Our views on the draft child poverty strategy

The Bevan Foundation calls for a more ambitious and focused Welsh Government strategy to end child poverty

The Bevan Foundation’s response to the Welsh Government’s consultation on its draft child poverty strategy calls for a change in approach. It urges the Welsh Government to:

• situate the child poverty strategy within a broader anti-poverty plan, because poor children have poor parents;
• adopt a longer time-frame, because reducing poverty will take time;
• be more ambitious, not least as the legislation requires the strategy to eradicate poverty;
• target action on the children at greatest risk of poverty, i.e. under-5s, large families and single parent households;
• focus on fewer, high-impact objectives that are specifically designed to:
  • boost incomes
  • cut costs
  • create pathways out of poverty for children
  • end stigma.

The detailed response also sets out actions that the Bevan Foundation recommends the Welsh Government should consider, including:

• exploring the costs and benefits of a child payment,
• ensuring no child is homeless, and
• building a seamless childcare system. 

The Welsh Government consultation is available here.

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