A think-tank report offered evidence of how early intervention, followed through from pre-school years to primary school years, could break the intergenerational cycle of under-achievement and multiple deprivation.
Source: Jean Gross (ed.), Getting in Early: Primary schools and early intervention, Centre for Social Justice (020 7620 1120) and Smith Institute
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2008-Dec
The government announced (in the Queen's Speech) plans for a Child Poverty Bill. The Bill would enshrine in law the government's commitment to eradicate child poverty by 2020.
Source: House of Commons Hansard, Debate 3 December 2008, columns 8-9, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Hansard | CPAG press release | 4Children press release | UNICEF press release | Fawcett Society press release | Shelter press release | Guardian report | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Dec
A study examined the factors associated with achievement at age 5 for children in the Millennium Cohort Study. The most robust predictors of child cognitive achievement and behavioural development were the characteristics of the child – with girls, older children, and heavier birth-weight children performing better than other children and having fewer behavioural problems (with the exception of age). Other factors included: family income and reading to the child every day (both related positively to cognition and negatively to problem behaviour); and ethnicity (particularly Pakistani and Bangladeshi groups) and living in social housing (both related negatively to the cognitive outcomes, and positively to the problem behavioural outcomes).
Source: Andy Cullis and Kirstine Hansen, Child Development in the First Three Sweeps of the Millennium Cohort Study, Research Report RW077, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Dec
A report said that young people in deprived areas tended to have lower-than-average aspirations, which had a significant influence on educational attainment. The lowest educational aspirations were found in ex-industrial communities, often in the north of England.
Source: Aspiration and Attainment Amongst Young People in Deprived Communities, Social Exclusion Task Force/Cabinet Office (020 7276 1234)
Links: Report | NUT press release | Community Care report | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2008-Dec
A progress report was published for a research programme looking at efforts to narrow the gap in outcomes between 'vulnerable' children and the rest.
Source: Marian Morris and Claire Easton, Narrowing the Gap in Outcomes: Further Overview of Data and Evidence on the ECM Outcomes for Vulnerable Groups – Progress report and update, National Foundation for Educational Research (01753 747281)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Dec
A report said that around half of all families with children in Northern Ireland could be living in fuel poverty.
Source: Christine Liddell, The Impact of Fuel Poverty on Children, Save the Children (020 7703 5400)
Links: Report | Ulster University press release
Date: 2008-Dec
An article used data from the Millennium Cohort Study to examine the extent to which economic circumstances in infancy and mothers' mental well-being were associated with children's cognitive development and behaviour problems at age 3, and what part parenting behaviours and attitudes played in mediating these factors. The analyses showed that economic deprivation and maternal depression separately and collectively diminished the cognitive and emotional well-being of children, and part of this diminution emanated from less nurturing and engaged parenting by those with fewer economic and emotional resources.
Source: Kathleen Kiernan and Carmen Huerta, 'Economic deprivation, maternal depression, parenting and children's cognitive and emotional development in early childhood', British Journal of Sociology, Volume 59 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Dec
A paper said that increased government support for families had coincided with a rise in births among women who left school at 16 compared to those who stayed in education after the age of 18. Changes to government support for families between 1999 and 2003, targeted at low-income households, had made it economically more attractive to have children.
Source: Mike Brewer, Anita Ratcliffe and Sarah Smith, Does Welfare Reform Affect Fertility? Evidence from the UK, Working Paper W08/09, Institute for Fiscal Studies (020 7291 4800)
Links: Paper | Bristol University press release | Telegraph report | FT report
Date: 2008-Dec
A report said that interventions focused on children in their early years had the potential to improve outcomes that were fundamental to their future life-chances, and to narrow the gap between disadvantaged and other children. Improvements in cognitive development, social/behavioural development, and health outcomes could be achieved in the short term, and there was some evidence that these outcomes could be sustained into later life.
Source: Iain Springate, Mary Atkinson, Suzanne Straw, Emily Lamont and Hilary Grayson, Narrowing the Gap in Outcomes: Early Years (0-5), National Foundation for Educational Research (01753 747281)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Dec
A report examined the discrimination experienced by families living in poverty ('povertyism'), and the barriers preventing them from enjoying equal access to fundamental economic and social rights.
Source: Matt Davies, The Effects of Discrimination on Families in the Fight to End Child Poverty, Joseph Rowntree Foundation (01904 629241)
Date: 2008-Nov
A report by a committee of the National Assembly for Wales said that despite 'lots of good ideas and innovative policy' from the Welsh Assembly Government, there was little evidence of coherent strategic co-ordination of policies to tackle child poverty. It called for a coherent strategy to assist schools and education providers in countering the effects of child poverty.
Source: Child Poverty in Wales: Eradication through Education?, Children and Young People Committee/National Assembly for Wales (029 2082 5111)
Links: Report | NAW press release
Date: 2008-Nov
A report examined the extent to which paid work could contribute to the eradication of child poverty, and identified a number of issues that necessarily arose if it were seen as the best route out of poverty.
Source: Dave Simmonds and Paul Bivand, Can Work Eradicate Child Poverty?, Joseph Rowntree Foundation (01904 629241)
Date: 2008-Nov
The report was published of a conference held by the government in June 2008 to discuss its strategy for ending child poverty by 2020.
Source: Graeme Cooke, Paul Gregg, Donald Hirsch, Naomi Jones and Anne Power, Ending Child Poverty: 'Thinking 2020' – A report and think-pieces from the Child Poverty Unit conference, Working Paper 56, Department for Work and Pensions (0113 399 4040)
Links: Working paper
Date: 2008-Nov
A report examined how the anticipated changes in qualifications and in the occupational and sectoral distribution of employment would impact on the incidence of child poverty by 2020. The analysis suggested that the risk of child poverty would fall by 2-5 percentage points as a consequence of the anticipated changes in employment structure, contributing towards the 17 percentage point fall required to meet the government's objective of eradicating child poverty by 2020.
Source: Andy Dickerson and Jo Lindley, Parental Qualifications and Child Poverty in 2020, Joseph Rowntree Foundation (01904 629241)
Date: 2008-Nov
A report examined policy approaches designed to support the incomes of parents who were unable to work. It focused on maternity, short-term sickness and unemployment, and issues surrounding disability and caring.
Source: Martin Evans and Lewis Williams, Tackling Child Poverty When Parents Cannot Work, Joseph Rowntree Foundation (01904 629241)
Date: 2008-Nov
An article examined whether Sure Start Local Programmes in England affected the well-being of children (at age 3) and their families. After controlling for background factors, beneficial effects were found to be associated with the programmes for 5 out of 14 outcomes. Children in the SSLP areas showed better social development than those in the non-SSLP areas, with more positive social behaviour and greater independence. Families in SSLP areas showed less negative parenting, and provided a better home-learning environment. These families used more services for supporting child and family development than those not living in SSLP areas. The contrast between these and previous findings on the effect of SSLPs might indicate increased exposure to programmes that had become more effective.
Source: Edward Melhuish, Jay Belsky, Alastair Leyland and Jacqueline Barnes, 'Effects of fully-established Sure Start Local Programmes on 3-year-old children and their families living in England: a quasi-experimental observational study', The Lancet, 8 November 2008
Links: Abstract | Guardian report | Pulse report
Date: 2008-Nov
Researchers found that there had been an increase in births (by around 15 per cent) among the groups of women affected by reforms to the system of child-contingent benefits between 1999 and 2003 (including the introduction of working families' tax credit, and an increase in means-tested income support for families with children).
Source: Mike Brewer, Anita Ratcliffe and Sarah Smith, Does Welfare Reform Affect Fertility? Evidence from the UK, Working Paper W08/09, Institute for Fiscal Studies (020 7291 4800)
Date: 2008-Nov
A study estimated that child poverty cost at least £25 billion each year in losses to the exchequer and in reduced national income. A first calculation estimated the extra money that the government spent addressing the effects of child poverty. Children from low-income families experienced disadvantage in education, health, and family life: this required extra spending on social services and on law and order. Based on the higher amount of social spending in areas with high child poverty, child poverty was associated with at least £12 billion in public spending on services. A second calculation estimated the longer-term economic cost of the damage inflicted on those who grew up in poverty. As adults, they had a reduced chance of working and an increased likelihood of being in low-paid jobs. This was costing the Exchequer £2 billion a year in extra benefits paid to adults who grew up in poverty and were now out of work. Child poverty was also diminishing national income by at least £11 billion through reduced earnings of those in work, £3 billion of which would have gone to the Exchequer in taxation.
Source: Donald Hirsch, Estimating the Costs of Child Poverty, Joseph Rowntree Foundation (01904 629241) | Jo Blanden, Kirstine Hansen and Stephen Machin, The GDP Cost of the Lost Earning Potential of Adults Who Grew Up in Poverty, Joseph Rowntree Foundation | Julia Griggs and Robert Walker, The Costs of Child Poverty for Individuals and Society: A literature review, Joseph Rowntree Foundation | Glen Bramley and David Watkins, The Public Service Costs of Child Poverty, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: Hirsch Report | Blanden Report | Griggs Report | Bramley Report | JRF press release | CPAG press release | Action for Children press release | ECP press release | Barnardos press release | Unicef UK press release | Compass press release
Date: 2008-Oct
An article examined whether the mixed market economy, selected as the vehicle to deliver childcare and family support provision, promoted separate markets for low-income groups and the better-off, while hindering the achievement of child poverty strategy outcomes.
Source: Eva Lloyd, 'The interface between childcare, family support and child poverty strategies under New Labour: tensions and contradictions', Social Policy and Society, Volume 7 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Oct
An article said that the government's strategy to eradicate child poverty had recently developed to encompass a new emphasis on job retention, career progression, and smoothing movement into and out of work. It discussed why this new emphasis was crucial for reducing child poverty, and highlighted the possible future direction of developing policy.
Source: Noel Smith, 'Tackling child poverty dynamics: filling in gaps in the strategy', Social Policy and Society, Volume 7 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Oct
A report examined how practitioners viewed child poverty and its eradication in relation to their work with children and families. The language around child poverty used in central government policy-making did not resonate immediately with practitioners. The term 'poverty' was not commonly recognized as a relevant or appropriate construct for practitioners working with disadvantaged children and families. Many practitioners viewed the term 'poverty' as stigmatizing, and therefore perceived it as a barrier to engaging families and children. Poverty and disadvantage were viewed as complex and multi-faceted, involving different types of poverty (economic, social, emotional), and with interacting causal factors (personal, cultural, local, and community).
Source: Daniel Cameron, Ella Fryer-Smith, Paul Harvey and Emma Wallace, Practitioners' Perspectives on Child Poverty, Research Report RR058, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Date: 2008-Oct
A briefing paper examined the latest available income poverty and material deprivation data, to show which groups of children experienced poverty. It also looked at policy developments and what more was needed to tackle child poverty.
Source: Child Poverty: The Stats – Analysis of the latest poverty statistics, Child Poverty Action Group (020 7837 7979)
Links: Briefing
Date: 2008-Oct
An article examined the evidence on child poverty rates among different ethnic groups. Child poverty rates among ethnic minorities were higher than among white people, which suggested that policies to reduce these had been ineffectual. The factors underlying this differential included labour market disadvantage, insensitive mainstream services, and the language barriers that might cause low take-up of services, benefits, and tax credits.
Source: Viet-Hai Phung, 'Ethnicity and child poverty under New Labour: a research review', Social Policy and Society, Volume 7 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Oct
A report examined the benefits to be expected from learning as a lifetime experience. It said that 70-90 per cent of young people who would go on to experience serious deprivation in their adult years could be identified while still in primary school from what was known about their personal and family circumstances.
Source: Leon Feinstein, David Budge, John Vorhaus and Kathryn Duckworth (eds.), The Social and Personal Benefits of Learning: A summary of key research findings, Centre for Research on the Wider Benefits of Learning/University of London (020 7612 6291)
Links: Report | IOE press release
Date: 2008-Oct
The Scottish Government announced that all school pupils in primary school years 1-3 (aged 5-7) would be entitled to free school meals following successful pilot schemes. The system would be rolled out from August 2010.
Source: Press release 2 October 2008, Scottish Government (0131 556 8400) | Jane MacLardie, Chris Martin, Lorraine Murray and Kate Sewel, Evaluation of the Free School Meals Trial for P1 to P3 Pupils, Scottish Government (web publication only)
Links: SG press release | Evaluation report | CPAG press release | UNISON press release | NASUWT press release | Voice press release | Scotsman report | BBC report | Telegraph report | Guardian report
Date: 2008-Oct
A report (by an official advisory body) said that most new Sure Start children's centres were performing well, and were supporting the government's aim of giving pre-school children the best start in life. However, the two-year turnaround time allowed to build centres was proving very challenging for local authorities and the heads of the new centres. This was having an impact on design: although the centres were rated highly by families, very few were rated as good by design professionals.
Source: Sure Start Children's Centres: A Post-occupancy Evaluation, Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (020 7960 2400)
Date: 2008-Oct
An article said that all households with children had gained from the Labour government's policy of redistributing welfare spending to care-givers – especially those on low and middle incomes. But lone parents and mothers and fathers in couple households had been affected differently. Defining what constituted 'money for care' was a prerequisite for normative discussion of how the social costs of caregiving should be shared between and within households.
Source: Mary Campbell, 'Labour's policy on money for parents: combining care with paid work', Social Policy and Society, Volume 7 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Oct
Campaigners published maps showing 174 parliamentary constituencies (out of a total of 646) where 50 per cent or more of children were living in or on the brink of poverty. A total of 5.6 million children – more than one-third – lived in low-income families or families in poverty.
Source: Press release 30 September 2008, End Child Poverty (020 7843 1913)
Links: ECP press release | BBC report | Telegraph report | Community Care report | Guardian report
Date: 2008-Sep
A paper examined the impact of poverty on well-being in late childhood. Reducing financial stress and improving housing and environmental degradation might have a significant positive impact on child well-being.
Source: Mark Tomlinson, Robert Walker and Glenn Williams, The Relationship Between Poverty and Childhood Well-being in Great Britain, Barnett Papers in Social Research 3/2008, Department of Social Policy and Social Work/University of Oxford (01865 270325)
Links: Paper
Date: 2008-Sep
A report set out three 'affordable and realistic' options through which government expenditure could be reprioritized to halve child poverty by 2010. Based on the report, campaigners called for: (a) the £2.7 billion 10p tax rate compensation package to be revised; (b) the government to amend the tax credit system so that families earning £40-50,000 no longer qualified for help; (c) the money saved to be used to improve the life chances of children living in poverty.
Source: How to Halve Child Poverty by 2010: Options for redirecting resources to reduce child poverty, Barnardo's (01268 520224) and Deloitte
Links: Report | Summary | IFS research paper | Barnardo's press release
Date: 2008-Sep
A briefing paper examined studies which highlighted the link between poverty and some forms of child maltreatment – especially neglect, and emotional and physical abuse. There were no large-scale studies that specifically examined the nature of the relationship between poverty and child maltreatment: but the most common explanation centred on the stress factors associated with poverty and social deprivation, which were further compounded if drug misuse and mental health issues came into play.
Source: Poverty and Child Maltreatment, National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (0207 825 2775)
Links: Briefing
Date: 2008-Sep
The government began consultation on proposals to give Sure Start children's centres a statutory identity.
Source: Legislating for Sure Start Children's Centres, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Links: Consultation document | DCSF press release | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Sep
The government announced a pilot scheme under which primary school children in deprived areas would be given free healthy school meals.
Source: Press release 24 September 2008, Department of Health (020 7210 4850)
Links: DH press release | School Food Trust press release | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2008-Sep
An article reported a case study of a programme within the national Sure Start initiative in England, 1999-2005. Programme 'reach' was conceptualized as having two aspects: contact and use. It was found that, conceptualized as contact, programme reach was virtually 100 per cent. Conceptualized as use, it varied according to services within the programme and to some extent according to family characteristics. The relatively more disadvantaged families were reached almost as much as other families.
Source: Peter Hannon, Caroline Pickstone, Rupert Suckling and Deborah Crofts, 'The reach of early intervention: a case study of a Sure Start programme', Evidence & Policy, Volume 4 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Sep
A think-tank report highlighted the importance of new early-intervention programmes targeted at boosting the life chances of deprived children aged 0 to 3. Unless concerted action were taken to transform parenting skills and revitalize the upbringing of poor children on the most deprived council estates, society would be faced by a new generation of disturbed and aggressive young people doomed to repeat and amplify the social breakdown disfiguring their lives and others around them.
Source: Graham Allen MP and Iain Duncan Smith MP, Early Intervention: Good Parents, Great Kids, Better Citizens, Centre for Social Justice (020 7620 1120) and Smith Institute
Links: Report | CSJ press release
Date: 2008-Sep
The Prime Minister announced plans to enshrine in law the government's pledge to end child poverty by 2020; and to introduce free nursery education for children aged 2 in up to 60 areas.
Source: Speech by Gordon Brown MP (Prime Minister), 22 September 2008
Links: Text of speech | 4Children press release | Save the Children press release | UNICEF press release | ECP press release | Childrens Society press release | Barnardos press release | Community Care report | Personnel Today report | FT report
Date: 2008-Sep
A report examined the financial, emotional, and physical impact of poverty on children, based on first-person accounts from parents asked to share their experiences of struggling to make ends meet. It also outlined the steps that were needed if the government were to meet its target of halving child poverty by 2010 and ending it by 2020.
Source: This Is Child Poverty, Citizens Advice (020 7833 2181)
Links: Report | Citizens Advice press release
Date: 2008-Sep
A report said that the longer children lived in bad housing, the more likely they were to suffer from health problems, get bullied, and struggle to keep up with homework. Policy-makers needed to address the various ways bad housing appeared to detrimentally affect outcomes for children, and focus on reducing the substantial number of children who lived in bad housing for long periods.
Source: Matt Barnes, Sarah Butt and Wojtek Tomaszewski, What Happens to Children in Persistently Bad Housing?, National Centre for Social Research (020 7250 1866)
Links: Summary
Date: 2008-Sep
Two linked reports highlighted the impact of poverty on foetal development, early infancy, health throughout childhood, and later health in adult life. Children from disadvantaged families were more likely than those from high-income backgrounds to be born underweight, two and a half times more likely to suffer chronic illness as toddlers, and twice as likely to have cerebral palsy.
Source: Nick Spencer, Health Consequences of Poverty for Children, End Child Poverty (020 7843 1913) | Nick Spencer, Childhood Poverty and Adult Health, End Child Poverty
Links: Summary | ECP press release | Community Care report | Telegraph report | Observer report
Date: 2008-Aug
A trade union briefing said that inequality was just as damaging to children as poverty – harming their health, education, and well-being.
Source: Poverty and Inequality and Children, Trades Union Congress (020 7467 1294)
Links: Briefing | TUC press release
Date: 2008-Aug
A think-tank report said that there was a need to increase involvement in child trust funds among some parents, and to expand the number of funds receiving regular contributions from family and friends. ('Child trust funds' were launched by the government in 2005 as a universal saving scheme for children.)
Source: Jim Bennett, Elena Ch vez Quezada, Kayte Lawton and Pamela Perun, The UK Child Trust Fund: A successful launch, Institute for Public Policy Research (020 7470 6100) and Aspen Institute
Date: 2008-Jul
An article examined the associations between (on the one hand) childhood socio-economic and family circumstances, health, and behavioural and cognitive development, and (on the other) health and mental well-being outcomes in adulthood. It emphasized the importance of cognitive and behavioural development in childhood, as well as deprivation, family background, and childhood health in indicating future adult health and mental well-being.
Source: Fiona Mensah and John Hobcraft, 'Childhood deprivation, health and development: associations with adult health in the 1958 and 1970 British prospective birth cohort studies', Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, Volume 62 Number 7
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Jul
An article examined the institutional and policy basis for the design of the family tax-transfer system in the United Kingdom and Australia, and the issues raised by the interdependence of tax and social security concepts in the design of in-work benefits.
Source: Helen Hodgson and Rebecca Boden, 'Not-so-distant cousins: family benefits in the United Kingdom and Australia', International Social Security Review, Volume 61 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Jul
An article drew on the national evaluation of the Children's Fund initiative to consider the strategies used to implement the Fund, and reflect on their capacity to address the multiple dimensions of exclusion experienced by marginalized groups of children and young people. The concept of 'social exclusion' was a useful framework for understanding the processes by which children might become excluded, and for assessing the capacity of strategies to address this. The Children's Fund was likely to have limited long-term impact in this respect.
Source: Marian Barnes and Kate Morris, 'Strategies for the prevention of social exclusion: an analysis of the Children's Fund', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 37 Issue 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Jul
A trade union briefing said that tackling women's low pay was key to ending child poverty.
Source: The Iron Triangle: Women's poverty, children's poverty and in-work poverty, Trades Union Congress (020 7467 1294)
Links: Briefing | TUC press release
Date: 2008-Jun
The government responded to a report by a committee of MPs on child poverty. It said that since 1998-99 it had halted the rising trend in child poverty and lifted 600,000 children out of relative poverty. The 2008 Budget set out the next steps to make significant further progress towards the target of halving child poverty by 2010. These steps, alongside reforms already announced in 2007, would lift a further 500,000 children out of poverty.
Source: The Best Start in Life? Alleviating deprivation, improving social mobility and eradicating child poverty: Government Response to the Committee's Second Report of Session 2007-08, Second Special Report (Session 2007-08), HC 580, House of Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Response | MPs report | Hansard | CPAG press release
Date: 2008-Jun
The Welsh Assembly Government began consultation on proposals to place a duty on all public agencies to make, and demonstrate, a contribution to ending child poverty.
Source: Taking Action on Child Poverty: Consultation Paper, Welsh Assembly Government (029 2082 5111)
Links: Consultation document
Date: 2008-Jun
A report by a committee of the Northern Ireland Assembly examined child poverty in Northern Ireland. There had been no significant decrease in levels of child poverty during the previous three years, and there were still more than 100,000 children living in relative income poverty. Evidence considered by the Committee had highlighted the importance of policy in relation to taxation and benefits in tackling poverty.
Source: Final Report on the Committee's Inquiry into Child Poverty in Northern Ireland, Third Report (Session 2007-08), Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, TSO (028 9023 8451)
Links: Report part 1 | Report part 2 | NICCY press release | NICVA press release
Date: 2008-Jun
An article highlighted conflicts and dilemmas within the evaluation of the Sure Start programme. It illustrated the difficulties placed on local evaluators by the lack of clear structures within which to work.
Source: Jill Clark and Elaine Hall, 'Will the lessons be learned? Reflections on local authority evaluations and the use of research evidence', Evidence & Policy, Volume 4 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Jun
The government announced the details of new initiatives to help families and end child poverty. They included a pilot of a new child development grant of around £200 to low-income parents with children under the age of 5: parents who took up services such as childcare places and co-operated with children's centre staff could be eligible. In a linked speech the Prime Minister said that unleashing a new wave of social mobility should be the driving ambition of the government.
Source: Press release 23 June 2008, Department for Work and Pensions (020 7712 2171) | Speech by Gordon Brown MP (Prime Minister), 23 June 2008
Links: Speech | DWP press release | CPAG press release | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Jun
An annual report said that the number of children in relative poverty rose by 100,000, to 2.9 million (before housing costs) and 3.9 million (after housing costs), between 2005-06 and 2006-07. The numbers of pensioners in relative poverty rose by 300,000 to 2.5 million (BHC) and by 200,000 (AHC) to 2.1 million in the same period.
Source: Households Below Average Income: An analysis of the income distribution 1994/95-2006/07, Department for Work and Pensions (020 7962 8176)
Links: Report | DWP press release | IFS press release | JRF press release | CPAG press release | ECP press release | Barnardos press release | Save the Children press release | NCH press release | NCB press release | UNICEF UK press release | 4Children press release | Oxfam GB press release | CAP press release | EDCM press release | TUC press release | Help the Aged press release | CRC press release | Liberal Democrats press release (1) | Liberal Democrats press release (2) | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2) | Guardian report (3) | Guardian report (4) | BBC report | Telegraph report | Community Care report | FT report
Date: 2008-Jun
Researchers used longitudinal data from the Families and Children Study to explore the impact of movements in and out of paid employment on the economic circumstances of families with children. It used two indicators of economic circumstances: income poverty, and 'living standards hardship'. They looked at the impact of moving into work for one and two years, and moving out of work, on these indicators. The circumstances of families who were receiving in-work tax credits were also examined.
Source: Matt Barnes, Nick Lyon and Jane Millar, Employment Transitions and the Changes in Economic Circumstances of Families with Children: Evidence from the Families and Children Study (FACS), Research Report 506, Department for Work and Pensions (0113 399 4040)
Date: 2008-Jun
Researchers examined the nature of persistent poverty for families with children, and the key risk factors. Outcomes for persistently poor families were particularly adverse: almost one-half of children in these families lived in bad housing, and 1 in 5 had a long-standing illness or disability. Despite this evidence, there were no concerted policy measures in place to tackle persistent poverty beyond those designed to tackle poverty in general.
Source: Matt Barnes, Anne Conolly and Wojtek Tomaszewski, The Circumstances of Persistently Poor Families with Children: Evidence from the Families and Children Study (FACS), Research Report 487, Department for Work and Pensions (0113 399 4040)
Date: 2008-May
The report was published of an annual panel survey which investigated the circumstances of families with dependent children. The first part focused on the circumstances of the family unit, and covered topics including: family characteristics; health; education; work; income; benefits and tax credits; and material deprivation. The second part focused on the circumstances of children, and covered topics including: child characteristics; health; schooling; activities and leisure; and childcare.
Source: Anne Conolly and Jane Kerr, Families and Children in Britain: Findings from the 2006 Families and Children Study (FACS), Research Report 486, Department for Work and Pensions (0113 399 4040)
Date: 2008-May
A new book described insights gained from the national evaluation of Sure Start. Separate chapters covered: ethnicity; childcare; parents; special needs; maternity services; domestic violence; and buildings and spaces.
Source: Angela Anning and Mog Ball (eds.), Improving Services for Young Children: From Sure Start to Children's Centres, SAGE Publications Ltd (020 7324 8500)
Links: Summary
Date: 2008-May
An article examined the strategies used to implement the Children's Fund, and their capacity to address the multiple dimensions of exclusion experienced by marginalized groups of children and young people. The concept of social exclusion was a useful framework for understanding the processes by which children might became excluded and for assessing the capacity of strategies to address this. It concluded that the Children's Fund was likely to have limited long-term impact in this respect.
Source: Marian Barnes and Kate Morris, 'Strategies for the prevention of social exclusion: an analysis of the Children's Fund', Journal of Social Policy, Volume 37 Issue 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Apr
A report presented the findings of a qualitative study of Jobcentre Plus involvement in children's centres. The effect of involvement on individual centres was reported to vary greatly: but where there had been personal adviser input for some time, there was usually a clear effect in terms of numbers of people being seen by Jobcentre Plus, and in people entering training and employment.
Source: Sally Dench, Jane Aston and Laura James with Rowan Foster, Jobcentre Plus and Children's Centres, Research Report 485, Department for Work and Pensions (0113 399 4040)
Date: 2008-Apr
Campaigners published a pamphlet which brought together contributions on child poverty from frontbench spokespeople from each major political party. All parties recognized that the causes and conditions of poverty were multi-faceted, and required a sophisticated approach to boost family income, address barriers to employment, and equip families with the skills needed to avoid becoming disadvantaged.
Source: Ed Balls MP, Michael Gove MP and David Laws MP, Turning up the Volume on Child Poverty, 4Children (formerly Kids' Clubs Network) (020 7512 2100)
Links: Pamphlet | 4C press release | Guardian report (1) | Guardian report (2)
Date: 2008-Apr
A report said that child poverty could be costing Scotland as much as £1.75 billion a year. Child poverty resulted in increased public spending across health, education, housing, social services, and youth justice.
Source: Donald Hirsch, Estimating the Cost of Child Poverty in Scotland: Approaches and evidence, Scottish Government (web publication only)
Links: Report | SG press release | BBC report
Date: 2008-Apr
Researchers examined a pilot of free school meals for primary children in a northern city (Kingston upon Hull). The project had had a 'significant impact' on reducing disadvantage in relation to perceptions of health and health behaviours.
Source: Derek Colquhoun, Nigel Wright, Jo Pike and Lisa Gatenby, Evaluation of Eat Well Do Well: Kingston upon Hull's school meal initiative, Centre for Educational Studies/University of Hull (01482 465814)
Links: Report | CPAG press release
Date: 2008-Apr
The government and Scottish Executive responded to two reports by a committee of MPs on poverty and child poverty in Scotland.
Source: Poverty in Scotland and Child Poverty in Scotland: Responses by the Government and the Scottish Executive to the Committee's Second and Third Reports, Second Special Report (Session 2007-08), HC 525, House of Commons Scottish Affairs Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Response | MPs third report | MPs second report
Date: 2008-Apr
An article examined how to develop a definition of child poverty that was based on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (and the human rights treaties with which it was associated), but which also drew on the development of poverty research in the social sciences. The two challenges faced by researchers and policy-makers were: first, the construction of conversion factors used in the capability approach to link inputs to outcomes; and second, the adoption of national inequality-based standards for assessing indicators of child poverty, thus placing the onus on states to reduce child poverty through redistribution.
Source: Gerry Redmond, 'Child poverty and child rights: edging towards a definition', Journal of Children and Poverty, Volume 14 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Mar
An article reported a study of children, young people, and their parents/carers who accessed Children Fund services (a national preventative initiative designed to help children in England overcome poverty and disadvantage). It analyzed key practices and approaches valued by children and parents. These included: specialist support tailored to individual support needs, family-oriented approaches, trusting relationships with service providers, multi-agency approaches, and sustainability of services.
Source: Katherine Pinnock and Ruth Evans, 'Developing responsive preventative practices: key messages from children's and families' experiences of the Children's Fund', Children & Society, Volume 22 Number 2
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Mar
Researchers reviewed the best evidence on what worked in narrowing the gap in outcomes for vulnerable groups across the five 'Every Child Matters' areas. Strategies promoting children's health, safety, and economic stability all helped to provide the necessary conditions to support effective and enjoyable learning and raise achievement. Interventions to remedy disadvantage and narrow the gap in outcomes for vulnerable groups needed a long-term focus.
Source: Sally Kendall, Suzanne Straw, Megan Jones, Iain Springate and Hilary Grayson, Narrowing the Gap in Outcomes for Vulnerable Groups: A review of the research evidence, National Foundation for Educational Research (01753 747281)
Date: 2008-Mar
A report summarized findings from a survey measuring public attitudes to child poverty. They demonstrated the relatively low awareness of the extent of, and reasons for, child poverty.
Source: Michael Kelly, Public Attitudes to Child Poverty, Department for Work and Pensions (020 7962 8176)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Mar
The children's rights watchdog in Northern Ireland published a policy paper calling for further action to tackle child poverty.
Source: Child Poverty Policy Paper, Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People (028 9031 1616)
Links: Paper | NICCY press release
Date: 2008-Mar
A report said that approximately 13 per cent of children in Wales – around 90,000 children – lived in severe poverty. These children live in households with income below 50 per cent of the median, and went without two or more goods or services because the family could not afford them, such as school trips and holidays. It set out an action plan to tackle the problem.
Source: Anne Crowley and Victoria Winckler, Children in Severe Poverty in Wales: An agenda for action, Save the Children (020 7703 5400)
Links: Report | SCF press release | BBC report
Date: 2008-Mar
An article said that the child trust fund, which appeared to be an exemplary instance of 'asset-based welfare' – of the redistribution of wealth rather than simply income – had in practice become increasingly focused on generating a 'savings culture' and enhancing financial literacy.
Source: Alan Finlayson, 'Characterizing New Labour: the case of the child trust fund', Public Administration, Volume 86 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Mar
A report said that children in Sure Start areas showed more positive social behaviour and greater independence than counterparts in similarly deprived areas. Parents were more likely to provide a better learning environment for their children and exhibit less negative parenting, and made greater use of support services. The benefits of living in an area with a children's centre were not confined to particular groups, and applied to the most disadvantaged, such as teenage and lone parents and workless households.
Source: National Evaluation of Sure Start, The Impact of Sure Start Local Programmes on Three Year Olds and Their Families, Research Report NESS/2008/FR/027, Department for Children, Schools and Families (0845 602 2260)
Links: Report | Brief | DCSF press release | Sure Start press release | Community Care report | Children & Young People Now report | BBC report | FT report | Guardian report
Date: 2008-Mar
A report by a committee of MPs said that 'significant progress' had been made in reducing child poverty: but there were still 2.8 million children living in poverty, and the most recent data showed a slight increase in this number. The 2010 target (halving the number of children living in poverty) could be met – but only if further investment was forthcoming.
Source: The Best Start in Life? Alleviating deprivation, improving social mobility and eradicating child poverty, Second Report (Session 2007-08), HC 42, House of Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | CPAG press release | EDCM press release | BBC report | Guardian report | FT report | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Mar
The government announced (in the Budget) that from April 2009 child benefit for the first child would be increased to £20 per week – a year earlier than planned. From the same date the child element of the child tax credit for families on low and middle incomes would increase by £50 per year above inflation. From October 2009 child benefit would be disregarded when calculating income for housing and council tax benefit. The measures were expected to lift up to 250,000 children out of poverty. The government published a report which examined the causes and consequences of child poverty; described the 'significant progress' made towards halving child poverty by 2010; and reviewed the strategy for ending child poverty by 2020.
Source: Budget 2008: Stability and opportunity – building a strong, sustainable future, HC 388, HM Treasury, TSO (0870 600 5522) | Ending Child Poverty: Everybody's business, HM Treasury (020 7270 4558)
Links: Budget Report | Child poverty report | Hansard | HMT press release | IFS briefing | CPAG press release | Childrens Society press release | Citizens Advice press release | EDCM press release | NCB press release | 4Children press release | SCF press release | Barnardos press release | UNICEF press release | FPI press release | Crisis press release | TUC press release | LGA press release | Liberal Democrats press release | BBC report | Guardian report | FT report
Date: 2008-Mar
A report used data from the 'Growing up in Scotland' study to explore the contribution of specific measures of advantage and disadvantage in relation to a number of specific health-related behaviours for parents and children. The data demonstrated clear inter-relationships between age of mother at the sample child's birth, family type (eg being in a couple family or being a lone parent), socio-economic classification, household income, and area deprivation.
Source: Paul Bradshaw and Claudia Martin with Sarah Cunningham-Burley, Exploring the Experience and Outcomes for Advantaged and Disadvantaged Families, Scottish Government (web publication only)
Links: Report
Date: 2008-Mar
An independent commission published its final report on child poverty in London. It said that national government should prioritize raising the job rate for parents in London, with a designated London minister in the Department for Work and Pensions and tougher targets for Jobcentre Plus matched by the necessary resources. There should be an increase in child tax credits and child benefit. Employers should lead the way in offering flexible working opportunities, in-work training for parents starting off on the bottom rung of the ladder, and tackling issues of discrimination to ensure that all had equal access to jobs.
Source: Capital Gains, London Child Poverty Commission (info@londonchildpoverty.org.uk)
Links:Report | Mayor of London press release | CPAG press release | Liberal Democrats press release | Children & Young People Now report | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Feb
A report said that productivity in the Department for Work and Pensions had increased by around 6 per cent between 2004-05 and 2006-07; and that by the end of March 2008 it would have increased by around 11 per cent, surpassing its administrative savings target. But it said that some of the Department's performance targets – including that for reducing child poverty – had became 'more challenging than originally envisaged' because of economic and demographic changes, and were 'unlikely to be fully met'.
Source: An Analysis of the Productivity of the Department for Work and Pensions 2002/03 to 2007/08, Department for Work and Pensions (020 7962 8176)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2008-Feb
A report said that the rate of persistent child poverty in Northern Ireland was double that in the rest of the United Kingdom. 9 per cent of children were in persistent (not severe) poverty, and 13 per cent were in persistent and severe poverty. This compared with 4 per cent and 5 per cent respectively in Great Britain.
Source: Marina Monteith, Katrina Lloyd and Patricia McKee, Persistent Child Poverty in Northern Ireland, Save the Children (020 7703 5400) and ARK
Links: Summary | QUB press release | BBC report
Date: 2008-Feb
A new book brought together the lessons learned from the Sure Start programme. Separate chapters covered: child development and healthcare; partnership working with existing local services; parental employment and supporting families with young children; reaching out to marginalized groups; and strengthening communities.
Source: Justine Schneider, Mark Avis and Paul Leighton (eds.), Supporting Children and Families: Lessons from Sure Start for evidence-based practice in health, social care and education, Jessica Kingsley Publishers (020 7833 2307)
Links: Summary
Date: 2008-Feb
A report examined the impact of low incomes on the lives of children. Low income affected every aspect of children's lives – their health, housing, and education. The well-being of families suffered because of debt and the psychological impact of the struggle to make ends meet.
Source: Jason Strelitz and Ruth Lister (eds.), Why Money Matters: Family income, poverty and children's lives, Save the Children (020 7703 5400)
Links: Briefing | SCF press release
Date: 2008-Feb
A report by a committee of MPs said that an estimated 250,000 children in Scotland were living in poverty. More needed to be done to meet the target of halving child poverty by 2010. The report highlighted the complexity of the benefits system, and said that the poorest children were not being helped by means-tested benefits such as tax credits. However, greater progress had been made in tackling poverty in Scotland than in the rest of the United Kingdom.
Source: Child Poverty in Scotland, Third Report (Session 2007-08), HC 277, House of Commons Scottish Affairs Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Liberal Democrats press release | BBC report
Date: 2008-Feb
A trade union report called on the government to invest an extra £4 billion in the child tax credit to help end child poverty. Tax credits were one of the most effective measures to fight poverty since child benefit.
Source: The Tax Credit Success Story, Trades Union Congress (020 7467 1294)
Links: TUC press release
Date: 2008-Feb
A paper examined the association between family income and children's cognitive ability, socio-emotional outcomes, and physical health. Children from low-income families were disadvantaged at age 7-9 across the full spectrum of outcomes, the gradient being strongest for cognitive outcomes and weakest for physical health. Many aspects of growing up in poverty were harmful to children's development, and narrowly-targeted interventions were unlikely to have a significant impact on intergenerational mobility.
Source: Paul Gregg, Carol Propper and Elizabeth Washbrook, Understanding the Relationship Between Parental Income and Multiple Child Outcomes: A decomposition analysis, CASEpaper 129, Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion/London School of Economics (020 7955 6679)
Date: 2008-Feb
A report examined the strategies adopted by voluntary and community service organizations working with 'hard to reach' families.
Source: Helen Barrett, 'Hard to Reach' Families: Engagement in the voluntary and community sector, Family and Parenting Institute (020 7424 3460)
Links: Summary
Date: 2008-Feb
An article examined the part played by service users themselves – particularly through their informal interactions and culture – in the responsiveness of children's centres to higher-need families.
Source: Michael Sheppard, Paula MacDonald and Penelope Welbourne, 'Service users as gatekeepers in children's centres', Child & Family Social Work, Volume 13 Issue 1 Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Feb
A think-tank report said that although 600,000 children had been lifted out of poverty in the previous ten years, the total number of poor children in working households had stayed the same at 1.4 million. Half of all poor children lived in a working household. Lifting these children out of poverty required action to improve wages at the very bottom of the labour market, including measures to: improve work incentives for low-income couples, increase financial support through tax credits, and boost the effectiveness of the minimum wage.
Source: Graeme Cooke and Kayte Lawton, Working out of Poverty: A study of the low-paid and the 'working poor', Institute for Public Policy Research (020 7470 6100)
Links: Report | IPPR press release | CPAG press release | BBC report | Guardian report | Telegraph report | Personnel Today report | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Jan
A review examined whether improving the co-ordination of service delivery improved outcomes for families with persistent multiple problems spanning more than one generation. The results did not provide evidence to either support or refute the hypothesis. The apparent paucity of robust empirical evidence suggested that any policy or practice initiatives of this type should be accompanied by rigorous evaluation.
Source: Mark Newman et al., Interventions to Improve the Coordination of Service Delivery for High Cost High Harm Household Units (HCHHHU), EPPI-Centre/Social Science Research Unit/Institute of Education/University of London (020 7612 6050)
Date: 2008-Jan
An article examined the effect of the introduction of working families' tax credit in 1999 on lone mothers. The reform had led to a substantial increase in their employment rate of about 5 percentage points, which was driven by both a higher rate at which lone mothers remained in the labour force and a higher rate at which they entered it. The generous childcare credit component of the reform played a key role in explaining the estimated employment and childcare usage responses.
Source: Marco Francesconi and Wilbert van der Klaauw, 'The socioeconomic consequences of 'in-work' benefit reform for British lone mothers', Journal of Human Resources, Volume 42 Number 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2008-Jan
The inspectorate for education and children's services said that extended schools and Sure Start children's centres made a 'positive contribution' to improving the lives of children and their families, as well as achieving overall success. But some did not do enough to help harder-to-reach groups – including fathers and some minority ethnic groups.
Source: How Well Are They Doing? The impact of children's centres and extended schools, HMI, Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (07002 637833)
Links: Report | OFSTED press release | TDA press release | BBC report | Community Care report
Date: 2008-Jan
A report presented some of the main initial findings of a focus on Scotland's families in the second survey of the Millennium Cohort Study. A further report concluded that the lower apparent poverty rate suggested by the initial analysis was an 'artefact of the data', explicable by differences in the characteristics of the MCS families concerned.
Source: Shirley Dex (ed.), Millennium Cohort Study: A User Guide Focussing on Families in Scotland, Scottish Government (web publication only) | Shirley Dex (ed.), Millennium Cohort Study: Exploration of Some Distinctive Results for Scotland, Scottish Government (web publication only)
Links: Report (1) | Report (2)
Date: 2008-Jan
An interim report by a committee of the Northern Ireland Assembly said that more than 40,000 Northern Ireland children were living in severe poverty – around 1 in 10 of the total.
Source: Interim Report on the Committee's Inquiry into Child Poverty in Northern Ireland, Second Report (Session 2007-08), Northern Ireland Assembly Committee for the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | NIA press release | NICCY press release | BBC report
Date: 2008-Jan