Jane Hutt MS, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip
The Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010 placed a duty on Welsh Ministers to report on the progress of achieving the child poverty objectives every three years.
Today the Child Poverty Strategy Progress Report 2025 will be laid before the Senedd. This report covers the three years since the previous progress report was published in December 2022 and the current Strategy (published in January 2024).
Alongside this progress report, I am publishing the Monitoring Framework update which provides population level data on a range of child poverty indicators and measures. The Monitoring Framework was published in October 2024, setting out the measures we considered to be most relevant for understanding child poverty in Wales. I am also publishing the analysis of the Lived Experience exercise which captured the views of over 3000 people, alongside research undertaken by external stakeholders which involved those with lived experience of poverty.
The Progress Report does not shy away from the fact that child poverty in Wales is at an unacceptable level. There is clearly more that can and should be done to tackle child poverty, and this includes continued efforts to both engage with and influence the UK Government when making decisions about policies that impact on people living here in Wales, in particular through the benefits system. As the First Minister indicated on 26 November, the Welsh Government welcomes the Chancellor’s action in the Budget Statement that the Two-Child Limit will be removed.
However, as is clear in the report, the Welsh Government is taking significant steps to reduce the impact of poverty on children and their families. I am very proud of the work detailed here, and we must continue to listen to our children and families about what works to support them both with immediate and urgent issues and with longer term pathways out of poverty. I am also very grateful for the ongoing engagement through the Child Poverty External Reference Group who provide us with their expertise, advice and challenge to help ensure our child poverty strategies can, and will, make a difference to the lives of children across Wales.