A report setting out a long-term strategic direction and recommendations for further action on tackling child poverty in Wales was officially launched on 9 June 2004 by Minister for Children, Jane Hutt. The report is out for consultation until 1 September 2004 and the results of the consultation will inform the final strategy.

Consultation period: 9/6/04 - 1/9/04

The report was produced by the Child Poverty Task Group, chaired by Charlotte Williams, a lecturer in Social Policy at the University of Wales Bangor. It was set up by the Welsh Assembly Government to inform their work to develop a strategy to combat child poverty in Wales.

The report presents a set of principles which the Task Group proposes as the basis for the strategy. It provides an agreed measurement of child poverty and identifies a range of indicators by which performance in tackling it can be measured. It outlines the key issues to be addressed as identified through consultation with children and young people. The report identifies key issues to be addressed in tackling child poverty in Wales and includes sections on income, participation and service poverty. In each case evidence is provided to illustrate the significance of the issue in question, current policy discussed and associated recommendations set out. The report emphasises that poverty does not fit neatly into ministerial portfolios but has implications for all areas including education, social services, leisure and housing.

Minister Jane Hutt said that the Welsh Assembly would work as a Cabinet to give a full response to the report.