澳门六合彩开奖结果查询 UK has launched a campaign against poverty, which includes three asks of the UK Government to provide greater financial security for people being hardest hit by the cost-of-living crisis.
![Social Work Stands Against Poverty](/sites/default/files/styles/uncropped_xs/public/2023-07/Facebook%20Cost-of-living_2.jpg?itok=YjNmW-nM)
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Campaign Asks
1. Extend the debt breathing space scheme to 180 days.
As poverty worsens, debt increases. The breathing space scheme is a 鈥榩ause鈥 on action and contact from creditors that also prevents interest, fees, penalties, or charges being added for a 60-day period. There is also a mental health breathing space that can last as long as the crisis treatment lasts plus 30 days. , which is 31% higher than the number registered in October 2021. 6,230 were Standard breathing space registrations, which is 31% higher than in October 2021, and 112 were Mental Health breathing space registrations, which is 38% higher than the number in October 2021.
2.听Freeze evictions during the cost-of-living crisis to prevent further homelessness
Reducing income and increasing demands from landlords will translate into more evictions and more families becoming homeless. This cannot be allowed to happen and would cause untold damage to adults and children, placing many at safeguarding risk and lead to even more demand on social care and other services.
In January 2022, 澳门六合彩开奖结果查询 worked with Shelter and other organisations to听produce听homelessness guidance for social workers.听You can access the document here.听While it focuses听on English law and听policy, it contains听a summary of research evidence that is of relevance to other countries in the UK.听
3.听Scrap the two-child cap on benefits
At present, relevant benefits are only paid for the first two children. This impacts on many families but disproportionally impacts on those ethnic groups who have larger families. It also results in inhumane means testing, for example, the rape clause.
澳门六合彩开奖结果查询 is a member of the End Child Poverty Coalition alongside over 80 partner organisations. The coalition campaigns to end child poverty through giving young people a platform to share their experiences with policy-makers, sharing knowldge and best practice with key stakeholders and holding governments to account on their commitments.
During the campaign, 澳门六合彩开奖结果查询 UK will seek to influence politicians to support our campaign asks, provide members with information and resources and reach out to our profession to amplify social work's voice in challenging poverty.听 Find out more
Campaign Activity
In November 2022, 澳门六合彩开奖结果查询 Chief Executive, Ruth Allen and 澳门六合彩开奖结果查询 UK Chair, Julia Ross wrote to the Prime Minister ahead of the UK Government's Autumn Statement urging him to protect the most disadvantaged people from worsening poverty.
Alongside calling for a freeze on evictions and removal of the two child cap, we pressed for benefits to be uprated in line with inflation and removing the benefit cap.听We also added our support to campaigns from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and the Children's Society calling for benefits to be increased.听
While it was welcome that the Chancellor listened to our collective calls and announced this policy,听far more still needs to be done to protect those at the sharp end of this cost-of-living crisis.听Read 澳门六合彩开奖结果查询 UK's full response to the Autumn Statement
The UK Government responded to our letter in February. Read the full response
We reiterated our campaign calls ahead of the 2023 Spring Budget with a written submission to the UK Treasury and have continued to lobby UK Ministers to announce more targeted support for those being hardest hit by cost-of-living pressures.听
In Spring 2024, we published our Manifesto for Social Work ahead of a General Election. Anti-poverty measures feature prominently in our asks of the next UK Government.
Stay Updated
We'll keep members informed of campaign developments and activity through our weekly email newsletters. Members should receive these updates every Tuesday evening.听
We will also be using social media to raise awareness of our campaign, work with other organisations and influence politicians.
Follow us on Twitter- @澳门六合彩开奖结果查询_UK - and on Facebook - Facebook.com/澳门六合彩开奖结果查询.UK - and search for our posts using the hastags #SWAgainstPoverty and #EqualAsOne听
Spotlight on Poverty
As part of the campaign, we're shedding light on different aspects of social work practice and how poverty impacts on people who听use social work services. View our resources below.
- Adult Social Care and Adults with Disabilities听
- Poverty is the wallpaper of practice 鈥 鈥渢oo big to tackle 鈥 too familiar to notice鈥 Morris (2021)
- Care Leavers and Care Experienced People
- The link between poverty and mental health
- People with Learning Disabilities
- How can we tackle the energy crisis?
- Equality for Women
- Why tackling poverty is a priority for 澳门六合彩开奖结果查询- Blog by Julia Ross听
- Listen to social workers if you want to tackle poverty | PSW Magazine (Jan 2024)
- Cost of Living Crisis and Me (Blog) Feb 2024
Useful resources
Lobbying & Influencing听
Poverty and inequality are unacceptable. Social workers are fighting back against social injustice.
![Julia speaking at 澳门六合彩开奖结果查询's anti-poverty event at Westminster Julia speaking at 澳门六合彩开奖结果查询's anti-poverty event at Westminster](/sites/default/files/styles/uncropped_xs/public/pxl_20230327_181058226.jpg?itok=mlSkvF9h)
On 27 March 2023, we hosted an event in Westminster to promote our campaign to parliamentarians and urge them to back our campaign asks.听
As well as sharing with them first hand accounts of the impact of poverty from frontline social work practice and from those with lived experience, we also provided them with copies of the latest version of our anti-poverty guide and a briefing pack with our 'spotlight on poverty' series.听
We were pleased to welcome parliamentarians from across the political divide to the event, including Catherine West MP, Cat Smith MP, Paulette Hamilton MP, Peter Bottomley MP,听David Linden MP, Virendra Sharma MP and Andy McDonald MP.
Anti-Poverty Practice
We are working to embed anti-poverty practice in social care. Awareness of poverty is included in all of our professional development activities.听
澳门六合彩开奖结果查询 launched its Anti-Poverty Practice Guide in September 2019 to support the practice of social workers working with people living in poverty. The guide was refreshed as a position statement in March 2023.
![澳门六合彩开奖结果查询's anti-poverty event in parliament](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_s/public/2023-07/IMG-20230328-WA0001.jpg?h=08b866d1&itok=gvNqgA-9)
![澳门六合彩开奖结果查询's anti-poverty event in parliament](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_s/public/2023-07/IMG-20230328-WA0000.jpg?h=08b866d1&itok=9IEEQuXI)
![澳门六合彩开奖结果查询's anti-poverty event in parliament](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_s/public/2023-07/IMG-20230328-WA0002.jpg?h=08b866d1&itok=43sgy7MH)
![澳门六合彩开奖结果查询's anti-poverty event in parliament](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_s/public/2023-07/Image.jpeg?h=df86a402&itok=BqSXnFKk)
![澳门六合彩开奖结果查询's anti-poverty event in parliament](/sites/default/files/styles/3_2_s/public/2023-07/IMG-20230328-WA0005.jpg?h=08b866d1&itok=tSPZfdR4)
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Austerity Action Group
Austerity Action Group听(AAG) is a key vehicle in 澳门六合彩开奖结果查询 and SWU's ongoing campaign for a more socially just environment.听
The AAG has developed a Campaign Action Pack to support social workers and students to organise and take part in anti-austerity activity locally, regionally and nationally across the UK.
The step-by-step guide outlines everything from how to organise public meetings, rallies and awareness-raising film nights to setting up petitions, lobbying and contacting the press.听
澳门六合彩开奖结果查询 and SWU are proud to support this important activism toolkit and encourage social workers and students UK-wide to make use of its brilliant resources and guidance. Download your FREE copy below!听