The Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield opts for a “big, bold, long-term plan for fixing” child poverty and has published a series of short essays from campaigners and politicians.
The article notes that by the end of this parliament a third of children will be living in relative poverty and these levels have not been reported since the 1990s.
The article also states poverty can make a child’s life a lot harder, cause them to worry about money, food and clothing and that poorer children have fewer opportunities as they enter adulthood. Children on free school meals are reported to be more than twice as likely to leave education without a Level 2 Qualification which amounts to 5 GCSEs or an equivalent/apprenticeship.
The gap in the disadvantages between peers and children in poverty has also been reported have increased for first time in decades.
The Children’s Commissioner therefore reports that “child poverty was already a problem before the pandemic but it has been laid bare by the Covid crisis and must not be ignored any longer”. No doubt the Covid-19 pandemic will have increased the number of children impacted by poverty and the full effects will not yet be known.
Resolution Foundation found that if the £20 weekly increase in Universal Credit (which was introduced at the start of the Covid-19 outbreak) is removed in April over 300,000 children would be forced into poverty. Anne Longfield therefore states her support for the government keeping the uplift in the short term.
The need to tackle child poverty is clearly an important issue for the improvement of the lives and opportunities presented to children.
If you require legal advice in relation to your children our experienced Child Care team can assist you through this process. Please call 01924 431774 for a confidential telephone call or email care@ramsdens.co.uk.
The article and essays can be found here.