Benefit reform poverty threat

The Government must work harder to get Universal credit right. The best way to get children out of poverty is to get more parents in work.

But as this report shows, their current plans will lock in a parents’ penalty, chip away at the incentives for thousands to work and push 150,000 working parents deeper into poverty."

Save the Children are wrong to assert that lone parents will lose as a result of the introduction of Universal credit - the truth is 600,000 lone parents will be better off under a system which will incentivise work and make work pay.

This is in stark contrast to the broken system this Government inherited which only rewards lone parents who work 16 hours or more.

Under Universal credit, 80,000 more families, including lone parents, will be able to claim childcare support - no matter how few hours they work."

We know that the most effective help comes early and should support families to find long term solutions to their problems. The Government's bold strategy which focuses on the prevention of crisis has the potential to make a positive difference to all those families who are struggling.

The publication of the social justice strategy is an important next step in plans to redraw support for families by intervening early and helping them to turnaround their problems and prevent crisis."

The fact is that many vulnerable individuals and families come into regular contact with government agencies throughout their lives.

They will be meeting with health visitors, social workers, school officials and even jobcentre staff. It's at these critical points that we must be more joined up, more brave and offer help to people to turn their lives around.

There is a lot of money being spent on families but it is dysfunctional money that goes to solve only short-term problems. We can't keep allowing endemic problems to be passed on to the next generation."