Home-Start Birmingham North West have hosted a visit from Alison McGovern, Minister for Employment, as part of the government’s Child Poverty Taskforce.

The Taskforce was launched in August 2024 and brings different government departments together and will deliver a 10 year Child Poverty Strategy in the spring.

The session brought together parents, Home-Start staff, and other community group leaders in Birmingham.

Parents had the opportunity to describe the challenges that low income, poor housing and lack of services have on their families and their children, as well as the chance to offer their solutions.

The Minister heard first hand some powerful examples of the work that Home-Start does and the impact it had on families. She was left in now doubt about the importance of Home-Start's work, and the life changing impact it has.

Donna Prescott, manager at Home-Start Birmingham North West, said: "I am really pleased that we were able to host such an important event at Home-Start. The experiences of many of our families needs to be heard and acted upon.  If we are to break the cycle of extreme poverty and deprivation in our communities across Birmingham, then we must call for investment and funding into the frontline charities and organisations who are making a direct difference to families every single day."

Since 2020-21 Home-Starts have supported at least 20,000 families with debt and finance challenges, and the number of families supported by Home-Starts experiencing debt or finance issues has increased 20% in the past year and the number of families experiencing unsuitable housing has doubled since 2020-21.

Matthew Hann, Home-Start UK head of policy and communications, said: “The most recent data shows that Birmingham is the local authority area with the highest rate of child poverty in the UK[1], so it was really important that the Minister was able to visit Home-Start Birmingham North West and hear from parents. But Home-Start’s across the UK are seeing the impact of low household income and rising prices. This is why the Child Poverty Taskforce and the strategy it will produce is so important, and why it need to have concrete actions and the financial investment required to end child poverty.”

The visit coincided with the launch of new data released by Home-Start UK and Cadent[2], which showed the impact of the rising cost-of-living faced by UK families, with 48% of parents saying they have skipped a meal to ensure their children are fed, with 32% saying they have done so multiple times. 

The survey also showed that 26% of parents have had to choose between cooking a meal or heating their home. Young parents are most affected, with almost three quarters (73%) of parents aged between 16-24 saying they have had to skip a meal to ensure their children can eat.

As well as the minister, the event was also attended by Richard Parker, the Mayor of the West Midlands, who is developing his own poverty strategy for the West Midlands and Birmingham.

 

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