This essay will talk about child poverty and examine how the characteristics and circumstances of child poverty and assess the main responses of social policy towards improving their lives.

Examine the characteristics and circumstances of child poverty and assess the main responses of social policy towards improving their lives.

‘Over the last two hundred years, the UK has witnesses a dramatic shift in the level of concern and attention paid to the issue of child poverty’

‘The number of children in poverty has increased threefold in the last 25 years.

‘Internationally, the UK has comparatively high child poverty rate’.

Figures from the European Community Household Panel Survey show that in

1998 the UK had the highest child poverty rate in the European Union, but by 2001 the UK ranked 11th out of the 15 European Union nations on child poverty rates

From the information above, it is made easy to understand just how serious child poverty in the UK is and how it needs to be always acknowledged as an issue that, in the UK 1 in 3 children can relate to.

‘Poverty should not be a birthright. Being poor should not be a life sentence…. Our historic aim will be for ours to be the first generation to end child poverty and it will take a generation. It is a 20-year mission, but I believe it can be done. (Tony Blair 1999)

This is a very strong and demanding statement for one person and government to take on. It is important that he has acknowledged the children of this country’s future by basically saying that no matter what family or social class a child is born into, they do not deserve to live in poverty.

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In the 1800’s the state did not provide any schooling for children. It isn’t until now that schooling is compulsory for all those children aged between 6 and 16. it had also become a norm that most people are staying In education until the age of 18. To me this suggests that child poverty is lower now than in the 1800’s. I feel this as if the children were not going to school then they were not guaranteed a hot meal during the day, whereas today any child who attends school will have a hot healthy meal provided for them.

‘A child has only a 3% risk of poverty if living in a two parent family were both parents work. However where neither parents work, this rises sharply to 74%’

(Gabrielle Preston)

The above is a clear comment that suggests that if a parent chooses to or cannot work then their children only have a 26% risk of not living in poverty. This therefore suggests that the government is not paying enough money to keep their children out of poverty.

According to Alan Johnson (minister of the state for employment) ‘mothers of disabled children are 7 times less likely than mothers with non-disabled children to be able to get work’

Therefore this problem causes more problems as if this mother has to support herself and disabled child with only the help of the government then her disabled child has a higher risk of living in poverty for most of their childhood as without care being available for the child, then the mother cannot work. This could also lead to a lot of health risks for the child due to living in poverty.

In response to these facts, Margaret Hodge (minister for children, young people and families) she said:

‘Early intervention is the key in helping to give children the best start in life. As part of the 10-year strategy for childcare, the sure start unit should ensure that by 2015. All families with a disabled child under five years old will have access, high quality and flexible childcare.

In children there are many factors that could cause severe damage to there health both physically and mentally.

‘children from poor homes have lower life expectancy and are more likely to die in infancy or childhood; they have a greater likelihood of poor health, a lower change of higher educational attainment , a greater risk of unemployment, a higher possibility of involvement in crime and of enduring homelessness. Girls from poor homes are at greater risk of teenage pregnancy’

This statement was made 10 years ago and from looking at the rate of teenage pregnancies in the UK I can see a decrease which suggests that from when Tony Blair and the labour party came into office, their strategy of reducing child poverty has also helped reduce the numbers of teenage pregnancies.

The overall number of pregnancies in England and Wales fell by 3% between 1998 and 1999, the figures show. More young teenagers seem to have heard the public health messages, with 4% fewer girls under 18, and 7% fewer girls under 16, becoming pregnant.

To try and resolve the issue of child poverty Tony Blair made this very interesting aim:

‘Ours is the first generation to end child poverty forever and it will take a generation. It’s a 20-year mission, but I believe it can be done’ (Blair 1999)

Blair also said that child poverty would be eradicated by 2020, halved by 2010 and cut by a quarter in 2004.

In order to half child poverty the poorest families require an extra £10 per week, per child.

An article from the BBC, dated the 9th December 2003 suggested that there has been real progress in dealing with child poverty since 1997. The latest figures suggest poverty has dropped below levels of the early 1990’s. In 2001-02 the number of people living below the poverty line was 12.5 million, around a million fewer than during the mid 1990’s.

The number of children living below the poverty line has been cut from 4.1.million in 1998/99 to 3.5 million in 2003/04. (Government report 2005)

In 1999, when Tony Blair made the statement about reducing child poverty, he has kept to this and the evidence below shows this.

One report said, 18 per cent of children (around 2.4 million) suffer from multiple deprivation, even after the sacrifices made by their parents. These children go without two or more necessities such as a warm waterproof coat or a properly fitting pair of shoes.

This report also stated that 1 in 6 families will fall into poverty as the result of the birth of another child into the family.