Commentary on Sections Section 13 – Local child poverty action reports
42.Section 13 sets out provisions relating to the requirement to produce annual local child poverty action reports. Subsection (1) places a duty on each local authority and the Health Board or Boards for all or part of the local authority area, acting jointly, to prepare and publish a report termed a “local child poverty action report” as soon as reasonably practicable after the end of each year to which a section 9 delivery plan relates. Subsection (2) provides that the action reports must describe any measures taken by the local authority or the Health Board(s) in each local authority area during the year to contribute to the meeting of the child poverty targets. The effect of the definition of “child poverty targets” in section 14(2) is that a local child poverty action report for a financial year of up to 31 March 2024 will relate to both the interim and the 2030 targets, and a local child poverty action report for a financial year from 1 April 2024 will relate to the 2030 targets only.
43.Subsection (3) requires a local report to also describe any measures that the local authority or Health Board(s) propose to take in the future for the purpose of contributing to the meeting of the targets. Subsection (4) disapplies this requirement for the final progress report. This is because it is not necessary for the final report to include information about action that will be taken after the final target year i.e. the financial year beginning with 1 April 2030.
44.Subsection (5) requires a local report to describe income maximisation measures taken in the local authority area during the reporting year to provide pregnant women and families with children with information, advice and assistance about eligibility for financial support and assistance to apply for that support.
45.Subsection (6) requires a local report to also describe any measures that the local authority or Health Board or Boards have taken, or propose to take, in relation to children in households where the fact that someone in the household has a one or more protected characteristics has adversely affected the income, or increased the expenditure, of the household.
46.Subsection (7) provides definitions of terms “relevant Health Board” and “reporting year” used in section 13.