What action is the Welsh Assembly Government taking to alleviate poverty?

The Welsh Assembly has continued to reaffirm its commitment to tackling child poverty in Wales. In May 2003 First Minister, Rhodri Morgan said "..the main theme of this new administration will be anti-poverty action". In June 2004 Minister for Children, Jane Hutt said "The Welsh Assembly Government strongly believes that child poverty should be eradicated within a generation." The Minister, Jane Hutt, outlined the Assembly's poverty action at a speech given at a Eurochild conference on 25 October 2004.

Tackling social disadvantage is one of the three major themes which the Assembly has adopted in its strategic plan, ‘One Wales'.

'One Wales'

The Welsh Assembly Government’s agenda for the next four years is set out in One Wales: A progressive agenda for the government of Wales, published in June 2007. It sets out the key areas that the coalition Government will focus on.

Annual Report on Social Justice in Wales
The Welsh Assembly Government publishes an Annual Report on Social Justice in Wales.

The two principal Assembly programmes that have an impact on child poverty are Communities First and Cymorth.

1. Communities First
   The Communities First programme is a long-term strategy for improving the living conditions and prospects for people in the most disadvantaged communities in Wales. The programme seeks to ensure that the funds and support available from the Welsh Assembly Government and various other publicly funded agencies are targeted at the poorest areas.
2. Cymorth – the Children and Youth Support Fund combines the funding previously provided through Sure Start, Childcare Partnerships and the Children and Youth Partnership Fund, including the Youth Access Initiative and Play Grant.   Cymorth funding is the source of financial support for children’s and young people’s plans that are produced respectively by the Children’s Partnerships and Young People’s Partnerships. These partnerships will be subgroups of the Children and Young Peoples Framework Partnerships set up in each local authority. Children’s Partnerships and Young People Partnerships will be responsible for among other things drawing up and managing a local plan for the deployment of Cymorth funding.

Free breakfasts/swimming
The Welsh Assembly Government have committed to provide for all primary school children to have free breakfasts. The initiative is intended to help improve the health and concentration of pupils, to assist in the raising of standards of learning and attainment.

The Welsh Assembly Government's free swimming initiative provides free swimming to children under 16 during the school holidays.

Child Poverty Strategy
On 9 February 2005 the Welsh Assembly Government published "A Fair Future for Our Children" The Strategy of the Welsh Assembly Government for Tackling Child Poverty" and in May 2006 published the Child Poverty Implementation Plan.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
In 2004 the Welsh Assembly Government adopted the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as the basis for all its work with children and young people in Wales. They translated this into 7 core aims. Based on UNCRC Articles 6,26,27,28 Core Aim 7 states that children and young people should not be disadvantaged by poverty.

The UN Convention section of the Children in Wales site provides details of each Article of the Convention.