News and blogs

News

The Cost of a Child in 2019

04 September 2019

The latest report in our annual Cost of a Child series finds that the overall cost of a child up to age 18 (including rent and childcare) is £185,000 for lone parents (up 19% since 2012) and £151,000 for couples (up 5.5% since 2012). The gap between lone parents’ actual income and what they need to meet family needs has grown sharply.

Benefit levels Childcare Children’s benefits Cost of a child Costs and spending News UK Work and pay

Living Hand to Mouth now free to access

03 September 2019

Thanks to funding from UCL Innovation and Enterprise’s Knowledge Exchange and Innovation Fund, supported by HEIF, Living Hand to Mouth is now available to download and read for free.

Benefit levels Benefits for people from abroad Education Food poverty Free school meals Health News UK

161,000 families now affected by the two-child limit

31 July 2019

News UK

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Press releases

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Working lone parents face drastic and growing income shortfalls

04 September 2019

Working lone parents on reasonable pay cannot reach a minimum acceptable living standard – as defined by the public - even if they work full time, new research for Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) shows.

Benefit levels Childcare Cost of a child Costs and spending Press release UK Work and pay

More families fall into two-child limit net

31 July 2019

CPAG responds to today’s HMRC statistics showing the number of families affected by the two-child limit in tax credits and universal credit after two years of the policy.

Press release Two child limit UK

Universal credit claimants blocked from challenging DWP decisions

19 July 2019

Universal credit (UC) claimants who suspect the DWP has made a mistake in their award and ask for a review are too often blocked by DWP error and failures in the system, a new report from Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) shows.

Legal Mandatory reconsideration and appeals Press release UK Universal credit

Blogs

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Why give money to people who ‘don’t need it’? The case against intensive means-testing

05 November 2019

Having a targeted safety net – or means-testing – can consistently miss the mark. While it’s supposed to target social security payments, it is not always the most effective way to reach the people we might define as ‘needing help most’. Perhaps counter-intuitively, more universal support, such as child benefit for families with children, or personal independence payment (PIP) for certain people with disabilities, may reach more of the target group, but simply and without stigma.

Benefit delivery Benefit levels Blog Secure futures UK Welfare reform

Income security for families with children

01 November 2019

Low-income families are faced with ongoing challenges in budgeting and balancing the regular costs of living with meeting the need for more occasional and one-off items. But it is not just expenditure that is ‘lumpy’ in this way. Income can also come into households at different times and in different amounts. Research with families looking in depth at money management highlights something of a paradox in the juggling of low income.

Blog Children’s benefits Costs and spending Secure futures UK Universal credit

Upfront for families? Childcare costs in universal credit

29 October 2019

For many families upfront childcare costs are a significant barrier to work. Under tax credits, parents can get financial support for upfront childcare costs. However, under universal credit any help with childcare is paid retrospectively. This is a big problem as the majority of childcare requires parents to pay for a month/term in advance.

Blog Childcare UK Universal credit Work and pay

Contact us

Child Poverty Action Group is a centre of expertise and campaigning on child poverty, welfare rights, and related issues such as fair pay, childcare, benefits and tax credits. Our spokespeople regularly feature on television, radio and in print media.

Contact

Journalists can contact our press officer, Jane Ahrends, or the out-of-hours duty contact on:

020 7812 5216 (office hours)

07816 909302 (24 hour)

email: jahrends@cpag.org.uk

Looking for a contact in Scotland? Visit our Scotland media page.

Press releases

CPAG regularly puts out press statements on the publication of its own policy and research, and in reaction to other events and news stories related to our work. See our press releases.

Expert information

CPAG can help journalists find information for child poverty related stories. See some key facts and figures.

We may also be able to arrange for you to speak with one of our policy or welfare rights experts for more detailed enquiries.

Case study advice

CPAG can provide advice to journalists on finding case studies, but is rarely able to directly provide case studies.

We encourage journalists in their use of case studies to show sensitivity towards parents who wish to protect their children from the stigma of being labelled as in ‘poverty’ and associated risks such as bullying.

End Child Poverty

CPAG is the host organisation for the campaign to End Child Poverty - a coalition of 150 organisations from civic society including children’s charities, child welfare organisations, social justice groups, faith groups, trade unions and others, united in our vision of a UK free of child poverty.

Our press officer also handles queries on behalf of End Child Poverty and we can provide End Child Poverty spokespeople. Visit the End Child Poverty website.