Poverty unit formed
A dedicated Child Poverty Unit will be at the heart of a renewed push by the Government to hit its target of eradicating child poverty by 2020.
The new unit will bring together representatives from the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Work and Pensions to develop policy with HM Treasury.
Secretary of state for Work and Pensions Peter Hain announced the unit's creation at a conference this week held by children's charity Barnardo's, whose policy advisor Neera Sharma will join the team for a year.
Mr Hain said that the Government believed that getting parents into work was 'the best route out of poverty'.
He said, 'The new Child Poverty Unit will spearhead the Government's fight against the blight of child poverty, bringing departments and stakeholders together so we can better build on the success that has already been achieved.'
Ed Balls, secretary for Children, Schools and Families, said, 'We are also committed to narrowing the gap in educational achievement between children from deprived backgrounds and those who are better off. This will provide a path out of poverty for generations to come.'
Hilary Fisher, director of the Campaign to End Child Poverty, said, 'It is encouraging to see child poverty being treated as the cross-government issue that it is. The impact of child poverty extends into many areas of our society, and a broad approach makes sense. But it's already clear that we need a £4bn investment in tax credits and benefits, and the creation of this new group should not prevent that from moving forward.'
