Poverty

We believe the Welsh Government should:

• Provide clear and strong leadership on tackling child poverty to ensure all children in Wales are able to reach their full potential, by engaging with the UK Government, public bodies in Wales and with all sectors including employers.
• Put in place and monitor a specific child poverty delivery plan with ambitious milestones and targets, to drive the implementation of national strategy, which promotes evidenced programmes and services to ensure that no child is disadvantaged in realising their rights under the UNCRC because of family income.
• Ensure that tackling child poverty remains a priority within new arrangements under the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act and that clear accountability measures are in place.

Figures published in 2016 show that 29% of children in Wales are living in poverty.   Children are said to be living in poverty if they live in families with an income below 60% of the median income.    Poverty can have a devastating affect on a child’s life, with children feeling hungry and cold, and less able to join in activities that their peers do.  It is associated with lower academic attainment and  poorer health outcomes and employment prospects.

Children in Wales has been working to reduce the levels of child poverty and mitigate the impact on children, young people and their families. Our work in this area includes:

• Managing and co-ordinating the End Child Poverty Network Cymru
• Proactively engaging with Welsh Government Ministers, officials and Assembly members in the development and delivery of legislation and policies relating to child poverty
• Organising National and regional child poverty events
• Carrying out annual survey on child poverty in Wales
• Representing Wales on the UK Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission
• Lobbying the UK Government around non-devolved matters, including welfare reform.
• Proactively work with our member organisations through our forums and networks
• Engage with the work programmes of other working groups and forums which focus on the wider poverty agenda or specific policy issues
• Engage with and lobby local partners to help ensure that policies and programmes are in place locally which tackle child poverty
• Engage on the issues relating to child poverty at a European level and promote the work and approach taken in Wales through our work with Eurochild.
• Produced consultation responses, identify policy priorities and develop written reports and publications
• Providing information, advice and a signposting service for our member organisations in relation to external services and policies

For more information about any of these issues please contact: Cheryl Martin, Development Officer – Child Poverty, cheryl.martin@childreninwales.org.uk or Sean O’Neill, Policy Director, sean.oneill@childreninwales.org.uk.