While families of pupils in England eligible for free school meals will now receive vouchers worth £15 to spend in supermarkets on food, the Welsh Labour administration is again playing catch up with the Westminster.
Repurposed schools now provide food for children eligible for school meals, and some councils will deliver food to those children who are vulnerable, the picture across Wales is unclear.
Suzy Davies AM, the Shadow Minister for Education, said:
“Here we have another example of the Welsh Labour Government failing to be quick off the mark to support a vulnerable group – some 80,000 or so pupils – during the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic.
“I understand that the Minister for Education will be announcing details of support to be offered, but it will be down to local authorities and schools to opt in or opt out of the scheme to be introduced, and not until after the Easter holiday.
“No-one wants children slipping through the net, but this lack of consistent messages is very confusing. AMs, MPs, councils and charities are being inundated with messages from vulnerable adults in Wales who can’t register for the support scheme they see in England. Now we will have families asking where their children’s vouchers are.
“Devolved governments don’t have to follow what’s happening in England, of course, but when announcements are coming on top of announcements – from both governments – keeping access to support for vulnerable people as simple and unified as possible will save a lot of heartache and worry.
“The Labour administration in Wales needs to bring in this scheme now to protect our vulnerable children.”