Explore Play Wales
In early December 2025, the Welsh Government published its Child Poverty Strategy Progress Report, which details achievements and work being done to tackle child poverty. This report covers the three years since the previous progress report was published in December 2022 and the current strategy (published in January 2024).
The Child Poverty Strategy for Wales 2024 sets the direction for the Welsh Government’s actions to tackle child poverty over the next decade. It does this by detailing five objectives, five priorities linked to those objectives, and 19 commitments to tackle poverty in Wales.
Objective 3 of the strategy is to support child and family wellbeing and make sure that work across the Welsh Government delivers for children living in poverty including those with protected characteristics so that they can enjoy their rights and have better outcomes.
This objective recognises that people want to live in areas where they have facilities to play, meet with friends and travel to cultural experiences without the barriers of expensive transport. A key commitment within this objective is to ‘Push forward, working with partners, on the delivery of more community-based offers for play, sports, youth opportunities and access to arts, culture and natural resources.’
In a written statement, Jane Hutt, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Trefnydd and Chief Whip, said:
‘The Progress Report does not shy away from the fact that child poverty in Wales is at an unacceptable level. There is clearly more that can and should be done to tackle child poverty, and this includes continued efforts to both engage with and influence the UK Government when making decisions about policies that impact on people living here in Wales…
However, as is clear in the report, the Welsh Government is taking significant steps to reduce the impact of poverty on children and their families. I am very proud of the work detailed here, and we must continue to listen to our children and families about what works to support them both with immediate and urgent issues and with longer term pathways out of poverty.’