Members of the Scottish Parliament have launched an investigation into why 160,000 children in Scotland continue to live in poverty. The investigation is being conducted by the Health and Sport Committee, and the results will feed into a wider examination of health inequalities.
The Committee met with families affected by child poverty on 28 October in Glasgow, and heard first-hand the impact it has on their family life and on their children. The Committee will undertake two further evidence sessions later this year on what more can be done to eradicate child poverty, from children’s organisations and the Scottish Government.
At their annual conference in September, the Royal Statistical Society organised a session on the government’s consultation on child poverty. With the next announcement on consultation now expected before Christmas, Paul Allin and John Veit-Wilson summarise the presentations and discussion.
Strong evidence has been found of a causal relationship between household financial resources and children's outcomes.
The systematic review carried out for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation looked at research studies that focused on whether money is the cause of differences in children’s outcomes, in areas such as health and education. It considered whether money itself is the key factor, or whether it is other household differences such as parental education levels or attitudes toward parenting.
The legally binding goal of ending child poverty by 2020 is likely to be missed by a considerable margin, according to the government-appointed Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission in its first 'state of the nation' annual report.
Some families cannot afford the basic necessities a disabled child is entitled to under international law in order to live a dignified life, according to a study prepared for the children's rights watchdog for England.
The study was conducted by a team from the Centre for Children and Young People's Participation at the University of Central Lancashire. It explores disabled children’s experiences of living in low-income families, based on interviews and group discussions involving 78 disabled children/young people and 17 parents.
All infant school pupils (aged 5-7) in state-funded schools in England will be eligible for free school meals from September 2014, the coalition has announced. It says this is the first step towards giving free school meals to all children in primary schools (up to age 11).
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: 'My ambition is that every primary school pupil should be able to sit down to a hot, healthy lunch with their class mates every day. Millions of parents across the country are feeling the squeeze. Over the course of a year families spend over £400 on lunch money for each child. I am determined to do all we can to help put money back in the pockets of these families'.
Disadvantaged students at sixth-form colleges and further education colleges will also be eligible for free meals from September 2014.
On average 2.4 pupils in every class arrive at school hungry at least once a week, says a report produced by multinational food company Kellogg's.
The report explores the extent of hunger among schoolchildren and its effects on learning. It is based on survey research done by YouGov with more than 700 teachers in England and Wales.
European governments need to step up efforts to tackle child poverty and social exclusion if the targets set for 2020 are to be achieved, according to a new analysis carried out for the Eurochild campaign consortium.
The report looks at the extent to which child poverty and social exclusion featured in EU member states' 2013 National Reform Programmes (NRPs) – annual reports to the European Commission designed to monitor progress on key social goals.
Tackling child poverty in Scotland is likely to prove still more difficult in years ahead because of the UK coalition government’s programme of benefits reform, according to the Scottish Government. It is estimated that an additional 50,000 children in Scotland will be living in poverty by 2020 as a result.
The comments were made in the second annual report on the Scottish Government's child poverty strategy.
The Welsh Government has claimed it is doing more than the UK coalition government – or any of the other devolved administrations – by way of efforts to tackle poverty. The claim was made by the Deputy Minister for Tackling Poverty, Vaughan Gething, as the Welsh Government submitted evidence to the UK Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission.