Wales: BASW Cymru urges First Minister to influence the end of the two-child benefit cap

Cymru

Wales: BASW Cymru urges First Minister to influence the end of the two-child benefit cap

BASW Cymru’s National Director, Prof. Sam Baron, has written to the First Minister of Wales, Eluned Morgan MS, urging her to use her position and influence to bring to an end the “leading enabler of child poverty” in society in the form of the two-child limit and benefit cap.

BASW Cymru (British Association of Social Workers), is the largest professional membership organisation for social work in Wales and is a member of the larger BASW family across the UK. As the voice for social work and social workers, it represents the profession in addition to providing campaigning, career development opportunities, practice resources, advice, and representation.

In her letter, Prof Baron acknowledges the power to end this “cruel and harsh policy” sits with the UK Government but urges the First Minister to “stand with the 65,000 children affected by the two-child cap” in Wales and pressure her Labour colleagues to scrap the policy.

Prof. Baron also acknowledges the UK Governments intention to develop a UK-wide child poverty strategy but insists ending the two-child limit and benefit cap must be an integral part of this strategy.

The letter further outlines some key statistics impacting on families directly impacted by the two-child cap include:

93% struggle to afford food.
82% struggle to pay for gas and electricity.
46% struggle to manage childcare costs.
45% struggle to pay rent or mortgage.

The full letter reads:

Dear First Minister,

Re: Two-child cap

The British Association of Social Workers in Wales (BASW Cymru) is the largest professional membership organisation for social workers, and social work students, in Wales and is part of the wider BASW UK family, with over 21,000 members, covering the four nations, working with some of the most marginalised and vulnerable groups within society.

I am writing to you with regards to the UK’s government position on the two-child limit and benefit cap. Your predecessor, Mark Drakeford MS, was a vocal critic of this policy and described the limit as the “single greatest driver of child poverty.” The choice of words is both meaningful and powerful and as you are aware, one of the key preventative drivers to avoid the unnecessary use of statutory services.

I am writing to ask that as the incoming First Minister, one who has indicated change and commitment to the people of Wales, specifically vulnerable people, to add your voice against this cruel and harsh policy and do all in your power to help bring an end to it by making the strongest of representations to your colleagues within the UK Government, a Labour Government.

Social workers across Wales interact with many of the most vulnerable people in society. They tell us they are witnessing, first-hand, the devastating impact of poverty on people’s lives and the everyday impact inflicted on them and their families which impacts their ability to thrive and lead a happy, healthy and fulfilling life. As such, this contradicts the ambitions of Wales within the Future Generations Act and will serve to increase the number of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) children in Wales experience. Not only this, but we know that poverty and child poverty disproportionately impacts on Wales, in a negative way, when compared to the other nations within the UK.

We are acutely aware that the new UK Government faces tough choices as they balance finite resources, but the failure to reverse this crippling policy is extremely frightening, not only to those families directly impacted, but also our membership body and other professionals, who so often are left picking up the pieces when far-ranging consequences start to play out.

BASW Cymru acknowledges the new UK Government’s intention to develop a UK-wide child poverty strategy, and this is very much welcomed. Surely, it can not go unsaid that part of this strategy must mean the scrapping of the two-child cap which is a leading enabler of child poverty in the first instance.

From speaking to families directly impacted by the two-child cap, the figures are stark:

93% struggle to afford food.
82% struggle to pay for gas and electricity.
46% struggle to manage childcare costs.
45% struggle to pay rent or mortgage.

Many families continue to struggle with providing the necessary basics of life and we know that struggle is more widespread across our communities:

65,000 children are impacted by the two-child cap in Wales.
Of the 65,00 children affected:
52% lived in household with three children,
29% lived in a household with four children,
19% lived in a household with five or more children.
Parents and guardians lose out on £3,235 per child per year, compared with families who have a third or more children born before 6 April 2017.

It has also believed that unless this policy is scrapped, the majority of children in larger families in Wales will fall below the poverty line by the end of the UK Government’s parliament in five years. Child poverty, once thought of as a postcode lottery in Wales, could soon be defined simply by those children born before 6 April 2017 and those born afterwards.

Nobody purposely has children to access a relatively small amount of money, but this money, for far too many families, is the difference between heat or eat, having a roof over their heads, or joining the homelessness statistics, or simply having the ability to provide the very basics that most of us take for granted. Children too, should not feel the Government’s punishment for the decision of their parents and this unfair policy also disproportionately impacts on women throughout Wales.

As First Minister, please stand with the 65,000 children affected by the two-child cap policy and those across Wales destined to fall into poverty as a direct result.

As the newly elected First Minister for Wales, please use your position and influence to end this inequality in Wales and BASW Cymru is commitment to supporting you, and your Government, in whatever capacity we can.

In the run-up to the General Election, the Prime Minister’s key word was “change” ... Let’s make that change happen.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Prof. Sam Baron

Director, BASW Cymru

*Statistics gathered from the Bevan Foundation and the Child Poverty Action Group.