Positive support, not workhouse values will end child poverty

Commenting on today’s speech by Work and Pensions Secretary, James Purnell, Child Poverty Action Group’s Chief Executive, Kate Green, said:

“You can’t unlock talent with a sledgehammer, you have to find the right combination. Focusing on the barriers to employment is the right approach. Encouraging personal motivation through positive engagement instead of threats will do more to help workless families into sustained, well paid jobs.

“With half of children in poverty in working families, work is too often a new poverty trap. For work to be a genuine route out of poverty, government and employers must meet their responsibilities to give poor families access to skills, training and decent pay.”

On proposals for indefinite work without pay for longer term unemployed people, she added:

“Many claimants would love to take on decent work experience opportunities on a voluntary basis if benefit rules made it easier. Reviving workhouse values will not move people into work. It’s been tried in Australia and had the opposite outcome.

“A fair day’s pay for an honest day’s work is the British tradition. If work is worth doing, then it’s worth paying for. Forced work paid at a fraction of the minimum wage fails the fairness test, rejects important values and leaves children in poverty.”

Notes for editors

• An independent study by the University of Melbourne on Australia’s ‘Work for Dole’ (WfD) programme concluded that “there appear to be quite large significant adverse effects of participation in WfD”. The researchers suggested that stigma and reduced time for job search activity may be factors reducing work starts for participants. See http://ideas.repec.org/p/iae/iaewps/wp2004n14.html
• Over half of children in poverty are in working families. This means around 2 million children are living in poverty because of low pay or lack of flexible working opportunities that pay decently (Households Below Average Income 05/06, ONS). CPAG believes the Government’s priority must be to help parents find well paid jobs with employers who respect the flexibility parents need for child care.
• CPAG is one of over 100 member organisations of the Campaign to End Child Poverty, campaigning for public and political commitment to ensure the goals of halving child poverty by 2010 and ending child poverty by 2020 are met.

For further information please contact:
Tim Nichols
CPAG Press Officer
Tel. 020 7812 5216 or 07816 909302
tnichols@cpag.org.uk