Children’s benefits

At present, only some universal credit and child tax credit claimants are entitled to means-tested free school meals. Immediately extending entitlement to all families in receipt of these benefits would have many benefits for a relatively low cost.

Our Secure Futures for Children and Families project asks the question: What does a social security system that provides a secure future for children and families look like? Through a programme of roundtable events with different audiences, four citizens’ juries, and a series of written contributions, we have explored this question in detail. This report brings together what we learned from these activities.

End Child Poverty members in Scotland have written to Kate Forbes MSP, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy calling on her to the upcoming Scottish budget to make resources available so that the Scottish Child Payment can be doubled immediately.

Without action, child poverty in Northern Ireland will rise over the next few years. A slow labour market recovery, a weakened social security system, and a growing income gap between families are contributing to a rising tide of child poverty. New analysis in this briefing paper shows that by 2024/25 child poverty is projected to rise to over 25 per cent. But the analysis also shows that this isn’t inevitable.