Ending child poverty:
giving every child the best start in life - Cooper, Purnell, Balls
DEPARTMENT FOR WORK
AND PENSIONS News Release (129/09) issued by COI News Distribution
Service. 28 January 2009
The Government
today set out plans to make sure every child gets the best start
in life by tackling child poverty which can unfairly hold children
back and prevent them from reaching their full potential.
And today the Government is launching a consultation ahead of a
Child Poverty Bill which will enshrine in legislation the
Government's promise to eradicate child poverty by 2020 and
mean the Government will be held to account on the success of
ending child poverty.
Yvette Cooper, James Purnell and Ed Balls launched the
consultation, 'Ending Child Poverty: Making it Happen'
alongside a guarantee to fund childcare to help parents back to work.
The consultation document makes clear that tackling child poverty
is not just about minimum standards of living; it is about the
kind of society we want to live in. Significant progress has
already been made, between 1998/99 and 2006/07, some 600,000
children have been lifted out of relative poverty and the number
of children living in absolute poverty has halved from 3.4 million
to 1.7 million children.
The Government is determined that no child is left behind or
grows up deprived of the childhood experiences that their peers
expect and enjoy. And no child should suffer from the damaging
emotional and physical effects of poverty.
Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, said:
"Every child matters and deserves a fair chance to succeed.
That is why we must do everything we can to make sure children
don't get held back because they grow up in poverty.
"This consultation and our radical child poverty legislation
calls on everybody to play their part: we all must redouble our
efforts to make sure tackling child poverty is a priority for all
of us and a shared mission for our society.
"We know that, as well as child benefit and tax credits,
great schools, high quality childcare and helping parents back
into work are all vital to break the cycle of poverty. There is no
simple solution so this needs a cross-Government approach to help
the parents of today and tomorrow.
"That's why we are providing high quality, affordable,
flexible childcare and after school clubs to help parents to go
back to work and also making sure the next generation have the
qualifications they need to help them in the workplace when they
become parents."
Secretary of State for Work and Pensions James Purnell said:
"We want to build a society where no child's life is
scarred by poverty and every child has the opportunity to reach
their potential.
"Work is the best route out of poverty, which is why we will
pay for the childcare parents need if they are preparing for work.
We will give parents even more support to overcome their own
barriers to work - whether that is debt advice, counselling or
training to improve their skills."
Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Yvette Cooper, said:
"This legislation is about setting out what kind of society
we want to be and what kind of future we want to build for our
children. The credit crunch makes it even more important to commit
to ending child poverty in a generation.
"In past recessions, when government didn't do enough
to prevent long term unemployment and worklessness, some families
and communities were scarred for generations and children were
pushed into years of poverty as a result. That's why
we're so determined to help families through the tougher
times now and to build a better future for children too." A
fairer society benefits everybody. Poverty comes at price - the
immeasurable cost of wasted potential, but also the financial cost
to society of lower educational achievement, poor health and crime.
In the consultation document, the Government outlines the four
key aspirations, and steps to achieve them:
* more parents in work that pays;
* financial support that is responsive to families' situations;
* improvements in children's life chances so that poverty in
childhood does not translate into poor outcomes;
* and safe, cohesive communities that support children to thrive.
The consultation calls for more accountability and higher
expectations, where Government, devolved administrations, local
government, charities, unions and families themselves work
together to end the scourge of child poverty.
Notes to Editors:
1. The consultation document 'Ending Child Poverty: making
it happen' can be found at http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/consultations/index.cfm
2. In December 2008 Professor Paul Gregg published his
independent review "Realising Potential: A Vision for
Personalised Conditionality and Support', which made
recommendations about how the Government could make further
progress in reforming the welfare system to promote employment and
reduce child poverty. The childcare pilots are a result of this review.
3. The Government pays for childcare for parents who are ready
for work and looking for a job, if they need to take up training
or go to interviews. It will also pay for childcare for around
70,000 parents of younger children who will take part in new
pathfinders to prepare for work.
4. The Government will also test out whether improving the
financial incentive for parents to try out work for a few hours a
week without losing benefits supports them to make the full
transition off welfare and into work. We'll pay for the
childcare that parents need to enable them to try out such work
for under 16 hours a week.
5. The Government is committed to improving such opportunities
and is today publishing an updated childcare strategy document
Next Steps for Early Learning and Childcare: Building on the
10-Year Strategy. This makes clear that access is rapidly
improving so that in England:
* Childcare places have more than doubled since 1997, making
childcare more available;
* Almost all children aged 3 and 4 are taking advantage of the
offer of a free early learning place;
* Free early learning will be made available to disadvantaged two
year olds and will be extended, stage by stage, to all two year
old children; an
* Almost 2.3m children and their families can now use one of
almost 3,000 Sure Start Children's Centres.
Media enquiries: DWP Katie Martin 0203 267 5130
DCSF Louise Orr 0207 227 5180
HMT Daniel York-Smith 020 7270 4982