Thousands of low income families rely on Free School Meals, but the means-testing rules can create a real disincentive to work; unfortunately, this is set to get even worse when the new Universal Credit is introduced in 2013. Currently, families that get means-tested out of work benefits like Jobseeker’s Allowance qualify for Free School Meals…
ACTION: Sign the petition! 25 national organisations including the Children’s Society, the TUC, Barnardo’s and Action for Children have come together to call for a change in the Government’s plans for a substantial cut to welfare support for disabled children under the new “Universal Credit”. The new system will result in many of these children…
In a surprise announcement made in a DWP policy briefing note released at the end of last week, the Government has announced that support for all but the most disabled children, currently provided through the disability element of child tax credit, will be halved under the Universal Credit. Calculations suggest that the loss could amount…
At the heart of the Government’s plans for welfare reform is the intention to improve the financial reward for moving into and progressing in work. However, as Family Action’s new report “Pushed towards poverty: 21 welfare cuts for low income working households” shows, many of the reforms introduced in last year’s Budget and Comprehensive Spending…
Most of the noise and fury in the media over the Government’s announcements about welfare changes has been directed at the impact of unfair cuts to child benefit on higher earning families. However, it is some of the poorest families on out of work benefits who will be most severely affected by welfare cuts effected…