by Fran Bennett with Paul Dornan

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Copyright, Acknowledgements and Author Information
Executive summary (Download the Executive summary (30 KB PDF file)
One: Introduction
Two: Background
Child benefit: the facts
The case for supporting children
Child benefit and child poverty
Three: The importance of child benefit
Multi-purpose
Essential
Simplicity
Take-up
A ladder out of poverty
Payment to the mother
Labelled for children
Stability
Family fluidity
Four: The history of child benefit: key issues and challenges
Child benefit introduced
Child benefit under threat
Child benefit withering away?
Child benefit reprieved, but restructured
Labour abolishes one parent benefit, reinforces new child benefit structure and restricts entitlement
Child benefit for the over-16s: under scrutiny, but extended
Child benefit to be taxed?
Child benefit withdrawn for truancy?
Child tax credit introduced
Sustainability of child benefit
Five: The value of child benefit over time
Six: Policy options
Introduction
Time for child benefit
Large families and poverty
Skewed support system
The way forward?
Seven: Conclusion
Appendix

Copyright

Published by CPAG 94 White Lion Street London N1 9PF
Registered Company No. 1993854
Charity No. 294841

© Child Poverty Action Group 2006

This publication is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

A CIP record is available from the British Library

ISBN10: 1 901698 96 3
ISBN13: 978 1 901698 96 1

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to Kate Green, Ruth Lister, Gabrielle Preston and Adrian Sinfield for their very useful comments on the first draft of this report. Any remaining errors are not their responsibility.

Author Information

Fran Bennett is a senior research fellow at the Department of Social Policy and Social Work, University of Oxford and also works in a self-employed capacity on poverty and social policy issues. She is a former director of CPAG.

Paul Dornan is Head of Policy and Research at CPAG.

Child benefit: fit for the future: CPAG policy briefing

Contents page
Executive summary
1: Introduction
2: Background
3: The importance of child benefit
4: The history of child benefit: key issues and challenges
5: The value of child benefit over time
6: Policy options
7: Conclusions
Appendix

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