How would you tackle child poverty and improve outcomes?

[Cindyyyy]

I would back:

• free basic school meals for all from 3 (extras can be paid for) of healthy, veg-based, minimally-processed meals
• investment into school-based pre-school, to be free for all from age 3
• increase school funding massively, pay rises for teachers and nursery staff, investment and subsidies into training
• increase number of SEN schools and in-school SEN provision, as well as PRUs
• subsidised holiday clubs for all parents working full time
• extend SureStart, increase reviews by health visitors. If a child isn’t meeting milestones, earlier intervention and increased checks
• expand apprenticeships

You?

Also, more help and support given to SEN parents. More SEN schools. Assessments should be easier to access also. The battles that some of my friends have had to go through to get diagnosis, support and education for their SEN children is absolutely crazy. Two of my friends can only work very part time hours as a result.

Children’s rights should always trump their awful parents’ rights.

They didn’t ask a pair of feckless deadbeats to bring them into the tough old world.

I would stop subsidising massive companies via UC so they can pay below CoL wages. It should be illegal to pay anyone less than a living wage. Overtime should go back to being double pay to enable parents to cover childcare costs and other antisocial costs arising from overtime.

I would change the law so that profits for shareholders were no longer a company's primary legal duty before their duties to workers and clients/customers. Then I would give big tax breaks to companies that ran on-site creches and nurseries.

I would cap gambling at £5 for lottos and sports, criminalise casinos, take class action against all casinos that have taken money from gamblers which the gamblers themselves have stolen or borrowed and left debts unpaid, making them recipients of stolen goods. And use the money to set up hubs in

Massive tax on sugar and alcohol. Subsidies on vegetables, protein, complex carbs.

I would fine feckless fuckers who walk out on their families when the children are under 18, and automatically dock childcare costs from their wages.

I would set up social housing schemes where single parent families could live in their own apartments within a complex that allowed for shared cooking, socialising, childcare etc, so there were always other adults around to share the load.

I would make it illegal for anyone who doesn't live in UK to have an uninhabited home here and insist that all properties bought as investments and standing empty are rented out at peppercorn long term rents to key workers. Or seize those properties and make them into not for profit rental or council housing.

Free school meals. Free summer holiday schemes.
Reopen the bloody libraries.
Warm hubs that offer hot food and family films and games during winter.

Much smaller schools and class sizes. Especially secondary. The shell-shock of moving from primary to secondary puts so many children off school for life, leading to poor education and prospects.

Far more trade and skill-based training and pride in these subjects from secondary school onwards.

All state schools would have identical cheaply available uniform that can be bought from any shop, not specified uniform outlets. Ditto all sportswear.
Children would be allowed to wear unbranded trainers to school so parents don't have to buy school shoes on top.

Massive tax on sugar and alcohol. Subsidies on vegetables, protein, complex carbs.

Thats a good idea, tax sugar and junk food and use the money to make better choices cheaper. Although, I do dispute the oft repeated claim that junk food is cheaper, but if you made healthy choices obviously cheaper, it would be a start.

People still need to know what to do with it all, and have the time/inclination to do it though.

You’re channeling Thatcher 🙄

Our neighbour was selling her Covid school food vouchers. Because she wanted vodka and drugs. Vouchers won’t help those who again really dngaf

What is your definition of child poverty ?

If, as many do, you base the definition on relative household incomes then I don’t see how it will ever be tackled

For starters get rid of the NI increase to make it easier for businesses to hire.
Get tough on the cash in hand businesses.

We need jobs being created to be able to lift families, and children, out of poverty.

Oh, and chase up absent fathers for maintenance.

A useful site for summary:
https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/which-children-are-most-likely-to-be-in-poverty-in-the-uk/

A child is in relative poverty if they live in a household with income less than 60% of median income in the same year.

It also covers which children are most likely to be in poverty, and where they are likely to live.

Agree with you OP… would also add more social housing, free, state regulated childcare so that both parents can work. Also really like Gordon Brown’s idea of giving every child a grant at birth. Would also like the Scottish Baby Box rolled out to all 4 UK countries. Defo need more Sure Starts… at present impoverished areas are prioritised, but I think the service should be available to every child regardless of parental income. Tbh, I’d like to see an introduction of a universal income too. I imagine I’ll get slated for that last comment lol. There’ll probs be a few right wingers who’ll cry it’s not the state’s responsibility to educate children or assist their parents. I disagree.

Precisely!

Poverty isn’t going to end ever if you call inequality poverty.

Totally agree with you. Agree with your ‘cash in hand’ comment too.

But look what happened with Sure Start!

You can lead a horse to water etc

Relative poverty is a bit of a nonsense. I’d prefer to use minimum standards of living (so would take into account regional variations), or absolute poverty.

Would vote for you! Agree with all of this 🤩

I would get rid of the assumption which has become hard-wired into British society and mind sets that it is the state’s responsibility to pay for the costs of bringing up children. It isn’t. It’s the parents’ responsibility.

Applause. It’s really tiring just how many
people see it as the job of the state (or rather “other taxpayers” ) to provide for them / their kids.

Where is all the money going to come from to pay for all of this? Let me guess - lets go after the middle income earners?

Try living as a single parent on full time minimum wage with two bed houses running at around £1000 pcm and most landlords wont rent to people who require housing benefit to help top up.

Im a single parent, I work full time on more than minimum wage and I’d still qualify for housing benefit and likely wouuld still have to try to fibd a willing guarantor plus run the risk of potentially being evicted every six months at the whims of the landlord if I did fibd one who was willing to rent to me on my paltry more-than-minimum wage take home pay plus hb

Also, with 50/50 becoming the norm one parent will be excluded from any financial support even working FIL time as only one parent can claim child benefit and tThis is yhe ‘gateway’ for being eligible to apply for housing benefit despite the fact the child has two homes and a need for housing in both homes (blame the ridiculous family court trend of 50/50)

Agree.

If the relative poverty idea had been around when I was small, I’d have been classified as deprived but I was nothing of the sort! We didn’t have central heating, a tv or go on holiday but I had a great childhood.

I'd do that slowly. Slowly reduce and taper it off till it goes to 0

I also would like to see more practical subjects being taught in school, or maybe offered as clubs.

Cooking a hot meal, mending, some basic home maintenance, budgeting. It helps with running a household when they are older, and with spending money wisely and also, it helps pupils find their vocation, which in turn can again lead to a job.

If maternity leave is 18 months it does not mean you have to stay home.

What happened with Sure Start?

Do you mean the real and long lasting impact it had on health and education outcomes for children in the most disadvantaged areas and socio economic groups?

ifs.org.uk/publications/short-and-medium-term-effects-sure-start-childrens-outcomes

I think lack of secure housing is a massive issue so I would severely limit private rentals and massively increase social housing with lifelong secure tenancies but no right to buy. Re open sure start centres. Free after school and holiday activities for all children, arts based, sports based and musical.