News and blogs

News

Legal update

10 February 2020

Our legal team has had a busy start to the new year. Last week we learned we had been successful in our High Court case challenging the fact that the higher rate of bereavement support payment for families with children is currently only paid if a spouse or civil partner dies, and not when the couple were not married or in a civil partnership. This follows a similar challenge to the previous widowed parent’s allowance – the Supreme Court found in favour of a mother and her four children in that case, but, although the law is not compatible with human rights law, the government has still not resolved the issue.

National Lottery backs £2 million project to ‘cut cost of school day’

28 January 2020

A £2 million National Lottery-backed project to support children’s learning and ease financial pressure on low-income parents starts today (Tuesday 28th January) with 128 schools across the UK set to take action over the next three years.

Cost of the school day Costs and spending Education Free school meals News UK

Conditionality Data Gathering

12 November 2019

Information is needed from advice workers about the extent to which claimant commitments are tailored to take account of their clients' circumstances.

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Press releases

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DWP data shows families under the poverty line are moving deeper into poverty

13 February 2020

Families already living under the poverty line have been pushed deeper into poverty since 2012, new analysis from Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) shows. And, the analysis finds, the number of children in poverty in households where all the parent(s) work full time - be they single or couple-parents - has doubled from 200,000 in 2012/13 to 400,000 in 2017/18.*

Child poverty statistics Press release UK

Bereavement Support Payment: High Court rules in favour of bereaved parents who were cohabiting and their children

07 February 2020

The High Court has today ruled that the eligibility criteria for Higher Rate Bereavement Support Payment (HRBSP) are incompatible with human rights law.

Bereavement benefits Legal Press release UK

National Lottery backs £2 million project to ‘cut cost of school day’

28 January 2020

A £2 million National Lottery-backed project to support children’s learning and ease financial pressure on low-income parents starts today (Tuesday 28th January) with 128 schools across the UK set to take action over the next three years.

Cost of the school day Costs and spending Education Free school meals Press release UK

Blogs

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Together, we can drive a movement

11 February 2020

As we are bringing children up, poverty is bringing them down. It’s not right that poverty limits children’s chances at school. But when kids grow up poor, financial barriers prevent them from fully participating in school – such as the cost of uniforms, school trips, meals, after-school activities and much, much more. Together with Children North East, we want to lead a cultural shift across the UK to make the school day more inclusive and allow all children to have a happy, healthy and enriching school experience. Children deserve nothing less.

Blog Cost of the school day Costs and spending Education UK

Why 2020 is a fitting year to start research into the impact of benefit changes on larger families

07 February 2020

Over twenty years ago, in 1999, then Prime Minister Tony Blair made the historic commitment to abolish child poverty by 2020. This ambitious pledge changed the nature of the debate on poverty, leading to an apparent cross-party consensus on the issue: in 2006 David Cameron promised that his (more compassionate) Conservative Party would recognise and act on relative poverty. 2020 has suddenly arrived, and the policy context feels markedly different.

Benefit cap Blog Two child limit UK

Placing children’s experiences at the heart of our work

30 January 2020

Poverty Proofing the School Day is a National Programme we have been running at Children North East since 2014. We developed Poverty Proofing the School Day after a consultation with children and young people. We gave out disposable cameras to young people and asked them to take pictures of what poverty looked like to them in their communities.

Blog Cost of the school day Costs and spending Education Free school meals UK

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.