6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
Can we write to you about that?
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
Have we got details of the new—?
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
Work on that has already been taking place, and we are seeing the numbers of services operating without registration falling, in terms of the placements. So, at the beginning of this year—well, in February of this year—we actually only had 25 placements in…
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
Well, again, what I've said—and I think I mentioned this in response to Mark Drakeford—is where there is a particular provision that is suitable for a child, and the only provision for that that is suitable might be some private provision, then Ministers will…
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
It is.
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
So, the local authorities have an existing duty, don't they, to take steps, as far as practicable, to provide accommodation within their area, and that's the statutory responsibility that they have for forecasting the needs. And that responsibility rests with…
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
So, the forecasting, going forward, lies with the local authority. They are the statutory authority for that, and that's where it sits.
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
Bore da.
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
I don't see it in that way because it's very different. That's not a direct comparison, is it, because this is part of a wider transformation programme. This is about saying we have to reduce the demand and, in reducing that demand, it becomes a much more…
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
We have started to prepare for this already and, as I said, we have a three-year programme that we've been funding to prepare local authorities to build their capacity. Some are much further down the road with this than others. But this is really about…
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
No, because it isn't happening, so we are determined to make it happen, and we're going to make it happen via legislation.
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
I think that's a reasonable point. We are at this point because we have seen the demand for children in care rising exponentially, and local authorities have not had sufficient direct provision in their areas, which has meant that the private sector has come…
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
No, it absolutely doesn't, and the Bill certainly makes provision for no further new registrations of for-profit providers in Wales from April 2027. That is not to say that private organisations will be completely out of the market by April 2027. We have…
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
And again, I would have to agree with your premise there, Mark. In terms of the market-driven aspect, in some ways, this is the most insidious, because of the very points that you've made—the number of children we're seeing transported around the country…
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
I absolutely don't believe that that is the basis on which services for children should be operated. I do think you're absolutely right that there is a significant ethical case to be made, as well as a financial one, and you've set that out very, very clearly…
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
Thank you, Mark, for that question, and I absolutely agree with the premise of the question. Doing nothing in this area is really not an option for us. We know that the children themselves have told us they don't want to be treated as a commodity, but let's…
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
Good morning.
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
No. Yes, of course. [Laughter.]
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
No, no, no, and, with any of these things, Chair, recommendations are there for us to consider; they're not mandations in themselves. They are recommendations that we have to take in the context of what is appropriate and proportionate for us, and that's what…
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
We believe we have proportionate and effective safeguarding arrangements in place as is now. But I think it would be helpful if Albert said a little bit more about that, and about the timing as well, because I think that was also important, the timing of the…
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
Yes, and I'll be very clear: we reached that conclusion after direct discussions and consultations with partners and stakeholders. This wasn't something that we just took away from the inquiry and looked at the recommendation and said, ‘No, we're not going to…
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
We believe that we have adequate protection in place with our current arrangements. We already have mandation on organisations where there are no parallel duties anywhere else in the UK.
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
What we have already is a duty of mandation on organisations. When we looked at the recommendation from that inquiry, we didn't feel that the recommendation around individual mandation was appropriate from the feedback that we had from our partners and…
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
Yes, sure.
6 Mehefin 2024 , Health and Social Care Committee
Bil Iechyd a Gofal Cymdeithasol (Cymru): sesiwn dystiolaeth gyda'r Gweinidog Gofal Cymdeithasol
Our response to that recommendation, really, has being guided and supported by the views of our safeguarding stakeholders and partners. We have consulted with them directly around our existing duties to report children and adults at risk, and we believe that…
