7. How is the Welsh Government supporting the co-operative and mutuals sector to improve outcomes for children and young people? OAQ52461

The 'Mapping the Social Business Sector in Wales' report notes that the sector is now worth an incredible £2.37 billion to Wales and provides jobs and volunteering opportunities to around 100,000 people. I’m sure the Member would agree that the sector makes a valuable contribution to our society.

Thank you, First Minister, and I would wholeheartedly agree with that. I recently visited Cylch Meithrin Seren Fach in Mountain Ash in my constituency, a registered childcare provider. They're supported by the Wales Co-operative Centre and achieved really positive results in their recent Estyn and Care Inspectorate Wales inspections. As we are in Co-operatives Fortnight, and with improving childcare being such an important Welsh Government goal for this term, how is Welsh Government supporting the establishment of childcare providers on a co-operative model, which in turn brings so many additional benefits to local economies?

I can begin by saying that, to date, Social Business Wales has provided support to help the group develop a business plan, a sustainability environment policy, an eco-code and a sustainability health check, and we do refer any individual looking to establish a co-operative model to Social Business Wales, because we want to make sure that we create the right support that is needed, both through Business Wales, Social Business Wales, us and the Welsh European Funding Office to make sure that worthwhile projects such as this are able to flourish in the future.

Can I ask you, First Minister—? It's not only organisations like the ones described by Vikki Howells, co-operatives and mutuals, that are supporting education. There is a wealth of charities also that are involved in giving support to our education system. There is Groundwork North Wales, for example, providing education to young people on environmental issues. You've got the North Wales Superkids charity, which is doing great work with people across north Wales, covering communities from Holyhead all the way down to Wrexham, and, of course, Big Ideas Wales, which encourages enterprise in our schools by getting business people into those schools in order to encourage young people to be entrepreneurs. What support is the Welsh Government giving to them in order to foster that sort of approach, so that young people can have the opportunities that they might not have otherwise?

Core funding for social enterprise support in this financial year has been awarded to the Wales Co-operative Centre and Social Firms Wales. They support the delivery of our objectives to develop the social enterprise market and to provide bespoke specialist business support to social enterprises. For those that are not social enterprises, of course, there are other areas of support that are available. And, of course, as I mentioned earlier on, we do provide funding towards the £11 million ERDF-supported Social Business Wales project.