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c/o Council for Disabled Children
National Children's Bureau
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London EC1V 7QE
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Families with disabled children face biggest increase in poverty risk
10 June 2008
EDCM calls for further action to meet child poverty targets
The Every Disabled Child Matters campaign (EDCM) is calling for an urgent response as government statistics out today (10 June) reveal that the risk of living in poverty has increased from 20% - 25% for families with a disabled child. Disabled children are at now at greater risk of living in relative poverty than non-disabled children.
EDCM is urging government to take further action to help families with disabled children lift themselves out of poverty, in particular by amending the tax credits system to make work a viable option. The campaign is calling for government to increase the upper limit of the childcare element of Working Tax Credit to £300 for disabled children. This reflects the fact that childcare currently costs families with disabled children up to five times as much as other families, meaning that only 16% of mothers with disabled children work compared with 61% of other mothers.
Between 2005/6 and 2006/7, the risk of relative poverty for families with a disabled child but no disabled adult family member has increased from 20% to 25%, while the risk for families with both a disabled child and a disabled adult family member has risen from 24% to 31%. The risk of relative poverty for families with disabled adults but no disabled children has stayed static, although high, at 33%.
Steve Broach, EDCM Campaign Manager and Trustee of the Campaign to End Child Poverty, comments:
‘It is likely that the reason for this increase is that families with disabled children still face significant barriers to work compared with other families. So, we need a greater focus on getting parents with disabled children into the workforce - as we have seen for disabled adults.’
‘The most effective step government could take to make this happen would be to increase the childcare element of working tax credit. This will be an essential part of meeting the government’s child poverty targets in 2010 and 2020.’
Steve Broach continues:
‘EDCM welcomes the childcare pilots announced as part of the Aiming High for Disabled Children programme and the new duty on local authorities to secure a sufficient supply of childcare for our families. In time, these initiatives should make mainstream childcare places more accessible to disabled children, including those with complex needs. However, this change will take time to happen. What we need urgently is a change in the tax credit system so that families who want to work can cover the costs of the specialist childcare that may currently be the only option available to them.’
‘In general terms, as active members of the Campaign to End Child Poverty, we are disappointed that the HBAI statistics released today show that the number of children living in poverty rose slightly from the previous year. The impact of the £1bn the Government spent in the March budget isn't reflected in these figures, which show both the size of the challenge, but also the action the Government must take. Poverty has a direct impact on every aspect of a child's life, as a member of the Campaign to End Child Poverty we are calling on the Government to commit the £3bn needed to halve child poverty by 2010 and make a real difference to a million children's lives.’
The Households Below Average Income report also shows that, unsurprisingly, families who do not claim disability benefits are more likely to live in poverty. EDCM is calling for further work on take-up of Disability Living Allowance to ensure that an estimated 100,000 disabled children who are entitled to Disability Living Allowance but are not currently getting it start to receive the benefit.
EDCM welcomes the fact that the Work and Pensions Select Committee supported all these recommendations, and made further recommendations in relation to benefits. The campaign will be working with the Child Poverty Unit to take these recommendations forwards and will be analysing the government’s new National Strategy for Carers, announced today, for further opportunities, including potential reforms to Carers Allowance.
More from EDCM:
News story: Financial victory for families with disabled children
News story: Disabled children may have 'worst housing' in Britain
News story: Ed Balls: health can match our commitment
