Child Poverty Targets Abolished

Inequality and Child Poverty are again in the spotlight. Absolute child poverty increased by 300,000 between 2010-11 and 2012-2013. Given that the targets to eliminate child poverty by 2020, the governments approach has to be to get rid of the targets themselves.

Low wages are certainly a factor¸ According to the Guardian, currently, only 15% of workplaces offer apprenticeships, and lack of opportunity coupled with the economic downturn has seen long-term youth unemployment double in recent years. In addition, over 25% of employers are still offering unpaid internships which is a huge barrier to young people already living in poverty.

Attitudes are certainly changing towards apprenticeships and further education generally, and it is encouraging to see the government creating more placements and committed to reaching two million new apprenticeships by next year.

Meanwhile however, children are still languishing in poverty due to rising inequality. Something the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) is fighting to prevent.