Recently in child poverty Category

Yesterday morning campaigners were desperately hoping for a reprieve on child benefit cuts -and were even feeling cautiously optimistic - after peers and bishops voted decisively against the measures, contained in the government's Welfare Reform Bill.

By yesterday afternoon that had all changed. MPs had overturned the Lords' defeats, with David Cameron even deploying a controversial parliamentary tactic, according to reports.

Enver Solomon, policy director at The Children's Society, no doubt reflected the views of many campaigners when he said: "The government has today made life more difficult for some of the poorest and most vulnerable children in the country."

He added: "The vote to include child benefit when calculating the benefit cap means that more than 220,000 children have an uncertain future as they and their families will struggle to pay for fuel bills, basic essentials or, in some cases, the roof over their heads.

"It is particularly disheartening the government has voted through cuts of up to £1,400 a year for as many as 100,000 disabled children. This will have a significant impact on day-to-day living for families with disabled children, including buying essentials like food and clothes."

Campaigners are one step closer to a government u-turn on welfare reform today after peers and bishops revealed they will press for changes to the proposed cap on benefits.

It's estimated the £500-a-week limit on benefits, due to be debated in the House of Lords today, will affect 50,000 households, all losing around £93 per week.

Charities have warned the moves could plunge children and families into poverty and pile pressure on already-struggling social services departments.

Enver Solomon, director of policy at The Children's Society, told the Observer: "Child benefit which is paid to parents but provided specifically for children must be excluded from the cap. Peers must now make a stand to protect the plight of the country's disadvantaged children."

This useful analysis by The Children's Society found the cap - designed to incentivise people into work and promote fairness between those working and those claiming benefits - will disproportionately affect children who could pay the ultimate price for their parents' choices.

More than 80,000 children could end up homeless, the charity found, while a government memo leaked to the Observer yesterday suggested 100,000 children would be pushed below the poverty line as a result of the cap.

Work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith has, however, rejected all claims that the cap could push children and families into poverty. But is he right? Click here for an interesting analysis.

Picture credit: Images_of_Money 

The London borough of Tower Hamlets occupies the unenviable top spot on a list, published today, of councils with the highest number of children living in poverty.

More than half (52%) of children in the borough are living in poverty, according to a UK-wide 'child poverty map' and report, published today by the End Child Poverty campaign.

Tower Hamlets is closely followed by the London borough of Islington, where 43% of children live in poverty and Manchester council, where 40% live in poverty.

The government expects local areas to have child poverty levels of 10% or lower by 2020, but the Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned poverty levels could soar by 400,000 children by 2015 unless a more progressive approach is taken.

Alison Garnham, executive director of the campaign, said the map paints a "stark picture of a socially segregated Britain where the life chances of millions of children are damaged by poverty and inequality".

"Child poverty costs us billions picking up the pieces of damaged lives and unrealised potential, so it's a false economy if we don't prioritise looking after children today," she said.

But the news is not all bleak, she added, pointing out that the child poverty target has been met in Witney, the prime minister's constituency, and nearly one hundred others.

Picture credit: dullhunk

So we all know that Peterborough's been in the news lately -- a damning Ofsted report led to the resignation of DCS John Richards, who has been replaced by interim director Adrian Loades, who plans to reform children's services while keeping his day job as DCS of Cambridgeshire.

Now, there is reportedly "more shock at child services report findings" in Peterborough, wtih councillors asking to see more evidence about the work carried out to safeguard children following the damning inspection.

Councillors on the Creating Opportunities and Tackling Inequalities Scrutiny Committee this week said they were shocked they did not know the state of the children's services before an Ofsted report revealed the extent of the problem.

Adrian Loades was told he must present an action plan to tackle the problems at the next committee meeting in November.

Deputy PM Nick Clegg has announced the establishment of a child poverty and social mobility commission, following heavy criticism that the government has downgraded its committment to ending child poverty.

It has not, however, had the desired effect having already come under fire from campaigners and politicians.

The statutory commission - headed by the government's adviser on social mobility former Labour MP Alan Milburn - will monitor the government and future governments in their attempts to increase social mobility in the UK and reduce child poverty.

It follows the threat of judicial review from the Child Poverty Action Group which claims the government has missed set targets for reducing the number of children living in poverty.

Barnardo's chief executive Anne Marie Carrie said: "We are pleased that the coalition has recommitted to eradicating child poverty, but we are concerned the measures in place will be insufficient to meet the challenge of bringing about the biggest fall in child poverty on record.

"We are uneasy that there are no indications of any interim goals or a clear trajectory setting out how the legal requirement to end child poverty will be reached by 2020.

The Campaign to End Child Poverty's spokesperson, Imran Hussain, said: "Ministers can't really call this a strategy as it doesn't have the comprehensive measures needed across government to impact on children's lives. It is not enough after a year in power to still be setting out mood music."