Support to tackle child poverty in Wales

Access to free school meals, childcare and emergency support is part of ongoing action to tackle rising costs and reduce poverty.

The Universal Primary Free School Meal programme has expanded to nearly 174,000 additional pupils, with almost 55 million meals served since September 2022. Together with targeted provision in secondary schools, more than two-thirds of learners can now receive a free school meal every day. The Welsh Government has also funded over 100 million free breakfasts in primary schools over the past decade.

Yesterday the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice visited Ysgol Rhiw Syr Dafydd in Blackwood. Headteacher, Mr Craig George said: “As a school, we see every day the difference that universal free meals and breakfast clubs make for our children. When a child starts the day fed, calm and ready to learn, everything changes. These simple provisions lift pressure from families facing real hardship and give every child, regardless of their background, the same dignified, healthy start. We are proud to support our community in this way, and we're deeply grateful for any policy that helps us give our children the fairness, stability and opportunity they deserve.”

The Welsh Government has today published a progress report on its Child Poverty Strategy for Wales 2024, alongside the Child Poverty Monitoring Framework and a Lived Experience report highlighting the impact of its policies and. One parent said: "School meals are really helpful as reduces stress and money worries."

Between 2022 and 2026, the Welsh Government will have invested more than £7 billion in measures that support families through programmes to alleviate financial pressures, help maximise income and to help keep more money in their pockets. More than £200 million in previously unclaimed benefits has now been accessed. Over 200,000 households have received emergency fuel support, and £250 million is invested each year to help 260,000 households with council tax bills.

Through the Childcare Offer for Wales, parents of three- and four-year-olds can access up to 30 hours of funded early education and childcare to support parents to work or study. Flying Start is also being expanded so more children can thrive. From February next year, Baby Bundles, containing essential items and information for new parents, will be rolled out on a targeted basis in Flying Start areas to help reduce financial pressure on families in the most deprived communities.

The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Jane Hutt, said: “The pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and over a decade of austerity have hit vulnerable families hardest, with children and young people affected most.

“We have acted to protect families and give every child in Wales the best start in life. Visiting Ysgol Rhiw Syr Dafydd showed me the real difference our investment is making.

"While we are using every lever available to us in Wales, ending child poverty requires two governments working together. I strongly welcome the Chancellor's action to remove the Two-Child Limit, which, according to the UK Government, will bring relief to 69,000 children in Wales who have been denied financial support since 2017, and could reduce relative child poverty in Wales by 3-4%.”