Whilst we as a committee have acknowledged that children and young people appear less susceptible to the virus than adults, serious concerns persist. A recent national engagement survey found that nearly 50 per cent of people are very or extremely concerned about children catching COVID-19. The virus has caused considerable concern for children also. Forty-one per cent of children and young people polled by YouGov said they were more lonely than before lockdown, and more than a third said they were more worried, more sad or more stressed. These findings are supported by the Coronavirus and Me survey, which notes that only 37 per cent were not worried. Such data goes to show just how important our work as a committee is, and I've got to pay tribute to our Chair, Lynne Neagle.

Referring to the interim report and the letters it contains, I must note my concern at the amount of time it has taken Ministers to respond—the letter dated 12 May answered on 4 and 8 June, the letter dated 27 May answered 30 June. Frustratingly slow action by the Welsh Government is also clear from the content of those responses. On 4 June, the Minister for Education advised that, almost two months since lockdown, the guide for parents of education-other-than-at-school pupils and pupils with ALN had not been published, and the guidance on risk assessments in relation to special educational needs pupils had not been published. I am extremely worried about the impact of COVID-19 on SEN children. The Welsh Government know that providers are facing significant difficulties in meeting needs, particularly in relation to arranging provision specified in a statement. In fact, I wrote an urgent letter to the Minister for Education about SEN children and school transport, highlighting the possibility that the Welsh Government has a transport policy that discriminates by giving mainstream children priority. Almost a month on, I have received a letter from Lee Waters MS advising that he has asked officials to look into the issue and will respond to me again shortly.

Equally worrying is the response to committee, dated 13 June. Whilst it is noted that the number of vulnerable children attending school is encouraging, the reality is very different. During the week of 15 June, just 6.3 per cent of all vulnerable children attended school. In fact, I believe the Welsh Government is being slow to support our vulnerable children. As of 30 June, we were advised that it would be 6 July when a guide to support practitioners to identify harm, abuse and neglect would be published. The same day would see the launch of the Together We Can Keep People Safe campaign, and that campaign would only run until 16 August. Why has it taken so long to launch this campaign? We knew the serious issues early on. On 27 March, Childline reported unprecedented demand in the number of counselling sessions. The NSPCC reported that calls about children facing potential emotional abuse rose from 529 to 792 in the first month since lockdown, and I even raised the need for a new online campaign encouraging children and young people to self-refer for counselling if they are struggling, in a virtual meeting—I raised that with Julie Morgan MS. Not enough was done quickly to ensure that children knew where to turn for help. In fact, the national survey by Barnardo's found more than half of children and young people are unhappy with the information available to them. We should listen to their voices and act on the recommendations in the 'Mental Health and COVID-19: In Our Own Words' report.

This brings me to the final point I wish to make today—that not enough has been done to protect our children's rights, including the right to education. The Welsh Government must ensure that children's rights impact assessments are carried out, and I maintain that an urgent inquiry should also be established so to consider whether recent decisions have adhered to human rights legislation. We can learn from what has happened since March to provide stronger support for children and young people in the short and long terms, and in particular if there is a second wave of this dreadful virus. Diolch yn fawr.