4. Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Services: The Children and Young People’s Plan

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:50 pm on 1 March 2022.

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Photo of Julie Morgan Julie Morgan Labour 3:50, 1 March 2022

Thank you, Heledd, for those very important points, and I absolutely agree with her that there are inequalities in Wales that we have to address. And it was very touching to hear your comments about your son listening to the television, and a lot of people have said that to me about the misery that is coming over, and when you think of what's happening to the children, it's just overwhelming, really. So, I absolutely understand how her son needed to put the television off, and I think it's very important that we remember we're talking about the children in Wales here who are in a much better position than many children throughout the world, particularly at this present time. 

It's absolutely right that the pandemic has been very hard for children, and we know that children have suffered from the isolation of having long periods of not being in touch with their friends, and that we've had to make efforts to reintroduce school, almost, to them. And so it's been a very difficult time, so I absolutely acknowledge everything that she says. This has been exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis, again, which the Government is doing all it can to tackle, led by the Minister for Social Justice in terms of looking for ways that we can help alleviate some of the very distressing situations that arise with people with not enough money to have food. Again, you mentioned the fuel crisis, and, again, that is something that we are trying to tackle in terms of the money, the grant that the Minister for Social Justice has been able to arrange.

But it is absolutely crucial, as the Member says, that we identify those children who are most at risk, and that's why I think it is so important that we have got our early years service, that we've got places like Flying Start that are aimed and are placed at the moment in the most deprived areas, where we will be able to identify where children are particularly at risk. And also, through the co-operation agreement, we are planning to extend Flying Start to two-year-olds throughout Wales, and that again will give us the opportunity that we will be able to identify those children, because we need the eyes and ears on the ground in order to be able to do that. 

And, of course, the housing issue is a huge issue, and we are committed to building more houses that are available at a fair rent, and also for tackling the long-standing issues of houses that have been built without any consideration to the climate change that is there and that need retrofitting. So, we have an ambitious programme for that. 

And then, what are we doing about the children who are suffering from mental health problems as a result of everything that's happened? I accept that there is a waiting list for CAMHS. We are trying to give more help lower down so that children don't reach the stage where they need the CAMHS service. For example, we put counselling services in schools, and the Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Well-being is trying to ensure that the treatment opportunities are available much earlier in the system. So, we want to reach children before they reach the need for CAMHS. I think that is where we've got to put the effort in.

But finally, I suppose, really, when we've had this exchange, it sounds very gloomy, the situation throughout the world. Everything that's happening does seem gloomy at the moment, so I'd really like to respond as well to say that I think there are lots of good things happening as well, and we are moving ahead with lots of policies where we're working together to ensure that children, with all these awful things happening, can have the best lives that they can, and that they can enjoy themselves and have the sort of childhood that we want them to have.