UK POLICY

UK Policy

UK Policy

Using the policy cycle as a framework, evaluate the policy developments under the UK coalition government in relation to child poverty and child protection.

Child Poverty

Child poverty in Britain is growing

The standard of living of the lower income group in the UK falls so much that the government's current policy is no chance to free millions of adults, but also children out of poverty. In no country in the European Union, the difference between rich and poor is so extreme and child poverty is as widespread as in Great Britain. The problem is so blatant that the UK in 2010 decided to eradicate a law by a large majority of all parties who were aware of the fact that there is a danger of the figure of children affected by poverty in UK, might rise to as high as a quarter of the child population in UK by the year 2020 (Roelen, Keetie, et al, 2008, p. 33-38). The law was based on making things even for all the members of the UK society. The severe financial and economic crisis, the painful fiscal consolidation and the declining standard of living of the British government prove to be a spanner in their work towards achieving their aim of eliminating child poverty from the United Kingdom. According to a calculation of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, both the relative and the absolute poverty of adults, result in an increase in the poverty rate in UK related to parents', as well as, children's until the year 2020. The relative poverty applies to persons whose income is less than 60 percent of the average income of the population of the corresponding observation year. Absolute poverty is defined as the income - and for future years - falls below the reference value of 2010. According to the calculations of the Institute a quarter of British children in 2020 will live in families with relative poverty. There are 3.3 million minors. Currently, there are "only" 2.6 million (Roelen, Keetie, et al, 2008, p. 33-38). The number of children in households in absolute poverty will increase from 17 to 23 percent later, with correspondingly higher poverty of the parents. Anyone who watched this family income level is dismayed by how many children are poorly fed with chips, pizza and soft drinks that they have no decent clothes in winter and are disadvantaged at an early age.

"It shows that the government has virtually no chance against the child poverty - as defined in the 2010 Act - to eradicate with a present policy", warns the Institute of Fiscal Studies. "The government can not simply rely only on a higher employment and a correspondingly higher income". Without modifications in labor market, without reform of the social systems and a greater redistribution through taxes and subsidies in an unprecedented scale, it is hard to see how poverty should be reduced in the next ten years so drastically. The poverty debate gets new food, since the unemployment rate rose to ...