Calling for urgent action to address the child poverty crisis

This week marks one year since the Government announced the creation of a new Child Poverty Taskforce, charged with producing a Child Poverty Strategy to alleviate child poverty in this country.

However, a year on we are still waiting for the strategy to be released and for action to be taken to address this growing crisis.

Whilst we welcome the Government’s recent announcement of the Better Futures Fund which will invest in vital local services for children and families, we know that this alone cannot eradicate poverty for the millions of children currently experiencing it – the Government must ensure that families are empowered to maximise their income.

The latest figures on child poverty are staggering: 4.5 million children across the UK – 31 per cent of all children – are growing up in poverty.

Across the areas of Greater Manchester and Lancashire covered by the Diocese of Salford, the crisis is particularly acute, with nine of the ten worst-affected parliamentary constituencies in the North West of England being located in our diocese.

In the constituency of Manchester Rusholme, 51.3 per cent of children are living in poverty, and it is a similar picture in other local communities where just under half of children are forced to grow up in poverty – 49.5 per cent in Blackburn and 48.4 per cent in Oldham, Chadderton and Royton.

We’re deeply concerned by these figures which represent far too many young lives and clearly demonstrate how families across Greater Manchester and Lancashire need the Government to take action now.

The situation is worsened by poverty-producing policies such as the two-child limit on welfare benefits which limits financial support to the first two children in a family. Evidence released by the Government last week demonstrates how unjust the two-child limit is, with it disproportionately affecting those who are already struggling:

• 40% of families affected by the two-child limit include at least one person who has a disability.
• 54% of households impacted by the two-child limit are single-parent families, yet only 16% of the UK are in single-parent households.
• 59% of affected families are working.

We know that seven out of ten children experiencing poverty have at least one parent in paid work. Work doesn’t necessarily prevent people from experiencing poverty, and social security systems must stop people from being pulled even further into difficulty.

Furthermore, our recent report shows a staggering increase in child poverty in schools in our local area and the direct impact this has on the educational outcomes of pupils, as well as their health, wellbeing and future.

Therefore, we are calling on the Government to bring forward the publication of the Child Poverty Strategy, and for the strategy to take decisive action to tackle child poverty, including scrapping the two-child limit and significant investment with quantifiable targets to which they can be held accountable.

Children and families simply cannot wait any longer.

Find out more about how you can get involved with our child poverty campaign. 

To find out more about our policy and advocacy work and ways you can get involved, visit https://www.caritassalford.org.uk/about/policy-and-advocacy/