achos hwn. Mae gennym ni hanes, yn mynd yn ôl i'r adeg pan oedd y ddwy ohonom ni'n gweithio i Barnardo's, ac roeddwn yn arbennig o falch o'i gweld yn cael y cyfrifoldeb hwn. Rwy'n ategu'r sylwadau a wnaeth am David Melding a'i ymrwymiadau. Cyfeiriodd David, wrth gwrs, at ein dyddiau yn craffu ar ganlyniadau adroddiad Waterhouse. Rwy'n credu ei fod yn amser anodd iawn i bob un ohonom ni, yn clywed pethau nad oeddem ni eisiau eu clywed a gweithredu arnyn nhw. Mae'r adroddiad hwn, rwy'n credu, ac yr wyf yn falch iawn o'i groesawu, yn dangos pa mor bell yr ydym ni wedi dod, ond mae hefyd yn dangos pa mor bell y mae'n rhaid i ni fynd o hyd. Hoffwn wneud tri sylw byr iawn, ac, yn gyntaf, hoffwn ofyn i'r Dirprwy Weinidog sut y mae'n sicrhau bod yr holl waith yn y maes hwn yn seiliedig ar hawliau, drwy'r system gyfan, oherwydd weithiau gellir osgoi llawer o'r hyn sy'n mynd o'i le petaem yn deall fod hawliau gan y plant a'r bobl ifanc hyn. Mae gennym ni ddeddfwriaeth arloesol yn y maes yma, sef Mesur Hawliau Plant a Phobl ifanc (Cymru) 2011, er fy mod yn credu yr hoffai rhai ohonom ni ei weld yn cael ei ddiwygio a'i gryfhau. Hoffwn glywed gan y Gweinidog heddiw sut y mae'n sicrhau bod pawb sy'n ymwneud â'r plant hyn yn deall beth mae'r dull hwnnw sy'n seiliedig ar hawliau yn ei olygu. O ran fy hun, mae gennyf waith achos a rhywfaint o dystiolaeth anecdotaidd sy'n awgrymu nad yw hynny'n wir bob amser efallai; mae rhai anawsterau o hyd, er enghraifft, gyda'r ffordd y mae swyddogion CAFCASS yn gweithio gyda phobl ifanc yn y sefyllfaoedd hyn. Felly, byddwn yn ddiolchgar am rywfaint o sicrwydd ar y mater hwnnw. I ddychwelyd yn fyr at welliant 3 o'n heiddo, roeddwn yn falch iawn o glywed y Gweinidog yn dweud na fyddai unrhyw fesurau cosbi ar gyfer awdurdodau lleol nad ydynt yn bodloni'r targedau y cytunwyd arnyn nhw. Nawr, mae'r Dirprwy Weinidog yn gwybod y bûm i'n bryderus iawn ynghylch natur rhai o'r trafodaethau rhwng ei swyddogion a rhai awdurdodau lleol; efallai na fu cymaint o gydsyniad ynddynt ag yr oedd hi'n dymuno. Ond rwy'n falch iawn o glywed ganddi heddiw fod yr agenda, yn amlwg, wedi symud ymlaen, bod pethau'n llawer mwy cadarnhaol. Ond rwy'n dal i bryderu, os ydych chi'n rhoi rhif ar unrhyw beth, ei fod yn hawdd ei gyflawni. Mae'n llawer haws cyflawni rhif nag ydyw i gyflawni mesuriad ansoddol. Hoffwn annog y Gweinidog heddiw i sicrhau na chaiff pwysau amhriodol ei roi ar awdurdodau lleol i gyrraedd y targed ac, yng nghyd-destun gwelliant 2 o'n heiddo, i sicrhau bod gennym yr ail-weithio hirdymor hwnnw ar adnoddau ar gyfer yr agenda ataliol y gwn ein bod i gyd yn ei chefnogi. Yn olaf, roeddwn yn falch iawn o glywed gan David Melding am y cynnydd o ran yr agenda rhianta corfforaethol. Rwy'n cytuno ag ef, mae'n derm eithaf erchyll. Rwy'n credu y gallwn ni i gyd grafu pen a gweld a allwn ni feddwl am rywbeth gwell. Ond rwy'n falch o glywed bod y gwaith yn mynd rhagddo, a gobeithiaf y gellir cyflymu hyn gyda'r bwriad o greu fframwaith deddfwriaethol cynhwysfawr, eang ei gwmpas sy'n mynd â rhianta corfforaethol y tu allan i awdurdodau lleol yn unig - neu beth bynnag y penderfynwn ei alw pan fyddwn yn meddwl am rywbeth gwell - ac yn rhoi grym deddfwriaethol go iawn iddo. Oherwydd er fy mod yn siŵr, yn y Siambr hon, bod consensws eang ynglŷn â phwysigrwydd y gwaith yr ydym yn ei wneud i gefnogi ein plant sy'n derbyn gofal, fel y dywed Siân, ein plant ni ydyn nhw hefyd - ein plant ni - nid yw hynny bob amser yn wir ym mhobman. Nid yw hyn bob amser yn cyrraedd brig agendâu pobl, ac, weithiau, bydd angen y fframwaith deddfwriaethol hwnnw arnom ni i sicrhau nad oes gwahaniaeth rhwng hawliau plentyn sy'n derbyn gofal mewn un rhan o Gymru a hawliau plentyn sy'n derbyn gofal mewn rhan arall. Credaf y byddai'n deg dweud fod Cymru, yn yr 20 mlynedd diwethaf, wedi bod yn gyfrifol am waith arloesol yn ymwneud â hawliau plant sy'n derbyn gofal, ond, fel y dywedodd David a'r Dirprwy Weinidog, mae llawer i'w wneud o hyd, ac edrychaf ymlaen at weithio gyda chydweithwyr o bob rhan o'r Siambr hon ac ar yn lleol i sicrhau bod yr agenda honno'n mynd rhagddi.