English: I want to start my contribution by acknowledging that there is a strong cross-party consensus in Wales that we all have a collective responsibility to ensure that care-experienced children are provided with the best care and support available. Last week, Deputy Presiding Officer, I asked the Brexit Minister, Jeremy Miles AM, a question about the European Union settlement scheme. It is an area of interest that I would like to follow up today. The Welsh Government has allocated £224,000 to the Welsh local authorities to support European Union citizens applying to the EU settlement scheme. The proportion of that funding to Caerphilly County Borough Council is £9,500, based on an estimate of 3,000 EU citizens in that local authority. So, today, I have written to the council to ascertain how many of the 435 care-experienced children are European Union citizens, and what the authority is doing to ensure that their status within the United Kingdom is safeguarded. So, I would be keen to further my understanding - if the Minister can - as to what actions the Welsh Government is undertaking to support and ensure that local authorities such as Caerphilly identify children who are eligible for the European Union settlement scheme. Statistics show, as has been stated, that the number of children in care in Wales is continuing to increase, as is the case across the United Kingdom. Over the past 15 years, the number of care-experienced children in Wales has risen by 34 per cent, and this is a fact that should cause us all a moment to pause. There are a number of factors, though, that are driving this trend, including poverty, deprivation, and the very real impacts of austerity and welfare changes. We cannot ignore that. The introduction of the bedroom tax, benefit cuts and freezes, and the reduction on universal credit rates in particular, have hit the poorest families in Wales the hardest. We know that money issues are the biggest driver of family break-up, mental health deterioration and a drive to substance abuse. So, I'm heartened that the Government here has made this issue a priority. I welcome the fact that the Welsh Government has invested an additional £9 million a year to expand the support for care-experienced children since 2017. This funding has meant that edge-of-care services are now in place in every local authority in Wales. It has led to the establishment of the groundbreaking St David's Day fund, which has supported almost 2,000 care leavers in their transition to adulthood. And it has provided for the roll-out of the Reflect programme throughout Wales, which supports young parents whose children have been placed in the care system. We know that this is important. A further £15 million is being invested over the next two years via the integrated care fund to expand preventative and early intervention services. This will help ensure that families receive seamless family-centred services that help support them to stay together. These are practical support-based initiatives that work. We all need to ensure that care-experienced children are provided with the best care and support available to allow them to flourish in a safe environment and enjoy the same opportunities as any other child would expect. We are all corporate parents in this Chamber with this lens. To that end, we must acknowledge, surely, that this era of UK Government policy of austerity is damaging to the opportunities and life chances of the very poorest and most vulnerable children throughout Wales and the UK.
Welsh: Rwyf am ddechrau fy nghyfraniad drwy gydnabod bod consensws trawsbleidiol cryf yng Nghymru fod gan bob un ohonom gyfrifoldeb ar y cyd i sicrhau bod plant sy'n derbyn gofal yn cael y gofal a'r cymorth gorau sydd ar gael. Yr wythnos diwethaf, Ddirprwy Lywydd, gofynnais gwestiwn i'r Gweinidog Brexit, Jeremy Miles AC, am y cynllun preswylio'n sefydlog i ddinasyddion yr Undeb Ewropeaidd. Mae'n faes diddordeb yr hoffwn fynd ar ei drywydd heddiw. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi dyrannu £224,000 i awdurdodau lleol Cymru i gynorthwyo dinasyddion yr Undeb Ewropeaidd sy'n gwneud cais i'r cynllun preswylio'n sefydlog i ddinasyddion yr UE. Y gyfran o'r cyllid hwnnw sy'n mynd i Gyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Caerffili yw £9,500, yn seiliedig ar amcangyfrif o 3,000 o ddinasyddion yr UE yn yr awdurdod lleol hwnnw. Felly, heddiw, rwyf wedi ysgrifennu at y cyngor i ganfod faint o'r 435 o blant sydd wedi cael profiad o ofal sy'n ddinasyddion yr Undeb Ewropeaidd, a beth y mae'r awdurdod yn ei wneud i sicrhau bod eu statws o fewn y Deyrnas Unedig yn cael ei ddiogelu. Felly, hoffwn ehangu fy nealltwriaeth - os gall y Gweinidog fy helpu - ynglŷn â pha gamau y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn eu cymryd i gefnogi a sicrhau bod awdurdodau lleol fel Caerffili yn nodi pa blant sy'n gymwys ar gyfer y cynllun preswylio'n sefydlog i ddinasyddion yr Undeb Ewropeaidd. Mae ystadegau'n dangos, fel y dywedwyd, fod nifer y plant mewn gofal yng Nghymru yn dal i gynyddu, fel sy'n wir ar draws y Deyrnas Unedig. Dros y 15 mlynedd diwethaf, mae nifer y plant sy'n cael profiad o ofal yng Nghymru wedi codi 34 y cant, ac mae hon yn ffaith a ddylai beri i bawb ohonom oedi i feddwl. Fodd bynnag, mae nifer o ffactorau'n cymell y duedd hon, gan gynnwys tlodi, amddifadedd, ac effeithiau gwirioneddol cyni a newidiadau i'r system les. Ni allwn anwybyddu hynny. Mae cyflwyno'r dreth ystafell wely, toriadau i fudd-daliadau a rhewi budd-daliadau, a'r gostyngiad yng nghyfraddau credyd cynhwysol yn enwedig, wedi taro'r teuluoedd tlotaf yng Nghymru yn galetach na neb. Gwyddom mai materion ariannol yw'r sbardun mwyaf i chwalu teuluoedd, dirywiad iechyd meddwl a'r ysgogiad i gamddefnyddio sylweddau. Felly, rwy'n falch fod y Llywodraeth yma wedi gwneud y mater hwn yn flaenoriaeth. Rwy'n croesawu'r ffaith bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi buddsoddi £9 miliwn y flwyddyn yn ychwanegol i ehangu'r cymorth ar gyfer plant sydd wedi cael profiad o ofal ers 2017. Mae'r arian hwn wedi golygu bod gwasanaethau ar ffiniau gofal bellach ar gael ym mhob awdurdod lleol yng Nghymru. Mae wedi arwain at sefydlu cronfa Dydd Gŵyl Dewi sy'n torri tir newydd, ac sydd wedi cefnogi bron 2,000 o bobl ifanc sy'n gadael gofal wrth iddynt bontio i fywyd fel oedolion. Ac mae wedi darparu ar gyfer cyflwyno'r rhaglen Reflect ledled Cymru, sy'n cefnogi rhieni ifanc y mae eu plant wedi cael eu rhoi yn y system ofal. Gwyddom fod hyn yn bwysig. Buddsoddir £15 miliwn arall dros y ddwy flynedd nesaf drwy'r gronfa gofal integredig i ehangu gwasanaethau ataliol ac ymyrraeth gynnar. Bydd hyn yn helpu i sicrhau bod teuluoedd yn cael gwasanaethau di-dor sy'n canolbwyntio ar y teulu ac yn eu cynorthwyo i aros gyda'i gilydd. Mae'r rhain yn fentrau ymarferol, seiliedig ar gymorth sy'n gweithio. Mae angen i bob un ohonom sicrhau bod plant sy'n derbyn gofal yn cael y gofal a'r cymorth gorau sydd ar gael i'w galluogi i ffynnu mewn amgylchedd diogel a mwynhau'r un cyfleoedd ag y byddai unrhyw blentyn arall yn ei ddisgwyl. Mae pawb ohonom yn y Siambr yn rhieni corfforaethol yn yr ystyr hon. I'r perwyl hwnnw, rhaid inni gydnabod, does bosibl, fod yr oes hon o bolisi cyni Llywodraeth y DU yn niweidio cyfleoedd bywyd y plant tlotaf a mwyaf agored i niwed yng Nghymru a'r DU.