I’m very glad the Member intervened. You know, we’re a victim of our own success. We chase targets far too often without looking at people. And the rights and wrongs of that, with opposition parties and politicians, is that there’s a great chance to chastise people to say, ‘You haven’t made the 5 GCSEs’, when, actually, we’re forgetting about the individual, and particularly looked-after children. So, my priority and my team’s department priorities will be making sure that we can tackle ACEs early on—adverse childhood experiences—which we think, longer term, will give us a better outcome, and a rounded person, for people who, hopefully, won’t even enter the care system in that process.

Over the last two years, we have seen a reduction in the number of looked-after children in Wales, but I ask Members again to look with caution at the numbers in care, because we bandy those numbers about, but, actually, sometimes, it is the right thing for children to be protected in their environment. And I will be looking to reverse the trend and make sure that we continue on a reduction as it’s safe to do so, and supporting communities in this Assembly term.

I will be reconvening the improving outcomes for children strategic steering group, established by the former Minister for Health and Social Services, to drive forward reform and develop a national approach to looked-after children in Wales. Since its establishment, in September 2015, the group has brought together key stakeholders who will, and have looked at looked-after children’s foster carers and adopters. There’s much more work to be done here, and across Government departments. I reflect again what I said earlier about the WFG Act, where all departments across the Government are looking at education, housing, tackling poverty and public health—how we all can make a contribution to the benefit of young people.

Going forward, the group will identify what early intervention and preventative action could be taken to help reduce the numbers of children taken into care, and consequently bringing down the incidences of adverse childhood experiences. The group’s work programme will be based around three key themes. One, preventing children entering care and early intervention; two, improving outcomes for children already in care; and supporting care leavers to have successful futures and independent living. Successful outcomes in this area require collaboration and leadership across departments within national and local governments, and I heard the Members raise issues around the synergies between social services and education, and that’s absolutely the right thing to do. For children already in care, we are committed to improving the provision of high-quality placements that meet their needs, and give them the stability and support they need in order to thrive. This includes implementing a new national fostering framework, reviewing our special guardianship orders and promoting greater support for kinship carers.

We particularly want to ensure that all children and young people reach their full potential in education. The Welsh Government published a joint education and social services strategy in January, to raise the educational attainments of looked-after children, which sets out clear actions for improvement. I will be reviewing those numbers. [Intervention.] Indeed.