Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru | National Assembly for Wales

Y Pwyllgor Newid Hinsawdd, Amgylchedd a Materion Gwledig

Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee

Ymchwiliad i Dlodi Tanwydd | Inquiry into Fuel Poverty

FP 26

Ymateb gan : Comisiynydd Plant Cymru

Evidence from : Children’s Commissioner for Wales

Since my time as Commissioner I have consistently highlighted that child poverty is one of the biggest challenges facing children in Wales.

In April 2019 I published my new three year plan for the final three years of my term as Commissioner. Within this one of my ambitions is to see Wales by 2022 as “a country whose government has taken new steps to reduce child poverty and its impact”.1

Over the last two years I have also called for concrete steps from Welsh Government to make a positive difference to children living in poverty here in Wales including using levers and taking actions that are available to them as a devolved Government.

I am writing to the committee to; draw their attention that such opportunities exist within this agenda; emphasise that decision going forward will have an impact on children’s rights and share relevant information from my report published earlier this year A Charter for Change: Protecting Welsh Children from the impact of poverty

Living in fuel povertyis likely to compromise a number of children’s rights including; the right to an adequate standard of living(Article 27), theRight to life, survivaland development (Article 6) and the Right to Health and health services (Article 24) and eventhe right to an education (Article 28). The full text ofthese and allarticles contained in the UnitedNations Convention on the Rights of the Child can be found here.

Between 2018and 2019 I undertook a significant pieceof work aroundchild poverty in Wales.This involved over550 children and young peopleage 5 - 21, over 300,as well as over 40 professionals workingwith children and young people in poverty, including teachers,play workers and representatives of third sector organisations.

The reportI published as a resultof this work,A Charterfor Change: Protecting Welsh Children from the impact of poverty, urged Welsh Government to produce a Child PovertyDelivery Plan focusingon concrete andmeasurable steps to addresschild poverty in the shortand medium term,particularly in respect of the associated costs of school.

However, I’m sure it will not come as a surprise to the committee that a hostof other issues wereraised during discussions, many of whichare interlinked.

The cost of energy bills was raised by children, parents/carers and professionals. Children and young peopleare very muchaware of the high costs associated withfuel and energybills. A largemajority of the children who werespoken to in year 6 at a school in South Wales,for example, identified

fuel and energy bills as ‘very expensive’ when asked what Ceri’s family (fictional child/young person whose familylives in poverty), would have to pay for.

Parents raisedthe cost of gas and electricity alongwith rent and debt, one parent described this as “a never ending cycle of getting by.”2 A school parents club in South Walesalso spoke aboutthese costs havingan impact on theirability to improvetheir children’s qualityof life, theirown feelings of guilt about not being able to take theirchildren on tripsout where costis involved, and the impact of this upon their own mental health, well-being and self- esteem.

Professionals raised how food banks offered fuel and energy vouchers or credit alongside their food provision service, for thosefamilies in needof it. “Most of the povertywe see is in workingfamilies…families have s**tjobs with s**t pay and get up at 5am for that – it meansthat parents are absent and knackered and barely makingends meet. Its soul destroying.” (Youth Worker, North Wales).

1 Children’s Commissioner for Wales, Annual Report and Accounts 2018-19, 2019.

2 Children’s Commissioner for Wales, A Charter for Change: Protecting Welsh Children from the impact of poverty, 2019.

I am aware thatWelsh Government is currently considering future plans in respect of fuel povertyand have sharedsome initial viewsat the Minister for Environment, Energy andRural Affairs roundtable event including; ensuring that any household with children (up to 18),including households that consist of anolder child (youngperson) living independently, have the opportunity to access targeted scheme/sor programmes whichcan help lift them outof fuel poverty. This relates not only to the rightslisted above but also Article1 which provides thatall the rightsincluded in the United NationsConvention on the Rights of the Child apply to anyone under the age of 18. I would however expect a fuel poverty strategy for Wales to address the needs of other vulnerable groups for whom fuel poverty also has a number of significant impacts including in extreme cases loss of life.

Secondly, Children and young people are provided with adequate opportunities to sensitively sharetheir experiences of housing conditions and fuel poverty, and contribute to developing policyand practice in this area.This should be partof a robust monitoring andevaluation framework for the action plan. This would affordchildren their rightunder Article 12; to expresstheir views, feelings and wishes in all matters affecting them, and to have their views considered and taken seriously

I am also conscious that work is being taken forward in respect of the First

Minister’s commitment to re-engineer existingfunding programmes to ensure that theyhave the maximumimpact on the lives of children livingin poverty. I willcontinue to engagewith Ministers and officials and emphasise the value and indeed in certain casesduty to consider the impact of children’s rights when making decisions in these areas. Doing this effectively involves an awareness not only of what is being delivered but ensuring there is clear understanding of the outcomes to be achieved, current and futurereach in terms of working towardsequality for all children andyoung people. Like last year I am continuing to call uponGovernment to analysethe budget in the context of its impact on children and young people.

Lastly, children and young peoplein Wales and across the world arespeaking out about climatechange. Indeed earlierthis year I facilitated a discussion between the Minister for Environment, Energy and RuralAffairs and pupilsfrom Atlantic College and Radnor Primaryschool about this issue. How fuel poverty is addressed going forwardsits within this wider context,which children and young people feel so passionately about. Two young people eloquently raised with the Minister that new plans should ensure a balance between climate change and social justiceis achieved. I hope thatWelsh Government will work with such insight and also afford children and young people their right to exercise theirvoice and consider their views aboutissues that affect them in the here and now but also their future.