Job done? Can welfare reform and social mobility end child poverty?

Ruth ListerEmeritus Professor of Social Policy

Loughborough University & member of the House of Lords .

Outline

The child poverty strategy ‘Welfare’ reform Social mobility

Child poverty strategy

Lessons to be drawn from the progress made so far.

Broad consensus around multi-faceted strategy.

Disagreement around symptoms & causes. Impact of wider public spending cuts – failing

the new ‘family test’.

‘Welfare’ reform

Projected reduction in child poverty as a result of

universal credit outweighed by impact of other cuts. Question mark over achievement of goals of

simplification, reducing ‘welfare dependency’ & making work pay.

Localisation agenda:Negative impact of devolution of responsibility for

council tax benefit & part of social fund, as well as cuts;

Continued importance of local authorities’ role.

Social mobility

Government’s life-cycle approach The philosophical & evidence-based

case against making social mobility the ‘primary goal’ of social policy.

Greater equality as the goal.