CYP Now - Cross-government child poverty unit scrapped

The government's cross-departmental child poverty unit has been abolished, with the government confirming that its functions have been subsumed into the wider remit of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

The unit was set up by the last Labour government to work across departments to help reduce child poverty.

But in a written parliamentary response to a question from Labour MP Dan Jarvis, work and pensions minister Damian Hinds confirmed that the unit no longer exists as a distinct cross-departmental entity.

Hinds said: "The child poverty unit's main function was to support ministers in exercising their duties in relation to the income-related targets set out in the Child Poverty Act 2010 and the associated child poverty strategy.

"Following the repeal of those targets, responsibility for child poverty policy and analysis transferred to the DWP."

Register Now to Continue Reading

Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's Included