19 April 2023
RCSLT responds to the Welsh Parliament Equalities and Social Justice Committee report on the extent of speech, language and communication needs amongst young people who have offended, or are at risk of offending, in Wales.
Today (19 April 2023), the Welsh Parliament Equalities and Social Justice Committee published its report on the extent of speech, language and communication needs amongst young people who have offended, or are at risk of offending, in Wales.
We have campaigned for many years on this important issue and RCSLT head of Wales office, Pippa Cotterill gave oral evidence to the inquiry alongside Kim Jenkins, a highly specialist speech and language therapist and clinical lead for youth justice at Swansea Bay University Health Board. We also provided written evidence which you can view on our Wales policy page.
The ‘60% – Giving them a Voice’ report highlights the high prevalence of young people with communication needs within the criminal justice system and makes a number of key recommendations around both prevention and support, in line with our key asks, including:
- The Welsh Government should work with Police and Crime Commissioners through the Youth Justice Blueprint Programme Board to assess the feasibility of having dedicated NHS speech and language therapists working in custody suites at police stations with a view to embedding them across Wales in the medium term.
- The Welsh Government should work with local authorities to develop plans for embedding speech and language therapists within every Youth Offending Team in Wales. This work should be completed by December 2023.
- The Welsh Government should work with Health Education Improvement Wales (HEIW) to address any shortages being faced in the speech and language therapy profession, mapping the current roles and competencies of the SLCN workforce and ensuring adequate future workforce planning. The initial mapping work should be completed by December 2023.
- We recommend that the Welsh Government convene a summit of key stakeholders working in the sector with the aim of formulating a new workstream looking specifically at the impact of SLCN on children and young people and the link to the involvement of most young people involved with the youth justice system. The summit and concomitant workstream should be finalised before the end of 2023 and include realistic actions, measurable targets, and a timeline for their completion within the All-Wales Justice Board forward work programme.
- The Welsh Government should set out in its response to this report how it intends to work with local education authorities, school leaders and governors and, where appropriate, local health boards, to ensure better understanding and awareness of SLCN in children and young people as they progress from primary to secondary school.
External Affairs Manager for Wales, Caroline Walters commented:
“After decades of campaigning about the high prevalence of people’s communication needs in justice settings and how lives can be turned around by speech and language therapists based in youth offending teams, we’re delighted to see that the Equality and Social Justice Committee has listened to our calls.
“For too many years young people’s communication needs have been overlooked. Unidentified speech, language and communication difficulties can impact hugely on young people’s lives, such as increasing their risk of school exclusion and involvement with the justice system. We welcome the recommendation for key stakeholders to develop a workstream to look specifically at the impact of speech and language needs on young people and tackle these issues.
“The justice system is highly complex, which is why speech and language therapists play a crucial role in supporting young people to understand the situations they find themselves in and navigate their way through the justice process. Speech and language therapists can identify communication difficulties and put strategies in place to support young people and those who work with them.
“Of the 17 youth justice teams in Wales, only half employ speech and language therapists and none are employed on a full-time basis. It’s therefore vital that speech and language therapists are embedded in every one of Wales’ youth offending teams as recommended by the committee and workforce planning is fit for purpose for now and in the future.”
“We hope Welsh Government accept these recommendations and look forward to seeing these expediated so that no young person is left without speech, language and communication support or put at risk of entering the justice system in the future.”
Adroddiad Senedd yn taflu goleuni ar ormodaeth syfrdanol o bobl ifanc ag anghenion cyfathrebu yn y system cyfiawnder troseddol
Ymateb RCSLT i adroddiad newydd gan Bwyllgor Cydraddoldeb a Chyfiawnder Cymdeithasol Senedd Cymru ar faint anghenion lleferydd, iaith a chyfathrebu ymysg pobl ifanc sydd wedi troseddu neu sydd mewn risg o droseddu yng Nghymru.
Heddiw (19 Ebrill 2023) cyhoeddodd Pwyllgor Cydraddoldeb a Chyfiawnder Cymdeithasol Senedd Cymru adroddiad ar faint anghenion lleferydd, iaith a chyfathrebu ymysg pobl ifanc sydd wedi troseddu neu sydd mewn risg o droseddu yng Nghymru.
Rydym wedi ymgyrchu ers blynyddoedd lawer ar y fater hon a rhoddodd Pippa Cotterill, Pennaeth Swyddfa Cymru RCSLT, dystiolaeth lafar gyda Kim Jenkins, arbenigydd profiadol iawn mewn therapi lleferydd ac iaith ac Arweinydd Clinigol Cyfiawnder Ieuenctid ym Mwrdd Iechyd Prifysgol Bae Abertawe, fel rhan o’r ymchwiliad. Gallwch hefyd weld ein tystiolaeth ysgrifenedig ar gyfer yr ymchwiliad yma.
Mae adroddiad ‘60% – Rhoi Llais iddynt’ yn amlygu gormodaeth o bobl Ifanc gydag anghenion cyfathrebu yn y system cyfiawnder troseddol ac yn gwneud nifer o brif argymhellion sydd yn gyson ag ein prif ofynion yn ystod yr ymchwiliad; gan gynnwys:
- Dylai Llywodraeth Cymru gynnal uwchgynhadledd o randdeiliaid allweddol sy’n gweithio yn y sector gyda’r nod o ffurfio ffrwd waith newydd gan edrych yn benodol ar effaith anghenion lleferydd, iaith a chyfathrebu ar blant a phobl ifanc a’r cysylltiad â’r rhan fwyaf o bobl ifanc sy’n dod i gysylltiad â’r system cyfiawnder ieuenctid.
- Dylai Llywodraeth Cymru nodi yn ei hymateb i’r adroddiad hwn sut y mae’n bwriadu gweithio gydag awdurdodau addysg lleol, arweinwyr a llywodraethwyr ysgolion a byrddau iechyd lleol pan fo hynny’n briodol i sicrhau gwell dealltwriaeth ac ymwybyddiaeth o anghenion lleferydd, iaith a chyfathrebu mewn plant a phobl ifanc wrth iddynt symud ymlaen o’r ysgol gynradd i’r ysgol uwchradd.
- Dylai Llywodraeth Cymru weithio gyda Chomisiynwyr Heddlu a Throseddu drwy Fwrdd y Rhaglen Glasbrint ar gyfer Cyfiawnder Ieuenctid i asesu dichonoldeb cael therapyddion lleferydd ac iaith y GIG yn gweithio mewn dalfeydd yng ngorsafoedd yr heddlu, gyda’r bwriad o’u lleoli ledled Cymru yn y tymor canolig. Dylai’r gwaith dichonoldeb cynnar hwn gael ei gwblhau o fewn tri mis a dylai Llywodraeth Cymru adrodd yn ôl i’r Pwyllgor hwn gyda’i chanfyddiadau.
- Dylai Llywodraeth Cymru weithio gydag awdurdodau lleol i ddatblygu cynlluniau ar gyfer lleoli therapyddion lleferydd ac iaith ym mhob Tîm Troseddau Ieuenctid yng Nghymru. Dylai’r gwaith yma gael ei gwblhau erbyn mis Rhagfyr 2023.
- Dylai Llywodraeth Cymru weithio gydag Addysg a Gwella Iechyd Cymru (AaGIC) i fynd i’r afael ag unrhyw brinder sy’n codi yn y proffesiwn therapi lleferydd ac iaith, mapio rolau a chymwyseddau presennol gweithlu anghenion lleferydd, iaith a chyfathrebu a sicrhau cynllunio gweithlu digonol ar gyfer y dyfodol.
Dywedodd Rheolwr Materion Allanol (Cymru), Caroline Walters:
“Wedi degawdau o ymgyrchu am ormodaeth pobl Ifanc gydag anghenion cyfathrebu o fewn y system cyfiawnder a rôl allweddol therapyddion lleferydd ac iaith sydd yn gweithio mewn timoedd troseddau ieuenctid, rydym yn falch iawn bod y Pwyllgor Cydraddoldeb a Chyfiawnder Cymdeithasol wedi gwrando ar ein galwadau.
“Am ormod o flynyddoedd, nid yw anghenion cyfathrebu pobl ifanc wedi’u blaenoriaethu. Gall anghenion lleferydd, iaith a chyfathrebu na chafodd eu hadnabod yn flaenorol effeithio yn andwyol ar fywydau pobl Ifanc gan gynyddu eu risg o allgáu cymdeithasol a thebygrwydd cysylltiad gyda’r system cyfiawnder troseddol. Mi rydym yn croesawu’r argymhelliad i randdeiliaid allweddol ddatblygu ffrwd waith newydd gan edrych yn benodol ar effaith anghenion lleferydd, iaith a chyfathrebu ar blant a phobl ifanc a’r cysylltiad â’r rhan fwyaf o bobl ifanc sy’n dod i gysylltiad â’r system cyfiawnder ieuenctid.
“Mae’r system gyfiawnder yn gymhleth iawn. Dyna’n union pam mae therapyddion lleferydd ac iaith yn chwarae rôl mor allwedol wrth gefnogi pobl Ifanc i ddeall yr hyn sy’n digwydd a chanfod ffordd drwy’r broses gyfiawnder. Gall therapyddion lleferydd ac iaith adnabod anghenion cyfathrebu a rhoi strategaethau ar waith er mwyn cefnogi pobl Ifanc a’r bobl sydd yn gweithio gyda nhw.
“Allan o’r 17 timoedd cyfiawnder ieuenctid, dim ond hanner sydd yn cyflogi therapyddion lleferydd ac iaith a does un o’r therapyddion hynny wedi’u cyflogi yn llawn amser. Mae’n hanfodol y caiff therapyddion iaith a lleferydd eu cynnwys o fewn pob gwasanaeth cyfiawnder ieuenctid ar draws Cymru fel y mae Pwyllgor wedi’i argymell a rhaid sicrhau bod cynllunio gweithlu yn addas i’r diben nawr ac yn y dyfodol.
“Rydym yn gobeithio’n fawr y bydd Llywodraeth Cymru yn derbyn yr argymhellion hyn er mwyn sicrhau nad yw unrhyw berson ifanc gyfag anghenion cyfathrebu yn cael ei adael heb gefnogaeth lleferydd, iaith a chyfathrebu neu roi ar risg o droseddu yn y dyfodol.”