The government has committed to cutting the staggering level of child poverty in the UK. But if they are serious about protecting every child, they must address the unique challenges facing migrant children.
The figures are stark. A huge third of children in deep poverty are migrant children, this means that migrant children are hugely overrepresented among those living in destitution. Research shows again and again that children in migrant families are disproportionately more at risk of living in poverty and destitution.
Migrant families face a number of specific barriers created by immigration law and policy, which makes them more likely to be living in poverty in the first place and find it harder to escape poverty. A huge barrier is a policy called No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF). NRPF denies almost every migrant family in the UK access to a social security net. This means that they are blocked from accessing Universal Credit, Child Benefit or any of the other benefits explicitly designed to protect families from poverty, even in a crisis. Almost 4 million people are impacted, including at least half a million children. Learn more about hostile immigration policies impacting migrant children in our short explainer.
Right now, a new cross-government taskforce is developing a child poverty strategy to be published in the Spring. We’re pushing hard to make sure that the unique situation of children in migrant families living in poverty is not ignored in the strategy. We’ve joined forces with campaigners working on children’s rights, poverty reduction, child development and migrant rights to put pressure on Ministers and officials to make sure that this is truly a strategy for every child living in the UK. We’ve written to Ministers, submitted evidence and worked with the End Child Poverty coalition to develop 8 tests for a successful child poverty strategy that includes all children, no matter their immigration status.
What needs to change
To end child poverty, the government must scrap No Recourse to Public Funds. Every day we see how it pushes families to the brink and into real hardship. Parents tell us how they are skipping meals so they can feed their kids and how they are unable to work because they are locked out of childcare support. Contrary to what right-wing politicians and media would have you think, ending this cruel policy wouldn’t give migrants immediate access to the social security system. Instead, what it would give them is equal access to the system. That means that, if a family found themselves facing financial hardship, they’d be able to apply for Universal Credit, for example, just like any British family. If they met the eligibility requirements, they might then be awarded Universal Credit.
It’s not just a matter of tackling the soaring levels of poverty in the UK, it’s a matter of dignity.
“We work really hard, we pay tax, how does it make sense for us to have No Recourse to Public Funds? I have to work two or three jobs and I still can’t give my children the life I want for them. It's like the government gives you the right to breathe but makes you pay for the air”. Anna Berry (name changed) from the No Recourse to Public Funds Action Group
