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Policy
briefings
This page contains
policy briefings and CPAG's responses to government consultations.
June 2008
Social Security (Lone Parents and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2008
June 2008
The best start in life? debate
May 2008
Budget Measures and Low Income Households: evidence for the Treasury Select Committee
April 2008
ESA Regulations Briefing for House of Lords Select Committee on the Merits of Statutory Instruments
March 2008
2 Skint 4 School: time to end the classroom divide
- Progress on child poverty appears to be faltering, and the educational gap is widening. Although the Government is focusing on education to reach its 2020 target to eradicate child poverty and expenditure on education has risen by more than 60 per cent in real terms since 1996–97, the gap between rich and poor pupils gets steadily wider as they progress through the education system. This briefing puts into context the links between poverty and educational inequality, and calls for policies that will help end the classroom divide.
- Read the executive summary of 2 Skint 4 School: time to end the classroom divide briefing
- Download the full report: 2 Skint 4 School: time to end the classroom divide
(21 pages) 206 KB pdf file
- Find out more about CPAG's '2 Skint 4 School' campaign.
March 2008
Letter to the Chancellor ahead of the Budget
February 2008
Keeping the promise on tackling child poverty
December 2007
Tax appeals made against HMRC
December 2007
Interact: benefits, tax credits and moving into work
This report explores how the tax, tax credit and social security systems interact together, and the effect this has on claimants and people who are moving into work. The research included interviews with claimants, also a modelling exercise designed to find out whether work "pays" in various circumstances. The report is published by CPAG with Community Links and the Low Incomes Tax Reform Group.
December 2007
The disregard of child maintenance payments
October
2007
In work, better off: CPAG's response to the welfare reform green paper
- In this response, CPAG raises concerns that the green paper will not succeed in achieving the Government’s aim of eradicating child poverty. CPAG argues that paid employment is not an automatic route out of poverty, and that this green paper does not take sufficient account of problems faced by people who are already disadvantaged and discriminated against in the labour market. CPAG rejects the proposals for more "conditionality" (such as benefits being reduced/withdrawn if the recipient fails to attend interviews) as this may worsen not improve child poverty rates. CPAG argues that this green paper extends the ‘rights and responsibilities’ agenda in a very one sided manner, with the responsibilities being proposed outweighing the rights being granted. CPAG is also concerned that the paper does not give enough detail on how parents would be supported in work, or how the regime of contracting-out support for job seekers to the private/voluntary sector would work in practice.
- Download CPAG's response to the Welfare Reform Green Paper ‘In work, better off’ (161 KB Word file)
- Download CPAG's response to the Welfare Reform Green Paper ‘In work, better of' (125 KB PDF file)
- Read the green paper: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/welfarereform/in-work-better-off/
September
2007
The best start in life? Alleviating deprivation, improving social mobility and eradicating child poverty
The Committee report was published on 3 March 2008. Read CPAG's press release "MPs conclude 2010 child poverty target can be met".
September
2007
Education briefing: Chicken and egg: child poverty and educational inequalities
- Child poverty and unequal educational opportunities are inextricably linked. Children’s educational prospects reflect the disadvantages of their families. Those who are poor, whose parents have low qualifications and no or low-status jobs, who live in inadequate housing and in disadvantaged neighbourhoods, are less likely to gain good qualifications themselves at school.
The joining up of responsibility for schools, children and families in a single ministry shows a new government commitment to tackling poverty and educational disadvantage together. This requires, on the one hand, a direct assault on problems such as low income and poor housing, and, on the other, a narrowing of the ‘poverty gap’ in education: the extent to which poor children have worse educational prospects. This briefing highlights the extent of this gap.
- Download Chicken and egg: child poverty and educational inequalities (263 KB PDF file)
August
2007
Media briefing: Meeting the Government's Child Poverty Target: progress to date
June
2007
Work over welfare: lessons from America?
In 1996, controversial welfare reforms were introduced in the United States. Ten years on, they have been presented as an unqualified success in terms of a reduced welfare caseload. This briefing by Alison Garnham considers whether the UK should draw on the American 'work-first' approach, whether the US should learn from the UK's experiences, or whether both countries should draw on policies that have proved more effective elsewhere.
May
2007
Equality for disabled people: How will we know if we are making progress?
In this response to the Office for Disability Issues (ODI), CPAG urges the ODI to research the extent to which disability benefits protect children from poverty; also to gather evidence about additional educational costs incurred by disabled children. CPAG also calls for monitoring of the quality, pay and sustainability of jobs taken by disabled people as a result of welfare to work programmes. The ODI is urged to assess the impact of welfare reform upon disabled parents and disabled young people, and to ensure that disadvantaged young people have access to all the financial support to which they are entitled.
May
2007
The Freud Review: Reducing dependency, increasing opportunity: options for the future of welfare to work
This submission, written for the Department for Work and Pensions, responds to the proposals within David Freud's review of welfare to work policies. Though it welcomes emphasis given by Freud to sustainability in employment, it raises serious concerns about the potential risks associated with many of the proposals, particular those which extend conditionality on lone parents and highlights the dangers associated with greater contracting out of job centre plus services.
May
2007
Tax Credits Adjournment Debate 16.05.07
Briefing for MPs
This briefing written for an adjournment debate on tax credits lays out some continuing concerns around the tax credit system with suggestions for further policy reform.
April 2007
Reform of the social fund
Submission to the Work and Pensions Select Committee
This submission on the operation of the social fund was sent to the Work and Pensions Select Committee ahead of its meeting with James Plaskitt MP, Minister Responsible for the Social Fund. It draws attention to possible ways of improving the fund, discusses the link with financial inclusion and presents examples of families positions (provided by the Family Welfare Association) showing why better operation of the fund is so important.
April
2007
Benefit simplification: Evidence to the Work and Pensions Select Committee inquiry
Benefit simplification is central to the Government's programme on welfare reform. This submission draws on previous evidence sent to the Public Accounts Committee in December 2005. It calls for complexity to be considered from a historic perspective and urges the Committee to identify and resolve problems with the current system before embarking on a major programme of simplification. Although the response recognises that complexity has a negative impact on the take up and administration of benefits it raises concerns that moves to simplify benefits may create large groups of losers. Improving both the experience of claimants and the efficiency of benefit administration may be a better way forward.
March
2007
A new system of child maintenance: CPAG’s response to the child support white paper
This submission lays out the Child Poverty Action Group’s response to the proposals outlined in the white paper on child support, A new system of child maintenance. It develops CPAG’s evidence to Sir David Henshaw’s review of child support, comments upon his recommendations and includes written and oral evidence provided to the Work and Pensions’ Select committee inquiry into child support. Key recommendations around child support and child poverty are highlighted throughout and summarised at the end.
March 2007
Ending Child Poverty
A briefing for the Westminster Hall debate, 6 March 2007
This briefing was written for MPs in advance of a parliamentary debate on tackling child poverty. It provides a useful assessment of progress to date, including a brief analysis of recently-published research including the UNICEF report on child well being. It also summarises CPAG's position on key issues such as employment, education, and financial support for families.
Read a transcript of the Westminster Hall Child Poverty debate
January
2007
Care matters: Transforming the lives of children and young people in care
The Green Paper "Care Matters: Transforming the Lives of Children and Young People" was published in October 2006, in response to concerns that the educational gap has widened between children in care and other children. CPAG argues that the benefit system, combined with erratic financial support via local authorities, places this disadvantaged group at significant risk of poverty and educational failure. It calls on the Government to rationalise and improve the structure, take up and delivery of support via the benefit system for children and young people in care – and for their carers.
December
2006
Comprehensive spending review 2007:
what it needs to deliver on child poverty
The 2007 spending
review covers the spending period to 2010 and is key to the target
of halving child poverty, and for delivering Tony Blair's pledge
to rid society of child poverty by 2020.
This paper
is CPAG's submission to the spending review; it notes and paraphrases
other analysis we have produced on specific areas of policy. After
looking briefly at the Government's record on child poverty, it
sets out ten key policies and the measures that CPAG believes are
necessary to meet the Government's targets.
December
2006
Response to the schools admissions code consultation
November
2006
Letter to the Chancellor ahead of pre-Budget review
- This briefing
letter, sent to Chancellor Gordon Brown ahead of his pre-Budget
statement, focuses on four specific areas of immediate concern
in reducing child poverty: "Make Child Benefit Count";
"Work First Plus"; child support policy; and support
for disabled children.
-
CPAG pre-Budget review letter (59 KB Word file)
September
2006
Work at any price?
Submission to the Work and Pensions Select Committee inquiry into
the 80 per cent employment rate aspiration
September
2006
Child Support reform
August
2006
Child benefit: fit for the future
Child benefit
and its predecessor, family allowances, are 60 years old in August
2006. In this latest publication from CPAG, launched to coincide
with the Make
Child Benefit Count campaign, Fran Bennett examines the role
these benefits have played over the last 60 years in supporting
parents with the additional costs of children.
Child benefit:
fit for the future celebrates the history of universal benefits
for children and their resilience over time. It shows that they
demonstrate the value society places on our children and protects
children from poverty by providing essential help to families on
low incomes. Looking ahead, Child benefit: fit for the future
calls for an increase in the amount of child benefit paid to second
and subsequent children to direct more help to those children living
in larger families who face a greater risk of poverty – a
fitting decision for the Government to make in this 60th anniversary
year.
July
2006
Welfare
Reform Bill: Second reading briefing from CPAG
June
2006
A
Route out of Poverty? Disabled people, work and welfare reform
- Chapter
4 of A Route out of Poverty:
Disabled people, work and welfare reform presents the voices,
views and experiences of disabled parents interviewed for the
report. The chapter examines how the disabled parents interviewed
managed family life and child rearing alongside employment and
their sickness or disability. It looks at barriers to employment,
stigma and discrimination from employers and society alongside
some of the impacts that inappropriate work could have on health
and family life. The chapter also examines the parents experience
of the benefits system, of the quality of administration of benefits
and of the inadequacy of benefits to meet needs.
- Download
'Living with disability' from A Route out of Poverty?
(104 KB pdf file)
- Full
details A Route out of Poverty: Disabled people, work and
welfare reform
April
2006
Welfare
Reform Green Paper: CPAG response
- The recently
published Green Paper on welfare reform, A new deal for welfare:
Empowering people to work, aims to move a million disabled
people off incapacity benefit, 300,000 lone parents into work,
and a million older people into employment. CPAG's response asks
whether the proposed changes are likely to improve the life chances
and economic wellbeing of disabled people and lone parents, and
considers the impact on outcomes for children. It assesses whether
the proposed changes will improve the administration and adequacy
of the benefit system, raises concerns about imposing increased
conditionality and benefit sanctions on groups of people who are
already vulnerable to poverty, and questions whether welfare reform
is possible without addressing benefit adequacy. It questions
whether paid work is an effective route out of poverty for everyone.
The document is available to download in Word or PDF formats:
- Welfare
Reform Green Paper response from CPAG (1,231 KB Word file)
- Welfare
Reform Green Paper response from CPAG (350 KB PDF file)
- See
more of CPAG's work around welfare reform
April
2006
Letter
on the Child Support Agency
April
2006
Letter
on tax credit reform to Treasury Select Committee members
- This letter
summarises some key issues CPAG remains concerned with in relation
to tax credits and the implementation of a package of reforms
to this system announced in 2005. It was sent to members of the
Treasury Select Committee ahead of their session on the 19th of
April 2006 with David Varney, head of Her Majesty's Revenue and
Customs.
- Letter
on tax credit reform (86 KB PDF file)
March
2006
Media
briefing: The Government's Child Poverty Target
- IHere is
CPAG's immediate analysis of the figures released in the latest
Households Below Average Income report. The statistics reveal
that the Government missed its first target, to reduce child poverty
by a quarter betwen 1998/99 and 2004/05.
- The
Government's child poverty target (190 KB pdf file)
March
2006
Budget
Submission
- In this submission
to the Chancellor, CPAG urges the Government to use the forthcoming
Budget to get back on track to meet its child poverty targets.
The call follows publication of figures showing that Ministers
have fallen short of their first target to cut child poverty by
a quarter. CPAG welcomes the progress made so far but calls for
more to be done for low-income families.
- 2006
Budget submission (52 KB PDF file)
February
2006
Work
and Pensions Select Committee – Further evidence on incapacity
benefits and Pathways to Work
November–December
2005
Pre-Budget
Review submission: The right to a decent childhood
November
2005
Child
Trust Funds: CPAG submission to the Treasury Select Committee evidence
session
November
2005
Education
and Skills Select Committee - Inquiry into Schools White Paper Higher
Standards, Better Schools for All
CPAG response
- The Government
recognises that educational experiences and outcomes for children
living in the UK are heavily influenced by the socio-economic
status of their parents. The recently issued Education White Paper,
Higher Standards, Better Schools for All: more choice for parents
and pupils, attempts to increase choice for parents and reduce
educational disadvantages for children from low income families.
In this submission, we welcome the increased spending on education
that has occurred in recent years, and proposals that focus specifically
on the needs of disadvantaged children. However, we question whether
increasing choice for parents, and giving greater autonomy to
schools over curriculum and admissions, is the best way to help
the children who are most disadvantaged by the current system.
- Education
and Skills Select Committee - Inquiry into Schools White Paper
Higher Standards, Better Schools for All: CPAG response (210 KB
Word file)
October
2005
Work
and Pensions Select Committee Inquiry into reform of incapacity
benefits
CPAG response
Autumn
2005
Simplification
of the benefits system: CPAG briefing for Public Accounts
Committee evidence session
- This briefing
was produced for a Public Accounts Committee evidence session
on 'Dealing with the complexity of the benefits system', attended
by officials from the Department for Work and Pensions. It sets
out some key issues on simplifying benefits, but does not propose
specific reforms, arguing instead for a cautious approach. CPAG
would like to see a simpler claimant experience of the benefits
system. Achieving this might include looking at the current complexity
of benefit regulations, the structure of the system or its administration.
It cannot be assumed that complexity alone is to blame for the
poor experience suffered too often by claimants. The way in which
the benefits system is managed and resourced also plays a significant
role.
- Simplification
of the benefits system (134 KB Word file)
- Simplification
of the benefits system (62 KB PDF file)
Autumn
2005
Free
Nursery Education Places for 3 and 4 Year Olds
Autumn
2005
First
Steps to Reform Tax Credits briefing
- The Child
and Working tax credits have brought with them significant resources
for families with children and are key to delivering the reductions
in child poverty promised by the Government. However, the first
two years have been dogged by serious problems especially around
the recovery of overpayments and poor administration by HM Revenue
& Customs. These problems have hit low income families hardest
– in First Steps to Reform Tax Credits, CPAG lays
out six practical steps to ensure that the tax credit system works
in favour of low income claimants. The
document is available to download in Word or PDF formats:
- First
Steps to Reform Tax Credits (143 KB Word file)
- First
Steps to Reform Tax Credits (148 KB PDF file)
Summer
2005
Child Support Agency briefing
A review of the evidence of performance
- The Child
Support Agency is critical to ensuring stable income flows to
some of Britain's most financially vulnerable children. Yet a
series of recent high-profile reports has demonstrated the extent
of problems within the Agency. This briefing examines the nature
and extent of the Agency's difficulties and argues the need for
serious reform of the Agency if it is to meet the real needs of
its clients.The
document is available to download in Word or PDF formats:
-
Child Support Agency briefing
(196 KB Word file)
or
- Child
Support Agency briefing
(181 KB PDF file)
Summer
2005
Shaping the Incapacity Benefit Reforms Green Paper
Response of Child Poverty Action Group
Spring
2005
Key findings from the 2003/04 Households Below Average Income Series
(1264 KB Word file)
- This briefing
note summarises key results from the Department for Work and Pensions
and National Statistics publication, Households Below Average
Income 1994/5-2003/04. The HBAI produces data on trends over
time and variations in risk in income poverty (henceforth termed
poverty) and low-income, key results are summarised here.
Spring
2005
Choice for parents, the best start for children: a ten year strategy
for childcare, CPAG's response (1313 KB Word file)
- The recently
issued ten year strategy on childcare sets out the Government's
long-term strategy to create accessible, affordable, sustainable,
high quality childcare for all families with a child up to the
age of 14 who need it. The ten year strategy builds on the Government's
Every Child Matters programme. It outlines how the Government
hopes to 'ensure that every child gets the best start in life
and to give parents more choice about how to balance work and
family life.' It builds on the Government's conviction that work
is the primary route out of poverty, and outlines a framework
of childcare support that it hopes will help families access the
labour market, and improve opportunities and educational outcomes
for all children. In this response, CPAG comments on those aspects
of the Ten Year Strategy which have a direct impact on children
living in poverty.
Spring
2005
CPAG's
response to the Government's consultation on Child Trust Fund top-up
payments aged seven (1237 KB Word file), and briefing
on the Child Trust Fund (1262 KB Word file)
- The Child
Trust Fund (CTF) is a new long-term savings and investment account
for children. It is available to all children in receipt of Child
Benefit born after 1 September 2002, which they can access when
they are 18. The Government hopes that the Child Trust Fund will:
help strengthen savings habits of future generations; spread the
benefits of assets to all; educate people in the need for savings;
give young people a basic understanding of financial products.
Although CPAG welcomes any initative that diverts extra resources
to children, we have some reservations about a scheme which we
fear will not improve the financial position of children living
in poverty today. These briefings outline some of our concerns.
Spring
2005
CPAG'S response to the consultation on the Households Below Average
Income series (1262 KB Word file)
- Following
changes in the way in which child poverty is to be measured, announced
by the Department for Work and Pensions in 2003 (analysed and
commented upon by CPAG in a Spring 2004 submission to the Work
and Pensions Select Committee), the team responsible for the Households
Below Average Incomes series, from which official income poverty
data is drawn, have consulted about how changes should be incorporated
in the HBAI series in future. This submission responds to this
and discusses some of the changes CPAG believes are required to
the HBAI.
Archived
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