Child poverty: final report of the income maximisation action plan

This report summarises what was done to help maximise the income of families living in poverty between 2020 and 2021.

Ministerial foreword

The Welsh Government has always put children and children’s rights at the heart of everything it does.

The coronavirus pandemic has had a profound impact on our economy, our society and our communities. It has exposed and worsened existing inequalities with some of the most vulnerable in society being the hardest hit.

Never has there been a more important time to do all that we practically can to mitigate the impacts of poverty. Our most recent data shows us that 31% of children are living in relative income poverty (after housing costs).

During the last Senedd term, the First Minister made a commitment to re-engineer existing funded programmes to ensure they have the maximum impact on the lives of children living in poverty. This led to the development of the Child Poverty: Income Maximisation Action Plan (IMAP).

The IMAP contained a set of practical actions that would help maximise the incomes of families living in poverty in Wales and support them to build their financial resilience.

The impact of this Plan is being assessed so that the lessons learnt will help inform future work, ensuring we continue to take the most effective actions to tackle poverty in Wales.

We will continue to be bold, ambitious and progressive in our pursuit of a Wales free of child poverty.

Jane Hutt MS, Minister for Social Justice

In May, the Future Generations Report 2020 was published. This report analyses the progress of all public bodies, including Welsh Government, in implementing the wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act since it became law in 2015. It reflects on the progress of all public bodies in terms of whether they have embraced the cultural change required by the Act, and considers the progress being made on each of the seven national wellbeing goals.  More than 5,000 people told the Future Generations Commissioner and her office about what kind of place they want to live in, and what kind of place they want to leave for future generations. The report shares a vision for the future of Wales and sets out recommendations for government and public bodies to help achieve this vision.

Through the interactive online version you can navigate a future Welsh city and its surroundings, there’s a joint emergency services hub (decorated by a local artist) and a gym and leisure centre connected to the hospital, next to a community ‘hwb.’ Wellbeing hubs are dotted across the city, suburbs and countryside. Alongside independently run cafes and shops, sustainable consumption and production is promoted via a swap shop and a repair cafe next to a recycling centre.

Trains make several stops to serve much of the community and there are no cars in the centre – instead, multiple bike racks. A forest centre sits next to a transport hub and there are e-cars with charging ports. In a park, neighbours play wheelchair sports and do outdoor yoga and the Wales women’s rugby team train.

The town hall flies the Welsh flag and a Pride flag, culture is to be found everywhere, the Welsh language is used in everyday life, and there is an outdoor debating space to encourage citizen involvement. Elsewhere, wind turbines and ‘green bridges,’ to mitigate the impacts of roads on walkers and cyclists, providing a safe crossing for wildlife, are the norm.  It’s a Wales with kindness and wellbeing at the heart. One that is fit for the needs of the future.

We have been delighted to work with the Office of the Future Generations Commissioner, and other organisations, to create a young person’s version of the Future Generations Report, which is accessible and exciting.
Developed by a diverse group of young people, to translate the report into their voice and creative style of choice, this version of the report aims to engage other young people, explaining why the content of the report is relevant to them and their future, alongside how they can get involved in demanding the Future Wales they need.

Content provided by Young Wales.

Children and young people who have disabilities are at an increased risk of being abused compared with their non-disabled peers (Jones et al, 2012). 

Seeking the views and expertise of parents and carers is a vital part of understanding what we need to do to help keep disabled children safe from sexual abuse.

We wanted to find out what parents and carers of disabled children think about:

• the most effective ways to keep their children safe from sexual abuse and where they feel they need more support
• how they have conversations with their children about sexual abuse
• who they go to for advice and support and how they would like professionals and other community groups to engage with them on preventing child sexual abuse.

For the past six years our annual How safe are our children? report has compiled and analysed data from across the UK to show the current child protection landscape.

This year, for the first time, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) have taken on this task, with the first edition of its compendium of child abuse data sources for England and Wales due in winter 2019/20.

We have taken this opportunity to refocus our 2019 report on statistics relating to the issue of online abuse.

The Children, Young People and Education Committee identifies an urgent need to invest in preventative and early intervention services. The Committee believes that the distress suffered by many children and young people could be reduced or even avoided by enabling them to draw on the right support at the right time, in schools and in primary care across Wales.

As part of the Committee’s wide-ranging inquiry into the emotional and mental health of children and young people in Wales, resounding calls were made by stakeholders for a stronger emphasis on early intervention and building emotional resilience. This includes embedding mental health into the new curriculum and ensuring that schools are supported by other services, most notably health, to reduce the stigma associated with mental ill health and to enable children and young people to maintain their emotional well-being.

Given the current uncertainty surrounding UK and world politics, this report is extremely important as the voices of young people in Wales will hopefully cut through the political tension and will provide a platform for young people’s voices to be heard above the noise.

It represents the progress of democracy in Wales and shows young people have a voice. It proves the Welsh Youth Parliament’s dedication and commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of young people. It shows that young people know what is best for young people and that they have the competency to make an impact.