Mary Gamble’s Post

Should the government be responsible to pay child benefits for all children or is having a third, fourth etc child the choice of the parents? Will removing the cap really help remove children from poverty or give some parents more money to spend of fags & booze? What’s your thoughts on this controversial subject

#Budget2025 needs to focus on providing families with sufficient financial supports to ensure their children have access to the basic essentials needed for a decent childhood. That means having sufficient food, heating, electricity and aiming to ensure they have enough income to meet a minimum essential standard of living. This will require a balance of targeted and universal supports - Suzanne Connolly, Chief Executive Barnardos Ireland #BreakTheCycle #EndChildPoverty #ChildrensBudget25 https://lnkd.in/erHWX2AP

Is child poverty going to be addressed by this new government? On the positive side, the PM has set up a new ministerial taskforce on Child Poverty, saying that the previous government's failure to tackle the causes of child poverty has been "completely unacceptable". But in the Kings Speech delivered yesterday, although employment, mental health and community right to buy reform was backed, the lack of any inclusion of legislation to tackle child poverty has been called into question by many charities dealing with issues of poverty in the UK. And Sir Keir may need to ward off a rebellion from his backbenchers who are supporting calls for the controversial two-child benefit cap to be scrapped. At least 1 in 4 children live in absolute poverty in the UK, and 1.6 million children live in families affected by the two-child benefit limit. The policy means low-income parents are denied key benefits, including universal credit, for their third and any subsequent children born from April 2017. The SNP has officially tabled an amendment to the king’s speech to scrap the policy and this is being back by members of other parties, including the Labour party. What do you think? Is Sir Keir doing enough to end child poverty? What more could he be doing?

The King’s Speech today promised ‘security, fairness, and opportunity for all’, but sadly we know all too well through our work at Barnardo's that child poverty is a huge barrier to all these ambitions. This morning I was pleased to join a roundtable with the new Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Liz Kendall MP where, alongside colleagues in the children’s sector, I set out the case for urgent action to reverse the two child limit on key benefits. We know this one action could lift some 300,000 children out of poverty right away. It’s great news that we will now have a Ministerial taskforce on Child Poverty with a unit in the Cabinet Office. It shows a real commitment to achieving a lasting impact – but we mustn’t lose sight of the need for immediate, tangible change that supports families in the here and now. Overall, there were some really welcome commitments in the Government’s programme today. To start with, a Children’s Wellbeing Bill can only be a good thing. Beyond the headline 4.5m children in poverty, we know children in the UK are getting shorter, experiencing high levels of poor mental health, and that risks to safety on and offline are giving parents sleepless nights. There were other important announcements too, including the return of a phased ban on the sale of tobacco. Action on all these issues is desperately needed so that challenges in childhood don’t lead to missed opportunities later in life. There were some promising signs today. But we also know that real progress will hinge on the spending review expected this autumn. Without investment, it just won’t be possible to address child poverty, or to give this generation of children and young people the future they deserve.

According to this new survey, the top 3 financial pressures facing local government leaders in next 12 months are adult social care, children’s social care and homelessness. No doubt private finance is eyeing up even greater 'opportunities' created by local authorities facing financial squeeze. But, it will dress this up as social impact, catalytic, blended, purpose based etc finance. https://lnkd.in/es3_KQQB

The cost of long-term care rose by 19% between 2021/22 and 2022/23. 📈 Many more people are living to 100, and we may need social care for years – making a big dent in our savings and how much money our children may inherit. 👵💰 Financial advice can help you to plan ahead to cover your social care costs and leave money to younger generations. 💡 Many of us find it hard to think about ourselves, or our parents needing help as we get older. And when we do start to think about it – perhaps in our 50s or 60s – the cost implications can make us wince. 😬 The high cost of social care can quickly swallow up any inheritance that we planned to pass on to our children or grandchildren. In 2023, the average cost of residential care in the UK rose to £46,000 per year, rising to over £50,000 in certain parts of the country, or for specialist nursing or dementia care. 💷 It's also important to remember that the proposed £86,000 care-fees cap, which the UK government is planning to introduce in England in October 2025, isn't a silver bullet either. The proposal does increase the lower and upper thresholds for social care funding, but it only caps some care costs, not all. Read more here about what the government cap on care fees mean for you. 🏥 But with careful forward planning, you can mitigate the impact that care fees can have on your inheritance. 📝 Read our full article here: https://lnkd.in/e5-dzuTW #inheritance #future #planning #amica #finance

Social Futures applauds the budget initiatives targeting sticky inflation and cost-of-living challenges, especially much-needed investment in crisis and transitional accommodation for people escaping domestic and family violence. However, it's crucial to go further. We need significant boosts in funding for social and public housing if we are to meet current needs, and raising the rates of Jobseeker and Youth Allowance is critical to prevent poverty and future homelessness. Everyone deserves a fair chance. 👉 Read Social Futures CEO Tony Davies' response to the 2024 Federal Budget: https://lnkd.in/emNzc3qb #WeAreSocialFutures #Budget2024

Social Futures applauds the budget initiatives targeting sticky inflation and cost-of-living challenges, especially much-needed investment in crisis and transitional accommodation for people escaping DFV. However, it's crucial to go further. We need significant boosts in funding for social and public housing if we are to meet current need, and raising the rates of Jobseeker and Youth Allowance is critical to prevent poverty and future homelessness. Everyone deserves a fair chance.  #RaiseTheRate for Jobseeker and Youth Allowance. Here is my full response to the Federal Budget https://lnkd.in/d7UeAqKC #EverybodysHome #WeAreSocialFutures #BudgetForAll #Budget2024

Once again the Federal Budget has prioritised band-aid fixes over long-lasting solutions for family violence and homelessness. Increasing Commonwealth Rent Assistance by 10% will not solve this countries rental affordability crisis. Low income earners will continue to be priced out of or not even considered for the majority of rental properties when people who can afford to are offering 6+ months of rent in advance. For victim survivors leaving violent relationships, particularly single mothers and those with an experience of financial abuse, it's even harder. The extension and rebrand of the existing Escaping Violence Payment barely touches the sides when victim survivors leave with nothing and there's no housing to go to. And with #IDAHOBIT around the corner, let's not forget the unique experiences and impacts for LGBTIQA+ communities who continue to be overlooked in system reform. LGBTIQA+ people can face additional family violence risk factors and there are often less housing options available for those experiencing homelessness due to a lack of crisis accommodation for male, transgender and non-binary victim survivors and not being able stay with family of origin due to homo/bi/transphobia. We need a system that can respond to everyone who needs it. Incredibly disappointing but unfortunately not surprising.

The NSW Government today announced the 2024-25 NSW Budget. Carers NSW welcomes a range of measures and investments relating to housing, health, mental health, disability and the cost of living. However, Carers NSW was disappointed to see no specific carer-focused measures in the Budget. Key Budget measures relevant to carers will aim to: ▶️ Improve access to mental health services ▶️ Increase the number of social housing dwelling and access to homelessness support ▶️ Improve protections for renters ▶️ Improve access to primary and acute health services in NSW ▶️ Support the NSW Government response to ongoing disability reforms ▶️ Ensure ongoing access to legal support services ▶️ Address cost of living pressures through a broad range of schemes, subsidies and rebates To find out more about the 2024-25 NSW Budget, visit https://lnkd.in/gFA9TiK