Over 30% of children in Wales live in poverty: a stronger strategy needed to eradicate child poverty

Although the first half of the last decade (1999–2005) saw the proportion of children in poverty in Wales fall more quickly than in any English region, the numbers have now increased with 32% of children in Wales still living in poverty. Of the 192,000 children living in poverty, around 60% live in a household where their parents do not work and 42% live in a lone-parent household.

Author Victoria Winckler, of the Bevan Foundation, said: "If the Assembly Government is to meet its 2020 target it will need to introduce a wider range of policies, and provide a clearer focus on what is needed to help parents enter and stay in work. A good start has been made in addressing child poverty through education. This may have a positive longer-term impact on children’s well-being, but it will have little effect in the short term.

"Many of the changes required to completely eradicate child poverty across the UK will need to be made by the UK Government, but the Assembly Government still has a crucial role to play in combating child poverty in Wales."

Recommendations made to help overcome income poverty amongst children include:

• increasing help for parents to find employment, if necessary seeking further powers to manage DWP programmes;
• improving childcare provision, including before and after school, and enhancing support for carers wishing to work;
• promoting flexible and good quality employment, including family-friendly working and decent pay;
• encouraging public and voluntary sector employers to participate in Local Employer Partnerships;
• enhancing skills and qualifications of adults, taking into account the specific needs of parents; and
• reviewing the benefits, grants and allowances controlled by the Assembly Government, and increasing the take-up of benefits.

The development of a new child poverty strategy in Wales, announced at the beginning of 2009, will aim to evaluate content and clarify the Assembly Government's direction.

Victoria said "While there are a number of commendable approaches already in place which are helping to make a difference – such as free school meals, school uniform grants and educational maintenance allowances – much greater action is needed to reduce child poverty now. Although we’re currently living in challenging economic times, a proactive approach to getting people back into work should now be the main focus in Wales."