3. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on child zones in Mid and West Wales? OAQ(5)0100(CC)[W]

I thank the Member for Mid and West Wales for his question. A number of organisations have put forward proposals for pilot children’s zones in Wales. I will announce the pilot areas as soon as we have an opportunity to assess the bids received.

I thank the Cabinet Secretary for his reply. He knows that I’ve drawn to his attention in the past some examples of very good practice in Mid and West Wales that stand outside some of the Communities First and Government-supported things, and there are some good things happening in the third sector and in the voluntary sector. I met with Jig-So, which is a project in Cardigan, a couple of weeks ago. It’s a long-standing project that works across boundaries, which often means it falls between two stools in terms of support from local authorities, being in Carmarthenshire, north Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion. It works around a crèche provision, training for parents, parenting, cooking skills and young people’s support in general. Is the Cabinet Secretary prepared, or are his officials prepared, to look at projects like Jig-So? Because they feel they’ve got something different and special to offer the concept of children’s zones outside the one that the public sector tends to approach it upon?

Yes, I’m very happy to have engagement with my teams. As I said, we’ve had a number of applications for the opportunity to run children’s zones across Wales. But I will check with my team whether Jig-So is part of that, and if not, they can have a conversation, of course.

Cabinet Secretary, I appreciate that you’re still looking at the issue of children’s zones, and I welcome the fact that the Government is looking at programmes where it can actually work with the third sector much more closely. Now, giving that delivering children’s services in rural parts of Mid and West Wales can be very different to perhaps more urban areas, can you update us on what discussions you’ve had with the third sector on delivering a service that actually meets the needs of families in all parts of Mid and West Wales?

The Member is right, and what I don’t want to be in the space of is controlling the market. But I think that we do have to give enablement to organisations to be able to deliver schemes for Welsh Government and for the sector. I meet on a regular basis with the WCVA and I’ve also met with organisations such as Flying Start and Families First in various areas to make sure that we’ve got the synergies around that. I’ve recently made an investment with Kirsty Williams and Rebecca Evans around an adverse childhood experiences hub, which is about the development of a programme where we can get all of the expertise, whether that would be in a rural or urban setting, around how we make sure that practice gets out there for delivery. Children’s zones will be part of that, running in parallel to the scheme, to ensure that we get delivery. But the Member’s right to raise the issue of rural communities, and it’s something that we’re very aware of.

Cabinet Secretary, clearly, the deputy director of the children’s and families Division has actually highlighted the key criteria for children’s zones, particularly multi-agency work, the anchor companies and the organisations, and the third sector play an important part in that. Now, you’ve received the bids. Will you ensure that the bids actually meet those criteria, to ensure that they are collaborative, that they will meet those criteria and that they will involve the third sector, so that they can go forward with the best strengths?

Indeed, and that’s the principle of this. This is not additional funding. This is about bringing together what we have and a better implementation of this. There are examples of these children’s zones working across the globe and that’s something that we should use in best practice here in Wales too.

Apologies, Cabinet Secretary, for my inappropriate Intervention. I will learn how this process works in due course. I think, to a degree, you’ve probably answered my question, but you’ll be aware from discussions in correspondence that we’ve previously had that I’ve talked to you about a number of schemes within my Constituency that are playing an important role in engaging young people in particular. I’m referring particularly to schemes like Forsythia Youth in the Gurnos and the Engine House in Dowlais, which you might be aware of. They provide opportunities for early intervention with a number of youths who probably, without that kind of support, would end up wandering the streets and unfortunately would go on to become young offenders. So, does the Cabinet Secretary agree with me that it’s vital that we don’t lose this type of early intervention scheme? Can he assure me that, under the children’s zones approach, it is envisaged that early intervention schemes will have a crucial role to play?

I thank the Member for her question. Both Dawn and Lynne and many other Members on the benches beside me have made many references to the future of communities and what that looks like, and rightly so, recognising the strengths within their own communities.

Children’s zones are about integration of services and bringing services together. What I can’t commit to is an open cheque book, because the finances are challenged, but I do recognise that Intervention, prevention and well-being plans are critical to making sure that we understand how areas work in the future and making sure that, where we can make those clever interventions, we do. I recognise some of the areas that the Member has raised here today.