Ending the two-child limit is a move towards helping break the cycle of disadvantage for the poorest families according to Christians Against Poverty, but is only one step towards the systemic changes required to truly tackle poverty.
Christians Against Poverty has recognised the importance of the Government’s decision to remove the two-child limit, while highlighting that without the removal of the overall cap on the payment of benefits for families, children may still face poverty.
The national debt help charity recognises the benefits of supporting children to grow up with sufficient income to access the essentials, which many currently can not. CAP has highlighted that by ensuring the social security system supports every child in a household, the Chancellor is actively addressing the barriers to a thriving childhood and future opportunities to fulfil their potential.
The charity also welcomes the increases in the minimum and living wage. There are some announcements such as supporting young people into employment, caps on rail fares and prescriptions which may be light relief too.
However, as the Chancellor acknowledged, households across the UK are still struggling. CAP waits to see what more will come in the following months and years to support people who are struggling on low incomes.
CAP has already fed into ongoing reviews and will be keeping close to the outcome of the Child Poverty Strategy, Universal Credit Review, Milburn Review**, and Timms Review. In the meantime, CAP will continue to be there with free debt advice, money coaching, and Job Clubs, to provide vital support for those who still need our help.
Stewart McCulloch, Chief Executive Officer at Christians Against Poverty, said:
“We already know that families feel the disproportionate impact of poverty with 40% of parents with children under 18 report having daily anxiety about their finances, and 27% with children under 18 facing problem debt, compared to 14% of UK adults without children.*
“Poverty steals potential and almost half of our clients simply don’t have enough income to even pay for their food, heating and other basic needs.
“We know from our own work that children growing up in debt-burdened households face anxiety, exclusion, and reduced life chances. Ending the two-child limit is an investment in the nation’s future citizens, workforce and well-being. It is a recognition that you cannot build a strong country or economy on the shaky foundations of child poverty. This decision gives parents the breathing space they need to focus on parenting, rather than panicking about the next bill.
“We also hope to hear further details about how recommendations from the Government’s Child Poverty Strategy will be implemented. The Strategy focuses on proposing methods for reducing the trap of poverty that children across the UK face. Helping families into work alongside local support are all vital elements in ending the lifelong cost of living crisis for the next generation.
“However, there are still significant gaps in moves towards proper welfare reform that would guarantee households have a basic level of income to be able to afford the most basic essentials.”
In response to the situation facing many families in severe financial distress this winter, CAP’s Christmas Appeal focuses on providing emergency support to help prevent parents and their kids from going hungry this Christmas — capuk.org/appeal.
