Questioning the Education Minister, I called for urgent action to stop Autistic children being branded as 'naughty', and to start identifying and adapting to their needs before they hit crisis point. My casework is full of families in crisis because Autistic children's communication, social, sensory and processing needs have not been understood.
Questioning the First Minister, I asked how the Welsh Government, working with NHS Wales, is ensuring that every family experiencing bereavement has access to appropriate bereavement support. Although forty per cent of the 33,000 people who die in Wales annually die in the community and 55 per cent in hospital, the current Welsh Government ‘Delivery Plan for the Critically Ill’ does not refer to the importance of bereavement care for families where an adult has died following critical care.
Our charitable hospices in Wales provided bereavement support to some 2,300 families in 2017-18, but families whose loved one dies in the acute setting often miss out on the bereavement care they need. Our Health Board must therefore consult our adult hospices on their Palliative Care Plan.
After hosting the launch of a Cerebral Palsy Register for Wales the previous week, which is currently dependent on charitable funding, I asked the Health Minister what action he proposes to support the Register as this moves forward.
Speaking in the Debate on Stage 3 of The Public Services Ombudsman (Wales) Bill, I unsuccessfully put forward a number of Amendments, including one to ensure that the Ombudsman considers the resources of Town and Community Councils, and another to ensure that the Ombudsman takes into consideration the ‘Nolan principles’ applying to the ethical standards expected of public office holders when undertaking investigations into complaints against public bodies.
My Shadow Cabinet responsibilities incorporate Fire and Rescue Services and I visited the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service Training and Development Centre.
Other Assembly engagements included Chairing the Cross Party Group on Funerals and Bereavement, Dog’s Trust, Nuclear Jobs for Wales Event, Cross Party Group on Tourism, and the launch of Leonard Cheshire Cymru’s new ‘Together as One’ project, giving disabled people the choice to share activities with other disabled people in their area.
North Wales engagements included Denbighshire County Council’s Commonwealth Day Flag Raising Ceremony and a re-visit to the wonderful charity Creatasmile for Autism in Towyn, Conwy. We discussed the opportunity for Local Education Authorities presented by the courses they are running as an accredited Agored Cymru learner achievement Centre.
If you need my help, please email [email protected] or call 0300 200 7219.
