A government strategy to lift 550,000 children out of poverty by 2030 will see the biggest reduction in poverty in a single parliament since records began, the prime minister’s office has said.
Describing the strategy as “a moral mission for me,” the prime minister said the strategy will set “a new course for national renewal, with children’s life chances at its heart.”
“Every child deserves the best possible start in life, with their future no longer determined by the circumstances of their birth,” he said.
“Yet too many children are growing up in poverty, held back from getting on in life, and too many families are struggling without the basics: a secure home, warm meals, and the support they need to make ends meet.
“I will not stand by and watch that happen, because the cost of doing nothing is too high for children, for families, and for Britain.”
Following the reversal of the two-child limit announced in the autumn budget, the strategy aims to tackle the root causes of poverty by introducing further measures including cutting the cost of essentials, boosting family incomes, and improving local services.
Children growing up in poverty do less well in school, are more likely to be unemployed when older and earn less throughout their lifetimes. “Failure to tackle this problem has been holding back the economy, as well as stifling children’s potential,” the statement from the prime minister’s office said.
New interventions in the strategy include more accessible childcare for working parents on Universal Credit, with new rules making it easier for new parents receiving the benefit to return to work. Eligibility for upfront childcare costs will apply to parents returning from parental leave to prevent new parents going into debt to fund childcare.
Parents in receipt of Universal Credit who have more than two children will receive support with childcare costs for all their children.
The strategy will also end the unlawful placement of families in bed and breakfast accommodation beyond the six-week limit.
“Children living in temporary accommodation are living in one of the deepest forms of poverty,” the statement said. “This has a devastating impact, particularly on children. A stay in temporary accommodation increases a child’s experience of family disruption, missed schooling and damage to physical and mental health.”
An investment of £8 million will be made in emergency accommodation reduction pilots in 20 local authorities with highest use of bed and breakfast accommodation for homeless families.
To further tackle the impact of children living in temporary accommodation, the government will provide £950 million through the Local Authority Housing Fund to deliver up to 5,000 high-quality homes for better temporary accommodation by 2030. Further details will be set out in the upcoming Homelessness Strategy.
A new legal duty will also be introduced for councils to notify schools, health visitors, and GPs when a child is placed in temporary accommodation. The government will also work with the NHS to end the practice of mothers with newborns being discharged to B&Bs or other forms of unsuitable housing.
Families will be supported with the cost of infant formula milk, with clear guidance issued by the government to retailers to allow families to use loyalty points, vouchers, and gift cards to purchase the formula. Savings could amount to up to £540 in a baby’s first year, the government said.
“Child poverty is a stain on our country,” said education secretary Bridget Phillipson.
“I’ve seen the damage poverty does first hand, and bearing down on it sits at the very core of this government’s mission.
“This strategy, lifting over half a million children out of poverty, represents an historic moment for generations of families now and into the future.
“And whether it’s expanding free school meals, rolling out free breakfast clubs, or revitalising family services, we are determined to give every child the very best start in life.”
The strategy has been developed in partnership with families on a low income across the UK, including children’s commissioners, Save the Children and the Changing Realities project, a collaboration of over 200 parents and carers in poverty working in collaboration with researchers at the University of Glasgow and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine to push for change.
