Carl Sargeant: Well, I’m not familiar with that instruction from any Minister or from my department in terms of that ending in 2017. There was certainly a financial, one-year proposal for the scheme, but we are reconsidering that as we move forward. So, your constituent, perhaps, isn’t accurate about the fact that it’s going to close. We haven’t said that.
Carl Sargeant: I thank the Member for his question. All children in care should have the same life chances as other children. This is a key priority for me, and I will reconvene the improving outcomes for children strategic group to continue its work and advise on how best we deliver a national approach for looked-after children.
Carl Sargeant: That’s a really important question—to make sure that we’re able to have the capacity to support parents who wish to take on board the loving characters in terms of the adoption services. I’ve asked my team to come up with a programme for supporting the provision, and, again, working with other Ministers across this department, on how we can ensure that we’ve got the right provisions...
Carl Sargeant: I thank the Member for his question. Forty-two million, five hundred and seventy-eight thousand has been allocated for the delivery of the Families First programme during 2016-17, which includes £3 million, ring-fenced for funding the delivery of services for families affected by disabilities.
Carl Sargeant: I thank the Member for his question. Since the National Adoption Service was established in November 2014, the average length of time between a child being looked after and being placed for adoption has continued to reduce. The final 2015-16 quarter performance figure of 15.2 months is the lowest it’s been since 2002. Significant improvements have been made in the provision of life journey...
Carl Sargeant: I’m aware of the Member’s concerns. My officials are considering the issues raised by clause 9 of the Children and Social Work Bill, and are in contact with Westminster to ensure the amendments made are in the best interests of Welsh children waiting to be adopted and their prospective adoptive parents. We are committed, as the Member raises, to adoption as an important option for those...
Carl Sargeant: I thank the Member for her important question. I am due to meet the NSPCC in the next couple of weeks, and I’m sure that will be on the agenda. I will be working with my colleague from social services, the Minister for Social Services and Public Health, in our joint objective to tackle these issues specifically around children. I mentioned earlier on that my department’s focus, and that...
Carl Sargeant: I thank the Member for her question. Presiding Officer, I understand you’ve also grouped 10 and 15, and agreed for those to be grouped today. Welsh Government have been working with the National Adoption Service to further develop and strengthen the strategic direction of adoption services in Wales. We want to ensure that adoptive families have access to timely, appropriate adoption...
Carl Sargeant: I thank the Member for her question. My priorities for communities and children are well-being and economic prosperity, achieving those outcomes both for individuals and for communities.
Carl Sargeant: For a moment I thought I saw some crocodile tears from the Member in regard to his question. It does worry me that there is a sense of irony that comes from those benches, of washing their hands of the impact that his Government in the UK is having on our constituents here in Wales—the ones that he claims to represent in Caerphilly are the very ones that are members, as Hefin David—. It...
Carl Sargeant: Indeed, and, like the member, I’d like to place on record my thanks to the members of the Trussell Trust, who work across the UK, and particularly in Wales, for the good work that they do, and the Trussell Trust plus effect, which is not just about food banks but it’s the other bits that they do as well—the financial advice and support. The Welsh Government advocate services, working...
Carl Sargeant: I thank the Member for his question. In my portfolio, we are aligning key programmes to support those living in low-income households across Wales, including Caerphilly. Communities First, Flying Start, Families First and the Supporting People programme are working towards the common goals of a more prosperous and equal Wales.
Carl Sargeant: I thank the Member for raising one of our groundbreaking commitments in terms of childcare. I can assure the Member that it was nothing like the Conservative childcare offer; it was a very specific one that Welsh Labour delivered on. I am working with my team and Cabinet colleagues on the best way to deliver this programme. Capacity: the Member is right—capacity is an issue about how we...
Carl Sargeant: I think the Member raises a question that I’m familiar with from other parts of targeted services. I know your colleague Mike Hedges used to allude to that around Communities First, again, about boundaries, but there are always some that are in and some that are out. Flying Start is an excellent programme, but it’s targeted using income data provided by the Department for Work and...
Carl Sargeant: Yes.
Carl Sargeant: I thank the Member for Cynon Valley for her question. We know Flying Start improves outcomes for children and families in some of our most disadvantaged communities in Rhondda Cynon Taf. This year, we have committed over £6.8 million, enabling the local authority to support an estimated 3,270 children and their families.
Carl Sargeant: A very topical question from the Member—I actually met with speech and language therapists yesterday who raised the very same issue with me. The Welsh Government is currently mapping the various policy initiatives across education, health and social services to inform the development of a cohesive approach focused on educational provision of speech, language and communication support. I...
Carl Sargeant: Working with Public Health Wales, which is in the remit of Rebecca Evans, we may even have a better strategy here, and I invite the Member to have a look at the adverse childhood experiences programme that they are already developing. I mentioned earlier on about my department and how we are setting the narrative for influencing community change and resilience. One of those challenges will be...
Carl Sargeant: Thank you. Presiding Officer, I understand you’ve given permission for questions 5 and 7 to be grouped today. Tackling poverty is the responsibility of every Welsh Cabinet Secretary and Minister, enabling a truly cross-governmental approach focused on addressing the root causes of poverty. The priorities in my portfolio will be giving children the best start in life and supporting those...
Carl Sargeant: I’m very grateful for the Member’s question. I would ask the Member to reflect on the statistics that she has because I have had some recent briefing on Wind Street in particular. There is a project there that is in partnership with the police and crime commissioner Alun Michael and the local health board and ambulance service about how they manage the night-time economy. It has had some...
