English: The project works in partnership with a local law firm, which has provided over £30,000 pro bono legal advice and representation to fathers in my constituency in south-east Wales. A quarter of fathers involved have gained or improved access to their children over the past year thanks to the initiative. Dads Can has received queries from across south Wales and even as far as London. What's become obvious is that, when fathers feel that they have nowhere else left to turn, they often turn to Dads Can. Just to go through some of the statistics - only a few: 94 per cent of dads have reported they feel more confident and better supported because of the scheme; 84 per cent feel that they have a better ability to influence their futures and manage change; and 79 per cent have now effectively engaged with other providers due to the intervention of the project at Monmouthshire Housing. The work not only provides a helping hand to fathers and their families, but much time is also spent running peer mentoring group sessions in the community, supporting other initiatives such as developing forest school sites, doing tasks such as gardening for the community, and also restoring historical woodland areas, such as dry stone walling, for instance, in the Wye Valley. In fact, on my most recent outing with the team, I was with a group of dads and their children who were planting bedding plants at a farm just outside Abergavenny. I even did end up doing a little bit of gardening myself, although, because I was in a suit, it did look highly inappropriate and, dare I say, a bit naff. If you're wondering why I had stains when I came into the Assembly afterwards, it was from my gardening experience. Next time, I shall go equipped with jeans and wellington boots. Here are a few things that dads and partners have had to say about the scheme. Dawn Moore, first of all, from integrated family support services: 'I found Dads Can a very useful project for fathers who do not know where to start with support and are often reluctant to engage with support. Having a service dedicated to dads helps overcome stigma, it supports them to link up with other services, and ultimately can only help in supporting them to be better fathers for their children.' Kay Perrott, from ETLP solicitors: 'Without a project like this many fathers are left with nowhere to turn and without the vital support that they desperately need.' And dad, Ben Beynon, he said: 'This organisation means so much to me. If it wasn't for Dads Can I wouldn't have anyone to talk to in confidence for support morally and emotionally.' The scheme has been recently recognised for the difference its progress has made across the Gwent area through being selected as a finalist for the UK housing award 2018 in the category of outstanding approach to equality and diversity. In fact, this debate was postponed from its previous scheduled slot, because I know the whole team were in London for that event, having been nominated for that. So, that was the reason why it was postponed. ITV news also recently covered the story and I was pleased to give an interview to them about my experiences talking to the team and also talking to the dads who have received so much support from it. So, the project has gone from strength to strength in a very short space of time. It's been an immense success story to date, and I've been pleased to be involved with it, but what of the future? And this is where you come in, Minister. As well as already having spoken to you about the scheme - 'Oh no', he says - up until now, I know you've been positive towards it. There are a couple of things I'd like to ask you in concluding this short debate. The funding for the project comes to an end early next spring. There is an application for a successor programme in the pipeline, called Family Man - not Family Guy, I hasten to add, but Family Man. That, I think, is already looking like it will be a very positive project for the future and an excellent successor to what we've seen hitherto. So, Minister, can I ask you to look favourably on successor programmes to projects like Dads Can so that the positive benefits of the past two years can be preserved moving into the future? Also, I think it would be beneficial if the Welsh Government looked at ways of building on the good practice that's been achieved and developed in my neck of the woods, so that other areas of Wales may also benefit from these types of projects, successor projects and similar schemes, whatever form other parts of Wales may want to look at implementing. In conclusion, Presiding Officer, I've been very pleased to be involved with this project to date. I very much hope it's success will continue and we can go on providing dads in Monmouthshire and across Wales with the support they and their children need now and in future.
Welsh: Mae'r prosiect yn gweithio mewn partneriaeth â chwmni cyfreithwyr lleol sydd wedi darparu dros £30,000 o gyngor cyfreithiol a chynrychiolaeth pro bono i dadau yn fy etholaeth yn ne-ddwyrain Cymru. Mae chwarter y tadau sy'n gysylltiedig wedi ennill neu wella mynediad at eu plant dros y flwyddyn ddiwethaf, diolch i'r fenter. Mae Dads Can wedi cael ymholiadau o bob rhan o dde Cymru a hyd yn oed mor bell â Llundain. Daeth yn amlwg, pan fo tadau'n teimlo nad oes ganddynt unman arall i droi, eu bod yn aml yn troi at Dads Can. Os caf fynd drwy rai o'r ystadegau - dim ond ychydig: mae 94 y cant o dadau wedi dweud eu bod yn teimlo'n fwy hyderus ac yn cael cefnogaeth well oherwydd y cynllun; mae 84 y cant yn teimlo bod ganddynt allu gwell i ddylanwadu ar eu dyfodol a rheoli newid; a bellach mae 79 y cant wedi ymgysylltu'n effeithiol â darparwyr eraill oherwydd ymyrraeth y prosiect yn Tai Sir Fynwy. Mae'r gwaith nid yn unig yn rhoi help llaw i dadau a'u teuluoedd, ond hefyd treulir llawer o amser yn cynnal sesiynau grwpiau mentora gan gymheiriaid yn y gymuned, yn cefnogi mentrau eraill megis datblygu safleoedd ysgol y goedwig, yn gwneud tasgau fel garddio ar gyfer y gymuned, a hefyd yn adfer coetiroedd hanesyddol, drwy godi waliau cerrig, er enghraifft, yn Nyffryn Gwy. Yn wir, yn ystod fy ymweliad mwyaf diweddar â'r tîm, roeddwn gyda grŵp o dadau a'u plant a oedd yn plannu planhigion ar fferm ychydig y tu allan i'r Fenni. Fe fûm yn gwneud ychydig o arddio fy hun, ond oherwydd fy mod yn gwisgo siwt, roedd yn edrych yn gwbl amhriodol ac os meiddiaf ddweud, braidd yn naff. Os ydych yn pendroni beth oedd y staeniau pan ddeuthum i'r Cynulliad wedyn, roeddent yn deillio o fy mhrofiad garddio. Y tro nesaf, byddaf yn mynd â jîns a welintons. Dyma rai pethau y mae tadau a phartneriaid wedi dweud am y cynllun. Dyma Dawn Moore, yn gyntaf oll, o'r gwasanaethau integredig cymorth i deuluoedd: Roeddwn yn teimlo bod Dads Can yn brosiect defnyddiol iawn ar gyfer tadau nad ydynt yn gwybod lle i ddechrau gyda chymorth ac sy'n aml yn amharod i ofyn am gymorth. Mae cael gwasanaeth pwrpasol ar gyfer tadau yn helpu i oresgyn stigma, mae'n eu cynorthwyo i gysylltu â gwasanaethau eraill, ac yn y pen draw mae'n sicr yn helpu i'w cynorthwyo i fod yn well tadau i'w plant. Kay Perrott, o gwmni cyfreithwyr ETLP: Heb brosiect fel hwn caiff llawer o dadau eu gadael heb unman i droi a heb y cymorth hanfodol sydd ei angen arnynt yn daer. A dywedodd un o'r tadau, Ben Beynon: Mae'r sefydliad hwn yn golygu cymaint i mi. Oni bai am Dads Can ni fyddai gennyf neb i siarad â hwy'n gyfrinachol i gael cefnogaeth foesol ac emosiynol. Cafodd y cynllun ei gydnabod yn ddiweddar yn sgil y gwahaniaeth y mae ei gynnydd wedi'i wneud ar draws ardal Gwent drwy gael ei ddewis ar gyfer rownd derfynol gwobrau tai y DU ar gyfer 2018 yn y categori cyflawniad rhagorol ym maes cydraddoldeb ac amrywiaeth. Mewn gwirionedd, cafodd y ddadl hon ei gohirio ers ei slot blaenorol am fy mod yn gwybod bod y tîm cyfan yn Llundain ar gyfer y digwyddiad hwnnw ar ôl cael ei enwebu ar ei gyfer. Felly, dyna oedd y rheswm pam y cafodd ei gohirio. Rhoddodd newyddion ITV sylw i'r stori yn ddiweddar hefyd ac roeddwn yn falch o roi cyfweliad iddynt am fy mhrofiadau'n siarad â'r tîm a hefyd yn siarad â'r tadau sydd wedi cael cymaint o gefnogaeth ganddo. Felly, mae'r prosiect wedi mynd o nerth i nerth mewn cyfnod byr iawn. Mae wedi bod yn llwyddiant aruthrol hyd yn hyn, ac rwyf wedi bod yn falch o fod yn rhan o hynny, ond beth am y dyfodol? A dyma lle y dowch chi i mewn, Weinidog. Yn ogystal â bod wedi siarad â chi eisoes am y cynllun - 'O na', mae'n dweud - hyd yn hyn, gwn eich bod wedi bod yn gadarnhaol tuag ato. Mae un neu ddau o bethau yr hoffwn ofyn i chi wrth gloi'r ddadl fer hon. Daw'r cyllid ar gyfer y prosiect i ben ddechrau'r gwanwyn nesaf. Mae cais ar gyfer rhaglen olynol yn yr arfaeth, rhaglen o'r enw Family Man - nid Family Guy, prysuraf i ychwanegu, ond Family Man. Mae hwnnw, rwy'n credu, eisoes yn edrych fel pe bai'n mynd i fod yn brosiect cadarnhaol iawn ar gyfer y dyfodol ac yn olynydd rhagorol i'r hyn a welsom hyd yn hyn. Felly, Weinidog, a gaf fi ofyn ichi edrych yn ffafriol ar raglenni olynol i brosiectau fel Dads Can fel y gellir cadw manteision cadarnhaol y ddwy flynedd ddiwethaf wrth symud tua'r dyfodol? Hefyd, credaf y byddai'n fuddiol pe bai Llywodraeth Cymru yn edrych ar ffyrdd o adeiladu ar yr arfer da sydd wedi'i gyflawni a'i ddatblygu yn fy rhan i o'r wlad, fel y gall ardaloedd eraill yng Nghymru hefyd elwa ar y mathau hyn o brosiectau, prosiectau olynol a chynlluniau tebyg, ym mha ffurf bynnag y bydd rhannau eraill o Gymru am ystyried eu gweithredu o bosibl. I gloi, Lywydd, mae wedi bod yn bleser cymryd rhan yn y prosiect hwn hyd yma. Rwy'n mawr obeithio y bydd ei lwyddiant yn parhau ac y gallwn fwrw yn ein blaenau i ddarparu'r cymorth sydd ei angen ar dadau a'u plant yn Sir Fynwy ac ar draws Cymru yn awr ac yn y dyfodol.