English: I thank Janet Finch-Saunders for those questions. We are bringing this statement here to this Chamber today because we are very concerned about the rise in the number of children in care, and I think I've gone through the ways that we hope to address it. She is right; there's been a 34 per cent increase over the last 15 years, and we just cannot let this go on. We can't let it go on for the sake of the children, and that is the whole reason that we are doing this - we are putting the children first. And we know that, wherever possible, we want the children to remain in their own homes. So that is the reason behind us doing this. In terms of 25 per cent being out of county, and some of them being out of country as well, it obviously is much better for children if they can be placed nearer their families, and near their network of local services. The contact that I've had with children who are in care - one of the main things that they say is that they want to keep contact, particularly with their siblings. They just want to see their brothers and sisters. And if you put them a long way away, that is very difficult. So, we are encouraging local authorities to develop facilities within their own areas, on a regional basis, so some of these children who go outside Wales, with very expensive placements, are able to be placed within the country - this country, within Wales. There have been some very good developments on that. The regional partnership boards are actually doing that at the moment, and we have provided them with particular sums of money to do that. So, we are moving in that direction. Why only 16 authorities? Twenty-two authorities have agreed with our aims. Twenty-two authorities are supportive of the agenda that we have set, but only 16 authorities have actually come up with the reduction that they'd like to bring about. And we're very pleased that those authorities have responded in the way that they have with very sensible well-thought-out ways of preventing children coming into care and rehabilitating children in a very, very positive way. As for the ones that haven't done that, we're still in conversation with them. So, that discussion is still going on. I think there is an understandable nervousness amongst local authorities about putting forward the numbers that they would be able to reduce, because I think we can all understand that there is a nervousness about putting targets, and so I absolutely understand how the local authorities feel. But we are working with them, and we hope that the other six will be able to come forward, and we can work with them to support a stabilisation of the number of children that are coming into care. Because we have to take some action, and one of the best ways of doing it is for us to work with the local authorities to bring those numbers down. So, we're continuing to work with the six local authorities that, as yet, haven't actually given any numbers. Absolutely, local authorities are under great financial pressure, and one of the huge pressures, which I think Janet Finch-Saunders referred to, is the huge amount of money they have to pay for some of these out of county placements. So, one of the ways of bringing down the impact on them is to help them to keep the children at home, nearer home, and that is one of the reasons why we've obviously given particular sums of money for the edge of care services. So, every local authority now in Wales has an edge of care service. So, I can assure her that we are very aware of the austerity programme. We've had a big debate about that in First Minister's questions today, and we know that there's a great deal of hardship being caused by some of the welfare reforms that have been brought in. But I really think that we cannot leave this situation to continue. So, we are working very hard at it for the sake of the children.
Welsh: Rwy'n diolch i Janet Finch-Saunders am y cwestiynau hynny. Rydym ni'n dod â'r datganiad hwn gerbron y Siambr hon heddiw oherwydd ein bod yn bryderus iawn ynglŷn â'r cynnydd yn nifer y plant mewn gofal, a chredaf fy mod i wedi rhestru'r ffyrdd yr ydym ni'n gobeithio mynd i'r afael ag ef. Mae hi'n iawn; bu cynnydd o 34 y cant dros y 15 mlynedd diwethaf, ac ni allwn ni ganiatáu i hyn barhau. Ni allwn ni ganiatáu i hyn barhau er mwyn y plant, a dyna'r holl reswm pam rydym ni'n gwneud hyn - rydym ni am roi'r plant yn gyntaf. A gwyddom, pryd bynnag y bo hynny'n bosibl, ein bod yn dymuno i'r plant gael aros yn eu cartrefi eu hunain. Felly dyna'r rheswm pam y gwnawn ni hyn. O ran y ffaith bod 25 y cant y tu allan i'r sir, a rhai ohonyn nhw y tu allan i'r wlad hefyd, mae'n amlwg ei bod hi'n well o lawer i'r plant pe gellid eu lleoli nhw'n nes at eu teuluoedd, ac yn agos at eu rhwydwaith o wasanaethau lleol. Mae'r cyswllt yr wyf i wedi ei gael gyda phlant sydd mewn gofal - un o'r prif bethau y maen nhw'n ei ddweud yw eu bod nhw'n awyddus i gadw cysylltiad, yn enwedig gyda'u brodyr a'u chwiorydd. Y cyfan y maen nhw'n ei ddymuno yw cael gweld eu brodyr a'u chwiorydd. Ac os ydych chi'n eu lleoli nhw ymhell i ffwrdd, mae hynny'n anodd iawn. Felly, rydym yn annog awdurdodau lleol i ddatblygu cyfleusterau yn eu hardaloedd nhw eu hunain, ar sail ranbarthol, fel y gall rhai o'r plant hyn sy'n mynd y tu allan i Gymru, gyda lleoliadau costus iawn, gael eu lleoli o fewn y wlad - y wlad hon, yng Nghymru. Bu rhai datblygiadau da iawn yn hynny o beth. Mae'r byrddau partneriaethau rhanbarthol yn gwneud hynny ar hyn o bryd, ac rydym wedi rhoi symiau o arian iddyn nhw i wneud hynny'n benodol. Felly, rydym yn symud i'r cyfeiriad hwnnw. Pam 16 awdurdod yn unig? Mae dau ddeg a dau o awdurdodau wedi cytuno gyda'n hamcanion ni. Mae dau ddeg a dau o awdurdodau yn cefnogi'r agenda yr ydym ni wedi ei phennu, ond dim ond 16 o awdurdodau sydd wedi gwireddu'r gostyngiad y bydden nhw'n ei ddymuno. Ac rydym ni'n falch iawn bod yr awdurdodau hynny wedi ymateb yn y ffordd y maen nhw, gan ddefnyddio ffyrdd synhwyrol iawn o atal plant rhag cael eu rhoi mewn gofal ac adsefydlu plant mewn ffordd gadarnhaol iawn, iawn. O ran y rhai nad ydyn nhw wedi gwneud hynny, rydym ni'n trafod gyda nhw o hyd. Felly, mae'r drafodaeth honno'n parhau o hyd. Rwyf i o'r farn fod yna nerfusrwydd sy'n ddealladwy ymysg awdurdodau lleol ynglŷn â chyflwyno'r niferoedd y bydden nhw'n gallu eu lleihau. Rwy'n credu y gallwn ni i gyd ddeall fod yna nerfusrwydd ynghylch pennu targedau, ac felly rwy'n ddeall yn llwyr sut mae'r awdurdodau lleol yn teimlo. Ond rydym ni'n gweithio gyda nhw, ac rydym ni'n gobeithio y bydd y chwech arall yn gallu dod ymlaen, ac y gallwn ni weithio gyda nhw i gefnogi sefydlogrwydd yn nifer y plant sy'n derbyn gofal. Oherwydd mae'n rhaid inni weithredu, ac un o'r ffyrdd gorau o wneud hynny yw gweithio gyda'r awdurdodau lleol i ostwng y niferoedd hynny. Felly, rydym ni'n parhau i weithio gyda'r chwe awdurdod lleol nad ydyn nhw, hyd yma, mewn gwirionedd wedi cyflwyno unrhyw niferoedd. Mae'n wair dweud bod yr awdurdodau lleol dan bwysau ariannol mawr. Un o'r pwysau mwyaf, rwy'n credu i Janet Finch-Saunders gyfeirio ato, yw'r swm enfawr o arian y mae'n rhaid iddyn nhw ei dalu am rai o'r lleoliadau hyn y tu allan i'w sir. Felly, un o'r ffyrdd o leihau'r effaith arnyn nhw yw eu helpu i gadw'r plant yn eu cartrefi, yn nes adref, a dyna un o'r rhesymau pam mae'n amlwg ein bod ni wedi rhoi symiau penodol o arian i'r gwasanaethau ar ffiniau gofal. Felly, mae gan bob awdurdod lleol yng Nghymru wasanaeth ar ffiniau gofal erbyn hyn. A gallaf ei sicrhau ein bod ni'n ymwybodol iawn o'r rhaglen gyni. Rydym wedi cael dadl fawr ynglŷn â hynny yng nghwestiynau'r Prif Weinidog heddiw, ac rydym yn gwybod bod rhywfaint o'r diwygiadau lles a gyflwynwyd yn achosi llawer iawn o galedi. Ond rwyf i'n wir yn credu na allwn ni ganiatáu i'r sefyllfa hon barhau. Felly, rydym yn gweithio'n galed iawn ar hyn er lles y plant.