Scotland

Today we published our third annual report ‘The Cost of a Child in 2014’, written by Donald Hirsch from the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University and funded by JRF. It draws on the Minimum Income Standard project (MIS) to establish how much families need to cover their basic needs like food, clothes and shelter, and to participate in society. The research shows that year on year, the cost of a child has been rising faster than inflation while support families receive from the state is falling. Find out more

Responding today to the government’s decision to reconsider how to fund local welfare assistance schemes in 2015/16, Alison Garnham, Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group, said: “We welcome that the government has recognised the importance of local welfare assistance schemes and has committed to undertake a thorough review and consultation before deciding how the schemes will be funded in future...