Wales child poverty targets needed, says new commissioner

Rocio Cifuentes said child poverty rates in Wales were the worst in the UK before Covid

Targets are needed from the Welsh government in order to tackle child poverty, the children's commissioner has said.

Rocio Cifuentes said Wales had the worst child poverty rates in the UK before Covid, and it would be difficult for her to do her job without targets.

The Welsh government had targeted eradicating child poverty by 2020, but this was scrapped in 2016.

It said it would do all it could to improve outcomes for children.

• Mum asked landlord to evict her as rent rises

• Food bank says demand triples as donations fall

Ms Cifuentes, who took over from Sally Holland as Wales' children's commissioner in April, said 31% of children in Wales live in poverty, which is defined as living in households where the income is 60% below the UK average.

She said: "Wales is currently the worst part of the UK for child poverty and we are also experiencing the worst child poverty in a number of decades.

"Without targets it's very difficult for me to do my job and hold the Welsh government to account and really see how well they are doing or how poorly we are doing.

"Setting clear and ambitious targets is just part of the solution and I am calling for this in order to help do my job, and in order to help children and young people come out of the dire situation they find themselves in at the moment."

'Not something we should accept'

She added: "Thirty-one per cent of children in Wales is the latest stats that we have... those are from the beginning of the pandemic so the reality today is that it is far, far worse and that is not something I am prepared to accept.

"Without setting clear targets the danger is we risk just becoming a country where we accept child poverty as a fact of life and I do not think that is something we should accept."

The Welsh government said: "The key levers for tackling child poverty - powers over the tax and welfare system - sit with the UK government.

"We will continue to do all we can with the powers we have to tackle inequalities and improve outcomes for all children in Wales so they can fulfil their potential.

"The pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis have had a huge impact on people living in poverty and near the poverty line.

"Since November, we have provided more than £380m in additional funding to support households affected by the crisis.

"The minister for social justice has given a commitment to publish a refreshed child poverty strategy during this Senedd term."