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The Early Years Action Group is calling on the Welsh Government to support infants in the cost of living crisis and manage the long-term risks of poverty to children’s rights.
The group launched a position paper in December 2022 emphasising the catastrophic impact of escalating financial pressures on families. It calls for measures that address both the current and longer-term challenges they face.
The group argues that babies and young children are especially vulnerable due to limited access to resources and the impact of increased parental stress. It says that continued access to early support for expectant or new parents is vital to infants’ long-term health and development.
The call comes in response to recent research that shows more than one in three children in Wales are living in poverty, and more than a quarter are living below the poverty line. In Children in Wales’s recent poverty survey, 93% of practitioners identified the rising cost of living as the highest related poverty issue for families.
The Early Years Action Group consists of representatives from BookTrust Cymru, Children in Wales, Early Years Wales, Home Start Cymru, Mudiad Meithrin, Nesta, NSPCC Cymru, PACEY Cymru, Play Wales and Save the Children.