Coram, the country’s first and longest serving children’s charity, has responded to the Budget set out today by the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Our Charter for Children calls for a realignment of the social contract between society and children backed by the key principles of a fair share, a secure future and an equal chance. Today’s Budget contains a number of measures that impact on that vision.
Two-child benefit cap
Dr Carol Homden, Coram CEO, said: “We welcome the Chancellor’s announcement that the two-child benefit cap is being abolished. This is a huge step towards achieving the benefits equality we call for in Coram’s Charter. We believe that this will lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty and help achieve better life chances for children who have been penalised through being raised in a larger family and along with the children’s sector more widely we commend the government for this decision.”
No recourse to public funds
Anita Hurrell, Head of Policy at Coram, said: “We remain concerned by the number of children in poverty whose families have no recourse to public funds. The IPPR estimates that more than a third of the total number of children in poverty are children with migrant parents, a problem only set to increase as a result of the longer routes to settlement announced last week by the Home Office. We will continue to express our concern and urge the government to ensure that its child poverty strategy addresses poverty experienced by children in the immigration and asylum systems.”
Early years sector
Ka Lai Brightley-Hodges, Head of Coram PACEY, said: “Today’s Budget was a missed opportunity to address the crisis that is pushing the early years sector to breaking point. Last week Ofsted confirmed a continued decline in childminder numbers, and our own polling highlights the consequences of Government underfunding alongside rising delivery costs on business viability. Without substantial, urgent investment that enables providers to support children and families with high-quality early education and childcare, the situation will only deteriorate. We risk seeing more providers reducing or withdrawing funded places – and, in the worst cases, closing their businesses altogether.
“The Government has today committed to undertaking a “review of childcare provision”. This must include a comprehensive and ambitious plan to reverse the decline in childminder numbers and confront the central issue of providers being underfunded and undervalued.”
Funding for school libraries
Amy Lewis, Head of Coram Beanstalk, said: “We welcome the announcement that every secondary school in England is to receive £1,400 towards new library books and reaffirmation of the government’s commitment to a library in every primary school within this parliament. Coram Beanstalk works with children and young people across the country to build their love of reading, and our research shows the huge difference reading makes to children’s progress in school, improving both their attainment and their wellbeing. This investment is a positive step to get more young people to love reading through investment in books that are relevant and interesting to them.”
About Coram
Coram is the first and longest serving children’s charity in the UK. Established as the Foundling Hospital in 1739, today we are a vibrant charity group of specialist organisations – the Coram Group – supporting hundreds of thousands of children, young people and families every year.
We do this by championing children’s rights and wellbeing and making their lives better every day through our range of services. These include reading support and life skills education in schools for 300,000 children, adoption services for children waiting to find a home, mental health support, cultural programmes, and legal advice and advocacy for thousands of children and families every year.
All of our work delivers across seven key outcomes for children and young people: A fair chance, A loving home, A voice that’s heard, A chance to shine, Skills for the future, No matter where and A society that cares.
You can read the Coram Charter for Children here, and find Coram’s policy page here.
For more information, please visit:
Website: www.coram.org.uk
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