Poverty in Wales 2025 launch webinar
Our event to launch the latest findings of JRF’s flagship report, Poverty in Wales.
Our Poverty in Wales report offers a comprehensive analysis of poverty in Wales. The report draws on a range of data to identify who is most affected, how poverty levels have changed over time, and what lies ahead. The report provides an in-depth look at overall poverty rates, deep poverty and persistent poverty, and how these vary between different groups across Wales (including family type, ethnicity, disability, housing, work and benefit receipt.)
Highlighting the human impact, the report also examines the lived experiences of those in poverty, focussing on their cost of living, levels of savings and debt, food insecurity, health, and education.
More about this event
As the first Poverty in Wales report of the Westminster Labour Government and the last before the 2026 Senedd election, it emphasises the scale of the challenge ahead in addressing the critical issues. This event was an opportunity to explore how our social security system, alongside affordable housing and access to good jobs, can play a pivotal role in reducing poverty.
During this webinar, we:
- heard from leading experts on the Poverty in Wales 2025 findings
- explored the challenges and opportunities these findings present
- engaged in a Q&A session.
Speakers
Chris leads the Scotland team at JRF that works to find solutions to poverty in Scotland and amplify the voices of people experiencing poverty. The team works with partners across the public, private and third sectors to advocate for solutions that will loosen poverty’s grip on people in Scotland, and to inspire more people to understand it and take action to solve it. Prior to joining JRF, Chris worked for the Scottish Government as Head of the First Minister’s Policy and Delivery Unit. He was formerly a government lawyer, working principally on NHS and social care law.
Taha is a Lead Analyst at JRF. He provides quantitative analysis for JRF's work on care, family and relationships. Previously, Taha worked at Wellcome, Citizens Advice and National Housing Federation, developing a range of analytical skills across varied policy areas such as welfare, employment, housing and health. He has also conducted multiple analyses on equity, diversity and inclusion related projects and is experienced in using a range of ONS datasets, including Understanding Society.
Scot is an Analyst at JRF, where he uses data and research to explore issues related to poverty and inequality. His work builds on a background in research on ethnic penalties in the labour market and refugee integration.
Before joining JRF, Scot worked as a Teaching Fellow at University of Edinburgh, teaching quantitative methods to social science students. He has also recently defended his PhD in Sociology from the University of Stirling which looked at the impact of contemporary migration patterns on the British Muslim community. Scot has also worked across a range of mixed-methods projects related to out migration in Armenia, Scottish refugee integration policy and the long-term recovery of young people who have experienced trafficking in Scotland.
Francisca is an Analyst at JRF, where she uses data and research to explore issues related to poverty and inequality. Her work builds on a background in social policy research, with a particular focus on migration, labour markets, and gender.
Before joining JRF, Francisca worked as a Data and Research Consultant for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, examining rural poverty in Latin America. She later joined the Social Policy Department at London School of Economics (LSE) as a Research Assistant, focusing on education. Alongside her research, she completed an MSc in International Social and Public Policy at LSE, where she deepened her understanding of the structural drivers of inequality.
Dr Victoria Winckler has been the Director of the Bevan Foundation since 2002, establishing it as Wales’ most influential think-tank.
Victoria is a leading contributor to public policy in Wales, developing ideas and taking them forward to implementation. She proved that extending eligibility for free school meals was affordable, demonstrated how devolved grants and allowances could be streamlined into a single system, and persuaded the Welsh Government to boost emergency cash funds for people in crisis. She previously developed the proposals that secured EU Objective 1 status for West Wales and the Valleys, galvanised action for the south Wales valleys, and triggered plans for new, devolved taxes.
Victoria frequently gives expert evidence to Senedd Committees, speaks at conferences and comments in the media. Victoria previously held roles in local government and academia, and been a board member of several organisations.
Victoria holds a BA (Hons), MSc and PhD.
Steffan joined the Bevan Foundation in July 2018 after working as a participation officer at TPAS Cymru.
In 2018 Steffan graduated with a PhD from the Wales Governance Centre, at the School of Law and Politics at Cardiff University. His research examined the impact of devolution on social housing regulation in Wales and England, exploring how and why the law had diverged between both nations.
Steffan is leading on the Bevan Foundation’s work on poverty. During his time at the Foundation he has worked on a variety of policy areas including free school meals, the social security system and the response to the Covid 19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.
Among the areas that Steffan is currently working on are access to housing for low income renters, and the need to establish a Welsh Benefits System.
Who is this event for?
This event is aimed at anyone passionate about tackling poverty, including:
- advocates for social change
- policymakers
- social and economic researchers and academics
- community leaders.