The UNICEF 75 report, Preventing a lost decade: Urgent action to reverse the devastating...
Child poverty
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07/01/2014
Free school meals extended in Scotland
Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond has announced a significant expansion of free school meals and childcare provision. As part of a £114 million package for young people over two years, every child in Scotland in the first three years of primary school will have the option of a free meal in school from January 2015.
Speaking during a parliamentary debate on poverty and the early years, Salmond also announced that free early education provision would be expanded to every child aged two from a workless household in Scotland – around 8,400 children or 15 per cent of all children aged two – by August this year. By August 2015, free early education would be extended further, reaching 15,400 children – 27 per cent of all children aged two – by widening entitlement to families that received certain benefits such as jobseeker’s allowance.
Category: News stories -
13/11/2013
‘Breadwinner’ families worst for child poverty
Families with a traditional ‘breadwinner’ model – where one parent (usually the father) goes out to work while the other stays at home to care for children – are now the largest group of households with children living in poverty, according to research from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
Category: Reports -
07/11/2013
Children's aspirations to overcome poverty
Children as young as six feel that money is among the most important things needed to fulfil their aspirations in life, according to a survey carried out for the children's rights watchdog for England.
The online survey was developed by Amplify, the Children's Commissioner's advisory group made up of children and young people. It was aimed at helping to identify the effect of living in a low-income household on children's aspirations, and considered both the material items and opportunities they think are important. It gathered over 1,300 responses from children and young people ranging in age from six to 23.
Category: Reports -
29/10/2013
Poverty through children's eyes
Over half of all children in the UK who report being in poor households are living in homes that are too cold, and a quarter live in damp or mould-ridden conditions, the Children’s Society charity has revealed.
The findings come from a survey of almost 2,000 children aged 10-17, which provides a snapshot of how children are affected by poverty, as well as their expectations for the future.
Category: Reports -
28/10/2013
Scottish Parliament launches child poverty inquiry
Members of the Scottish Parliament have launched an investigation into why 160,000 children in Scotland continue to live in poverty. The investigation is being conducted by the Health and Sport Committee, and the results will feed into a wider examination of health inequalities.
The Committee met with families affected by child poverty on 28 October in Glasgow, and heard first-hand the impact it has on their family life and on their children. The Committee will undertake two further evidence sessions later this year on what more can be done to eradicate child poverty, from children’s organisations and the Scottish Government.Category: News stories -
22/10/2013
On Measuring Child Poverty
At their annual conference in September, the Royal Statistical Society organised a session on the government’s consultation on child poverty. With the next announcement on consultation now expected before Christmas, Paul Allin and John Veit-Wilson summarise the presentations and discussion.
Category: Articles -
22/10/2013
Does money affect children's outcomes?
Strong evidence has been found of a causal relationship between household financial resources and children's outcomes.
The systematic review carried out for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation looked at research studies that focused on whether money is the cause of differences in children’s outcomes, in areas such as health and education. It considered whether money itself is the key factor, or whether it is other household differences such as parental education levels or attitudes toward parenting.
Category: Reports -
17/10/2013
Child poverty target to be missed says Commission
The legally binding goal of ending child poverty by 2020 is likely to be missed by a considerable margin, according to the government-appointed Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission in its first 'state of the nation' annual report.
Category: Reports -
15/10/2013
Disabled children’s experiences of low income
Some families cannot afford the basic necessities a disabled child is entitled to under international law in order to live a dignified life, according to a study prepared for the children's rights watchdog for England.
The study was conducted by a team from the Centre for Children and Young People's Participation at the University of Central Lancashire. It explores disabled children’s experiences of living in low-income families, based on interviews and group discussions involving 78 disabled children/young people and 17 parents.
Category: Reports -
17/09/2013
Free school lunch for every child in infant school
All infant school pupils (aged 5-7) in state-funded schools in England will be eligible for free school meals from September 2014, the coalition has announced. It says this is the first step towards giving free school meals to all children in primary schools (up to age 11).
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: 'My ambition is that every primary school pupil should be able to sit down to a hot, healthy lunch with their class mates every day. Millions of parents across the country are feeling the squeeze. Over the course of a year families spend over £400 on lunch money for each child. I am determined to do all we can to help put money back in the pockets of these families'.
Disadvantaged students at sixth-form colleges and further education colleges will also be eligible for free meals from September 2014.Category: News stories
