Recently in 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."

Sadly, homeless teenagers often find themselves placed in chaotic, filthy hostels or sleeping on park benches rather than the 'safe, appropriate' accommodation that local authorities are duty bound to provide. (A problem which seems to be getting worse, rather than better). 

Frustrated by the lack of safe options available to homeless teens, staff at Quintin Kynaston (QK) school in London have come up with a unique solution - to purchase a local 10-bed property and set it up as a children's home for homeless students.

It followed the discovery that a number of QK students were living in hostels or sleeping rough while trying to finish their education. Read the full feature here and watch the video below for two teenage students' experiences of homelessness. Picture credit: Horia Varlan

The government confirmed its commitment to ending child poverty today in a consultation which sets out its strategy for tackling poverty in the UK.

Launching the new consultation, children's minister Sarah Teather said the best way to eradicate child poverty is, "to address the causes of poverty, rather than only treat the symptoms. Frank Field's independent report on poverty and life chances, published earlier this month, is a welcome reminder of how important early years childcare and education is to setting a child on the road to success and out of poverty".

"For too long a child's birth has dictated their fate. It's a scandal that in today's society we still have 2.8million children living in poverty in the UK," she said. 

"That's why we are reforming Sure Start services to target the most needy and are extending the offer of 15hours of free childcare a week to all disadvantaged two year olds. And through the pupil premium schools will be able to support the poorest at every stage of their education."