Immigration Bill changes ‘put vulnerable children at risk'

A report by The Children’s Society warns that provisions in the bill to overhaul the system of support for migrant families who are blocked from claiming benefits will have a potentially devastating impact.

At present around 6,000 families across the UK, including thousands of families who have legal leave to remain in the UK, as well as some British children impacted by their parents’ immigration status, receive a limited level of accommodation or financial support from their local authority.

But the report, Making Life Impossible, states that provisions in the bill could see this support cut back, with the government yet to clarify how the new regime will work.
 
It also claims that the current system is already failing vulnerable children – with four in 10 of those making claims for destitution support being rejected. The report suggests that even when claims are successful, many families still experience extreme poverty on a daily basis. ??Rates of support vary widely across the UK and often fall well below the poverty line, with some families struggling to survive on less than £2 per day per person.

The charity said any moves to further restrict support to migrant families could leave children homeless and put them at risk of exploitation and abuse.

It is demanding that the government commits to a minimum level of support for the new system that is at least equal to that given through the benefits system – currently equivalent to around £110 per week for a single mother with one child. It is also calling for an end to the "punishing practice" of stopping families with children under 18 who have legal leave to remain in the UK from claiming benefits.
 
Sam Royston, director of policy and research at The Children’s Society, said: “Far too many migrant families in desperate need are already at crisis point, forced to get by on impossibly low levels of support or denied help altogether. Further restricting this support would have a devastating impact, making the lives of incredibly vulnerable children even more precarious.
 
“The government must make sure that the new system focuses on the needs of the child – and not their parents’ immigration status – giving families the level of support they need to keep their children healthy and safe. No child should be left facing homelessness and destitution.”