Thank you, Llywydd. Ten years ago, a new law, the Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011, put children’s rights on a legal footing in Wales. It’s now more than six years since all parts of this legislation have been fully in force. This means that Welsh Ministers must now have regard to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child when exercising any of their functions. What’s clear is that this legislation has never been more important.

The COVID-19 pandemic means that our children are not going into their schools. Their playgrounds were shut at the start of the pandemic. They can't hang out with their friends, and they've got restrictions on going to their usual clubs and leisure activities. Some children may be more at risk of being harmed at home. This is less likely to be picked up by front-line services because children are not being seen as much in school, and they're less likely to have face-to-face contact with social services. We also know that looked-after children have had restricted contact with friends and family. What we know for sure is that, for many children and young people, their mental health and well-being is being seriously affected. If any adult needed an example of what children’s rights are, and why they matter, then this pandemic illustrates the point in the sharpest of ways.