Find out about our 'Worrying About Money?' resources project in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland and the work we undertook in 2024...
bit.ly/wam-england-...
@abbypreston01.bsky.social @emmaosterberg.bsky.social #CashFirst

Read our @abbypreston01.bsky.social's blog on Paving the way for permanent crisis support in England and find out more in our joint report Shaping the Future of Local Welfare and Crisis Support in England - childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/o...
#CashFirst
www.foodaidnetwork.org.uk/post/paving-...

The key risks from these reforms:

🟢 many of those affected will be very unresponsive to financial incentives and assistance

🟢 changes in behaviour might mean that the hoped-for savings do not materialise, making the fiscal situation trickier still

Rachel Reeves said she’d never do anything to endanger household finances, but the millions of people who now miss out on vital social security support apparently don’t count…

Here @ Pat McFadden’s speech where Universal Credit rollout is being used as a blueprint for future reform incl of disability benefits

Test & learn is good but important to remember that on the ground rollout caused big upheaval & DWP was slow to act on concerns about waiting times & destitution.

"81% of social workers working with children, young people and families have seen the number of cases referred to them due to poverty increase in the last three years"

Important findings from @swu-uk.bsky.social and @itvnews.bsky.social:
swu-union.org.uk/2024/12/soci...

It's good to see @allymcgovern.bsky.social acknowledge that past 'crackdowns' on social security have made it harder for disabled people to enter work.

Yet the government has still not set a date for its promised review of universal credit. The basic rate of UC must be increased.

Wonder how long this will take the @footballramble.bsky.social guys…

The minimum wage will increase by 6.7% next year

The state pension will increase by 4.1%

But benefit rates, which already fall the furthest from ensuring people can afford the essentials, will only increase by 1.7% due to being pegged to September's inflation rate, which was anomalously low

Important intervention from @antoniabance.bsky.social on the #UniversalCredit uplift and the forthcoming review at today's Westminster Hall debate at 10.36.20.
This #cashfirst measure reduced severe/ moderate food insecurity in households on #UniversalCredit by 16%
parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/...

Read about the Independent Food Aid Network's #cashfirst calls in our briefing Eradicating food insecurity while ending the need for food banks and other forms of charitable food aid in the UK ➡️ bit.ly/4fQ5YxA

IFAN is calling for immediate, #cashfirst actions to reduce severe food insecurity...

Blue sky on Bluesky (sorry everyone)

Shocking news. 36% of UK children are living in poverty according to the latest Social Metrics Commission research (I am one of the Commissioners)
www.theguardian.com/society/2024...

Great thread

This platform feels like everyone going to university and “reinventing themselves”

And so it begins again...the glorious circle of life...