The Welsh Government’s childcare scheme has been criticised for failing to help vulnerable parents.

Speaking in the Senedd on Tuesday, Mid and West Wales MS Jane Dodds accused the Welsh Government of “missing the mark” on childcare costs and claimed that their current offer “disadvantages our most vulnerable.”

According to statistics from the Bevan Foundation, around 190,000 children in Wales are currently living in relative income poverty.

And more than half of those children live in a family where there is at least one child between the ages of 0 and four years-old.

Another report from Oxfam Cymru revealed that 92 per cent of parents felt as though they could not afford to pay for childcare fees.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have now called on the Welsh Government to commit towards a universal childcare system for families across Wales.

The party claims that by helping to lower childcare costs, more parents will be able to return back to work to help better provide for their children.

Ms Dodds said that “It should be obvious that by cutting down on childcare costs, we can move towards eradicating child poverty.

“Across Wales thousands of parents are being forced to decide between paying extortionate childcare fees or leaving work to look after their children themselves.

“And regardless of what decision they make, these parents and their families are still left financially worse off.

“The Welsh Government’s current childcare scheme misses the mark completely, instead of relieving pressures on parents, they are closing the door on them.

“Current eligibility rules mean that our most vulnerable are left disadvantages, while those who do qualify are often unable to access support due to a lack of availability.

“Pumping more money into a childcare offer that doesn’t work isn’t the answer and it’s time the Welsh Government realised this.”