Child benefit and its predecessor, family allowances, have been providing direct support to all families for 60 years. However, the value of child benefit relative to earnings is significantly lower than in 1979 and lower amounts are now paid for younger children than for the eldest eligible child.
The Make Child Benefit Count campaign is calling on the Government to increase child benefit and to increase the rate received for younger children to the same rate as the oldest child.
So far over 4,000 individuals have supported the campaign by writing to the Chancellor. Their letters and emails have been delivered to the Chancellor by twin and triplet children with the help of one of the campaign's member organisations, the Twins and Multiple Births Association. View the photographs.
Child Benefit is £18.80 for the first child and £12.55 for subsequent children – a gap of £6.25 a week. The Make Child Benefit Count campaign is calling on the Government to increase child benefit and ensure that younger children get the same rate as the oldest child. Since the campaign was launched, in time for the 60th anniversary of child benefit, the Government is talking much more about child benefit. You can add to this support by writing to your MP urging them to push for a greater role for child benefit in investing in children.”
You can find out who your MP is and contact them by email through www.writetothem.com or enter your postcode in this box.
If you know your MP’s name you can send them a letter at House of
Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.
It is best if you write in your own words, but you may wish to make use of some of the following points:
• Raising the level of child benefit for younger children to that of the older child would lift at least 250,000 children out of poverty and play a major part in getting back on track for meeting the target of halving child poverty by 2020. Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrat MPs all support this target.
• Child benefit is a stable secure benefit and does not result in the overpayment problems that have beset tax credit claimants
• Child benefit has near universal take-up, but child tax credit is not reaching around 20% of families
• Paying child benefit at a lower rate for younger children than for the eldest child does not recognise the costs additional children bring and is particularly unfair for parents of twins and multiple births who face identical costs for each child at the same time
• Larger families are more likely to be in poverty and raising the child benefit level for the younger children in a large family is a simple and direct way of increasing the support they need
• Ask your MP to write to the Chancellor asking him to consider raising child benefit and increasing the amount for younger children to that of the oldest child at the earliest opportunity
• Let your MP know whether or not you wish to receive a reply.
For more detailed information, go to the find out more
section.
Campaign supporters have made a real impact, with increased focus on the positive role of child benefit. Here are three key successes for all those who want to see a bigger role for child benefit in investing in children:
• Starting in April 2009, child benefit will be paid before birth (from week 29 of pregnancy). Increasing women’s income in late term will help improve the health of both mother and child;
• Budget 2007 promised to increase the first child rate to £20 by April 2010. Budget 2008 brought this pledge forward to April 2009;
• Budget 2008 disregarded child benefit for the calculation of housing benefit and council tax benefit (from October 2009). This allows parents getting help with rent to keep child benefit - which is currently taxed back in lost housing or council tax benefit. It particularly benefits children whose parents are in low paid work.
These successes show how positively child benefit is viewed. There is real potential to achieve our central aim of increasing the level of child benefit for younger children to that paid for the first child. The campaign continues!
More information about the campaign including our policy briefing, press
releases, a link to the 1946 public information film that promoted family
allowances and an interview with one of the first mothers to be paid family
allowances can be found on CPAG’s child benefit page at:
www.cpag.org.uk/makechildbenefitcount
On 20th November Make Child Benefit Count campaign members Child Poverty Action Group, Save the Children and the Twins and Multiple Births Association were joined by twins and triplets and their parents to deliver thousands of campaign supporters’ messages to the Chancellor.
Read some of the messages
our supporter have sent to the Chancellor (166KB Word doc)
The campaign is being supported by a growing number of organisations including: Child Poverty Action Group, End Child Poverty, TUC, Save the Children, Citizens Advice, Family Welfare Association, One Parent Families, National Family & Parenting Institute, T&G, One Parent Families Scotland, National Council of Voluntary Child Care Organisations, Children in Wales, National Union of Students, Barnardo’s, Communication Workers Union, YWCA England & Wales, 4Children, Daycare Trust, UK Coalition Against Poverty, ATD Fourth World, Ethnic Minority Foundation, Poverty Alliance, Labour Students, The National Youth Agency, National Children’s Bureau, NCH, Contact a Family, National Deaf Children’s Society, National Association of Welfare Rights Advisers, Citizens Advice Scotland, Disability Alliance, Compass, Fawcett Society, Children’s Links, Pre-school Learning Alliance, Church Action on Poverty, Gingerbread, Housing Justice, Twins & Multiple Births Association, Christian Socialist Movement, NASUWT, GMB Union, Parentline Plus, Women's Budget Group, The Frank Buttle Trust, National Union of Teachers (NUT), Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), Families Need Fathers.
