3. What discussions has the Counsel General had with the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care regarding the recommendation of the family drug and alcohol courts working group that such courts should not be progressed in isolation? OQ63902

Diolch, Rhys. I'm actually really pleased that this is my last ever question, and so it's a great question to have as my last ever question. The Minister for Children and Social Care and I have regular updates about progress following the recommendations. The next steps will be informed by the January workshops, which were facilitated by the Centre for Justice Innovation in each local family justice board area, and learning from the national family justice event, which is on 11 March, so just after this session.

Diolch yn fawr, Cwnsler Cyffredinol. Can I reiterate what Adam Price said? I've enjoyed our Counsel General sessions. We haven't always agreed, but I've always respected where you've come from and you've always tried to do what's best in your eyes for the people of Wales. The same is true of your time as the housing Minister. I'm looking forward to the Building Safety (Wales) Bill today, something I questioned you a lot about in your previous role. Diolch yn fawr, Cwnsler Cyffredinol. 

I was disappointed, reading Dawn Bowden's letter, that the drug and alcohol court will not be moving on by itself. It was a clear recommendation from the Lord Thomas commission. We had a very positive assessment by CASCADE and Cardiff University. The judges are in favour of it. The judges said how successful it was. Over half of the children go back to their families. And it's been successful in London since 2008, and more recently in Liverpool. I'm just concerned, Cwnsler Cyffredinol, that Wales and the families of Wales are being left behind again. Diolch yn fawr.

I don't think we need to be quite as pessimistic as that. I think there's a broad acceptance that the court was successful. The issue is, as I've said on a number of occasions, whether it could be scaled up across Wales in a realistic way. My understanding is that, at the event next week, working group members will be looking at progressing it, but not in isolation. So, they're going to be progressing it within the wider system, which includes the multi-agency practice framework, the pathfinder approach in private law, and the broader landscape of early Intervention and prevention, edge-of-care services, and post-court support services—that’s actually hard to say—post-court support services.

The family justice network considered the paper at their 22 September meeting and proposed two task and finish groups. I think you know that already, Rhys. They're going to report in the first year of the next Senedd term to map and assess the existing edge-of-care service provision and opportunities for development, and consider the system and judicial design issues needed to support a public law problem-solving approach. So, I'm very pleased to say that I don't think it will stop. I do think there is an issue about a wider problem-solving approach in the courts more generally, and I think this is a really good model for it, but it probably couldn't be scaled up right across Wales. So, it is about trying to make sure that professionals seamlessly act together to get that problem-solving approach, because it is, I absolutely agree with you, completely beneficial to the families involved.

Thank you, Counsel General.