English: Thank you, acting Deputy Presiding Officer and thank you very much for the contributions to the debate today and the support that has been shown for children's rights. As we know, children's rights are entitlements - entitlements that each and every child and young person in Wales should know about and should be supported in realising. Thank you to Laura Anne Jones and to Siân Gwenllian for speaking so powerfully and sensitively about the needs of children and young people in Wales. Laura Anne Jones in particular drew attention to young carers, and I really think that this is an area that is of great concern to us all. I was very pleased that we were able to announce an extra £1 million today to help carers, including young carers, with some of the small items that they may need to help them manage, because as Laura Anne Jones said, we know that this pandemic, this period, has been a very difficult time for carers and particularly for young carers, and I know she referred to the survey that had recently been done. I was also pleased to be able to give £55,000 for psychological help for carers earlier on in the pandemic because I know that the strain on their mental health has been very extreme during this period. I'm also pleased that we are pursuing the issue of identity cards for young carers. I think that that is something that will help enormously and we have a number of local authorities who are now using identity cards in order to make life easier for young carers. Because one of the things that young carers have told us is that they feel very strongly that they don't want to tell every new person the whole history of what has happened to them every time they meet somebody, and in school they need to be able to have a card that will help them. It will help them when they go to the chemist, when they go to get medicine for the people that they care for, and, in fact, there's so many ways that a card can help that I think that's another way that we will be able to help young carers. I've met many groups of young carers, both while I've been doing this job and previously, and you had to pay a huge tribute to them in terms of what they do in order to keep families going, often. So, thank you very much, Laura Anne Jones, for highlighting that in your contribution and also drawing attention to the fact that this is an area that the children's commissioner also feels very strongly about. It's very impressive that Monmouthshire are encouraging particular young carers to apply for apprenticeships. As well as young carers, I know that Laura Anne Jones mentioned mental health and the mental health of children during this period, and that's been mentioned in the debate a lot this afternoon. I think we're all aware of how mental health is one of the real areas that we've got huge concern about, and we certainly all welcome now the appointment of a Minister with responsibility for mental health, which does show the priority that the Government is giving to that area. Siân Gwenllian really vividly described how coronavirus has changed the lives of children dramatically. She described all that has been lost, and we know that for many vulnerable children whose lives are held together by school, by outside activities, by the support they get from youth clubs, from youth workers and from many other services - that all that scaffolding has gone and this has been, I think, a very difficult experience. So, thank you, Siân, for describing that so vividly about what children are experiencing and reminding us about what we have to do and what we have to concentrate on to try to mitigate this as much as we possibly can. Certainly, the Government has had the rights of children high at the top of their agenda, and I think you will have seen in the steps that we've taken and that the First Minister has put before you today - you've seen that children have been right at the forefront in terms of keeping as many children in schools as we can, keeping childcare open, keeping playgrounds open, acknowledging the importance of play. All those things are there for children and they have been at the very top of our agenda. Siân Gwenllian referred to the 18 recommendations that the children's commissioner has put forward, and the First Minister will respond to those by 30 November, but as I said in my opening remarks, we wanted to hear what Members said in this debate, so that we can then respond fully, taking into account what Members have said. Siân Gwenllian referred to elective home education and safeguarding in independent schools, and as I said in my opening remarks, because the Commissioner is using her statutory powers to review these areas, I won't be commenting on those until the Government responds to her review. But Siân Gwenllian has highlighted the issues very powerfully, I think, in her response. So, thank you very much for those contributions. Just to conclude, while I am proud of the commitment the Welsh Government has made and is making to children's rights, I do know that we can and we must do more to ensure that children all know about their rights, how to access those rights, and how to challenge when they're not receiving those rights. So, we have a big job of awareness and of reaching out to children. The children's commissioner is an absolutely vital partner in this endeavour, and has a hugely important role in holding the Government to account. As we've said, this year has been a challenge for so many children and young people, and of course, this may continue for some time. That's why we have to have children's rights at the absolute forefront of everything we're doing. Children's rights and improving experiences for our children and young people has been at the heart of our responses to the pandemic, and I'd like to remind Members about the free school meals provision over the holiday period that we are providing, the improvements to the mental health services that we have carried out, and working with the commissioner to listen directly to the voices of children. So, thank you very much again for your contributions to this debate. It's a very important debate. It came after another very important debate, but I think the two debates are very closely linked, because children's rights must be at the heart of how we respond to this pandemic. Thank you very much.
Welsh: Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd dros dro a diolch yn fawr am y cyfraniadau i'r ddadl heddiw a'r gefnogaeth sydd wedi ei dangos i hawliau plant. Fel y gwyddom ni, mae gan blant hawliau - hawliau y dylai pob plentyn a pherson ifanc yng Nghymru wybod amdanyn nhw a chael cefnogaeth i'w gwireddu. Diolch i Laura Anne Jones ac i Siân Gwenllian am siarad mewn ffordd mor bwerus a sensitif ynghylch anghenion plant a phobl ifanc yng Nghymru. Tynnodd Laura Anne Jones sylw yn arbennig at ofalwyr ifanc, ac rwyf i wir yn credu bod hwn yn faes sy'n peri pryder mawr i bob un ohonom ni. Roeddwn i'n falch iawn ein bod ni wedi gallu cyhoeddi £1 miliwn ychwanegol heddiw i helpu gofalwyr, gan gynnwys gofalwyr ifanc, gyda rhai o'r eitemau bach y gallai fod eu hangen arnyn nhw i'w helpu i ymdopi, oherwydd fel y dywedodd Laura Anne Jones, rydym ni'n gwybod bod y pandemig hwn, y cyfnod hwn, wedi bod yn gyfnod anodd iawn i ofalwyr ac yn arbennig i ofalwyr ifanc, ac rwy'n gwybod ei bod hi wedi cyfeirio at yr arolwg a oedd wedi ei gyflawni yn ddiweddar. Roeddwn i hefyd yn falch o allu rhoi £55,000 ar gyfer cymorth seicolegol i ofalwyr yn gynharach yn y pandemig gan fy mod i'n gwybod bod y straen ar eu hiechyd meddwl wedi bod yn eithafol iawn yn ystod y cyfnod hwn. Rwyf i hefyd yn falch ein bod ni'n mynd ar drywydd cardiau adnabod i ofalwyr ifanc. Rwy'n credu bod hynny'n rhywbeth a fydd yn helpu'n aruthrol ac mae gennym ni nifer o awdurdodau lleol erbyn hyn sy'n defnyddio cardiau adnabod er mwyn gwneud bywyd yn haws i ofalwyr ifanc. Oherwydd un o'r pethau y mae gofalwyr ifanc wedi ei ddweud wrthym ni yw eu bod yn teimlo'n gryf iawn nad ydyn nhw eisiau dweud wrth bob person newydd holl hanes yr hyn sydd wedi digwydd iddyn nhw bob tro y byddan nhw'n cwrdd â rhywun, ac yn yr ysgol mae angen iddyn nhw allu bod â cherdyn a fydd yn eu helpu. Bydd yn eu helpu pan fyddan nhw'n mynd at y fferyllydd, pan fyddan nhw'n mynd i gael meddyginiaeth ar gyfer y bobl y maen nhw'n gofalu amdanyn nhw, ac, mewn gwirionedd, mae cymaint o ffyrdd y gall cerdyn helpu, fy mod i o'r farn bod hynny yn ffordd arall y byddwn ni'n gallu helpu gofalwyr ifanc. Rwyf i wedi cyfarfod â llawer o grwpiau o ofalwyr ifanc, wrth i mi wneud y gwaith hwn ac yn flaenorol, ac roedd yn rhaid i chi dalu teyrnged enfawr iddyn nhw o ran yr hyn maen nhw'n ei wneud er mwyn cadw teuluoedd i fynd, yn aml. Felly, diolch yn fawr iawn, Laura Anne Jones, am dynnu sylw at hynny yn eich cyfraniad a hefyd am dynnu sylw at y ffaith bod hwn yn faes y mae'r comisiynydd plant yn teimlo'n gryf iawn yn ei gylch hefyd. Mae'n drawiadol iawn bod Sir Fynwy yn annog gofalwyr ifanc penodol i wneud cais am brentisiaethau. Yn ogystal â gofalwyr ifanc, rwy'n gwybod bod Laura Anne Jones wedi sôn am iechyd meddwl ac iechyd meddwl plant yn ystod y cyfnod hwn, ac mae hynny wedi ei grybwyll dipyn yn y ddadl y prynhawn yma. Rwy'n credu ein bod ni i gyd yn ymwybodol o'r ffordd y mae iechyd meddwl yn un o'r meysydd gwirioneddol y mae gennym ni bryder enfawr yn ei gylch, ac yn sicr, rydym ni i gyd yn croesawu penodiad Gweinidog sy'n gyfrifol am iechyd meddwl bellach, sy'n dangos y flaenoriaeth y mae'r Llywodraeth yn ei rhoi i'r maes hwnnw. Disgrifiodd Siân Gwenllian yn glir iawn sut y mae'r coronafeirws wedi newid bywydau plant yn ddramatig. Disgrifiodd hi bopeth sydd wedi ei golli, ac rydym ni'n gwybod, i lawer o blant sy'n agored i niwed y mae eu bywydau yn cael eu cynnal gan yr ysgol, gan weithgareddau allanol, gan y cymorth maen nhw'n ei gael gan glybiau ieuenctid, gan weithwyr ieuenctid a gan lawer o wasanaethau eraill - fod yr holl strwythur hynny wedi mynd a bod hyn, yn fy marn i, wedi bod yn brofiad anodd iawn. Felly, diolch, Siân, am ddisgrifio hynny mor glir o ran profiad y plant ac am ein hatgoffa ni ynghylch yr hyn y mae'n rhaid i ni ei wneud a'r hyn y mae'n rhaid i ni ganolbwyntio arno i geisio lliniaru hyn gymaint ag y gallwn ni. Yn sicr, mae hawliau plant wedi bod yn uchel ar frig agenda'r Llywodraeth, ac rwy'n credu y byddwch chi wedi gweld yn y camau yr ydym ni wedi eu cymryd ac y mae'r Prif Weinidog wedi eu rhoi ger eich bron heddiw - rydych chi wedi gweld bod plant wedi bod yn flaenoriaeth lwyr o ran cadw cynifer o blant yn yr ysgol ag y gallwn ni, cadw gofal plant ar agor, cadw meysydd chwarae ar agor, cydnabod pwysigrwydd chwarae. Mae'r holl bethau hynny yno i blant ac maen nhw wedi bod ar frig ein hagenda. Cyfeiriodd Siân Gwenllian at y 18 argymhelliad y mae'r comisiynydd plant wedi eu cyflwyno, a bydd y Prif Weinidog yn ymateb iddyn nhw erbyn 30 Tachwedd, ond fel y dywedais i yn fy sylwadau agoriadol, roeddem ni'n awyddus i glywed yr hyn yr oedd gan yr Aelodau i'w ddweud yn y ddadl hon, er mwyn i ni allu ymateb wedyn yn llawn, gan ystyried yr hyn y mae'r Aelodau wedi ei ddweud. Cyfeiriodd Siân Gwenllian at addysg ddewisol yn y cartref a diogelu mewn ysgolion annibynnol, ac fel y dywedais i yn fy sylwadau agoriadol, oherwydd bod y Comisiynydd yn defnyddio ei phwerau statudol i adolygu'r meysydd hyn, ni fyddaf i'n gwneud sylwadau arnyn nhw nes y bydd y Llywodraeth yn ymateb i'w hadolygiad. Ond mae Siân Gwenllian wedi tynnu sylw at y materion yn bwerus iawn, yn fy marn i, yn ei hymateb. Felly, diolch yn fawr am y cyfraniadau hynny. I gloi, er fy mod i'n falch o'r ymrwymiad y mae Llywodraeth Cymru wedi ei wneud ac yn ei wneud i hawliau plant, rwyf i yn gwybod y gallwn ni, a bod yn rhaid i ni, wneud mwy i sicrhau bod pob plentyn yn ymwybodol o'i hawliau, sut i weithredu ar yr hawliau hynny, a sut i herio pan nad ydyn nhw'n cael yr hawliau hynny. Felly, mae gennym ni waith mawr i godi ymwybyddiaeth ac i estyn allan i blant. Mae'r comisiynydd plant yn bartner cwbl hanfodol yn yr ymdrech hon, ac mae ganddi swyddogaeth bwysig iawn o ran dwyn y Llywodraeth i gyfrif. Fel yr ydym ni wedi ei ddweud, mae eleni wedi bod yn her i gynifer o blant a phobl ifanc, ac wrth gwrs, gall hyn barhau am gryn amser. Dyna pam mae'n rhaid i ni gadw hawliau plant yn flaenoriaeth ym mhob dim yr ydym ni'n ei wneud. Mae hawliau plant a gwella profiadau i'n plant a'n pobl ifanc wedi bod yn ganolog i'n hymatebion i'r pandemig, a hoffwn i atgoffa'r Aelodau am y ddarpariaeth prydau ysgol am ddim yr ydym ni'n ei darparu dros gyfnod y gwyliau, y gwelliannau i'r gwasanaethau iechyd meddwl yr ydym ni wedi eu cyflawni, a gweithio gyda'r comisiynydd i wrando ar leisiau plant yn uniongyrchol. Felly, diolch yn fawr iawn i chi unwaith eto am eich cyfraniadau i'r ddadl hon. Mae'n ddadl bwysig iawn. Daeth ar ôl dadl bwysig iawn arall, ond rwyf i'n credu bod cysylltiad agos iawn rhwng y ddwy ddadl, oherwydd bod yn rhaid i hawliau plant fod yn ganolog i'r ffordd yr ydym ni'n ymateb i'r pandemig hwn. Diolch yn fawr iawn.