Between now and the end of 2025, thousands of constituents will have their existing benefit payments switched off and replaced with universal credit. The process involves several hurdles; in the worst-case scenario, a family could be left without any income at all. This briefing explains how the process works, issues constituents are likely to face, and how MPs can carry out effective casework on this topic.
The DWP sensibly began rolling out managed migration to tax credit-only claimants, who have simpler benefit entitlements to calculate, are more likely to have savings to draw on and less likely to be vulnerable. Now it is proceeding to a much more complex and vulnerable claimant group. With the self-imposed tax credit deadline looming, if the DWP does not act now, it appears the more vulnerable claimants will be at the greatest risk of falling victim to a sprint finish.
Since our last report was published, the DWP has brought forward the managed migration of 800,000 employment and support allowance (ESA) claimants who do not get tax credits, which had been delayed until 2028.
As food bank use continues to soar to unprecedented levels, the Independent Food Aid Network (IFAN) wants to see the UK without the need for charitable food aid, where adequate and nutritious food is affordable to all. But what is driving increasing demand for food aid? What is the problem with responding to food insecurity this way? What role do cash payments play as responses to poverty and destitution? And why is a ‘cash first’ approach the way forward?
CPAG in Scotland’s Early Warning System has been operating for ten years! Over Challenge Poverty Week we are looking back at some of the social security events in this period, key findings from the Early Warning System and how they have influenced policy and practise.
Emergency support is financial and in-kind support provided by local authorities in England and Scotland, and by the Welsh government. What role can it play in reducing demand for food banks and food aid in Britain? CPAG has just concluded a two year research project, Ending the Need for Food Banks, to examine how emergency support could be redesigned so it does just that. What could this new system look like?
To understand the impact of child poverty on the lives of children and families in England better, CPAG, the Child Welfare Inequalities Project (CWIP) and the Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS) conducted a survey of social workers between January and March 2020 to ask them about the experiences of the families they work with.
Our response to the Scottish Government's consultation on Housing to 2040 highlights the role housing can play in tackling child poverty and the interaction between social security and people's ability to pay their housing costs.
This report shows parents struggled more than ever to provide a decent standard of living for their families in 2013. This is the second in a series of annual reports on the cost of bringing up a child in the UK.
