Joint Report: Every Child is Equal
Praxis and the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) reveal the harmful impacts of being excluded from childcare support on migrant families in the new report - Every Child is Equal, Bridging the Childcare Gap for families with No Recourse to Public Funds (NPRF).
“Every child is equal, no matter if they are British or if they are non- British. They are here, so they should be treated equally.” Mother & research participant
Key Recommendations:
The government should start by removing immigration status-based restrictions on eligibility for the extended entitlement. As this is fully expanded in September 2025 to parents of children aged between nine months and four years, failing to include migrant parents may further deepen existing inequalities faced by low-income migrant families.
The Department for Education should review uptake of the entitlement for ‘disadvantaged’ two-year-olds among low-income families with NRPF. Specifically designed to try to close the disadvantage gap and one of the few entitlements that low-income migrant parents are eligible for, it is striking that few appear to be using it.
The government must also take steps to ensure that providers of family services are better equipped to help migrant families understand and take up the entitlements they are eligible for.