English: Thank you, acting Presiding Officer, and I too would like to start by thanking you for all the work that you and your task group have done in helping children. That sort of focus on them and their issues will do a power of good for them and I'm sure they are very, very thankful for all the work that you have done. I too welcomed the publication of this report and would like to thank Sally Holland and her team for all the work that they have done to change lives for children and young people in Wales. The conversations that I've had with her to date, since arriving in the Senedd just a few months ago, have been open, honest and reassuring. This report acknowledges the effects the current pandemic is having on the children's commissioner's work and the need to respond to critical issues affecting the lives of our children under lockdown. Never has their work been so vital and it will be critical going forward now, due to the impact of this crisis. The report acknowledges that key new pieces of work will have to be undertaken in the next programme as the result of the changes experienced by children and the impacts that will be felt for years to come. It is some of these issues that I'd like to address in my remarks this afternoon. The report states that public services in Wales still do not meet the needs of our children and young people effectively. Children and their families have to navigate complex systems and are often not helped because they do not fit neat categories or are not helped at all even though they are in crisis. This is a particular problem in our mental health services and disabled children's services. This was before the children's committee said that children's mental health had suffered the collateral damage of COVID-19. More than two years ago, an inquiry called for the tackling of emotional and mental health issues in children to be made a national priority. There have been improvements in services since then, but they are happening too slowly and some young people still struggle to get the help that they need. The children's committee concluded that the Welsh Government's reassurances about out-of-hours and crisis care are disappointingly thin. There are too many reports of limited options for children who need help, but do not reach the threshold for specialist services. Although progress is happening in education, it was far less confident that the pace of change in health and local government, including social services, is sufficient. I know that the mental health and well-being of children and young people is the key priority for our commissioner and I've had many conversations with her about that. The pandemic has put this into sharp focus for everybody. The Welsh Government has recognised this by appointing a Minister with specific responsibility for mental health and we welcome that. I look forward to seeing positive results in building a system that responds to the needs of the child rather than trying to fit them into existing services. Even before the outbreak of coronavirus, young carers were all too often spending significant amounts of time caring for a relative - this, in addition to the time they need to spend on work, education and relaxation - but coronavirus has significantly increased those pressures. The Carers Trust recently carried out a survey that found that 58 per cent of young carers who are caring for longer since coronavirus are spending on average 10 hours a week more on their caring responsibilities. The survey shows how worries relating to coronavirus and increased isolation caused by the lockdown have affected the mental health and well-being of young people with caring responsibilities. Young carers provide a huge amount of support to vulnerable people in Wales. The children's commissioner calls for greater prioritisation of mental health support for young carers and greater support from education providers and employers to help carers to juggle their caring roles alongside school, college, university or work. I look forward to the progress being made to reduce the unacceptable pressures young carers are under and to improve their well-being and life chances. We need to work with our young carers, working with them and involving them in formulating policy. I'm sure we all agree too that young carers should be encouraged and have support to go into higher education or find apprenticeships, if this is what they want to do. And I'd like the commissioner and the Government to note that Monmouthshire County Council actively encourages apprenticeships for young carers leavers within its own organisation and those carers are included in any information going out with job vacancies, where appropriate. They also include them on their corporate parenting panel. Monmouthshire County Council are always setting the bar high when it comes to a local authority and an employer in its practices, and it's this sort of good practice that needs to be rolled out across Wales in all authorities. This pandemic has highlighted just how important it is to support and protect our young people from the immense challenges they have faced and continue to face. As this report says, we know what the challenges are; it is time for decisive, brave actions.
Welsh: Diolch, Llywydd dros dro, a hoffwn innau hefyd ddechrau trwy ddiolch i chi am yr holl waith yr ydych chi a'ch grŵp gorchwyl wedi ei wneud i helpu plant. Bydd y math hwnnw o bwyslais arnyn nhw a'u materion yn gwneud byd o les iddyn nhw ac rwy'n siŵr eu bod yn ddiolchgar iawn am yr holl waith yr ydych chi wedi ei wneud. Fe wnes innau hefyd groesawu cyhoeddiad yr adroddiad hwn a hoffwn i ddiolch i Sally Holland a'i thîm am yr holl waith maen nhw wedi ei wneud i newid bywydau plant a phobl ifanc yng Nghymru. Mae'r sgyrsiau yr wyf i wedi eu cael gyda hi hyd yma, ers cyrraedd y Senedd ychydig fisoedd yn ôl, wedi bod yn agored, yn onest ac yn galonogol. Mae'r adroddiad hwn yn cydnabod yr effeithiau y mae'r pandemig presennol yn eu cael ar waith y comisiynydd plant a'r angen i ymateb i faterion hollbwysig sy'n effeithio ar fywydau ein plant dan gyfyngiadau symud. Ni fu eu gwaith erioed mor hanfodol a bydd yn hollbwysig wrth symud ymlaen yn awr, oherwydd effaith yr argyfwng hwn. Mae'r adroddiad yn cydnabod y bydd yn rhaid cyflawni darnau newydd allweddol o waith yn y rhaglen nesaf o ganlyniad i'r newidiadau i fywydau y plant a'r effeithiau a fydd yn cael eu teimlo am flynyddoedd i ddod. Rhai o'r materion hyn yr hoffwn i ymdrin â nhw yn fy sylwadau y prynhawn yma. Mae'r adroddiad yn datgan bod ein gwasanaethau cyhoeddus yng Nghymru yn parhau i beidio â diwallu anghenion ein plant a'n pobl ifanc yn effeithiol. Mae'n rhaid i blant a'u teuluoedd lywio systemau cymhleth ac nid ydyn nhw'n cael cymorth yn aml oherwydd nad ydyn nhw'n perthyn i gategorïau taclus neu nid ydyn nhw'n cael cymorth o gwbl er eu bod mewn argyfwng. Mae hon yn broblem benodol yn ein gwasanaethau iechyd meddwl a'n gwasanaethau plant anabl. Roedd hyn cyn i'r pwyllgor plant ddweud bod iechyd meddwl plant wedi dioddef yn sgil COVID-19. Dros ddwy flynedd yn ôl, galwodd ymchwiliad am roi blaenoriaeth genedlaethol i ymdrin â materion iechyd emosiynol a meddwl plant. Mae gwelliannau wedi eu gweld mewn gwasanaethau ers hynny, ond maen nhw'n digwydd yn rhy araf ac mae rhai pobl ifanc yn dal yn ei chael hi'n anodd cael y cymorth sydd ei angen arnyn nhw. Daeth y pwyllgor plant i'r casgliad bod sicrwydd Llywodraeth Cymru ynghylch gofal y tu allan i oriau a gofal argyfwng yn siomedig o denau. Mae gormod o adroddiadau am brinder opsiynau i blant y mae angen cymorth arnyn nhw, ond nad ydyn nhw'n cyrraedd y trothwy ar gyfer gwasanaethau arbenigol. Er bod cynnydd i'w weld ym maes addysg, roedd llawer llai o hyder bod cyflymder y newid ym maes iechyd a llywodraeth leol, gan gynnwys y gwasanaethau cymdeithasol, yn ddigonol. Gwn mai iechyd meddwl a lles plant a phobl ifanc yw blaenoriaeth allweddol ein comisiynydd ac rwyf i wedi cael llawer o sgyrsiau gyda hi ynghylch hynny. Mae'r pandemig wedi dangos hyn yn glir i bawb. Mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi cydnabod hyn trwy benodi Gweinidog sydd â chyfrifoldeb penodol dros iechyd meddwl ac rydym ni'n croesawu hynny. Rwy'n edrych ymlaen at weld canlyniadau cadarnhaol o ran datblygu system sy'n ymateb i anghenion y plentyn yn hytrach na cheisio eu cynnwys yn y gwasanaethau presennol. Hyd yn oed cyn achosion y coronafeirws, yr oedd gofalwyr ifanc yn rhy aml o lawer yn treulio cryn dipyn o amser yn gofalu am berthynas - a hyn, yn ogystal â'r amser y mae angen iddyn nhw ei dreulio ar waith, addysg ac ymlacio - ond mae'r coronafeirws wedi cynyddu'r pwysau hynny yn sylweddol. Cynhaliodd yr Ymddiriedolaeth Gofalwyr arolwg yn ddiweddar a ganfu fod 58 y cant o ofalwyr ifanc sy'n gofalu am fwy o amser ers y coronafeirws, yn treulio 10 awr yr wythnos yn fwy ar gyfartaledd ar eu cyfrifoldebau gofalu. Mae'r arolwg yn dangos sut y mae pryderon sy'n ymwneud â'r coronafeirws a mwy o unigedd yn sgil y cyfyngiadau symud wedi effeithio ar iechyd meddwl a lles pobl ifanc sydd â chyfrifoldebau gofalu. Mae gofalwyr ifanc yn rhoi llawer iawn o gymorth i bobl sy'n agored i niwed yng Nghymru. Mae'r comisiynydd plant yn galw am roi mwy o flaenoriaeth i gymorth iechyd meddwl i ofalwyr ifanc a mwy o gymorth gan ddarparwyr addysg a chyflogwyr i helpu gofalwyr i ymdopi â'u swyddogaethau gofalu ochr yn ochr â'r ysgol, coleg, prifysgol neu waith. Rwy'n edrych ymlaen at weld y cynnydd sy'n cael ei wneud i leihau'r pwysau annerbyniol sydd ar ofalwyr ifanc ac i wella eu lles a'u cyfleoedd mewn bywyd. Mae angen i ni weithio gyda'n gofalwyr ifanc, gan weithio gyda nhw a'u cynnwys wrth lunio polisi. Rwy'n siŵr ein bod ni i gyd yn cytuno hefyd y dylai gofalwyr ifanc gael anogaeth a chymorth i fynd i addysg uwch neu ddod o hyd i brentisiaethau, os mai dyma y maen nhw'n dymuno ei wneud. A hoffwn i'r comisiynydd a'r Llywodraeth nodi bod Cyngor Sir Fynwy yn mynd ati i annog prentisiaethau i ofalwyr ifanc sy'n gadael yr ysgol o fewn ei sefydliad ei hun a bod y gofalwyr hynny yn cael eu cynnwys mewn unrhyw wybodaeth sy'n mynd allan am swyddi gwag, pan fo hynny'n briodol. Maen nhw hefyd yn eu cynnwys ar eu panel rhianta corfforaethol. Mae Cyngor Sir Fynwy bob amser yn gosod safon uchel o ran arferion awdurdodau lleol a chyflogwr, ac mae angen cyflwyno'r math hwn o arfer da ledled Cymru ym mhob awdurdod. Mae'r pandemig hwn wedi tynnu sylw at ba mor bwysig y mae cefnogi ac amddiffyn ein pobl ifanc rhag yr heriau aruthrol y maen nhw wedi eu hwynebu ac yn parhau i'w hwynebu. Fel y mae'r adroddiad hwn yn ei ddweud, rydym ni'n gwybod beth yw'r heriau; mae'n amser cymryd camau pendant a dewr.