Reeves to launch £500m fund to help vulnerable children
The Government says the Better Futures Fund will be the largest of its kind in the world.
It will be used to help struggling and vulnerable children and their families with a variety of problems they face.
This could include early support to tackle challenges such as school absence, mental health issues, addiction and falling into a life of crime.
The fund will run for 10 years, and ministers plan to raise a further £500 million from councils, investors and philanthropists to top up the Government's cash.
The Chancellor will launch the initiative on Monday, as she visits a school in Wigan.
Ahead of the visit, Ms Reeves said: 'I got into politics to help children facing the toughest challenges.
'This fund will give hundreds of thousands of children, young people and their families a better chance.
'For too long, these children have been overlooked.'
The fund will be overseen by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and more details about how it will work will be released in the near future, according to the Government.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: 'This groundbreaking Better Futures Fund represents a major step in partnering with the impact economy, which has long played an important role in strengthening communities and driving inclusive growth.
'As part of the plan for change, we're bringing together Government, local authorities, charities, social enterprises and philanthropists to create a powerful alliance that will transform the lives of vulnerable children and young people.
'We owe them the best start in life.
'Together we will break down barriers to opportunity, ensuring those who need support most aren't left behind and have the chance to reach their potential.'
The launch is backed by groups including Save the Children UK, The King's Trust, and Oxford University's Blavatnik School of Government.
Elsewhere, ministers will host the first civil society summit this week, which aims to hammer out a plan for how Government will better work alongside charities and other organisations outside of the world of Westminster to the benefit of the public.
Sir Mel Stride, the Conservatives' shadow chancellor, said the Government's plans would 'build on the Life Chances Fund – a Conservative policy that supports families and vulnerable children'.
He added: 'But Labour's jobs tax has pushed up unemployment and prices, trapping more children in workless, struggling homes.
'Labour are taxing work, choking growth, and driving families into hardship.
'Under Kemi Badenoch, the Conservatives back the makers – protecting public finances, supporting working parents, and making sure hard work pays.
'Britain deserves a government that rewards effort, not one that penalises success.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
2 hours ago
- Forbes
This Founder Is On A Mission To Make Eco Period Products Standard In Hotels
Eco period care dispenser from Freda of London. Despite the hospitality industry's growing commitment to sustainability and inclusivity, one fundamental need remains routinely overlooked: access to period care products. 'It's quite striking that, despite the industry's drive to become more responsible, it often neglects one of the most basic needs of its female guests,' says Affi Parvizi-Wayne, founder of Freda, a London-based eco-conscious period care company. While amenities like mini sewing kits, cotton ear buds and shaving kits are standard in most high-end hotels, tampons and pads are typically missing. 'Some hotels claim that period products are available on request, but the reality is that very few guests feel comfortable asking for them,' Parvizi-Wayne notes. 'Most women prefer not to announce their periods at the hotel reception.' Parvizi-Wayne launched Freda in 2018, following two years of development and early-stage backing from an angel investor. The venture was initially conceived to include period products in hygiene kits for refugees. Freda has since expanded into the consumer and B2B markets, offering subscription-based period care and bespoke kits for businesses, with a small but growing footprint in the hospitality sector. 'Providing sustainable period care kits in hotel rooms is a simple, powerful way to show genuine care and inclusivity,' says Parvizi-Wayne. 'Not only does this break outdated taboos, but it also supports guest wellbeing and aligns with broader sustainability goals—especially when these products are eco-friendly.' Freda founder Affi Parvizi-Wayne of London. Freda's hospitality kits come in several formats: compact sets with a pad and tampon for guest bathrooms, larger pouches for in-room or spa offerings, and stylish dispensers or display boxes for public restrooms. All are designed to sit seamlessly alongside traditional amenities like razors, toothbrushes and, yes, those rarely-used mini sewing kits. The products themselves are rigorously sustainable: Freda tampons are made from 100% organic cotton, and the pads are composed of 70% natural materials. Free from chemicals, fragrances, and toxins, they are hypoallergenic, cruelty-free, and packaged in biodegradable or recyclable materials. Manufacturing takes place in a carbon-neutral facility in Sweden, powered entirely by renewable energy and committed to zero landfill waste. Still, sustainability presents its own challenges. During a recent heatwave, Freda's biodegradable outer packaging began to break down in transit. 'We discovered our sustainable outer packaging was decomposing before it had got to the customer,' says Parvizi-Wayne. 'For now, it's back to our recyclable but not biodegradable packs.' She's currently working with her Swedish supplier to explore season-specific packaging solutions. Parvizi-Wayne is vocal about supply chain transparency—something she argues is often lacking in mass-produced 'eco' products. 'Many so-called eco products are made in China, which makes auditing of the factory's sustainability credentials rather difficult,' charges Parvizi-Wayne. 'Our Swedish factory is very transparent about its environmental efforts. Their manufacturing process is designed for minimal environmental impact, with factories operating on 100% renewable energy and generating zero landfill waste—all production waste is either recycled or incinerated to produce heat and electricity.' Beyond commerce, Freda reinvests 5% of its profits into community initiatives focused on period equity. 'Supporting menstrual health is integral to promoting overall wellness, and this should not solely be the individual's responsibility,' says Parvizi-Wayne. 'Little touches make a big difference in guest experience and by providing period care products hotels create a more inclusive and caring environment for their guests.'
Bloomberg
2 hours ago
- Bloomberg
Ailbhe Rea: Rachel Reeves Boxes Herself In on Tax, Again
Back in opposition, Rachel Reeves was warned by Labour officials that if she ruled out increasing the three main revenue-raisers, so tight were the public finances that she would be storing up an enormous political headache for herself in government. But to Reeves, the trade-off was simple. She had seen Labour snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in 1992 when John Major attacked 'Labour's tax bombshell', and she had been in Ed Miliband's shadow cabinet on the crushing election night of 2015, when they realised that, despite polling to the contrary, Labour had lost again. Being boxed in on tax after winning an election? 'That would be a nice problem to have,' I'm told she said to colleagues.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
What does the universal credit immigration data show?
Figures have been published for the first time showing the immigration status of people on universal credit, with around one in six likely to be foreign nationals – a proportion that has remained broadly similar in recent years. A total of 7.9 million people were receiving universal credit (UC) as of June 2025, up from 6.8 million a year earlier, according to the Department for Work & Pensions. The vast majority of current claimants are people who live or work in the UK without any immigration restrictions: British and Irish nationals, plus those who have right of abode in the country. Some 6.6 million people were in this category in June, making up 83.6% of all claimants. This is a higher proportion than a year earlier (82.5%) as well as being a jump of one million from 5.6 million. The next largest proportion are people who have a right to live in the UK under the EU Settlement Scheme. These accounted for 9.7% of all claimants in June 2025, down from 10.7% a year earlier, though the number of people in this category rose slightly from 732,107 to 770,379. Some 2.7% of claimants were classed as having indefinite leave to remain in the UK, separate from the EU Settlement Scheme, up from 2.2% a year earlier. This status gives people the right to live, work and study in the UK for as long as they like and apply for benefits if they are eligible. Some 211,090 people were in this category, up from 150,838 in June 2024. The proportion of claimants who had refugee status was 1.5%, down from 1.6%, though the number rose slightly from 111,011 to 118,749. The percentage in the UK for humanitarian reasons was unchanged year-on-year at 0.7%, with the number up slightly from 51,146 to 54,156. In addition, there was a fall in both the number and proportion of claimants classed as having limited leave to remain, or temporary immigration status, from 1.3% (86,129) to 1.0% (75,267). Overall, people from outside the Common Travel Area of UK and Ireland accounted for 15.6% of UC claimants in June 2025, down from 16.5% in June 2024. This covers the five categories of the EU Settlement Scheme, humanitarian status, refugee status, indefinite leave to remain and limited leave to remain. The number of claimants across these categories increased from 1.1 million to 1.2 million year on year, up by nearly a tenth. But the total number of UC claimants rose by a faster rate, up by nearly a sixth, from 6.8 million to 7.9 million. This is why the proportion of claimants from outside the Common Travel Area shrank year-on-year, from 16.5% to 15.6%, even though the number of these claimants rose. With 83.6% of claimants in June 2025 from inside the Common Travel Area and 15.6% from outside, the remaining 0.8% either had no immigration status recorded (0.4%) or were classed as 'other' (0.4%), such as people no longer receiving UC payments or ineligible partners of an eligible UC claimant. These percentages have changed only slightly in recent years. The proportion of claimants from the Common Travel Area of the UK and Ireland stood at 82.9% three years ago in June 2022, 82.4% in June 2023, 82.5% in June 2024 and 83.6% in June of this year. The proportion from outside the Common Travel Area was 16.2% in June 2022, 16.7% in June 2023, 16.5% in June 2024 and 15.6% in June 2025.
