Part of 2. Questions to the Counsel General and Brexit Minister (in respect of his 'law officer' responsibilities) – in the Senedd at 2:41 pm on 21 May 2019.
I thank the Counsel General for that reply. I have received a number of really concerning individual cases brought to me through casework, including a CAFCASS officer saying to a young child, 'You do realise that, if mummy doesn't want you to see daddy, mummy could end up in prison?' Those were the very words, and I do have the permission of the person affected to make that comment. I think other Members—I'm aware from other conversations—have had very concerning cases where, for example, perpetrators of domestic violence have been allowed to continue to see their children. Now, the Counsel General will be aware that the UK Government has ordered a review, today, I think, of the family courts, with a view to ensuring, amongst other things, that children's voices are properly heard in the proceedings. There is, of course, a big difference between what's in the child's best interests and what the child may say it wants, and nobody is arguing that CAFCASS officers don't have to make some very difficult judgments in that regard, but can I ask the Counsel General today to look to see whether there are representations that he can make on behalf of the Welsh Government in the context of this review? Because we have, of course, a particular duty here to ensure that, when children in Wales are dealing with officialdom, even if it's not officialdom that's directly under the Welsh Government's control, those children's rights are respected, and particularly the right to be kept safe and the right to be heard in matters that affect them.