107 organisations warn government against 'half-measures' on two-child limit

[Please note this press release has been updated to add more signatories, and an error in the child poverty impact has been corrected]. 

• Crescendo of support for axing the policy as government decides

As the government makes its final decision on the fate of the two-child limit, more than 100 organisations -  including those representing doctors, teachers, social workers, health visitors, housing experts and anti-poverty charities  - have published a statement today urging government to scrap the policy in full. 

Among the signatories are the British Medical Association, Citizens Advice, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the National Association of Headteachers, the British Association of Social Workers, Child Poverty Action Group, the Institute of Health Visiting, the TUC and Save the Children UK (full list below).

The crescendo of support for abolishing the policy in full follows press reports suggesting that government has been considering options that include amending the policy as well as scrapping it in full – such as tapering support for children according to their birth order.  In their statement, the 107 organisations say by fully scrapping the two-child limit in the budget, the Chancellor can “…deliver a decisive shift in children’s opportunities, and in our country’s future potential. 

“Every day the two-child limit remains, in any form, it pushes children into poverty. Now is not the time for half-measures.  

“Now is the moment for the Prime Minister and Chancellor to hear the voices of the UK’s children and take this vital opportunity to do the right thing. 

"Abolishing the two-child limit in full will set millions of children’s lives on a path to a brighter future, and help to rebuild a stronger, fairer country and economy” (full text and signatories below).

The full text of the letter is:

As this government recognises, every child deserves the best start in life. But a record 4.5 million children live in poverty. Their life chances are being held back and their potential wasted. They deserve better. 

At the Budget, the Chancellor has a unique chance to change this. By fully scrapping the two-child limit she can deliver a decisive shift in children’s opportunities, and in our country’s future potential. 

We have come together as diverse organisations who recognise that turning the tide on child poverty is crucial for children, and also for wider ambitions on housing, education, health and national growth. Reducing child poverty will boost family budgets, and local economies. It will reduce household debt, and cut the huge future costs of poverty faced by our schools, hospitals and other public services. 

Every day the two-child limit remains, in any form, it pushes children into poverty. Now is not the time for half-measures.  

Now is the moment for the Prime Minister and Chancellor to hear the voices of the UK’s children and take this vital opportunity to do the right thing. 

Abolishing the two-child limit in full will set millions of children’s lives on a path to a brighter future, and help to rebuild a stronger, fairer country and economy. 

Matthew McGregor, CEO, 38 Degrees 

Katherine Hill, Director, 4in10 London's Child Poverty Network

Justina Murray, CEO, Aberlour Children's Charity

Brigitte Gater, Managing Director of Children’s Services, Action for Children

Fiona Ashcroft, CEO, Alder Hey Children’s Charity

Pepe Di'Iasio, General Secretary, Association of School and College Leaders

Diana Skelton, Head of Giving Poverty a Voice Programme, ATD Fourth World

Lynn Perry, CEO, Barnardo's

Prof Sam Baron, Interim CEO, BASW UK (The British Association of Social Workers)

Prof Kitty Stewart, Associate Director of the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, LSE, Benefit Changes and Larger Families Research Project

Dr Steffan Evans, CEO, Bevan Foundation

Lord Bird MBE, Founder and Editor in Chief, Big Issue

Dr Tom Dolphin, Chair of Council, BMA

Liz Stockley, CEO, British Dietetic Association

Sanchita Hosali, CEO, British Institute of Human Rights

Joseph Howes, CEO, Buttle UK and Chair of the End Child Poverty Coalition 

Patrick O’Dowd, Director, Caritas Salford

Ben Gilchrist, CEO, Caritas Shrewsbury

Claire Burns, Director, CELCIS, the Centre for Excellence for Children's Care and Protection

Baroness Anne Longfield CBE, Founder and Executive Chair, Centre for Young Lives

Professor Ruth Patrick, Lead, Changing Realities

Rachael Williamson, Director of policy, communications & external affairs, Chartered Institute of Housing

Alison Garnham, Chief Executive, Child Poverty Action Group

Mary Glasgow, Chief Executive, Children First 

Dr Judith Turbyne, Chief Executive Officer, Children in Scotland

Sean O’Neill, Deputy CEO-Policy Director, Children in Wales-Plant Yng Nghymru

Leigh Elliott, Chief Executive Officer, Children North East

Liam Purcell, Chief Executive Officer, Church Action on Poverty

Dame Clare Moriarty, Chief Executive, Citizens Advice

Emma Jackson, Head of Social Justice, Citizens Advice Scotland 

Leora Cruddas CBE, Chief Executive, Confederation of School Trusts

Dr Carol Homden CBE, CEO, Coram

Katie Bareham, CEO, Doorstep Library

Sarah Ronan, Executive Director, Early Education and Childcare Coalition

Claire Donovan, Director, End Furniture Poverty

Catherine Murphy, Executive Director, Engender

Chris Brill, CEO, Expert Link

Samantha Butters and Gina Cicerone, Co-CEOs, Fair Education Alliance

Will Snell, Chief Executive, Fairness Foundation

Cherrie Bija, Chief Executive, Faith in Families 

Cheryl Ward, CEO, Family Fund

Kris Gibbon-Walsh, CEO, FareShare

Andrew Forsey OBE, National Director, Feeding Britain

Anna Taylor, Executive Director, Food Foundation

Sarah Mann, CEO, Friends, Families and Travellers

Abigail Wood, CEO, Gingerbread

Emilie de Bruijn, Chair, Hartlepool Baby Bank 

Peter Babudu, Executive Director, Impact on Urban Health

Susannah Hardyman MBE, CEO, Impetus

Martyn Walker, Communications & Public Affairs Manager, Includem

Sabine Goodwin, Director, Independent Food Aid Network

Alison Morton, CEO, Institute of Health Visiting

Alfie Stirling, Director of Insight and Policy, Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Jess McQuail, Director, Just Fair 

Louise King, Co-Lead, Just for Kids Law, including the Children’s Rights Alliance for England

Katie Ghose, Chief Executive, Kids

Bev Morgan, CEO, Koala North West

Steph Capewell, Chief Executive, Love, Amelia

Dr Lindsey MacDonald, Chief Executive, Magic Breakfast

Mark Rowland, Chief Executive, Mental Health Foundation

Paul Whiteman, General Secretary, NAHT

Matt Wrack, General Secretary, NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union

Phillip Anderson, Strategic Director for External Affairs, National Children’s Bureau

Daniel Kebede, General Secretary, National Education Union

Emma Balchin, Chief Executive Officer, National Governance Association 

Alistair Smyth, Director of Policy and Research, National Housing Federation

Tim McLachlan, Chief Executive, NDNA

Professor Liz Todd OBE, Professor of Educational Inclusion, Newcastle University 

Beth Farhat, Chair, North East Child Poverty Commission

Anna Edmundson, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, NSPCC

Peter Kelly, Chief Executive, Poverty Alliance

Minnie Rahman, CEO, Praxis 

Dr Katharine Vincent, Director, Reconnect London

Josephine Whitaker-Yilmaz, Sub-group chair, Refugee and Migrant Children's Consortium

Graham Whitham, CEO, Resolve Poverty

Craig Anderson OBE, CEO, Reuse Network

Carli Whittaker, Head of Nursing, Royal College of Nursing

Professor Steve Turner, President, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health

Dan Paskins, Executive Director of UK Impact, Save the Children UK 

Stephanie Slater MBE, Founder/Chief Executive, School Food Matters

Jaine Stannard, CEO, School-Home Support

Audrey Anderson, Chief Executive, Scottish Out of School Care Network

Sara Cowan, Director, Scottish Women’s Budget Group

Ruth Talbot, Founder, Single Parent Rights

Vikki Brownridge, Chief Executive, StepChange Debt Charity

Kath Dalmeny, Chief Executive, Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming

James Toop, CEO, Teach First 

Josephine McCartney, Chief Executive, The Childhood Trust

Mark Russell, Chief Executive, The Children’s Society

Michael Mack, CEO, The Family Mediation Trust

Charlotte Hill, CEO, The Felix Project

Louise Johns-Shepherd, Chief Executive, The Kids Network 

William Roberts, Chief Executive, The Royal Society for Public Health 

Nick Harrison, CEO, The Sutton Trust

Philip Goodwin, Chief Executive Officer, The UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK)

Katie Taylor, Head of Communities and Social Change, Toynbee Hall

Matthew van Duyvenbode, Co-Chief Executive, Trussell 

Paul Nowak, General Secretary, TUC 

Thomas Lawson, CEO, Turn2us

Tracy Daszkiewicz, President, UK Faculty of Public Health

Dr Sara Reis, Deputy Director and Head of Research & Policy, UK Women's Budget Group

Willie Slavin, Chair, West Cumbria Child Poverty Forum

Joanna Fashan, Associate Director, Whizz Kidz

Sonia Malik, Associate Director of Policy, Influencing and Voice, Young Lives vs Cancer

Andy Peers, Chief Executive, Zarach 

Ayla Ozmen, Director of Policy and Engagement, Z2K

Individual signatories to the statement say:

Alison Garnham, Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group said:

Government wants to reduce child poverty but until the two-child limit is abolished in full its efforts will be hamstrung.  This is a one-time chance to make the big difference needed for children. The policy must be scrapped in the Budget before more children have their life chances stunted.

RCPCH President Steve Tuner said: 

Paediatricians have repeatedly raised alarm about the impact of rising rates of child poverty on children’s health. Our members have seen a dramatic increase in poverty-related ill-health. Financial constraints can prevent children from attending medical appointments and makes it harder to discharge a child from hospital. 

This is a crisis that demands decisive action from government. If the government is serious about raising the healthiest generation of children ever, we must see the end to the two-child limit.   

Rachael Williamson from the Chartered Institute of Housing said: 

“A safe, secure and affordable home is the foundation every child needs to thrive – yet too many families are being pushed into hardship by policies that deepen poverty. Abolishing the two-child limit would make a real difference to families struggling to keep a roof over their heads and give their children the best start in life. We support this call for change and urge the government to take this opportunity to invest in a fairer future for every child.” 

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union National Association of Headteachers, said:

“So many of the challenges holding children back at school have their roots in poverty and disadvantage. These are not things schools can tackle alone. We know this government wants to give every child the very best start in life and in education. Addressing child poverty has to be a fundamental part of that. It is what will make the biggest difference to a child’s life chances.” 

Notes to editors:

The two-child limit prevents families from receiving support through universal credit towards the cost of a third or additional child born since 6 April 2017. Affected families lose out on up to £293 per month. 

Fifty nine percent of affected families work and the majority have three children.  1.6 million children are hit by the policy.  The government has set itself a ‘moral mission’ to reduce child poverty which is at a record high.  Scrapping the policy -  the most cost-effective way of bringing child poverty down – would instantly lift 350,000 children from poverty and reduce the depth of poverty for another 700,000.

CPAG analysis shows 109 children are pulled into poverty every day by the two-child limit.

CPAG media contact Jane Ahrends 07816 909302