4. Will the Minister outline the support the Welsh Government has provided to charities supporting families? OAQ(5)0083(CC)

Good afternoon. Thank you for the question. The Welsh Government directly and indirectly supports a number of organisations providing support to families. Within my portfolio, the children and families delivery grant, Families First and Flying Start give support to third sector groups that aim to meet the priorities of supporting well-being, reducing poverty and, indeed, tackling adverse childhood experiences.

Thank you for that answer. But, Cabinet Secretary, could you explain why the Welsh Government have seen fit to reduce funding for the Family Fund charity from £2,508,950 in 2015-16 to a figure of £1.9 million for the next three years? That is in comparison to the Scottish, Northern Irish and Westminster Governments, who have all decided to retain the same level of funding they had previously. This seems to run slightly counter to your previous answers this afternoon, which indicate that your view is that the economic situation in Wales is improving.

I’m very grateful for the Member’s question. I would point out to the Deputy Presiding Officer that the Family Fund budget rests within my colleague’s budget line, but will ask her to write to you. Rebecca Evans is the Minister who deals with this particular issue.

Can I draw your attention, Minister, to the work of the Penparcau Community Forum? Penparcau used to be a Communities First area; it’s the community I live in. It lost the Communities First status at the previous reiteration and review of Communities First, but, if anything, has been even more successful post Communities First than previously, because it’s been able to do a lot more working with other partners, in a way that’s freed them up, if you like. They’re very keen that you look at the work that they’ve done, because they believe that they point the way ahead for post Communities First, which you are considering in the new year. We had a very successful meeting about 18 months ago—your predecessor came and met with the community forum in Penparcau together with the Presiding Officer and myself. Since then, they’ve moved on; they’ve got a new community facility, which will be opening in the summer. They warmly welcome you to that opening around that time and hope that you can accept an invitation at that stage, but in particular, they want to talk to you about how, post Communities First, they can work at a community level with families with a high level of child poverty to really address the issues of the community. I hope you’ll take the opportunity to meet with them and learn about them.

I’m very grateful for the invitation and look forward to receiving that formally. I am familiar with Penparcau; indeed, I welcomed their tweet when they tweeted about the fact that there is potential life after Communities First. I think we have to have ambition about opportunities—[Inaudible.]—and that we learn from organisations like them. I’ve spoken to the previous Minister about this very organisation and I’d be happy to come and visit and speak with them about the success that they’ve been able to achieve.