Ahead of the Budget CEOs from a Coalition of Children’s Charities – Paul Carberry: Action for Children, Lynn Perry MBE: Barnardo’s, Mark Russell: The Children’s Society, Anna Feuchtwang: National Children’s Bureau, Sir Peter Wanless: NSPCC – had these words for the Chancellor, Jeremy Hunt:

“Our children are hurting with millions living in poverty, and many struggling with mental health problems or waiting too long or unable to access the help and support they desperately need. With the public sector already buckling under the financial strain, any further shrinking of services that children and families rely on would be unconscionable in the current context.

“In this week’s Budget, the Chancellor has a golden opportunity to recognise this reality and tackle the crisis in childhoods by investing in our young people and their futures. He can do this by committing £2.6billion over the next four years – as recommended by the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care in England in 2022 – to rebuild children’s services. Being brave and bold in this way will ultimately save money while providing crucial early help for families and preventing thousands more children from going into care.

“It is also vital the Chancellor announces measures that will significantly reduce the horrendous levels of child poverty we now see across the country. This can be achieved by scrapping the two-child limit to benefit payments, removing the benefit cap and boosting the child element of Universal Credit by £15 a week. Three policies which, if announced at the Despatch Box on Wednesday, would make a massive difference to the life chances of millions of children and young people across the UK. In this election year we urge all political parties to support these measures.”