Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:32 pm on 28 November 2017.
Thank you. And I'll reciprocate by saying that I look forward to helping the committee in its work, either appearing in person or by evidence, whichever you require, how often you require—perhaps not every week, but whenever you need me there. And can I thank you as well for your recognition, Nick, of what you, I think, termed the significant funding that is going in, not only on its own in terms of the targeted funding for interventions with children in looked-after care, or those who are at the point of entering looked-after care, but also as part of the wider package care there? You make the really important point about how we make sure that this is driven home. Well, it is now fundamentally embedded: it's there within our plans going forward and it's there as a key ambition. Improving outcomes for children in care is a key ambition within 'Taking Wales Forward'. It's within the priorities in the national strategy 'Prosperity for All'. And as you know, some of those documents have been criticised for being light on words, but it's in there—it's bolted in there, front and foremost. We are committed, absolutely committed, to ensuring that all looked-after children enjoy the same life chances as other children. But a lot of this will, I have to say, be driven by the work that's already in train, including that driven by the ministerial advisory group on improving outcomes for children. Let me just touch on some of those because they're significant in the way that it's been taken forward.
Thank you for the kind words again about Carl. It was under Carl that phase 1 was taken forward, back in 2015-16. There's a phase 2 programme under way already, chaired ably by David Melding. It's based on the three themes that I described earlier on. Collaboration is fundamental to this, but it's interesting the way that it takes that collaboration forward in specifics. So, it's got a wide-reaching programme, and as part of phase 2, it looks at things such as professional practice, assessment of risk and edge-of-care services, permanency planning, building stable placements. Each work stream is chaired by a local authority head of children's services. It's vice-chaired by a representative from the third sector. There are 25 work areas within that work programme. They cover research, pilot projects, policy development, improvements, tangible improvements to professional practice and so on, and the group has produced its framework for action, which gives real detail to the pathways in which we will achieve these improved outcomes. And that, of course, is backed up by the additional funding that we are putting in place. So, have no doubt of the commitment of this Government to deliver on this, but to do it by working in collaboration with those on the front line, in collaboration with children and young people themselves, and the work of the ministerial advisory group. It's deeply embedded within Government. And I'm keen—and I thank you for your kind words on my coming into this post—to take forward this work, and to see that real step change that I think we can now do.