Latest news with #DameRachelDeSouza
Daily Mail
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Ministers urged to implement 'triple lock' for child benefits
Labour should introduce a pension-style 'triple-lock' on all child-related benefits to tackle child poverty in England, the Children's Commissioner has urged. Dame Rachel de Souza (pictured) said that some young people are facing 'Dickensian levels' of poverty with children going without basic needs such as heating or a place to wash. All four UK Children's Commissioners - from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - have backed Dame Rachel's call for a 'triple-lock' on child benefits that would introduce annual uplifts. The children's watchdogs have also repeated their demand for the Government to end the two-child benefits limit, in a move likely to pile further pressure on Sir Keir Starmer following growing calls for a review of the policy from Labour backbenchers. A new report from the Children's Commissioner's, based on the experiences of 128 children between January and March this year, noted a range of concerns including lack of access to healthy food and living in cramped and poor conditions. A 7-year-old girl told Dame Rachel (pictured) that rats come into her family's kitchen at night while a 15-year-old boy told of food packages arriving 'out of date and mouldy', leaving his family hungry. While some children said they felt a sense of shame over their situation, Dame Rachel said it is 'society at large and decision-makers that should be ashamed of the fact that children don't have enough money'. Other proposals from the Children's Commissioner to tackle child poverty include free bus travel for all school-age children, auto-enrolment for free school meals for all eligible children and priority for housing to be given to children in low-income households. Dame Rachel - whose office was commissioned to carry out its report to feed into the Government's child poverty review - said while there is 'no quick fix to ending child poverty', she feels it is 'very clear that any child poverty strategy must be built on the foundation of scrapping the two-child limit'. The latest official estimates, for the year to March 2024, suggest there were a record 4.45 million children living in poverty in the UK. The Government is due to publish a child poverty strategy in the autumn and campaigners have said it must include a commitment to remove the two-child benefit limit. The limit, which came into effect under the Conservatives in April 2017, restricts child tax credit and universal credit to the first two children in most households. Estimates suggest that scrapping the policy would cost the Government up to £3.5billion by the end of this Parliament. Dame Rachel said the findings of her report reveal the 'real hardship' and 'an almost-Dickensian level of poverty' facing some children in England today. The commissioner said in recent years she has seen a change in children's comments, noting that issues traditionally seen as 'adult' concerns 'are now keenly felt by children'.
BBC News
08-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Children living in 'Dickensian' poverty, says commissioner
Some children are living in "Dickensian" levels of poverty, England's children's commissioner has Rachel de Souza said children have described living in homes with rats, seeing bacon as a luxury food and not having a place to insisted the government should scrap the two-child benefit cap, which prevents most families from claiming means-tested benefits for any third or additional children born after April 2017. A spokesperson for the government said it was "determined to bring down child poverty" and it had announced a £1bn package to improve crisis support, including funding to ensure poorest children do not go hungry outside term time. The Labour government had been considering lifting the limit, but at the weekend the education secretary refused to commit to doing Phillipson said ministers were "looking at every lever" to lift children out of poverty - but that spending decisions have now been made "harder" after the government axed other benefit changes which would have saved on BBC Breakfast on Tuesday, England's children's commissioner Dame Rachel said: "I have been doing this job for four years but I was shocked by how much worse things have got.""It really is Dickensian and there are a huge number of children now who have dropped below what anyone of us would think is reasonable," she said."The children who have got no food to eat, the children who can't wash their clothes so they are going to school dirty and if they're lucky the school are washing their clothes for them."I had one child tell me about his shame because he couldn't have his friends round because in the night rats came and bit his face." She was speaking as her office published a report that had been commissioned by the government. The report - which looks at children's experiences of poverty - is aimed at helping the government as it works on a child poverty strategy. The government's child poverty taskforce is looking at the case for removing the cap, among other policy Institute for Fiscal Studies think tank estimates that axing the two child benefit cap would cost the government about £3.4bn a year and would lift 500,000 children out of relative 1.6 million children live in households affected by the cap, according to the Department for Work and Pensions."I've always said the two child limit should be lifted", said Dame Rachel. "That's a big structural thing and the reason why is it would immediately lift half a million children out of poverty. "Nobody is choosing to have children so they can get money from the state. That is absolutely not what's happening here."A spokesperson for the government also said it has expanded free breakfast clubs, it is investing £39bn in social and affordable housing, increasing the national minimum wage and supporting 700,000 of the poorest families by introducing a fair repayment rate on Universal Credit deductions."As part of our plan for change, the Child Poverty Taskforce will publish an ambitious strategy later this year to ensure we deliver fully-funded measures that tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty across the country," the statement added.
The Guardian
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Children in England ‘living in almost Dickensian levels of poverty'
Children in England are living in 'almost Dickensian levels of poverty' where deprivation has become normalised, the children's commissioner has said, as she insisted the two-child benefit limit must be scrapped. Young people said they had experienced not having enough water to shower, rats biting through their walls, and mouldy bedrooms, among a number of examples in a report on the 'crisis of hardship' gripping the country. Dame Rachel de Souza said she had noticed a significant shift in how young people talked about their lives since she became children's commissioner four years ago, and that 'issues that were traditionally seen as 'adult' concerns are now keenly felt by children'. 'Children shared harrowing accounts of hardship, with some in almost Dickensian levels of poverty,' she said. 'They don't talk about 'poverty' as an abstract concept but about not having the things that most people would consider basic: a safe home that isn't mouldy or full or rats, with a bed big enough to stretch out in, 'luxury' food like bacon, a place to do homework, heating, privacy in the bathroom and being able to wash, having their friends over, and not having to travel hours to school.' The report said it was 'deeply concerning how often children seemed to accept these inadequate situations as normal, or to have worryingly low expectations for what they should be entitled to'. She said that, in 'one of the richest societies in the world', people in power 'should be ashamed that children are growing up knowing their futures are being determined by their financial circumstances'. A record 4.5 million children were living in poverty in the UK in the year to April 2024, according to the latest figures. Labour's flagship child poverty strategy has been delayed until at least the autumn, as it faces growing pressure to end the two-child limit on universal credit. On Sunday, the education minister said the government's recent U-turn on changes to welfare would make it harder to implement the policy, adding to concerns it may not be added to the strategy. 'The decisions that have been taken in the last week do make decisions, future decisions harder,' Bridget Phillipson told BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. The limit, which came into effect under the Conservatives in April 2017, restricts child tax credit and universal credit to the first two children in most households. The Child Poverty Action Group estimates 109 children are pulled into poverty every day by the limit. The Institute for Fiscal Studies has estimated that axing the policy would cost the government about £3.4bn a year and would lift 500,000 children out of relative poverty. De Souza said there was 'no quick fix to ending child poverty', but it was 'very clear that any child poverty strategy must be built on the foundation of scrapping the two-child limit'. Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The commissioner's report, based on the experiences of 128 children aged between six and 18 across the country between January and March this year, noted a range of concerns including lack of access to quality, healthy food, and living in cramped and poor conditions. De Souza also called for a 'triple-lock' on child-related benefits to ensure they kept up with rising prices, reforms to ensure families are not housed in temporary bed and breakfast accommodation for longer than the legal six-week limit and free bus travel for all school-age children in England. Responding to the report, Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the school leaders' union NAHT, said teachers were 'increasingly running food banks and warm hubs, providing food vouchers and even offering use of laundry facilities, but this shouldn't be necessary, and schools cannot tackle all the underlying causes of child poverty'. He said he supported the commissioner's call for cross-departmental action and auto-enrolment for free meals. The Department for Work and Pensions has been contacted for comment.
The Independent
07-07-2025
- Business
- The Independent
‘Mouldy or full of rats': Children in England face almost-Dickensian levels of poverty
The Children's Commissioner has warned some young people in England are living in an 'almost- Dickensian level of poverty ' as a new report reveals the 'real hardship' facing some families. Black mould in a bedroom and rats in a kitchen were among some of the examples given by young people for the commissioner's review, as the government prepares to publish a child poverty strategy in autumn. The latest official estimates, for the year to March 2024, suggest there were a record 4.45 million children living in poverty in the UK. While some feel a sense of shame over their situation, Dame Rachel de Souza said it is 'society at large and decision-makers that should be ashamed of the fact that children don't have enough money'. A multitude of campaign groups have said the government's new strategy must contain a commitment to do away with the two-child benefit limit. The limit, which came into effect under the Conservatives in April 2017, restricts child tax credit and universal credit (UC) to the first two children in most households. Organisations working in the sector argue that 109 children across the UK are pulled into poverty by the policy every day and that an estimated 350,000 children would be lifted out of poverty immediately if it was scrapped. But comments by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson at the weekend have raised concerns the policy might not be done away with, amid financial pressures following the U-turn on welfare reforms. Ms Phillipson said spending decisions have been made 'harder' after the watering down of the welfare reforms. Pressed on whether the chances of the benefit cap going are now slimmer, Ms Phillipson told BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: 'The decisions that have been taken in the last week do make decisions, future decisions harder. 'But all of that said, we will look at this collectively in terms of all of the ways that we can lift children out of poverty.' Estimates for the cost of scrapping the policy vary, from around £2.6 billion to £3.5 billion by the end of this Parliament (2029/30). Dame Rachel – whose office was commissioned to carry out its report to feed into the Government's work in the area – said while there is 'no quick fix to ending child poverty', she feels it is 'very clear that any child poverty strategy must be built on the foundation of scrapping the two-child limit'. She added that a new approach is needed which 'stops sidelining children's voices', saying that 'only by listening to children, and acting in response, will we get close to solving those problems'. The commissioner said in recent years she has seen a change in children's comments, noting that issues traditionally seen as 'adult' concerns 'are now keenly felt by children, who see their parents' worries and the struggles they face: the hours they work, the homes they live in and the ability to put food on the table'. She added: 'Children shared harrowing accounts of hardship, with some in almost-Dickensian levels of poverty. 'They don't talk about 'poverty' as an abstract concept but about not having the things that most people would consider basic: a safe home that isn't mouldy or full of rats, with a bed big enough to stretch out in, 'luxury' food like bacon, a place to do homework, heating, privacy in the bathroom and being able to wash, having their friends over, and not having to travel hours to school.' While commending 'some positive steps by the Government to get more money into families' pockets', she urged 'bold, practical measures that break the link between a child's background and their opportunities'. The commissioner's report, based on the experiences of 128 children across the country between January and March this year, noted a range of concerns including lack of access to quality, healthy food and living in cramped and poor conditions. As well as calling for the two-child benefit limit to be scrapped, Dame Rachel urged a commitment to a so-called 'triple-lock' for uprating all child-related benefits, reforms to ensure families are not being housed in temporary bed and breakfast accommodation for longer than the legal six-week limit, free bus travel for all school-aged children in England and better safety measures in areas with children in low-income families including increased street lighting, and more neighbourhood watch-style initiatives. A government spokesperson said: 'We are determined to bring down child poverty. We've just announced a new £1 billion package to reform crisis support, including funding to ensure the poorest children do not go hungry outside of term time. 'This comes alongside the expansion to free breakfast clubs, investing £39 billion in social and affordable housing, increasing the national minimum wage and supporting 700,000 of the poorest families by introducing a Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions. 'As part of our plan for change, the Child Poverty Taskforce will publish an ambitious strategy later this year to ensure we deliver fully-funded measures that tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty across the country.'
Daily Mail
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Calls for ministers to introduce a pension style triple-lock to end 'Dickensian levels' of poverty
Labour should introduce a pension-style 'triple-lock' on all child-related benefits to tackle child poverty in England, the Children's Commissioner has urged. Dame Rachel de Souza said that some young people are facing 'Dickensian levels' of poverty with children going without basic needs such as heating or a place to wash. All four UK Children's Commissioners - from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - have backed Dame Rachel's call for a 'triple-lock' on child benefits that would introduce annual uplifts. The children's watchdogs have also repeated their demand for the Government to end the two-child benefits limit, in a move likely to pile further pressure on Sir Keir Starmer following growing calls for a review of the policy from Labour backbenchers. A new report from the Children's Commissioner's, based on the experiences of 128 children between January and March this year, noted a range of concerns including lack of access to healthy food and living in cramped and poor conditions. A 7-year-old girl told Dame Rachel that rats come into her family's kitchen at night while a 15-year-old boy told of food packages arriving 'out of date and mouldy', leaving his family hungry. While some children said they felt a sense of shame over their situation, Dame Rachel said it is 'society at large and decision-makers that should be ashamed of the fact that children don't have enough money'. Other proposals from the Children's Commissioner to tackle child poverty include free bus travel for all school-age children, auto-enrolment for free school meals for all eligible children and priority for housing to be given to children in low-income households. Dame Rachel - whose office was commissioned to carry out its report to feed into the Government's child poverty review - said while there is 'no quick fix to ending child poverty', she feels it is 'very clear that any child poverty strategy must be built on the foundation of scrapping the two-child limit'. The latest official estimates, for the year to March 2024, suggest there were a record 4.45 million children living in poverty in the UK. The Government is due to publish a child poverty strategy in the autumn and campaigners have said it must include a commitment to remove the two-child benefit limit. The limit, which came into effect under the Conservatives in April 2017, restricts child tax credit and universal credit to the first two children in most households. Estimates suggest that scrapping the policy would cost the Government up to £3.5billion by the end of this Parliament. Dame Rachel said the findings of her report reveal the 'real hardship' and 'an almost-Dickensian level of poverty' facing some children in England today. The commissioner said in recent years she has seen a change in children's comments, noting that issues traditionally seen as 'adult' concerns 'are now keenly felt by children'. She added: 'Children do not talk about poverty as an abstract concept. They talk in simple but powerful terms about how it feels to not have enough money to do the same things as their friends, or to feel a sense of shame at being seen as 'lesser'. 'Children should not be ashamed of their family's financial situation, instead, it's society at large and decision makers that should be ashamed of the fact that children don't have enough money.'
