A key commitment within the programme for government is to explore radical reform of current services for looked-after children and care leavers. I believe it's absolutely essential that there is a review of children's social care in Wales, and I'm supporting this without agreeing to the amendment today. I think it is crucial. We've rehearsed the reasons why, tragically, as was highlighted by Gareth Davies, after reflecting on the content of the report and the tragic death of Logan Mwangi, but crucially, for us, this is not about party politics. It is about listening to those that have the experience of listening to social workers, that had in their manifesto for 2021 election that this was something that they believed needed to happen.

Also, I do not accept the point that any kind of review would delay changes coming into action. It is about looking at the system as a whole, and this is absolutely essential, because we know that the facts and figures do speak for themselves. And it was extremely concerning to hear the Children's Commissioner for Wales in her response saying we've seen these kinds of recommendations before. So, what reassurances are we able to give? We know that there's a huge strain on social services staff and all those agencies involved as well, and that things are only likely to worsen. We know how affected local authorities are already by austerity, and how they will be as a result of the cost-of-living crisis and the impact on local authority budgets. 

So, it is a serious situation, because, as is evident, it is children and young people at the end of the day that will suffer, and it is essential that we do everything within our power to ensure that those who need support are able to be supported, and that we don't have tragic headlines again, and are yet again here in the Senedd expressing our concern and support for recommendations. Reviews are positive, in my view. They are not things to be feared, and it is crucial that we actually do take the opportunity to learn lessons as a whole. As I said, we are working together to look at areas of reform, but a review will give us that consistency in terms of that overall picture. 

The First Minister, Mark Drakeford, has identified reducing care rates in Wales as a priority of the Welsh Government, and rightly so. We know that the outcomes for children and young people in care is a particular concern, and the fact that the rate of children looked after in Wales is now higher than at any time since the 1980s is something that should be hugely concerning. Therefore, we believe in Plaid Cymru that an independent review into children's social care will provide us the opportunity to fill the gaps in children's social care currently, gaps that we know exist and will only worsen if Welsh Government do not act promptly. We need to lay the foundation to ensure every child is safe from harm, and, to do this, child protection must be made a priority, and we also support the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children Wales's calls in this area, and thank again the Conservatives for tabling this motion.