Speaking in an Assembly Debate yesterday, North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood criticised the Welsh Government for forcing the closure of a charity which was representing families of children with speech, language and communication needs in Wales.
In the Short Debate: ‘The importance of early language development: current action on this key issue and what more needs to be done to drive forward change in Wales’, Mr Isherwood said speech and language therapy is critical for young lives and life chances and stressed that the work carried out by charity Afasic Cymru supported hundreds of families in North Wales alone over the last year and was taking pressure of statutory services.
Speaking in the Chamber, he said:
“Having battled 17 years ago as a parent to secure speech and language therapy, I know how critical it is for young lives and life chances. We know, over eight years ago, when the Communities and Culture Committee here did an inquiry into the Youth Justice Estate, that the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists told us then that a high proportion of people in the youth justice estate had speech, language and communication needs. We understand that, even today, 60 per cent of them still have those communication, speech and language needs in the youth justice estate.
“Yet we've seen the closure of Afasic Cymru, forced on its Trustees by the Welsh Government's decision to end the Children and Families Delivery Grant and switch the funding elsewhere. This was the only charity representing families of children with speech, language and communication needs in Wales, supporting hundreds of families in North Wales alone over the last year, taking pressure off statutory services and improving lives.
“When I wrote to the Minister for Children and Social Care about this, he replied 'I can assure you that Local Health Boards are committed to working in partnership with Local Education Authorities to make sure schools continue to be able to provide support for these families.'
“Health Boards and Local Authorities are often happy to work with the third sector, and they do generally try their best, but they don't offer the support, strategies and impartial advice in people's homes that was provided by Afasic Cymru.
“I have to say this misguided Welsh Government approach is damaging lives and imposing additional and avoidable costs on public sector providers, when they should instead be asking these front-line change makers how they can help public services deliver more for less and ensure these young children have the life chances they need and deserve.”
ENDS