The Addressing Poverty Update UK Children Dying through Poverty report was co-led by Dr Charmele Ayadurai, an Assistant Professor of Finance, with colleagues at Newcastle University.
What did the study find?
- Children living in the most disadvantaged areas are more likely to die in intensive care.
- The number of children living in poverty is projected to rise by 300,000 to 4.8m by 2029.
- The current UK two-child benefit cap, which prevents households on Universal Credit or Child Tax Credit from receiving child benefit payments for a third of subsequent child born after April 2017, is pushing 109 families per day into hardship.
What does the study recommend?
- Removing the two-child benefit cap, and making changes to Universal Credit to improve circumstances for 1.5 million children living in poverty.
- Supporting schools to take no-cost and low-cost actions to reduce the cost of the school day.
- Working with children, their families, and the wider community to find solutions.
The updated report has been released as part of the Child of the North project, a collaboration between the N8 Research Partnership and Health Equity North. It is part of the #ChildrenFirst campaign of reports and recommendations for policymakers.
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