Welsh Ministers have made the Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010 (Commencement No. 10) Order 2025, appointing 19 November 2025 as the day section 71 (general interpretation) comes into force. The instrument was made on 14 November 2025 and is numbered 2025 No. 1193 (W. 194) (C. 60), according to legislation.gov.uk.
Section 71 supplies the Measure’s definitions. It confirms that a child is a person under 18, that a local authority means a county or county borough council in Wales, recognises Local Health Boards, and states that premises includes areas and vehicles. It also clarifies that prescribed matters and regulations are those set by the Welsh Ministers and cross‑refers to the list of Welsh authorities in section 6(1).
This interpretive clause frames how the remaining operative parts of the 2010 Measure are read in practice, including duties on child poverty, play sufficiency and participation, and the childminding and day care framework. Law Wales summarises these policy areas and the staged commencement since 2010; the Explanatory Notes confirm that section 71 sets out the Measure’s definitions.
From 19 November, local authorities, Care Inspectorate Wales and childcare providers should ensure internal guidance, notices and templates apply the section 71 definitions where relevant. This is a technical update aimed at consistent drafting and decision‑making rather than the creation of new duties.
The 2025 Order’s scope is narrow: it appoints the coming‑into‑force date for section 71 only. No other provisions are commenced by this instrument, as indicated by the title and content on legislation.gov.uk.
The change sits alongside earlier amendments delivered through the Social Services and Well‑being (Wales) Act 2014 (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2016, which removed Part 3 of the Measure (integrated family support teams) and omitted section 69 on social services functions, consolidating those areas within the 2014 Act.
Section 75 of the Measure set automatic commencement for sections 1 to 3 and 74 to 76 two months after Royal Approval, with all other provisions to be brought in by order. Law Wales lists the earlier commencement orders up to 2014, and the 2025 instrument is the tenth order in that sequence.
For compliance teams, the immediate tasks are modest: record the 19 November 2025 date, check statutory references in policies and decision letters, and update training material so staff rely on the Measure’s own definitions when applying duties and powers under the statute.