The new legislative framework that is now in place, through the Child Poverty Act 2010 and the Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010 means that, for the first time, there will be a statutory framework to drive child poverty action stretching from the UK Government, the Welsh Assembly Government, through to local authorities and other public agencies.
Visiting an Integrated Children’s Centre in New Tredegar, the First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones and Deputy Minister for Children, Huw Lewis outlined how a range of cross-government policies, resources and services will be directed at reducing the inequalities that currently exist, narrowing the gap between the economic, health and education outcomes of children from low income families and their more affluent peers. This approach is necessary to achieve the Assembly Government’s 2020 vision of a Wales where no child or young person is disadvantaged by poverty.
The First Minister said:
“We were the first of the UK countries to introduce new legislations to add weight to our action to tackle child poverty, fulfilling a ‘One Wales’ commitment. The Children and Families (Wales) Measure, which became law in February 2010, provides an important new statutory framework for our action on child poverty, including new duties to develop strategies to reduce child poverty across public agencies in Wales.
“This new Child Poverty Strategy and Delivery Plan is the fulfilment of this duty on Welsh Ministers and we are setting ourselves three new strategic child poverty objectives which sum up our overall approach.
“Through these we recognise the crucial importance of work for parents as the most sustainable route out of poverty, the need to combat rising levels of poverty in families where there is someone in work through better training and quality jobs and, of course, the need to reduce the gap between the outcomes of our poorest children and their more affluent peers.”
Deputy Minister for Children Huw Lewis said:
“An estimated 32 per cent of children in Wales now live in households below 60 per cent of the median income which is the accepted poverty threshold. The continued existence of child poverty in a modern, civilised and progressive country such as Wales is unacceptable.
“Children and young people growing up in poverty are vulnerable in a number of different ways. We know they are more at risk of poor health, poor educational attainment, have lower skills and aspirations. They are also more likely to be low paid, unemployed and welfare dependent in adulthood.
“Helping parents to find sustainable employment, compatible with their parenting roles, providing affordable and flexible childcare and improving the educational attainment of children are key actions we will take to ensure families escape the poverty trap.
“In this new strategy we are focussing on those issues that are particularly important to improving outcomes for children living in poverty and concentrating on those areas where the Assembly Government can have the most impact.”
An essential element of the new Child Poverty Strategy is to set out a new direction for developing more effective local delivery arrangements that can better meet the needs of low income families and provide them with the integrated support that they need so that they have a clear route out of poverty.
http://wales.gov.uk/newsroom/childrenandyoungpeople/2010/100512childpove...
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Child poverty campaigners have welcomed the new government's proposed tax changes to benefit low-earners, but are calling for more resources to be targeted at the poorest families.
In a document published today, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives have agreed to a "substantial increase" in the personal allowance for income tax, with benefits focused on those with lower and middle incomes. The increase will take effect from April 2011. The Liberal Democrats had originally pledged to raise the income tax threshold to £10,000 if they got into power to ensure the lowest earners are not hit by further reductions in their earnings through income tax.
But in the document the £10,000 target has now been described as a "long-term policy objective" which the government will make steps towards "each year".
A spokesman for the Child Poverty Action Group, said: "We welcome anything that reduces tax liability for those facing in-work poverty."
But he added that "the best measures are those that target the resources available to the poorest workers".
Kate Bell, director of policy for single-parent charity Gingerbread, described the move as "welcome for low-earners, many of whom are single parents". "But it will not impact on the poorest families who are on benefits and we need to see their income protected as well," she added.
http://www.cypnow.co.uk/news/ByDiscipline/Social-Care/1002758/Tax-pledge...
http://www.cpag.org.uk/