Welsh Government to bring parts of Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill into Wales
The Welsh Government has asked that certain provisions within the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, including those in relation to children in secure accommodation and children not in school, be applied to Wales in the same way as England.
In a written cabinet statement published last week (10 March), Lynne Neagle, Cabinet Secretary for Education, and Dawn Bowden MS, Minister for Children and Social Care, noted that “if equal measures are not implemented in Wales, this would result in fewer protections for our children than their counterparts in England.”
In December 2024, the UK government introduced the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to Parliament.
The Bill, which applied to England only on introduction, includes a range of provisions about the safeguarding and welfare of children, support for children in care or leaving care, attendance of children at school and inspections of schools and colleges.
Whilst education and social care policy and decisions are devolved in Wales, Neagle and Bowden said in the statement: “Within the Bill there are clauses that seek to introduce new duties that will strengthen existing UK legislation relating to child protection, children not in school, and children’s social care. These are areas that would strongly benefit from additional legislative measures across both nations, and will support local authorities and partners to meet their safeguarding duties.
“With this in mind, we have discussed the Bill with the UK government and have asked that certain provisions within the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, be applied to Wales in the same way as England.
The areas within the Bill that will apply to Wales are those that relate to:
- Children in secure accommodation
- The extension of the offence of ill-treatment of a child by a care worker to cover 16/17-year-olds.
- Children not in school.
The move has been welcomed by the Welsh Local Government Association.
Cllr Lis Burnett, WLGA Spokesperson for Education, said: "Every child in Wales deserves to be safe, supported, and have access to education. Welsh councils are already working hard to ensure this, but applying these additional legal protections here will provide greater clarity and consistency. These measures will help safeguard vulnerable children, particularly those who are out of school or in care.
“It is crucial that local authorities have the right tools and legal frameworks to carry out their safeguarding responsibilities effectively. By ensuring that these provisions apply in Wales, we can strengthen protections and provide councils with the support they need to continue their vital work.
“We will continue to work closely with the Welsh Government to ensure these changes are effectively implemented at a local level."
Lottie Winson
