Director of Barnardo’s Cymru Sarah Crawley said:
“It’s hard to overstate the impact this will have on children and families in Wales. Too many children have been going to school hungry, unable to concentrate and returning to a cold home at the end of the day. For too long, the two-child limit on benefits and benefit cap has hurt families who were already struggling.
"At Barnardo’s, we’ve been campaigning alongside many others for an end to these measures and so we’re delighted with today’s announcement.
However, ending this policy without ending the overall benefit cap will limit the positive impact this change could have on child poverty. For many families, any additional income from removing the two-child limit could well be wiped out by the overall cap on total benefits. We urge the UK Government to end the overall benefit cap in its forthcoming child poverty strategy to make sure all children have the chance to reach their potential.
We also urge the current Welsh Government to use any additional funds that are intended to mitigate the adverse effects of the two-child limit towards further anti-poverty measures in Wales.
With 31% of children in Wales growing up in poverty, there is still much more to do.
This Senedd term, it is vitally important that the Senedd passes the Welsh Government’s draft budget to prevent devastating cuts to public services which provide essential support to children and families already struggling in poverty.
Beyond this Senedd term, we hope ending child poverty will be a priority for whichever party is leading the Welsh Government. In Barnardo’s Cymru’s 2026 Senedd election manifesto, we are urging the next Welsh Government to:
- Develop a Welsh Child Payment scheme.
- Introduce a New Baby Grant to help low-income families afford essential equipment.
- Fully implement the Bwndel Babi scheme for the families most in need of support, working towards a universal offer when financial circumstances allow.
- Expand universal healthy free school meals to secondary schools.
- Give all children and young people free public transport to break down barriers to accessing education, training and social activities.