CYP Now - Fears over universal credit demand action

The impact on poor people of the rollout of universal credit - the minimum six-week delay in receiving the first payment, the reduced amount that most claimants receive, the frequent slide into debt - is well known. But its impact on child protection has been largely overlooked.

First, we are seeing early evidence of an increase in tensions between parents, leading in many cases to domestic abuse. Why? In the past, child benefit has been paid to the mother, so even if the father receives most of the family money, at least some has gone direct to the parent who normally manages the family shopping. Universal credit gathers together several previous benefits into one monthly payment, instead of weekly as previously, including the element to cover rent, and all to one applicant. In our region this results in all the month's money normally going direct to the father.

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