Causecast

From BBC

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) estimates that 2.3 million children will be in poverty in 2010, missing the 1.7 million target set in 1999.

JRF chief executive Julia Unwin said dealing with child poverty would become “tougher in the current recession”.

The government aims to eradicate child poverty completely by 2020.

The report suggests that the recession may not increase the number of children living in poverty, but could push many further below the poverty line owing to increased unemployment.

It warns: "Overall, it is possible that recession will bring a net increase in children’s hardship even though it does not raise the child poverty total.

“This is likely to raise the cost of tackling child poverty, since it is more difficult to lift children out of severe poverty.”

Research carried out by the Institute of Fiscal Studies found that the child element of the child tax credit would need to be raised by £12.50 a week to meet the target, adding up to £4.2bn a year.

It added that if the 2010 target was missed, “this will make it more difficult to meet the more ambitious goal of eradicating child poverty by 2020”.

Child poverty could even rise to 3.1 million by 2020, without any new policies to help low-income families, the report warned.

It stood at 3.4 million when the targets were set by Tony Blair’s government.

Report author Donald Hirsch said: "The challenge in a recession will be to build on the progress already made in reducing child poverty.

“But it is unrealistic to assume that planned welfare-to-work measures will bring large increases in the number of parents with jobs, as in previous projections.

“During the recession, those families who remain out of work will need extra money if they are to avoid severe poverty, which can do irreparable harm to children who grow up in such circumstances.”

To learn more about helping eradicate child poverty, please visit Save The Children.

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