Kinder Communities

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:22 pm on 17 March 2020.

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Photo of Jack Sargeant Jack Sargeant Labour 2:22, 17 March 2020

Thank you for that answer, First Minister. As you know, this is a subject that we've discussed before, but kindness is not a vague concept, it's actually key to the way health services are delivered. It's about ensuring that individual circumstances are taken into account when they interact with the state, and I too would like to put on record my thanks to all those public service workers who are helping us through this tough time.

First Minister, we must ensure people providing services have the freedom to recognise and support appropriately. This is particularly the case when interacting with residents who have suffered adverse childhood experiences; we know that they could have real difficulty interacting with authority. So, First Minister, these are extraordinary times: people have lost their homes due to the flooding and now we face the incredible uncertainty of coronavirus. How can we ensure that they don't experience conflict when members of the public interact with public services, and they don't feel left behind and that public service leaders ensure that empathy is key to service delivery?