A sizeable and worrying contributing factor to the attainment gap is the issue of mental health and well-being in our children, and last year a Cardiff University report found that around 19 per cent of young people in Wales reported very high levels of mental health symptoms before the COVID-19 pandemic. Schools have made clear that they are not adequately equipped to cope with demand for necessary support, despite going above and beyond to implement whole-school approaches to provision. The children's commissioner's 'No Wrong Door' report endorsed a joined-up system where professionals can come together to find out what help they can offer, allowing flexible care to be delivered to meet needs. This is especially pressing given that figures for July 2021 showed that 432 patients out of a total of 720 were waiting four weeks or more for their first appointment for specialist child and adolescent mental health services. 

Minister, in light of the pressures exposed again by the pandemic, and for those children with adverse experiences, what steps can you commit to undertake to ensure there is a sufficiently resourced 'no wrong door' approach with tie-in between services across the board as a means of reducing child abuse and adverse experiences by 70 per cent by 2030? Barnardo's say that the central factor impacting mental health in north Wales was a stressful living environment, with an increase in the number of children turning to the use of cannabis as an alternative to addressing their trauma. I have huge numbers of young children in families that have been living in so-called temporary accommodation for as long as 18 months, and that is also causing adverse childhood experiences.

In Conwy, I'm pleased to say that Barnardo's are funded to support families who are affected by substance and alcohol abuse as a means of addressing contributing factors, but that is dealing with the symptoms, isn't it, not the cause. The charity says it is difficult to continue with their experienced provision when staff do not know whether their position will be funded year to year. So, again, can we have some commitment as to how you're going to fund this, and give these organisations some hope? Will you collaborate with your colleague to review what steps can be taken to provide longer term funding commitment to those who are assisting in this area?

Prior to the pandemic, Wales had the highest rate of childhood obesity, with nearly 27 per cent of four to five-year-olds being overweight or obsese. When I was on the Children, Young People and Education Committee, I was part of the inquiry, and it was really frightening, some of the statistics that we witnessed. Minister, I encourage you to support our motion today and to give greater focus to preventing child abuse. Let's all work together to ensure that no child experiences any adverse treatment. Thank you. Diolch.