Barnardo's: Public education call backed

MPs calling for efforts to address misconceptions about the causes of poverty in the UK have received backing from the Barnardo's children's charity.

Its policy and research director Julian Walker was responding to the work and pensions committee's report on child poverty, which he says shows "urgent actions" are needed to halve UK child poverty by 2010.

Mr Walker said the report provided a "timely reminder" to the government before next week's Budget, which action groups are hoping will include a major commitment to redress apparent slips in progress on the child poverty agenda.

Explaining the damaging impact of child poverty, he said: "As this report illustrates, a childhood in poverty causes effects which last well into adulthood.

"Fewer opportunities lead to lower expectations, driving the transmission of poverty from one generation to the next."

Mr Walker hopes to educate the British public about the relationship between poverty in childhood and prosperity in later life.

"Barnardo's looks forward to working closely with the government on getting these important messages across more effectively," he finished.