Campaign groups said the government will not meet its target to end child poverty unless the plight of hundreds of thousands of children living in bad housing is tackled. They said that children s lives their health, education and well being are being ruined by damp, overcrowded and inadequate homes. It called for central government funding targeted at supporting homeless children, and for 90,000 good quality affordable homes to be built each year for the people who desperately need them.
Source: Child Poverty, Housing and Homelessness, End Child Poverty (020 7843 1913) and Shelter
Links: Report (pdf) | Press release
Date: 2002-Dec
A government minister reportedly admitted that the childcare tax credit is failing to help enough of the low-income parents it is aimed at. She said the credit is 'not having the transforming impact that we thought it would have and that it should have', and that the government would be conducting an investigation into the problem.
Source: Comments by Patricia Hewitt MP (Secretary of State for Trade and Industry) reported in The Guardian, 19.12.02
Links: Guardian report
Date: 2002-Dec
Research showed that the government will fail to meet its target of halving child poverty by 2010 if it relies too heavily on plans to increase lone parent employment to 70 per cent by 2010, and if it relies on current tax and benefit policies. It showed that the government will need to make specific policy changes, as well as regularly up-rate benefit and tax credit levels, the national minimum wage and tax allowances in line with incomes rather than prices, if it is to meet its 2010 target.
Source: Holly Sutherland, One Parent Families, Poverty and Labour policy, National Council for One Parent Families (020 7428 5400)
Links: OPF press release (pdf)
Date: 2002-Dec
A new cross-departmental Sure Start Unit was launched (based in both the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Work and Pensions), together with a new programme. The government said that the new unit would 'transform childcare, early years education and family and health support services', with a budget of over 1.5 billion by 2005-06. All children aged three will get a free nursery education place in their area by April 2004, six months earlier than originally planned.
Source: Press release 11.12.02, Department for Education and Skills (0870 000 2288)
Links: Press release
Date: 2002-Dec
A report drew on quantitative and qualitative research to establish the incidence and characteristics of child poverty in Scotland, to compare poverty in social inclusion partnerships, and to examine the role of social inclusion partnerships in tackling the problem.
Source: Peter Kemp, Jo Dean and Daniel Mackay, Child Poverty in Social Inclusion Partnerships, Scottish Executive, TSO (0870 606 5566)
Links: Report | Press release
Date: 2002-Nov
The Scottish Executive published its third annual report on its social justice agenda. It simultaneously announced that, in line with the commitment to eradicate child poverty within a generation, 31 million is to be spent over the next three years on initiatives that help families find their way out of poverty. Campaigners reportedly accused the Executive of issuing misleading statistics on the fall in child poverty since 1997.
Source: Social Justice ...A Scotland where Everyone Matters - Annual Report 2002, Scottish Executive, TSO (0870 606 5566) | Press release 18.11.02, Scottish Executive (0131 556 8400) | Community Care, 19.11.02
Links: Report | Press release | Community Care article
Date: 2002-Nov
The Chancellor of the Exchequer said the government will consult on detailed plans for a child trust fund ('baby bond'). The trust fund would be a universal account, opened for all children at birth, with an endowment paid by the government. The Chancellor said the government favoured open market competition for provision of the accounts.
Source: Steering a Steady Course - Delivering stability, enterprise and fairness in an uncertain world: Pre-Budget Report November 2002, Cm 5664, HM Treasury, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Text of Chancellor's speech
See also: Journal of Social Policy Volume 30/4, Digest 120, paragraph 1.6
Date: 2002-Nov
A report said that, despite government promises, children born into poverty are still more likely than those born to wealthier parents to die in the first year of life; die from an accident in childhood; be born smaller than average; be born earlier than average; and die earlier as adults.
Source: Poverty and Child Health, End Child Poverty (020 7843 1913) and Barnardo s
Links: ECP press release
Date: 2002-Nov
By 2003 governments will have increased the amount they pay parents to bring up each child by almost 150 per cent since 1975, after adjusting for inflation, according to a report. More than half this increase reflects tax and benefit changes since 1999. But some commentators reportedly expressed concern over 'perverse incentives' which have been created, for example by benefiting lone parents more than couples with children on the same income.
Source: Stuart Adam, Mike Brewer and Howard Reed, The Benefits of Parenting: Government financial support for families with children since 1975, Commentary 91, Institute for Fiscal Studies (020 7291 4800) | The Times, 16.11.02
Links: Press release
Date: 2002-Nov
The first annual report of the Children's Commissioner for Wales described levels of child poverty in Wales as a 'national disgrace'.
Source: Report & Accounts 2001-02, Children's Commissioner for Wales (01792 765600)
Links: Report (pdf) | Community Care article
Date: 2002-Nov
Plans to remove child benefit from parents of truants were not included in the Queen's Speech.
Source: Queen's Speech, House of Commons Hansard, 14.11.02, columns 3-5, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Hansard (Speech) | Hansard 14.11.02
Date: 2002-Nov
Research found that children in deprived areas are three times more likely to be hit by a car than children in other areas, and that a quarter of all accidents happen in the ten most deprived areas of the country. The report authors recommended that speed limits should be reduced to 20 mph.
Source: Tony Grayling, Karl Hallam, Daniel Graham, Richard Anderson and Stephen Glaister, Streets Ahead - Safe and liveable streets for children, Institute for Public Policy Research, available from Central Books (0845 458 9911)
Links: Press release
Date: 2002-Oct
A report presented findings from a study comparing the child benefit package in 22 countries, including all European Union countries. The study looked at variations in a 'package' of allowances and benefits which assist parents with the costs of raising children. The United Kingdom came seventh in the league table, an improvement since the last similar survey in 1992.
Source: Jonathan Bradshaw and Naomi Finch, A Comparison of Child Benefit Packages in 22 Countries, Research Report 174, Department for Work and Pensions (0113 399 4040)
Links: Report (pdf)| Summary (pdf) | Press release
Date: 2002-Oct
A new book argued that there is a need to understand childhood poverty and social exclusion from the perspective of children themselves. In particular, poor children are at great risk of experiencing exclusion within school (rather than because of absence from it), and suffer from insufficient access to the economic and material resources necessary for adequate social participation and academic parity.
Source: Tess Ridge, Childhood Poverty and Social Exclusion: From a Child's Perspective, Policy Press, available from Marston Book Services (01235 465500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2002-Oct
Researchers found that people working in social inclusion partnerships in Scotland have a much wider perspective on child poverty than simply insufficient income, but that nonetheless child poverty is not being tackled in a strategic manner.
Source: Peter Kemp, Jo Dean and Daniel Mackay, Child Poverty in Social Inclusion Partnerships, Scottish Executive, TSO (0870 606 5566)
Links: Summary (pdf)
Date: 2002-Oct
The government began consultation on proposals to reform the Welfare Food Scheme (renamed 'Healthy Start'), by broadening the nutritional basis of the scheme to include fruit and vegetables, cereal-based foods, other foods suitable for weaning, liquid milk and infant formula; and to provide greater access to these foods through a voucher with a fixed face value, instead of milk tokens. Pregnant women and new mothers would have to have contact with a health professional in order to gain access to the scheme.
Source: Healthy Start: Proposals for reform of the Welfare Food Scheme, Department of Health (08701 555455)
Links: Consultation Document (pdf) | Summary (pdf)
Date: 2002-Oct
Researchers found that adverse social circumstances in childhood, as well as adulthood, are strongly associated with increased risk of insulin resistance, and other heart disease risk factors.
Source: Debbie Lawlor, Shah Ebrahim, and George Davey Smith, 'Socioeconomic position in childhood and adulthood and insulin resistance: cross sectional survey using data from British women's heart and health study', British Medical Journal 12.10.02
Links: Article
Date: 2002-Oct
A comprehensive report was published on the state of children in the United Kingdom. It found that in 2000-01 just under a third of children were living in relative poverty; that child poverty had increased more than threefold in the previous 20 years; and that the highest rate of increase in chronic ill health was among children: however, most young people were achieving better qualifications at school and fewer were leaving with no qualifications. 'Striking disparities' were found between different parts of the UK.
Source: Jonathan Bradshaw (ed.), The Well-being of Children in the UK, Save the Children, available from Plymbridge Distributors Ltd (01725 202301)
Links: Summary (pdf) | Press release
Date: 2002-Sep
A charity called for government action to tackle poverty and social exclusion among disabled children, by providing suitable childcare, accessible housing, and support for parents who are working or seeking work.
Source: Neera Sharma, Still Missing Out?, Barnardo s (01268 520224)
Links: Report (pdf) | Press release
Date: 2002-Sep
A report said that around 100,000 children suffer homelessness each year, and described the experiences of 50 children who were homeless in Bristol between 1999 and 2002.
Source: Where s Home?: Children and Homelessness in Bristol, Shelter (020 7505 4699)
Links: Report (pdf) | Press release
See also: Journal of Social Policy Volume 31/4, Digest 124, paragraph 4.2
Date: 2002-Sep
A survey found that 30 per cent of local education authorities provided no help at all towards the costs of school uniforms, and that nine authorities had abolished or reduced their level of provision since 2000.
Source: Help with School Clothing Costs, National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux (020 7833 2181)
Links: Report (pdf)
See also: Journal of Social Policy Volume 31/4, Digest 124, paragraph 1.6
Date: 2002-Aug
Birth weight and social class at birth have a strong influence on cognitive (mental) function in children, said researchers.
Source: Barbara Jefferis, Chris Power and Clyde Hertzman, 'Birth weight, childhood socioeconomic environment, and cognitive development in the 1958 British birth cohort study', British Medical Journal 10.8.02
Links: Article
Date: 2002-Aug
Opposition parties accused the government of re-writing its commitment to reduce child poverty in the 2002 Spending Review, to one of reducing the number of children in 'low-income households' by at least a quarter by 2004.
Source: The Independent, 16.10.02 | 2002 Spending Review: Public Service Agreements, White Paper Cm 5571, HM Treasury, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Independent article | White Paper
See also: Journal of Social Policy Volume 31/4, Digest 124, paragraph 1.6
Date: 2002-Jul
Two reports looked at the experience of local areas in designing and setting up Sure Start programmes.
Source: Mog Ball, Getting Sure Start Started: National evaluation of Sure Start, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260) | Jane Tunstill, Debra Allnock, Pamela Meadows and Alice McLeod, Early Experiences of Implementing Sure Start, Department for Education and Skills (0845 602 2260)
Links: Getting Started (pdf) | Summary (pdf) | Early Experiences (pdf) | Summary (pdf)
Date: 2002-Jul
The government announced pilots giving children free swimming, aimed at increasing access to physical activity and sport in low-income areas.
Source: Press release 20 May 2002, Department of Health (020 7210 4850)
Links: Press release
Date: 2002-May
Researchers found significant benefits from the 'Sure Start' programme (for vulnerable and deprived families with young children) in Scotland.
Source: S. Cunningham-Burley et al., Sure Start Scotland Mapping Exercise, Scottish Executive (web only)
Links: Report (pdf)
See also: Journal of Social Policy Volume 30/3, Digest 119 (paragraph 3.2)
Date: 2002-May