I have done a very small amount of work with children and their families who have hearing problems, and obviously in my work as a social worker have encountered children and young people who are deaf. As we've heard, the issue is one of figures. We're not clear how many people, children and young people across Wales actually are deaf, but around 3,200 children in Wales are deaf according to the National Deaf Children's Society in Wales, and they say, through their research, that around 60 per cent are more likely to experience mental health problems than other children.

I just want to touch very briefly on child protection issues in children and young people who are deaf. There is research to demonstrate that adverse childhood experiences, known as ACEs, are higher in children who are deaf. They are more likely to be abused for many reasons. For children who are deaf, signs of distress are often mistakenly assumed to be related to the child's impairment rather than recognised as an indication of abuse. There is a lack of awareness or agreement about what constitutes the abuse of deaf and disabled children, and this leads to ambiguity in the minds of both children and adults regarding the most appropriate course of action. Finally, the NSPCC tell us that deaf and disabled children are often invisible in terms of talking with them and consulting with them. In some cases, services were absent from their lives and for others provision was inadequate or inappropriate.

So, just to finish, in this very brief contribution, deaf children and young people in Wales and their families need additional support and help to be able to connect with their communities. There needs to be additional training and support to those working with them, particularly around their mental health, and our systems, such as our youth justice system, need to adjust their practice to ensure they meet their needs. Once again, I thank Mark for this debate. Thank you for allowing me to take part, and thank you to Joel as well. Diolch yn fawr iawn.