At Home-Start Cymru, our policy work is rooted in what families have told us matters most. Drawing on insights from the families we support, our volunteers, staff, and partners across Wales, we advocate for systemic change that addresses the barriers preventing families from thriving. Our evidence-based approach ensures that decision-makers hear directly about the challenges families face and understand the solutions that will make a real difference. Through engagement with policy makers, membership in key policy networks, and amplifying family voices in crucial conversations, we work to create a Wales where every family has the support they need during the critical early years.
Our calls for the next Senedd in 2026
Our manifesto, Strong Families, Strong Futures, sets out Home-Start Cymru’s calls for the next Senedd ahead of the 2026 elections. This document represents years of direct engagement with families across Wales who face isolation, mental health challenges, financial hardship, and the everyday struggles of raising young children.
Built on what families have consistently told us, our manifesto focuses on four intersecting policy areas where they see the greatest need for action: the First 1000 Days, support for Dads, Neuro-Divergence, and Poverty. Each section combines stark evidence of the current climate—from the fact that maternal suicide remains the leading cause of direct deaths in the postnatal period, to latest HSC surveys reporting 41% of responding families have been waiting over three years for neurodivergence assessments, with families’ own voices describing their lived experiences and clear policy calls for meaningful change.
These aren’t abstract policy problems. They’re the daily realities for the thousands of families we support, and they require bold political action. As Wales prepares for a transformative democratic moment with the Senedd expansion to 96 members, our manifesto provides incoming and returning Members with evidence-based, actionable positions grounded in what families need to not just survive, but genuinely thrive. It’s a call to make Wales a place where early intervention is prioritised, where fathers are genuinely represented in perinatal support, where neurodivergent families can access help regardless of diagnosis, and where child poverty is tackled at its roots, because the evidence is clear, the solutions exist, and what’s needed now is the political will to deliver them.
You can download our manifesto below:
To view sources of all evidence and statistics referenced throughout Home-Start Cymru’s manifesto, download our evidence base below.