Fighting child poverty in the UK

Everyone deserves a happy childhood. But when parents struggle, children do too. Together, let's support UK families fighting poverty to speak up for what they deserve.

Keep the lifeline

The Government say they are cutting Universal Credit because they want to focus on getting people into work instead.

But 75% of children in poverty are from a working household.

Any of us could fall on hard times.

But no child deserves to go hungry because their parent’s income takes a hit. To struggle to concentrate at school because there isn’t enough for breakfast. To miss out on nursery, school trips, and all those chances to learn, play and discover everything that’s possible.

The cut to Universal Credit by £20 a week will leave families – many of whom are in work but aren’t able to earn enough - worrying about how to provide for their children.

“If I lose £20 per week, I’ll have to sell my car. My kids can’t go to after school activities. Losing it would be devastating.” - Anne, single mum from Aberdeenshire, NHS nurse

Poppy & Gemma

Poppy, 3, plays in the park near her home.

‘I never expected to be a single parent but when that happened, I applied for Universal Credit.’

Sometimes one income doesn’t stretch far enough. Any of us could fall on hard times, like Poppy’s mum Gemma.

When the pandemic hit, together we persuaded the government to support families on Universal Credit with an extra £20 a week. And in March, we pushed the government to keep this lifeline for a further 6 months. Millions of families felt the pressure on them release a little.

The cuts are going ahead this week, but the UK government heard us. They know they need to do better for families on Universal Credit.

That’s why they’re looking at ways to reduce the ‘taper rate’ (the amount of Universal Credit removed for each £1 someone earns) and create a new grants scheme for households on low incomes.

The Story so far

Together, we've:

Won a six-month extension to the uplift. That’s an extra six months of help to keep children's homes warm and food on their tables.
Helped the voices of parents like Gemma be heard.
Started a bigger conversation with politicians, the media, and Marcus Rashford on the impact this cut will have on children and their families.

Every child deserves to have the same opportunities as their friends. To have the basics taken care of. Yet thousands of children in the UK are struggling through poverty.

That's why we'll keep pushing the government to do better for families on Universal Credit.

Because every child deserves the chance to explore a world of possibilities.