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Blog

Learning after lockdown: school bells herald extra costs

03 September 2020
This week, schools in England will open their doors to their full school community for the first time in almost six months. We know that families with children have been hardest hit by the economic effects of the pandemic, with 2 in 5 facing financial difficulty, and that the lowest paid have been most badly affected. In this perfect storm of a difficult lockdown and worsening household finances, there needs to be much more focus on family income as children return to school.  
Blog Children’s benefits Coronavirus Cost of the school day Costs and spending Education Extended schools Free school meals Health UK
Press release

Low-income parents relying on child benefit for household basics

31 August 2020
As many families prepare this week for a uniquely expensive return to school after lockdown, new research shows that in recent years parents have increasingly had to use their child benefit to cover utility bills and other bottom-line household costs.
Benefit levels Children’s benefits Costs and spending Education Press release UK
Blog

Mind the Gaps: Social security during the pandemic

21 August 2020
We have seen a significant government response to the financial hit many have faced because of the coronavirus – from the job retention scheme and self-employed income support scheme to the increase in universal credit (UC) and tax credits. While many families will have benefited from the stability and certainty these welcome interventions have given them, they have not been comprehensive. We are always most worried about the people who fall through the gaps.
Benefit cap Benefit levels Blog Children’s benefits Coronavirus Disability benefits Early warning system Early warning system (Scotland) Free school meals Sanctions and conditionality Tax credits UK Universal credit Work and pay
Blog

Don’t Zap the Zip: campaign update

10 August 2020
The government has announced that it is pushing back the ‘temporary’ suspension of free travel for under 18s in London to after the October half term holidays, instead of bringing it in at the start of the academic year in September, as originally planned. Find out what CPAG thinks about this announcement.
Blog Child poverty in London Children’s benefits Costs and spending Education UK England London
Press release

The cost of learning in lockdown

18 June 2020
Survey reveals school closure costs fall heaviest on low-income parents
Children’s benefits Coronavirus Cost of the school day Education Health Press release UK
Blog

Increasing child benefit: five tests, five ticks?

14 May 2020
Now is the time for some clear thinking about our systems of social security and social protection. With millions of people claiming support through universal credit, the importance of a functioning and adequate social security system is obvious. Getting support to people as quickly as possible has understandably been a priority. But we should also be looking to the future, to ensure that we build a resilient system with popular support.
Benefit levels Blog Children’s benefits Coronavirus UK
Blog

Families hit harder because nothing for children in Covid-19 response

12 May 2020
Covid-19 has clearly had a massive impact on household incomes in the UK. Millions of people have lost their job and millions more have been furloughed. It will take a while to understand the complete effect of Covid on household incomes but some initial quantitative findings can help shed light on the effect of the pandemic on families.
Benefit cap Blog Childcare Children’s benefits Coronavirus Two child limit UK Welfare reform Work and pay
Press release

Thousands of families tipped on to universal credit by Covid-19 getting no support for infants – call to suspend two-child limit

05 May 2020
Around sixty thousand families forced to claim universal credit since mid-March because of Covid-19 will discover that they will not get the support their family needs because of the controversial 'two-child policy' a new report estimates.
Children’s benefits Coronavirus Press release Tax credits Two child limit UK Universal credit Welfare reform
Blog

Supporting children through the pandemic: why we need a Coronavirus Emergency Income Support Scheme

01 May 2020
Another day, another set of appalling statistics to quantify the hardship people are suffering. This time they’re stats from the Trussell Trust and show an 81 per cent increase in people needing support from food banks at the end of March, compared with the same time last year, and a 120 per cent rise in parcels given to children.
Benefit cap Blog Children’s benefits Coronavirus Localisation Two child limit UK Universal credit
Blog

Mind the gaps – reporting on families’ incomes during the pandemic

09 April 2020
The government has taken some giant leaps in recent weeks to help those affected by the coronavirus pandemic. We have seen the announcement of the Jobs Retention Scheme, support for self-employed people, and increases to certain benefits. But there is still more to be done.
Blog Children’s benefits Coronavirus Early warning system Early warning system (Scotland) Tax credits UK Universal credit Work and pay