Child poverty the biggest barrier to social mobility
The biggest barrier to social mobility is child poverty, Save the Children said today.
Tuesday 8 January 2008
Responding to David Blunkett's pamphlet on social mobility, Save the Children's UK spokesperson Claire Walker warned that urgent action is needed to counter child poverty in the UK.
"Growing up in poverty is the most significant barrier to social mobility and the government urgently needs to act to address the growing gap between rich and poor," Ms Walker said. "As part of the Campaign to End Child Poverty we are calling for a £4 billion investment to halve child poverty by 2010."
"Save the Children is also campaigning for seasonal grants in summer and at Christmas, of £100 per child, for the poorest families. This would relieve the pressure on the most vulnerable families at the times of year when they are under the most financial strain."
"While broadly welcoming Blunkett's proposals, Ms Walker warned against losing sight of the bigger picture."
"Social mobility has stalled under this government, so David Blunkett's new pamphlet on this issue is extremely timely," she said. "We support many of his proposals, including narrowing the gap of educational achievement and reform of the social fund.
"But a person's chances in life are defined during childhood. Without tackling underlying child poverty social mobility will not improve, and we are well behind schedule. The government needs to invest £4 billion now in order to meet its target of halving child poverty by 2010."
-ENDS-
For more information please contact: Benedict Dempsey on 020 7012 6852, or out of hours 07831 650 409
Notes to Editors
Save the Children is part of the campaign to End Child Poverty - www.endchildpoverty.org.uk
