There are 5,900 children in England and Wales living on the
brink of total destitution because their parents cannot work or receive
government benefits, according to research from The University of Oxford’s
migration unit. Charities say the situation is pushing vulnerable children into
“severe poverty and hunger.” In almost a quarter of the families affected at
least one child is a British citizen, researchers from Oxford’s Centre on
Migration, Policy and Society (COMPAS) found. Some go for months without
receiving any help at all, forced to sleep in cars, disused buildings or even
on the street.
Long delays at the Home Office mean decisions in immigration
cases can often take years. Migrant families waiting to find out their
immigration status are not given support by the Home Office unless they are
asylum-seekers. They are also barred from working, which, if the wait takes
several years, means they can quickly slip into poverty. If children are
destitute, local authorities are obliged to help regardless of the parents’
immigration status as part of their responsibilities under the Children’s Act.
However, with no government funds for this help - or guidelines on the
appropriate amount - many set the rates as perilously low as £1 a day per
family member. Since councils’ budgets have been significantly cut back by
central Government, these payments are frequently far below the necessary
amount to live on. Payments typically range from £23 to £35 per child per week
but this money has to feed parents too. If a family receives help from a
foodbank the value of this is often deducted from the meagre council help,
leaving them with just a few pounds a week for nappies and other essentials.
1 comment:
Shame on us.
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