, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Care Inspectorate Wales: Annual Scrutiny session
Could I just come in on that? Surely it's more cost effective in the long run, because would they not pay agencies more money than to have direct employment?
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Care Inspectorate Wales: Annual Scrutiny session
My question was about recruitment and the use of agency workers, because we hear that for our young people in care the best thing to help them is to have a consistent social worker, isn't it, for them and their families, really, to build up that bond of trust…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 1
Thank you. Those were my questions.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 1
And Jeremy does.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 1
After 12 years of being a county councillor, moving here, it felt like this was a big council, in a way, because you rely on funding from UK Government as well. Does Welsh Government itself have sufficient staffing capacity to support its own policy ambitions…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 1
And that's what's happened, so that's the model we have now, very often. So that's why we need to sustain them going forward, to help them and to grow, like you say, share that best practice.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 1
And local authorities, 10 years of cuts—a lot of the services they may have provided in the past, each year they've had to look at maybe not providing. So, volunteers and charities, third sector, have had to step in.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 1
I know social services departments in local authorities in north Wales would welcome that, in a way—that partnership working, learning best practice—if Welsh Government could help facilitate that a little bit more.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 1
It was, which you responded to earlier, thank you very much, yes. So, voluntary sector funding, I mentioned earlier an example with Your Space, and we have a lot of volunteers as well. So, the sustainable social services grant scheme allocates £3 million in…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 1
Okay.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 1
It was originally.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 1
And that's predicted to be June time, isn't it?
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 1
I think the WLGA have been able to present some figures, haven't they, from third party organisations that they use as well, and purchasing, from the care provision, so, hopefully, that will help with your call for ask to UK Government as well going forward…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 1
Okay. Thank you. Regarding placement costs and NI contributions, I know it's not Welsh Government's decision, but it's having an impact in relation to third sector foster and residential care providers. They're projecting a £38 million overspend. So, really…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 1
Could I ask about assurance for long-term grant funding? The National Adoption Service and Foster Wales were given grant funding for three years, and that comes to an end. The WLGA have also expressed concerns. When they employ people to do these projects…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 1
I'm changing my name to Kaz with a 'K'. [Laughter.]
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 1
Great, thank you.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 1
Because that’s really important for all these settings and for local government and everybody to know that, going forward with their planning.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 1
[Inaudible.]—Flying Start under the childcare inquiry we did on another committee, and they asked, because of the inflationary pressures, the difficulty of delivering it then and getting enough staff, et cetera, they asked if you could just concentrate on…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 1
Thank you.
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 1
Earlier, when we talked about neurodiversity and a lot of young people coming forward needing assessments, what support then do we have in place to help families and young people, because of the anxiety, as well, once they have that diagnosis? Albert, you…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 1
Good point. I'll put mine on. [Laughter.]
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 1
Joel, my hearing's going a little bit. I can't hear you very well when you're speaking, I'm sorry. Can you speak a little bit louder?
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 1
I was just going to say that the Petitions Committee are looking at a petition calling for a ban on smartphones in schools, and we heard that, rather than using the word 'ban', schools have smartphone-free areas or they're a phone-free school, rather than…
, Children, Young People, and Education Committee
Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26 - evidence session 1
That would be good. Thank you.
