Home-Start Cymru Statement on the Autumn Budget 2026

HSC welcomes a number of measures announced in the Autumn Budget 2026 that have the potential to improve the wellbeing and financial resilience of families across Wales, while also highlighting areas where further action is needed to ensure that all families benefit fairly from economic growth.

We are particularly pleased to hear that Elin Jones, Wales Cabinet Minister for Finance, has announced a commitment to match the UK Government’s £100 Household Energy Payment for households. This will help ensure that families in Wales receive the same level of support as those in England at a time when many continue to face significant pressures from the cost of heating and powering their homes. We welcome this commitment to parity and the recognition that Welsh families should not be disadvantaged when it comes to measures designed to ease the cost-of-living crisis.

HSC welcomes the introduction of parental pay and leave for self-employed fathers and partners. This is an important recognition that fathers, regardless of their employment type, play a crucial role in supporting children and families during the earliest stages of a child’s life. The measure reflects priorities consistently raised through the Cross-Party Group on Fathers’ Wellbeing and Family Resilience, for which HSC acts as Secretariat, and represents a positive step towards ensuring that self-employed parents are not excluded from family support policies.

However, while the inclusion of self-employed fathers and partners is welcome, the offer itself remains limited. Fathers continue to receive just two weeks of paid leave, a provision that falls well short of what many families need during the critical early weeks following the birth or adoption of a child. Research and experience consistently show the benefits of fathers being able to spend meaningful time with their children and support mothers and partners during this period, strengthening family relationships, parental wellbeing and child development.

We therefore hope this announcement marks the start of a wider review of support for fathers and partners. Any future review should consider not only self-employed fathers but also the adequacy of the current statutory paternity leave offer for employed fathers. With statutory leave currently limited to two weeks and many employers unable or unwilling to provide enhanced arrangements, the UK continues to lag behind many comparable countries in recognising the importance of fathers’ involvement in family life. A stronger and more ambitious approach to parental leave would make a significant contribution to family resilience, gender equality and improved outcomes for children.

We also welcome the increase in the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage, which will provide a welcome boost to many workers and families on lower incomes. At a time when many households are struggling with rising costs, ensuring that work pays is an important part of tackling poverty and improving financial security.

However, wage increases alone will not resolve the challenges facing many families. Wales continues to have persistently high levels of child poverty, with the Welsh Government’s latest monitoring framework estimating that 31.2% of children in Wales are living in relative income poverty after housing costs. This means that almost one in three children are growing up in households facing financial hardship, with significant consequences for their health, wellbeing, educational attainment and future opportunities.

While the UK Government’s measures represent positive steps that will provide some welcome relief for families, they are unlikely on their own to offset the continuing pressures many households face. Energy costs remain a significant concern, and families are understandably worried about ongoing and projected increases in household bills. The £100 energy payment will be welcomed by many, but short-term support must be accompanied by longer-term action if families are to be protected from the potentially devastating impact of future rises in energy costs and wider living expenses.

HSC will continue to advocate for a comprehensive approach to tackling family poverty, recognising that increasing incomes must go hand in hand with efforts to reduce household costs and ensure that support reaches those who need it most. As implementation plans develop, we look forward to working with governments and partners across Wales to ensure that the positive measures announced in the Budget translate into meaningful improvements for family wellbeing, while continuing to champion policies that reduce poverty, strengthen family resilience and give every child the best possible start in life.