English: As we know, the Family Fund offers about £500 a year to low-income families who most need help. The fact that this money can be used so flexibly is key. One charity manager told me that this is the only source she can turn to now for a number of issues, including, for example, money to support families to have short holidays, which they deserve - weekend breaks that are so beneficial, but that they would never be able to afford without this fund. Because the fund depends on the income level of the family, that means that only the families who most need help to have a holiday receive support. Therefore, cutting the direct grants means that some of the most vulnerable families in Wales will suffer. I want to talk about three families I know of, and how they have benefited directly from the fund. A family of four - mum, dad and two children, two and three years old - and the oldest child has severe disabilities that mean regular trips - weekly, sometimes daily - to the hospital. It means staying at the hospital, far away from home, on a regular basis. The parents' care for that child is exceptional. The mother is in her 20s, and both have given up work in order to care for the child. It would be very difficult for them to work, particularly as the youngest also needs care. By the way, the community's care for this family is inspiring. The community has raised money to buy bespoke play equipment for the village playground. The child joins in with his peers in the village despite the disability. They use the money they obtain from the fund to help them pay travel costs to the hospital. They need to visit Ysbyty Gwynedd often, 15 miles away. They also need to visit Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool regularly - a journey of nearly two hours there and two hours back along the A55, which often means that the journey takes three to four hours. They have to use the car, because that's been adapted especially for the child. They would never get there in time by using public transport. They need to pay a toll of £1.70 for every journey on top of the travel costs, and that's aside from food, accommodation costs and so forth. It is possible to apply for some travel funding from the health board or the hospital, but only after payment. Every receipt must be kept carefully, and that's the last thing on the mind of anyone in such difficult circumstances. The second family has an autistic child. They have benefited from the fund in a different way: they have had funding to buy a large freezer, which means that they can buy large quantities of food at the same time and freeze it. Shopping with an autistic child is not always an easy task. They live in a rural area and they therefore save on petrol costs by making fewer trips. The nearest store is six miles away. It is from the Family Fund that they got the money to pay for the freezer. It would have taken years for this family to save up to buy it. The third family includes a deaf child. This family also lives in a rural area. The child has a hearing aid and needs to be monitored regularly at Ysbyty Gwynedd, which entails an hour-long journey from home both ways. Petrol costs mean that the family sometimes decide not to attend the appointments - they skip them - and of course, if that happens three times in succession, the child can drop off the radar of the hospital services, and that can lead to significant problems down the line. In accordance with the spirit of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, we must acknowledge the preventative value of the fund. With this family, from prioritising other things above the petrol costs to attend hospital appointments, problems can arise with the hearing aid; problems with communication and education can arise; the child falls behind at school, and needs extra support, and then significant costs start to develop. A problem that could be resolved simply by offering a small pot of money for travel then develops into a major expensive problem, and of course the child suffers in all of this. As we've heard, children and families in England can access a similar fund for three more years. In Wales, the fund could support 5,429 families - similar families to those that I've described. This year, 1,500 will receive support, and next year, the estimate is that 875 families alone will receive support. There are 4,000 families like the ones I've talked about today - some of our most vulnerable families - that will be worse off.
Welsh: Fel y gwyddom ni, mae'r Gronfa Deulu yn cynnig tua £500 y flwyddyn i deuluoedd ar incwm isel sydd angen yr help mwyaf. Mae'r ffaith bod modd defnyddio'r arian mewn modd hollol hyblyg yn allweddol. Dywed un rheolwr elusen wrthyf i mai dyma'r unig ffynhonnell y gall hi droi ati bellach ar gyfer nifer o faterion, yn cynnwys, er enghraifft, arian i gefnogi teuluoedd i gael gwyliau byr, gwyliau maen nhw'n llawn haeddu - penwythnosau i ffwrdd sydd yn llesol iawn, ond gwyliau na fydden nhw byth yn gallu fforddio heb y gronfa yma. Gan fod y gronfa yn dibynnu ar lefel incwm y teulu, mae'n golygu mai dim ond y teuluoedd sydd wir angen yr help i gael gwyliau sydd yn derbyn cymorth. Felly, mae torri'r grantiau uniongyrchol yn golygu y bydd rhai o deuluoedd mwyaf bregus Cymru yn dioddef. Rydw i am sôn am dri theulu yr ydw i'n gwybod amdanyn nhw a sut maen nhw wedi cael budd uniongyrchol o'r gronfa. Teulu o bedwar - mam a thad a dau blentyn, dwy a thair oed - ac mae gan y plentyn hynaf anableddau difrifol sydd yn golygu tripiau cyson - wythnosol, weithiau dyddiol - i'r ysbyty. Mae'n golygu aros yn yr ysbyty, ymhell o adref, ar adegau cyson. Mae gofal y rhieni o'r plentyn yn arbennig iawn. Mae'r fam yn ei 20au a'r ddau riant wedi rhoi'r gorau i weithio er mwyn gofalu am y plentyn. Mi fyddai hi'n anodd iawn iddyn nhw weithio, yn enwedig gan fod yr ifancaf hefyd angen gofal. Gyda llaw, mae gofal y gymuned o'r teulu hwn yn ysbrydoli rhywun. Mae'r gymuned wedi codi arian i brynu offer chwarae pwrpasol ar gyfer cae chwarae'r pentref. Mae'r plentyn yn cael ymuno efo'i gyfoedion yn y pentref er gwaethaf yr anabledd. Maen nhw'n defnyddio'r arian maen nhw'n ei gael o'r gronfa i'w helpu nhw efo costau teithio i'r ysbyty. Mae angen ymweld yn aml ag Ysbyty Gwynedd, 15 milltir i ffwrdd. Maen nhw hefyd angen mynd i ysbyty Alder Hey Lerpwl yn gyson - taith o bron i ddwy awr yna a dwy awr yn ôl ar hyd yr A55, sy'n golygu yn aml fod y daith yn cymryd tair neu bedair awr. Rhaid mynd yn y car oherwydd mae hwnnw wedi cael ei addasu'n arbennig ar gyfer y plentyn. Ni fydden nhw byth yn cyrraedd yno mewn pryd o ddefnyddio trafnidiaeth gyhoeddus. Mae angen talu toll o £1.70 bob siwrnai ar ben y costau teithio a heb sôn am gostau aros, bwyd, ac ati. Mae modd gwneud cais am rywfaint o'r arian costau teithio gan y bwrdd iechyd neu'r ysbyty, ond ar ôl talu mae hynny'n gorfod digwydd. Mae angen cadw pob derbynneb yn ofalus - y peth olaf sydd ar feddwl rhywun o dan amgylchiadau sydd yn hynod anodd yn barod. Mae gan yr ail deulu blentyn awtistig. Maen nhw wedi cael budd o'r gronfa mewn ffordd arall: maen nhw wedi cael arian i brynu rhewgell fawr sy'n golygu eu bod nhw'n gallu prynu lot o fwyd ar unwaith a'i rewi. Nid ydy mynd i siopa efo plentyn awtistig ddim yn orchwyl hawdd bob tro. Maen nhw'n byw mewn ardal wledig ac felly maen nhw'n arbed ar gostau petrol drwy orfod gwneud llai o dripiau. Mae'r siop agosaf chwe milltir i ffwrdd. O'r Gronfa Deulu y cawson nhw'r arian i brynu'r rhewgell. Byddai wedi cymryd blynyddoedd i'r teulu yma gynilo er mwyn medru prynu rhewgell. Mae'r trydydd teulu yn cynnwys plentyn byddar. Mae'r teulu yma hefyd yn byw mewn ardal wledig. Mae gan y plentyn declyn clyw ac mae angen iddo fo gael ei fonitro yn gyson yn Ysbyty Gwynedd, sydd yn golygu taith o awr o'r cartref yn ôl ac ymlaen. Mae'r costau petrol yn golygu bod y teulu weithiau yn penderfynu peidio mynd at yr apwyntiadau - yn eu sgipio nhw - ac wrth gwrs os ydy hynny'n digwydd dair gwaith yn olynol, mi all y plentyn ddisgyn oddi ar radar y gwasanaethau yn yr ysbyty, ac mi all hynny greu problemau mawr nes ymlaen. Yn unol ag ysbryd Deddf Llesiant Cenedlaethau'r Dyfodol (Cymru) 2015, mae'n rhaid cydnabod gwerth ataliol y gronfa. Efo'r teulu yma, o flaenoriaethu pethau eraill o flaen costau petrol i fynd i apwyntiadau ysbyty, mae problemau yn gallu codi efo'r offer clyw; mae problemau cyfathrebu ac addysg yn codi; mae'r plentyn yn mynd ar ei hôl hi yn yr ysgol, ac angen cymorth ychwanegol, a dyna ni yn dechrau cynyddu'r costau yn sylweddol. Mae problem y mae datrysiad hawdd iddi hi, sef cynnig pot bychan o arian ar gyfer y teithio, ond mae'n gallu datblygu yn broblem fawr gostus, ac wrth gwrs y plentyn sy'n dioddef yng nghanol hyn oll. Fel rydym ni wedi clywed, mae plant a theuluoedd Lloegr yn cael manteisio ar gronfa debyg am dair blynedd arall. Yng Nghymru, mi oedd y gronfa yn gallu cefnogi 5,429 o deuluoedd - teuluoedd tebyg iawn i'r rhai rydw i newydd ddisgrifio. Eleni, 1,500 fydd yn cael cefnogaeth. Y flwyddyn nesaf, yr amcangyfrif ydy mai 875 o deuluoedd yn unig a fydd yn cael cymorth. Mae 4,000 o deuluoedd fel y rhai rydw i wedi sôn amdanyn nhw heddiw - rhai o'n teuluoedd mwyaf bregus - yn waeth eu byd.