Fifth anniversary of Government pledge to end child poverty
18.03.04

Poverty experts to assess Government progress on 20-year pledge

'political will' the barrier to end child poverty

...Society has the resources to end child poverty...

'Our historic aim, that ours is the first generation to end child poverty forever...It's a 20 year mission but I believe it can be done.'

Tony Blair, 18th March 1999

Leading academics and poverty commentators have joined together with the Child Poverty Action Group to publish a report to mark the fifth anniversary of the Prime Minister's Pledge to end child poverty in the UK within 20 years.

Ending child poverty by 2020:the first five years will be published by the Child Poverty Action Group in April and will be launched at a conference at the Local Government Association this afternoon.

The fifth anniversary of the pledge comes before the start of the first milestone year on the route to ending child poverty: it is an excellent opportunity to review progress on reducing child poverty. The report brings together leading commentators on different aspects of child poverty, tasked with looking at the particular problems of child poverty, what progress has been made in reducing it and what more needs to be done
to end child poverty.

'The progress the government has made is encouraging. Income poverty has been falling, as has material deprivation. Yet we still endure unacceptably high levels of child poverty: exceptional both compared to other European Countries and in historical terms. Much has been done but more policy effort and greater redistribution is needed if the government is to reach the excellent ambition of ending child poverty.' said Paul Dornan the editor of the report.

Writing in the report, Tess Ridge from the University of Bath addresses the needs of children who remain poor in 2004. 'Future government policies need to respond to the pressing issues and concerns of children who are poor now. To do so it is necessary to value childhood as an experience in and of itself.' she said.

Other aspects of the report consider government work in local communties, childcare, employment and the lasting legacy of the Beveridge report.

Ending child poverty by 2020: the first five years reviews the effects of child poverty on ethnic minority groups. A recent report from the Child Poverty Action Group, Poverty: the facts showed that the rate of
unemployment among Black African male graduates is currently seven times that of white graduates while up to 40% of white people left the New Deal to enter sustained employment, only 31% of young people from ethnic minorities did so.

Neera Sharma from Barnardos comments that, 'If policy does not address these imbalences between different groups, whereupon particualar groups of children face particualarly high risks of enduring childhood poverty, it will be hard for the government to justify its claim that 'every child matters.'

The report considers new tax credits and the government's emphasis on work being the best route out of poverty. Alan Marsh from the Policy Studies Institute at the University of Westminster comments that, 'Increasing employment rates will be less easy in the future since those not working often have very good reasons for not doing so (such as caring for young children or ill health). Reducing hardship further is perfectly achievable but this will get progressively harder.'

Ending child poverty by 2020: the first five years is an independent authoritative report on the Government's progress. Individuals representing groups from the voluntary and social policy sector will attend a seminar to discuss the report. Its views are aimed at encouraging the Government to redouble their efforts.

'Our society certainly has the resources to end child poverty, the barrier is political will. The road will become harder, looking to halving and to ending child poverty. To back the necessary action we will need a much greater public awareness and debate driven by the Government and by interested parties like CPAG. Ending child poverty is morally right and technically feasible; it can be done and it should be done.' said Paul Dornan.


Notes for editors:

Ending child poverty by 2020: the first five years is published by the Child Poverty Action Group. It is edited by Paul Dornan. Contributors also include Pete Alcock, Lisa Harker, Ruth Lister, Alan Marsh and Sandra Vegeris, Tess Ridge and Neera Sharma.

Copies of an executive summary are available on request from CPAG.


CPAG SEMINAR
Ending child poverty by 2020: the first five years
Thursday 18 March 2004, 1pm - 4.30pm

Local Government House
Smith Square
Westminster
London, SW1P 3HZ

For further information:
Ashley Riley
Press Officer
020 7812 5216 or 07811 324339
ariley@cpag.org.uk

CPAG promotes action for the relief, directly or indirectly, of poverty among children and families with children. We work to ensure that those on low incomes get their full entitlement to welfare benefits. We receive no money from government and rely on donations. In our campaigning and information work we seek to improve benefits and policies for low-income families, in order to eradicate the injustice of poverty.