There is an “absence of information” on what resources are available to deliver the child poverty strategy, two senior MPs have warned ministers today.
Helen Hayes, chair of the Commons Education Select Committee, and Debbie Abrahams, chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, have voiced concerns about “potential gaps” in the plans for the child poverty task force.
The task force is jointly led by education secretary Bridget Phillipson and work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall.
‘Absence of information’ on resources
Addressing Ms Phillipson and Ms Kendall in a letter, Ms Hayes and Ms Abrahams called for more information about how the strategy will work and highlighted potential gaps in the plans.
“There is an absence of information on what resources are available to deliver the strategy,” the chairs write.
They also urge ministers to be “alert” to the non-teaching work that has been added to teachers’ workload due to “low capacity in other public services”.
As part of the strategy, a new child poverty unit in the Cabinet Office will report to the task force, bringing together expert officials from across government, as well as external experts.
The unit comprises officials from the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Education, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and HM Treasury.
However, the chairs questioned why there were no members of the Home Office or Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) on the unit.
“What other ways are you ensuring that the Home Office, DHSC and other relevant government departments are involved in the development of the strategy?” they ask.
SEND must be taken into account, chairs warn
The committee chairs also ask what other metrics of poverty the task force might consider, adding that “further detail on alternative measures would help ensure critical evaluation and the effective monitoring of success”.
The strategy must ensure that all groups of children are being taken into account, including children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), the letter states.
Ms Hayes previously told Tes that there is “an absence of trust” in the SEND system at the moment and indicated that it would be a focus for the committee.
Ms Phillipson and Ms Kendall should also acknowledge the “acute disadvantages” experienced by families with disabilities, the chairs say, including “cross-departmental efforts that target the most vulnerable families”.
The chairs also call on the ministers to explain how the costs of attending school - such as “uniforms, transport and school trips” - will form part of the strategy.
Their concerns come after Leora Cruddas, chief executive of the Confederation of School Trusts, said that the strategy should not make “further asks” of schools.
The child poverty strategy is due to be published in spring 2025.
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