Plaid Cymru AM Lindsay Whittle has backed a campaign to tackle the issue of child neglect.
The South Wales East Plaid AM, who has a grown-up daughter, signed a pledge by Action for Children to take action on neglected children.
The charity is campaigning for the Welsh Government to create a new legal framework which supports families from the moment they need it to ensure children have the best start in life.
Mr Whittle, Plaid’s spokesman on Social Services, Children and Equal Opportunities, said: “Action for Children carried out a review in 2011 which found that local authorities and governments were not aware how many children were experiencing neglect.
“What also concerned me was that many social workers and police felt powerless to intervene when they suspected a child was being neglected and often this is due to insufficient resources to prove early help. That needs to change and change quickly.”