6 October 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health: Stronger Safeguarding for a Safer Wales
Diolch, Catherine, and it's a similar point, of course, that was raised by your colleague Claire, and of course that needs consideration to make sure that we don't have unintended consequences, and I do take that point, of course. The central, fundamental…
6 October 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health: Stronger Safeguarding for a Safer Wales
Diolch, Sera, and, as you said, listening alone cannot be enough. And the point has been made by Members across the Chamber that the measure of success is going to be where the children and young people and adults at risk and victims and survivors can see…
6 October 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health: Stronger Safeguarding for a Safer Wales
So, thank you, Jane, for raising that.
6 October 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health: Stronger Safeguarding for a Safer Wales
Thank you so much for your expertise and your work for many years in this area. You mentioned at the start that there are too many children who have been let down by our system in the past, and the workforce and people like your husband, people who are…
6 October 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health: Stronger Safeguarding for a Safer Wales
Thank you for that, Jane.
6 October 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health: Stronger Safeguarding for a Safer Wales
Diolch, Natasha, for those questions. As you've said, this has to be about making improvements to people's lives. This can't just be about what's down on a piece of paper, it can't just be what is collected in graphs. It's about whether what is collected is…
6 October 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health: Stronger Safeguarding for a Safer Wales
Diolch, Lynne, and I know that this is something that—. You have tremendous expertise in this area and dedication over many years, and I thank you for that. Of course, what we are doing here is building on a lot of work that was done by the previous…
6 October 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health: Stronger Safeguarding for a Safer Wales
Diolch, Claire. As you've said, safeguarding is indeed one of the most profound requirements and responsibilities of any Government, and indeed of any Senedd too, in terms of the responsibilities that each of us have to represent those people who have put…
6 October 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health: Stronger Safeguarding for a Safer Wales
Children, young people, adults at risk, victims and survivors often have the clearest understanding of how safeguarding systems work in practice and where they need to improve. Their voices must never be an afterthought. They must be central to how…
6 October 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health: Stronger Safeguarding for a Safer Wales
Taken together, these developments represent a whole-system approach to safeguarding improvement. They will help Wales move towards a safeguarding system that is proactive rather than reactive, preventative rather than responsive, and a system that is driven…
6 October 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health: Stronger Safeguarding for a Safer Wales
A key element of the programme will be the establishment of a ministerial safeguarding oversight and assurance board. This will strengthen national leadership, accountability and oversight of safeguarding risks across Wales, ensuring a clear line of sight…
6 October 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health: Stronger Safeguarding for a Safer Wales
The Cabinet Minister for Health and Care and I have accepted the recommendations from phase 1 of the review. The opportunity before us is not simply to implement individual recommendations, of course, it's an opportunity to strengthen the safeguarding system…
6 October 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health: Stronger Safeguarding for a Safer Wales
Our commitments are clear. Children's voices must be heard and must be acted on. The signs of abuse must be recognised earlier. Lessons have to be learned when safeguarding concerns arise, and we are committed to taking forward duties to report child sexual…
6 October 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health: Stronger Safeguarding for a Safer Wales
Thank you, Dirprwy Lywydd. Safeguarding is one of the most fundamentally important responsibilities of any government. It's about ensuring that all children, young people and adults who are at risk have the right to live their lives safe from abuse, neglect…
29 September 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women's Health: Improving Family-centred Neonatal Care in Wales: Progress Towards the Bliss Baby Charter
Everyone's questions were important.
29 September 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women's Health: Improving Family-centred Neonatal Care in Wales: Progress Towards the Bliss Baby Charter
I'm sorry that we've gone over.
29 September 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women's Health: Improving Family-centred Neonatal Care in Wales: Progress Towards the Bliss Baby Charter
Diolch, Darren. Those are really important questions. In terms of the situation in north Wales and still having to transfer babies across the border, that is something that my colleague Mabon would be leading on, but I'm really happy to have a conversation…
29 September 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women's Health: Improving Family-centred Neonatal Care in Wales: Progress Towards the Bliss Baby Charter
Diolch yn fawr iawn, Becca, and I'm sorry again I have to have my back to you when I'm answering, because of where the microphone is. I really appreciate how Members have shared both their own experiences with me and with the Chamber today, and also the…
29 September 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women's Health: Improving Family-centred Neonatal Care in Wales: Progress Towards the Bliss Baby Charter
—with that one. So, I'd appreciate it if you could write to me, and then we could have a further conversation. As I said, this is an issue for the health boards, but all of us would want to ensure that every action is taken. So, thank you.
29 September 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women's Health: Improving Family-centred Neonatal Care in Wales: Progress Towards the Bliss Baby Charter
I want to reassure myself that every step is being taken—
29 September 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women's Health: Improving Family-centred Neonatal Care in Wales: Progress Towards the Bliss Baby Charter
Thank you, Jane, and, first of all, thank you for your support. It's heartening that there are areas like this that unify everyone in this Chamber, because we all want to ensure a better future for our babies. So, thanks for that. In terms of a specialist…
29 September 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women's Health: Improving Family-centred Neonatal Care in Wales: Progress Towards the Bliss Baby Charter
Thank you so much for raising that really, really important point and for sharing those stories as well, because it is by sharing lived experiences that we need to see where things are going well and where people's lives have been materially improved. So…
29 September 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women's Health: Improving Family-centred Neonatal Care in Wales: Progress Towards the Bliss Baby Charter
Diolch, Cristiana, for that, and what you described there in terms of the expectation and the hope that every mother will have, that this will be the moment that she has dreamt of, and the gap between that and what some mothers then go through and the really…
29 September 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women's Health: Improving Family-centred Neonatal Care in Wales: Progress Towards the Bliss Baby Charter
Thank you very much, Mair, for sharing your own story. I'm delighted to hear that the care that you and your family received was so supportive of your needs. There are a number of challenges that you've referred to there in terms of language of choice, the…
29 September 2026 , Plenary
Statement by the Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women's Health: Improving Family-centred Neonatal Care in Wales: Progress Towards the Bliss Baby Charter
Diolch, Claire, for that. Indeed, in terms of the challenges that are going to be there for longer travel times for rural communities, as I said earlier, no two units will be the same, no two localities will be the same, and equity is a really important…
