How well is Wales protecting children’s rights?

Rocio Cifuentes, Children’s Commissioner for Wales

‘The child that is hungry must be fed’. ‘The child that is sick must be nursed’.‘The child must be the first to receive relief in times of distress’.

These words feel as urgent today as they were when they were written a hundred years ago by children’s rights pioneer and founder of Save the Children, Eglantyne Jebb.

They formed part of the first declaration of children’s rights which years later evolved into the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the most widely ratified human rights treaty in the world.

It is a list of rights every child has; put simply, the things they need to grow happily, healthily, and safely. That treaty, and the commitments it carries from the world’s nations (all bar one – the USA), is celebrated on this day every year as part of Universal Children’s Day.

But how well is Wales protecting children’s rights? How well are we doing nationally to deliver on our promises to children and make sure that children experience them? These are the questions I pose in my latest annual report on some of the biggest issues affecting their lives.

Child Poverty

Over a third of children live in poverty in Wales; a truly staggering statistic.

Its grasp on a child’s life and the impact on their rights can be devastating, from delaying development in the early years to limiting access to good food and opportunities to learn, socialise, and play – all fundamental rights that no child can go without. It’s the biggest and most urgent challenge facing the Welsh Government. But what is being done about it in Wales?

Unfortunately, the Welsh Government’s response to this most important of issues has lacked the ambition and clear targets that children need.  Specific and measurable outcomes have been difficult to come by in its strategy and delivery plan, despite repeated calls from a wide range of organisations.

There have been positives, like the successful rollout of free school meals to all primary school pupils across the country. But children need more ambitious action and a clearer focus on this issue across the Welsh Government.

Mental Health

It is estimated that 3 children in every classroom in Wales, or about 1 in 8 will have a diagnosable mental health condition. In my autumn 2022 survey of nearly 9,000 children and young people, around two thirds of children told me they were concerned about their mental health and 45% of young people aged 12-18 said they wanted ‘more mental health support’ to be available nationally.

Meeting with all health boards in Wales earlier this year I heard how the current workforce is struggling to meet demand; that children and young people are waiting far too long to access the support they need; and that relationships between health, education and social care must improve. Far too often, children who need support are on a waiting list for one service, only to be told when they get there that they were waiting in the wrong queue all along and need to join another. All the while, they are not getting the help they need.

The response to the overwhelming demand on services must be to create a ‘no wrong door’ response – where early, multi-agency interventions are brought to children and their families, rather than them having to navigate a complex system themselves as their needs escalate. There also needs to be a clear focus on children and young people within the new national Mental Health Strategy. Children need to feel that they are really being listened to and their needs recognised and responded to.

Equalities/community cohesion

I’ve become increasingly concerned over the past year by the political narrative around sanctuary seekers, ethnic minority groups, religious minorities, , and the implications this has on community cohesion within Welsh communities. This includes of course the horrendous far-right riots that took place across UK cities during the summer. A mother at the time told me that their child was too scared to go and play in the park and had asked her why some people didn’t like them.

There were similar themes in my office’s research on racism last year. Racism was so commonplace in secondary schools that for some children it had become almost a normal part of their lives.

How should the Welsh Government respond? They need to invest in and promote community cohesion, specifically exploring misconceptions around sanctuary seekers and Islamophobia, ensuring that children and young people’s voices are considered as part of this process.

In schools, there is a need for further training and professional learning resources to support school staff to have these conversations with children across Wales and to respond to racism effectively and confidently. The Anti-racism Wales Action Plan already commits to this, but we need urgent progress on this.

And having a new president across the Atlantic, never far from international headlines, who during his last term called for a ‘total and complete shutdown on Muslims entering the US’, makes positive action here arguably even more urgent.

Looking ahead

Wales has a proud record in relation to children’s rights. Welsh Government has successfully introduced the smacking ban, lowered the voting age, and rolled out universal free school meals for primary schools: all significant accomplishments that have promoted and protected children’s rights.

Universal Children’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate those, but also to renew our commitments and ambitions, 100 years after Eglantyne Jebb’s declaration, to really deliver a Wales for all children where every child can enjoy their rights and achieve their full potential.