It has been 3 years since the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child published its 2023 Concluding Observations Report on the UK.
The new Welsh Government has put babies, children, and young people at the centre of our national priorities, committing to making children’s rights real in everyday life across Wales.
A central part of our approach is strengthening the protection of human rights in Wales, including children’s rights.
An early priority is helping families with the cost of living by delivering a transformational universal childcare offer of 20 hours per week of funded childcare for all children aged 9 months to 4 years. This will be the most generous offer in the UK. This addresses the UN recommendations that governments should invest in early childhood development and ensure equal access to early years services.
Children have the right to a standard of living that meets their physical, mental and social needs. The UN Committee has consistently highlighted poverty as a barrier to children’s rights. Poverty is not just an economic issue, it directly impacts children’s health, education and life chances.
Tackling child poverty requires urgent and sustained action. This Government will deliver a new, ambitious Child Poverty Strategy with clear targets and measurable outcomes. Work is also underway to implement the Cynnal pilot, the Welsh Child Payment, which has the potential to make a meaningful difference to family’s everyday lives. Free school meals are also being expanded to secondary school pupils in households receiving Universal Credit.
All children have the right to an education that allows them to develop to their full potential. This is important given the UN Committee’s concerns about inequalities in educational attainment, which highlight the need to strengthen support for learners to secure strong literacy and numeracy outcomes.
Raising standards in education will ensure the best conditions for teaching and learning. This includes developing a new Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Plan which will introduce a clear national ambition to raise standards in literacy and numeracy along with clarity on what children should learn and when, strengthening progression and accountability across the system and provide core, evidence-based expectations for teaching literacy and numeracy in every classroom. Every learner will receive the support they need to build strong, essential foundations for the future.
The health system will focus on prevention, early intervention and reducing health inequalities. Children have the right to the highest attainable standard of health, and the establishment of a Minister for Public and Preventative Health reflects this commitment. This reflects the UN Committee’s concerns about persistent health inequalities, including access to services and the need for strengthened early intervention and preventative approaches. We will invest this year to support the reduction of NHS waiting times and the development of new surgical and diagnostic hubs. Work also continues with the National Strategic Clinical Network for Child Health to identify service areas where change is most needed, including paediatric waiting times.
We will work across Welsh Government to tackle the issues that impact the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people in Wales and develop a more integrated system to improve support when it is needed. A key priority will be transforming mental health services to provide same day access. This will be a move away from a traditional model of care to a recovery focused approach. This will ensure that person-centred support is available and easy to access when children and young people reach out for support. This addresses the UN Committee’s comments about rising mental health needs among children and the importance of coordinated services and stronger early intervention.
We are building a fairer Wales where children’s rights are understood, respected and realised in everyday life. Delivering for children in Wales means turning our commitments into real change so that children’s rights are not just principles, but a lived reality, we will ensure every child can grow up healthy, supported and able to reach their full potential.