The Welsh Government has claimed it is doing more than the UK coalition government – or any of the other devolved administrations – by way of efforts to tackle poverty. The claim was made by the Deputy Minister for Tackling Poverty, Vaughan Gething, as the Welsh Government submitted evidence to the UK Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission.

Key points

• The Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010 places a duty on Welsh ministers to publish a child poverty strategy for Wales, and sets specific objectives for improving the outcomes of children and families living in low-income households.
• The first progress report on the strategy is due to be published this autumn, based on six key indicators such as the percentage of children living in workless households.
• Many positive steps have been made since 2010 in relation to tackling poverty. Examples include the 'Flying Start' programme (aimed at improving children's outcomes in the pre-school years), the Communities First Pupil Deprivation Grant Match Fund (enabling local communities and schools to work together to improve the outcomes of young people who live in poverty) and the Pathways to Apprenticeship programme (giving open access to skills training to all young people aged 16-24).
• The Tackling Poverty Action Plan, published in July 2013, will support the objectives of the child poverty strategy in four key areas: improving the educational attainment of children from low-income families; helping more people into jobs, especially in workless households; reducing the number of young people not earning or learning; and ensuring that all people, regardless of how poor or how deprived the area they live in, have equal and fair access to essential services.

Source: UK Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission – Annual Report 2013: Submission Request for Wales, Welsh Government
Links: Evidence | Welsh Government press release