Following the Chancellor’s spring statement, NCB has issued the following response:
There is much to commend in the Government’s vision for childhood. The ambition to create the healthiest generation of children, the focus on early childhood development in the Prime Minister's Plan for Change, and the commitment to a child poverty strategy all have the potential to transform the lives of children and families.
However, children and families need more than just words. We must never return to the misguided drive towards austerity, which disproportionately impacted children in the most deprived areas, sweeping increasing numbers of children into poverty. Many families struggling to make ends meet rely on the welfare system to stay afloat. Cuts to health benefits will only cast them further adrift. By DWP’s own admission, the combined effect of the package of welfare reforms will push tens of thousands of children deeper into poverty and make life harder for millions more.
The Chancellor must now take further action in the Spending Review to build on the one-year funding promises already made, so that families get the help they are crying out for, as soon as it is needed, through properly funded services and a fit-for-purpose benefits system.