7. Statement by the Minister for Social Justice: Update on Ukraine

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:11 pm on 17 May 2022.

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Photo of Jane Hutt Jane Hutt Labour 5:11, 17 May 2022

Diolch yn fawr, Sioned. It's really important, this point about how we can be ready to support, recognising the trauma that so many have experienced. You talked about children. All of us know that the vast majority of refugees who are coming are women and children. Those who have met them, or who are meeting with them, know what they have been through—the trauma that they have been through.

Because we have got this 24/7 contact centre, and we have got our welcome centres, which, as I have said, is the safest way to actually then get stuck into not just the welcome centre, the support services, but all the arrangements in terms of referrals, et cetera—. So, we are working very hard with our staff, Public Health Wales, putting together a particular package of support, not just for those who are coming, but also for the staff who are supporting them. That, of course, means that we need to have interpreters, translation, which is all available as well.

So, in Wales, of course, we do have the Welsh Government's 2018 guidance for health boards on the health and well-being of asylum seekers and refugees. That's Wales specific. We translated all materials into Ukrainian and Russian to support the mental health of those arriving from Ukraine—initial stabilisation. That's on the Traumatic Stress Wales website. Also the Royal College of Psychiatry is publishing specific support materials to help with them. That's all on the Traumatic Stress Wales website; again, it's good to be able to share that with colleagues here today.

But we also, of course, have our core mental health helpline in Wales. That's available to support those arriving in Wales. It's got a language line, so it can actually help people who want to access it in a language other than English and Welsh. We are assessing needs, clearly, in terms of additional needs.

We are exploring options to provide additional mental health and well-being support at the welcome centres. That's about focusing on signposting, stabilisation, working with the third sector. All health screening will include mental health, and I can assure you that access to specialist mental health services will be available in line with need.