Dawn Bowden MS, Minister for Children and Social Care
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is the basis for all our work with and for children in Wales. Our commitment to children’s rights is enshrined in law through the Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011.
Article 12 of the UNCRC sets out children’s right to have a say in matters that affect them. Welsh Ministers have long appreciated and recognised the value of children’s views. Their voices help us to do our job better and enrich our policies and decision‑making.
Face to face discussions with children are particularly valuable to us as and over the past year, Cabinet Secretaries and Ministers have met children in a variety of settings, including schools, colleges, community groups, youth events, and national forums. These have provided important opportunities for children to share their experiences, and we get incredible insight into what it means to be a child in Wales today.
The First Minister has visited schools across Wales this year to hear about the issues affecting learners’ daily lives. In October, she took part in the Children’s Commissioner for Wales’ Sgwrs Mawr, joining primary and secondary pupils from Port Talbot in sessions on mental health, wellbeing and learner travel. In January, she visited Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf, discussing citizenship within the Curriculum, political literacy and democratic systems with Year 13 Politics students.
YouthCOP Cymru 2025 provided an opportunity for the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Climate Change and Rural Affairs to hear directly from young people about some of the innovative initiatives they are taking forward, addressing questions and sharing ideas.
The Cabinet Secretary for Education regularly visits schools and colleges, where she engages with children and young people. She has also ensured that their voices are heard around policy developments on INSET provision, behaviour in schools, internet usage and free school meals through a mixture of in person events, focus groups and surveys.
The Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government has been taking part in the Politics Project Digital Dialogue sessions, meeting pupils from Cowbridge High School in March for a Q&A session. These sessions provide an opportunity for young people to meet with elected representatives and develop their understanding of the democratic process. The Counsel General and Minister for Delivery visited Cardiff and Vale College to talk with A Level learners about devolution, Senedd reform and the new voting age.
Following the publication of the draft budget, the Welsh Youth Parliament held a budget scrutiny session with the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Welsh Language. The Cabinet Secretary also had a breakfast meeting with Young Wales members in advance of their annual conference in November.
Ministers also took part in National Apprenticeship Week, including the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Energy and Planning’s visit to GE Aerospace’s Training Academy to meet apprentices and see the high‑quality early‑career opportunities being developed in Wales. Learners across schools, colleges and universities have met with the Minister for Further and Higher Education to discuss topics such as financial support, wellbeing, inclusion and future pathways, helping to inform the development of tertiary education in Wales.
The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice has continued to work with young people on period dignity, volunteering, poverty and disability rights, strengthening how their voices inform future strategy. In June she met members of the Ceredigion Youth Council to discuss period dignity and their development of the Ceredigion Period Positive Schools guidance. At the launch of Save the Children’s report “Power of Voice – Exploring experiences of poverty with children in Wales” she attended a presentation by children from Ferndale Secondary School and took the opportunity to discuss the role of food banks in the community with them.
Young people’s views directly shaped the £1 bus fare pilot, including its extension to under 16s. The Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales spoke to young people at the Wales Youth Parliament, Citizens Cymru events and at the Learner Travel Summit.
Our annual Care Summit continues to bring care‑experienced young people together with Cabinet Secretaries and Ministers from across Government. It provides a space for them to share their lived experiences and work directly with Ministers to shape a shared vision for transforming children’s services. This year, I was extremely pleased to join the First Minister to meet with Young Ambassadors to jointly sign the revised Radical Reform – Care Experienced Summit Declaration, reinforcing our commitment to improving support for care‑experienced children and young people in Wales.
Meeting children in their own communities is a great opportunity to see how the actions we take make a difference on the ground. My visit to Pentre Mawr Park with Bash and his mum, showed how inclusive communication boards are supporting children’s independence and participation within their community. The Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing’s attendance at Grow Well’s 10‑year anniversary event, saw her spending time with primary school pupils and experiencing first‑hand how community gardening promotes wellbeing, social connection and accessibility to nature rich spaces.
National events such as the Royal Welsh Show and the National and Urdd Eisteddfods provide all Ministers with opportunities to hear directly from children on a wide range of subjects.
Beyond direct meetings with Ministers, children and young people have continued to inform policy and research across Welsh Government. Their views have supported our work on the Curriculum for Wales, Additional Learning Needs, learner travel, virtual schooling, wellbeing support, childcare quality, multilingual provision and the experiences of children looked after. Through advisory groups, focus groups, surveys and facilitated discussions, they have shared their views to support programme development, service improvement and legislation to ensure the voices of diverse groups of young people are reflected in policy.
This is a Wales for all Children where children’s views are heard, valued and acted upon, and continue to help shape the decisions we make.