We will keep this page updated with relevant information about the coronavirus (COVID-19), families and social security.
Reports
Poverty in the pandemic: The impact of coronavirus on low-income families and children
The Cost of Learning in Lockdown: family experiences of school closures
Briefings
CPAG welcomes steps that have been taken so far to support low-income people, but more needs to be done to support families in this time of national crisis. Read our full briefing.
We have also published a briefing on how local authorities are spending the hardship money they have been allocated by central government and good practice with local welfare assistance schemes.
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Through our Early Warning Systems in Scotland and England, Wales and Northern Ireland, we are seeing some of the gaps in the social security system children and families affected by the pandemic are facing, and highlighting these in regular briefings:
- read the first Mind the Gaps briefing - groups excluded from claiming UC; making and managing a claim; families struggling with additional costs of children
- read the second Mind the Gaps briefing - the benefit cap; confusion over benefit entitlement; gaps in financial protection for some bereaved claimants
- read the third Mind the Gaps briefing - problems with the job retention scheme and self-employed income support scheme; workers refused furlough; confusion over intereaction between self-employed income support scheme and social security system; workers not eligible for income replacement schemes or UC
- read the fourth Mind the Gaps briefing - people accruing housing costs when they cannot move; claimants in receipt of PIP being refused an extension; claimants in receipt of severe disability premium transitioning to UC in error; claimants of legacy benefits considering moving to UC because of the temporary increase in amounts
- read the fifth Mind the Gaps briefing - the benefit cap
- read the sixth Mind the Gaps briefing - migrants left without financial support; people moving to UC in error and being financially worse off as a result
- read the seventh Mind the Gaps briefing - ill and disabled claimants losing out due to delays in work capability assessments; claimants left without any income while the DWP investigates cases of fraud
- read the eighth Mind the Gaps briefing - parents with no childcare told to take unpaid leave; students excluded from claiming benefits; more families affected by the benefit cap; inadequate support for people who are unable to work due to illness or disability
- read the ninth Mind the Gaps briefing - debt recovery in universal credit; sanctions and conditionality
- read the tenth Mind the Gaps briefing - problems facing migrants
- read the eleventh Mind the Gaps briefing - the benefit cap
- read the twelfth Mind the Gaps briefing - low-income workers who followed government advice when COVID-19 hit, and became worse off
- read the thirteenth Mind the Gaps briefing - gaps faced by migrants, ill and disabled claimants, survivors of domestic violence, people who have lost their jobs and people required to self-isolate
- read the fourteenth Mind the Gaps briefing - a round up of key issues from the past six months
We are also producing regular digests of all the problems that are cropping up through the Early Warning System in Scotland.
Letters
We have written with over 60 others to the Chancellor about the need to increase child benefit.
We have written with 50 others to the Guardian about the need to lift the two-child limit and benefit cap.
Press statements
Blogs
Welfare rights
If you're an adviser please find the latest on Coronavirus and benefits on AskCPAG
Our advice services remain open for advisers in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and in Scotland.