Briefing Paper
Briefing on the First 100 days and what it means for Babies, Children and Young People Ahead of the election, Plaid Cymru published a roadmap setting out its priorities for the first 100 days of government. As this milestone has now passed, the new Welsh Government has started to provide a clear indication of its key priorities and the areas it intends to focus on in the short and medium term. This briefing provides an overview of the key developments and progress made against the new Welsh Governments stated aims and commitments during its first 100 days, and considers what these developments may mean for babies, children and young people across Wales. The Seventh Senedd
Within the new Seventh Senedd, there are now 96 Members (MSs), compared to the previous Senedd which had 60 members. 67 of the elected members are new to the Senedd, creating both a challenge and opportunity for Children in Wales and our members to build relationships early in the proceedings to ensure that the priority issues impacting on babies, children and young people are sufficiently visible in the new Senedd, and also that all new MSs know who we are and what we are advocating for as organisations. Prior to the election, Children in Wales engaged with incumbent MSs as well as candidates across all political parties through our Champions for Children campaign by attending events, party conferences, holding meetings and through the publication of our Manifesto and 5 supplementary thematic publications on priority areas. The Champions for Children pledge calls for all politicians across all parties be committed to being a 'Champion for Children', standing up for children rights and creating opportunities for them and their priorities to be heard throughout this Senedd term. Government Ministers
The new Welsh Government has 10 members in the Cabinet and 5 Deputy Ministers which differ in titles and portfolios from the previous Government. Alongside a number of newly elected members, many have previously been keen supporters and campaigners for the priority issues impacting on babies, children and young people whilst in opposition.
One of Children in Wales's Champions for Children manifesto calls was for the appointment of a named Cabinet Minister for Babies, Children and Young People, to strengthen coordination of children’s interests across all policy areas and provide clear leadership and accountability for children’s rights. Despite this ask not being met, the Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality, and Deputy First Minister, Sioned Williams MS, will lead this work. Whilst this presents an opportunity to better incorporate children’s rights in policy areas such as child poverty, equality and social justice within the one portfolio, we will continue to advocate for the creation of a named and dedicated cabinet minister for babies, children and young people. We also called for a Cabinet Committee for Children to be created to improve coordination and accountability, and avoid any risk that issues affecting babies, children and young people in areas such as health, housing, transport, environment and finance receive less attention as Ministers respond to competing pressures within their individual portfolios. A number of Ministers hold significant responsibilities across key areas of children’s policy. These include Siân Gwenllian MS as Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning; Delyth Jewell MS as Minister for Women’s Health, Social Care and Mental Health; Mark Hooper MS as Deputy Minister for Transport and Anna Brychan MS as Minister for Education and Welsh Language. Dafydd Trystan MS has an overarching role as Minister for Government Effectiveness and Constitution, with a responsibility for supporting delivery and ensuring that government priorities are measurable and achievable. Each of these roles includes responsibilities that will impact children and young people. It will therefore be important that all Ministers uphold children’s rights within their respective portfolios, and report on the progress they are making to improve children's outcomes and wellbeing.
Early Years, Children, Young People and Education Committee
Children in Wales’ manifesto calls for strong Senedd scrutiny of decisions affecting babies, children and young people. The new Senedd has established a Committee for Early Years, Children, Young People and Education which will be chaired by Sera Evans MS. The full list of the committee members can be found here.
The first meeting of the Committee was held in July where they discussed their early activity and remit, alongside the draft supplementary budget. They have since released a consultation for individuals and organisations to put forward ideas for what the future priorities should be to help shape the Committee work programme. Children in Wales will be submitting a response to this consultation as well as providing responses on behalf of some of our working groups and networks. Priorities for the Welsh Government
The Welsh Government has set out its initial priorities in their first 100-day plan. Many initiatives that will have a direct or indirect impact on babies, children and young people. These include Additional Learning Needs, mental health, preventative health, a new culture and cancer strategies, and developments and changes planned within education and health. There are also commitments to reduce child poverty and improve access to early help and focus resources on prevention. Encouragingly, many of the proposals align with the priorities set out in the Children in Wales’ manifestos. Below are some of the high-profile priorities outlined in the first 100-day plan particularly relevant to babies, children and young people.
Child Poverty Strategy
One of the bigger calls from the Welsh Government is for the development of a new Child Poverty Strategy. Given the commitment to reduce child poverty, the Deputy First Minister has re-established the Child Poverty Expert Reference Group made up of members from our End Child Poverty Network Cymru (ECPN) to support the process. Children in Wales, alongside members of the ECPN Cymru will be advising the Welsh Government in designing the new strategy and making sure there are clear measurable targets as well as milestones for delivery that are tangible and achievable, to aid transparency and accountability Cynnal – the Welsh Child Payment
The Welsh Government has committed to piloting Cynnal, the proposed Welsh Child Payment scheme, targeted at families most in need. The pilot is expected to provide £10 per week to eligible families with children who are receiving Universal Credit. Details are yet to be confirmed, including which local authorities will be taking part, how long the pilot will run, and what the timetable will be for wider rollout. This commitment aligns strongly with Children in Wales’ manifesto call for a new Welsh Child Payment system, as part of a wider approach to reducing child poverty. If piloted well, Cynnal could help reduce pressure on low-income families and improve children’s living standards. The Cynnal Expert Steering Group has been established with the involvement of Children in Wales member organisations, to help design and advise on the implementation of the pilot and has already held its first meeting. The group is co-chaired by Steffan Evans from the Bevan Foundation and the Deputy First Minister, and includes members from childcare settings, academia and the third sector. Children in Wales will be keen to learn how families are identified and supported to access the payment, whether the amount is sufficient to make a meaningful difference, and whether the pilot has enough leverage to help lift families out of deep poverty. Childcare
The Welsh Government is committed to expanding childcare to more families with children from the age of 9 months to 4 years. A phased expansion includes completing the rollout of 12.5 hours of funded childcare for all 2-year-olds; developing local plans to expand the offer to 20 hours for 2- to 4year-olds, and in the future for funded childcare for children aged 9 months to 2 years. Children in Wales is supportive of this announcement as childcare and the need for further investment was highlighted in both our Champions for Children manifesto and our Babies and Young Children manifesto. Investment in the childcare workforce and providing a quality, accessible and affordable child-centred childcare for different ages and needs can support the aim of reducing child poverty and enabling parents to access employment and training opportunities. A Childcare Expert Steering Group has been established to guide and oversee this work while supporting the delivery of wider childcare commitments. Members of this Group are also part of Children in Wales' Early Years Action Group, bringing valuable knowledge and expertise in helping to shape discussions and decisions.
The success of the expansion will depend on its implemented and resourcing. Key issues include workforce capacity, quality of provision, rurality issues, support for children with additional needs, Welsh-medium childcare, affordability for families, and whether children and families most at risk of poverty can access and benefit from the offer. Free School Meals for Secondary Schools pupils
The Welsh Government is committed to expanding free school meals to all secondary school pupils living in households receiving Universal Credit from September 2026. This is a positive development that has the potential to reduce hunger and tackle food poverty for many children and young people. It also reflects Children in Wales’ manifesto call to extend current provision, review eligibility criteria while continuing to work towards universal entitlement. With implementation is expected at the start of the new academic year, this could become one of the first child poverty measures to move from commitment to delivery under the new Government. The expansion will be particularly significant for children in low-income families who are currently excluded by existing restrictive eligibility thresholds. However, while welcome, the measure falls short of Children in Wales' manifesto ambition for universal entitlement over time and does not address the need to ensure that free breakfast provision is available in schools. We will continue to advocate for a clear pathway and timetable towards universal entitlement, alongside broader measures to tackle food insecurity among children and young people. Human Rights
Incorporation of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of a Child (UNCRC) alongside other UN treaties was a key announcement made by the new Welsh Government in the first 100 day plan. This mirrors one of Children in Wales’ key manifesto asks, and we fully welcome the Minister’s commitment to prioritising the further incorporation of children’s rights into Welsh law. Children in Wales' UNCRC Monitoring Group for Wales will continue to work with the Welsh Government to help ensure this is achieved and implemented effectively, and to support ongoing monitoring of the UNCRC in Wales. Conclusion
The first 100 days have provided an early indication of the new Welsh Government's direction and early priorities, many of which will have a significant impact for babies, children and young people if fully delivered as intended. We welcome the continued rhetoric around children's rights, and initial focus on policy areas such as child poverty, childcare, education, preventative health, free school meal expansion and shifting focus towards early intervention and prevention. We will continue to monitor as an organisation and through our strategic groups how these commitments are taken forward in practice. Children in Wales will continue to advocate for the priorities set out in our Champions for Children manifesto and our wider sector specific manifestos. We will work to ensure that children’s rights remain central to decision making and that babies, children and young people have meaningful opportunities to have their voices heard on issues that will affect them.
We will also continue to engage with MSs, Ministers and officials through our strategic groups, events, meetings and our newly re-established Cross-Party Group for Babies, Children and Young People. This engagement will be important in building understanding of Children in Wales’ role, strengthening relationships with decision makers, and supporting all MSs and Welsh Government representatives to be Champions for Children throughout the new Senedd term.