'Too many parents have got stuck on benefits or in precarious, low-paid jobs with only quick-fire jobcentre appointments and no real support to get work that pays. A serious plan that tackles the obstacles for would-be workers is welcome. A high-quality employment support service involving local authorities, tailored advice and skills training is long overdue as is a childcare programme that provides an affordable place for every parent that needs one but we hope that childcare will be available to cover training periods for parents who need to skill up in order to get a job with prospects.'
Legal work can be a marathon. I’m a solicitor at CPAG, and we take on legal action to protect and defend families’ rights. Last week, nearly two years after the first judgment in one of our cases, we had confirmation that it won’t go any further – we have definitively won!
A landmark ruling in the Court of Appeal has held that the government is required to consider the fundamental rights of EU citizens and their families residing in the UK, including their right to live in dignified conditions, before refusing universal credit support.
In the spring 2023 Budget, there was an unexpected £4 billion investment in early years childcare, meaning £4 in every £5 spent on childcare is now coming from the government. How does investment on this scale change the debate on childcare? What role does childcare play in changing life chances? And what would a better system look like?
An EU citizen (WV) who is a carer for his severely disabled British wife (J) has – with support from Child Poverty Action Group - won a legal battle with the DWP after a Tribunal found the couple were wrongly underpaid universal credit for nearly 2 years while he had pre-settled status, since the couple’s joint claim was refused by the DWP in 2020.
Several government ministers have churned out a line about work being the best route out of poverty, but does it hold any truth? The evidence submitted to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Poverty for its report suggests that this is far from the case.
