That was the main message from a report by the Child Poverty Task Group which has been published for consultation and is expected to inform the Assembly's anti-poverty strategy, which is due to be published in September.
Jane Hutt, minister for children in Wales, who set up the task group, welcomed the inclusion of the views of children and young people in the report. She said, 'They make it very clear that poverty isn't just about money - beyond this they can face bullying, stigma and a lack of respect.'
She added, 'Another key message coming from them is that poverty doesn't fit neatly into ministerial portfolios. It has implications for all areas, including education, social services, leisure and housing.'
This view was endorsed by Lynne Hill, policy director at Children in Wales, which had a representative on the task group. She said, 'The most striking message is that a child poverty strategy needs to reach right across the Assembly's agenda. It is not just about the children and families division, it's an issue for transport and housing as well.'
The task group said that if childcare was to contribute to tackling child poverty, 'it must offer affordable, quality provision, across all areas including disadvantaged and rural communities, and it must include appropriate provision for disabled children and young parents'.
The report referred to the work of the childcare taskforce, which is trying to ensure that childcare providers receive appropriate business advice, guidance on the use of European structural funds and help in training the workforce.
Stressing the importance of early identification and early intervention in combating poverty, the report said it was becoming increasingly hard to protect existing Sure Start programmes that are being absorbed into Cymorth, the main funding stream for Welsh local authorities. The report added that while Sure Start helped those in designated disadvantaged areas, more needed to be done to help families in need who lived outside those areas.
While tax and benefits are not issues for the devolved government in Wales, the task group said it did have powers to increase family income and subsidise the costs of essential services for children and young people, such as free transport, that enhanced their educational, work and leisure opportunities 'without inducing stigma'.
It also called for a public education campaign to develop better understanding of the causes and effects of poverty.
The report is on the website www.wales.gov.uk/subichildren/ content/child-poverty-e.htm and the consultation ends on 1 September.
