Wales starts section 71, Children Measure 2010

A handy law-in-action moment for your lesson plan: on 14 November 2025 the Welsh Ministers made the Children and Families (Wales) Measure 2010 (Commencement No. 10) Order 2025 (WSI 2025 No. 1193). It brings section 71 into force on 19 November 2025. The instrument was signed by Dawn Bowden, Minister for Children and Social Care, acting under the authority of Jeremy Miles, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care.

So what actually starts on that date? Section 71 is the Measure’s general interpretation clause. It sets shared meanings for key terms used across the law – for example, “child” means a person under 18; “local authority” means a county or county borough council in Wales; “premises” includes any area and any vehicle; and “regulations” means regulations made by the Welsh Ministers. These definitions help everyone read the same rulebook.

If you’re new to this, a commencement order is a short piece of secondary legislation that switches on parts of an Act or a Measure at a later date chosen by ministers. Where a law says provisions “come into force on a day appointed by order,” this is the order that appoints the day.

Media literacy tip: laws have a “made” date and an “in force” date. Until the switch-on date, a section is labelled “prospective” on legislation.gov.uk and has no legal effect. Section 71 has carried that flag; from 19 November 2025 the status changes because the order takes effect.

This is also a neat example of Welsh devolution at work. Welsh Ministers can make subordinate legislation on devolved matters, and commencement orders are usually not subject to any Senedd procedure or laying requirement; ministers simply notify the relevant committee. That’s why these orders can be brief but important.

Why do interpretation sections matter for you as a reader or practitioner? They remove guesswork. When you see “prescribed,” read it as “set out in regulations,” and when you see “Welsh authority,” turn back to the Measure for the exact list. Consistent meanings keep court decisions, guidance, and classroom case studies aligned.

You may notice that not every original provision of the 2010 Measure is still on the books. In 2016, the Welsh Government made consequential amendment regulations alongside the Social Services and Well‑being (Wales) Act 2014. Those regulations omitted several sections of the 2010 Measure to reflect the newer social care framework in Wales – a normal tidy‑up as law evolves.

For students, this is a ready-made exercise in statutory reading. Start with the Measure’s interpretation section, check the commencement order for dates, and then test how those definitions shape real decisions – for example, which body counts as a “local authority” for duties, or what counts as “premises” in an inspection scenario.

If you want to trace the bigger picture, look at section 75 of the Measure, which explains how different bits came into force, and at Law Wales’ summary listing earlier commencement orders up to No. 9 in 2014. Today’s No. 10 continues that sequence and switches on the common dictionary for the Measure from 19 November 2025.