Wales's Deputy First Minister has pressed the UK government to act on child poverty, after new analysis showed that in 2024, income deprivation affected roughly two in five Welsh children. The figures come from the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation 2025, and the Welsh Government says they underline the urgent need for its child poverty work, according to a statement released today.

Key points

  • The figures — In 2024, income deprivation was the reality for about two in five children in Wales, according to the WIMD 2025.
  • The pilot — Under the Cynnal scheme, a weekly sum would go to households on low incomes with young children, in a set number of council areas.
  • The ask — Wales is seeking DWP and HMRC disregards from the UK government, ensuring the payment does not cut other benefits.
  • Other action — Funded childcare for two year olds is being expanded and free school meal eligibility has been widened in secondary schools.

Sioned Williams, the Deputy First Minister who also holds the social justice and equalities portfolio in Cabinet, said tackling poverty was a moral imperative at the heart of government. She said child poverty rates in Wales had changed painfully little under previous governments, and that the problem was not just persisting but deepening.

She described the Cynnal pilot as a key intervention and called on the UK government to give Wales the tools to deliver it now. "There is no time to waste," she said. The Welsh Government says the pilot needs assurances that recipients will not lose out because of Treasury rules. It is asking for DWP and HMRC disregards so that other benefits keep their full value, allowing families to get the maximum support available.

Ministers say they are making early progress, including expanding funded childcare for two year olds, extending free school meal eligibility in secondary schools, and drawing up a new child poverty strategy with targets and milestones. Based on international evidence, the pilot is meant to put extra money into family budgets during a child's early years and ease everyday costs, by paying a weekly sum to households on low incomes with young children across a set number of local authority areas.

Editor's comment

What it means in practice

For families in Wales, the practical effect depends on decisions made in Westminster. Without UK government agreement, the Cynnal pilot cannot launch as planned, and any money it pays would risk cutting other benefits. If the disregards are agreed, eligible households in the pilot areas would receive a weekly sum without losing existing support.

  • Watch your post — If the pilot reaches your council area, check letters and online accounts for payment details and any change to benefits.
  • Check what you already get — Funded childcare for two year olds and free school meals in secondary schools are being widened, so it is worth checking eligibility.
  • Nothing changes yet — The payment is still a pilot and has no start date for most families until the Treasury rules are settled.