Wellbeing of Wales, 2022: children and young people’s wellbeing - A Wales of cohesive communities

Attractive, viable, safe and well-connected communities.

During 2018-19, around 44% of all households threatened with homelessness were families with dependent children, down from 46% during 2017-18.

Lone parents (with dependent children) and single person households accounted for 84% of all households assessed as eligible, unintentionally homeless and in priority need in 2018-19. These household types are considerably over-represented in comparison with their share of the household population. One parent households (with dependent children) accounted for 32.3% of homelessness cases compared with 7.5% of the household population in 2011.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales estimated that for Wales, around 11% of children aged 10 to 15 were victims of at least one crime in the latest year ending March 2020.

Across England and Wales a higher percentage of boys aged 10 to 15 relative to girls of the same age experienced victimisation in the last year (ending March 2020), with this the case for the categories of all violence, all thefts and all crime.

Experimental statistics from ONS showed that in 2021-22 the police in Wales flagged 3,729 crimes as involving child sexual abuse and 752 as involving child sexual exploitation. There were 2,612 arrests of children aged 10 to 17 for notifiable offences in Wales in 2020-21. However there was a fall of 28% in the number of first time entrants to the Youth Justice System in Wales in 2021 compared with 2020, although the pandemic may have affected this number.

Data shows that for secondary school pupils, 7% volunteered for a club or organisation at school (outside of lessons) while 18% volunteered for a club or organisation outside of school.

In the 2021 School Health Research Network Student Health and Wellbeing survey, 14% of 11 to 16 year olds in Wales reported that they often felt alone, up from 12% in 2019. On average, girls were more likely to report that they often felt alone than boys (15% vs. 11% respectively). However, the percentage was highest among those self-identifying as neither a boy nor a girl (44%).

Crime in England and Wales: Annual Trend and Demographic Tables (Office for National Statistics)

Child module, Crime Survey for England and Wales (Office for National Statistics)

Youth Justice annual statistics: 2020 to 2021 (Youth Justice Board for England and Wales)

Schools Health Research Network

PISA 2015 Results: Students' Well-being (OECD)