Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Child Poverty Strategy includes targeted support for disabled children in temporary or inadequate housing.

The impacts of policies contributing to the Child Poverty Strategy will be kept under review and monitored on an ongoing basis by departments using their own established approaches to considerations made under the Public Sector Equality Duty. The ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the Child Poverty Strategy will also continue to assess the poverty risk and prevalence for groups with protected characteristics, as far as the data and evidence gathering allow.

A full summary equalities analysis was published alongside the Child Poverty Strategy and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-poverty-strategy-summary-equalities-analysis

We are also taking specific steps to support children with additional needs. We have committed to provide funding for all local authorities to deliver Best Start Family Hubs and are investing over £200 million over three years to strengthen the SEND offer in Best Start Family Hubs, including funding a family-facing practitioner in every hub to support children with additional needs and families from the earliest stages.

Our new SEND system will deliver a fully inclusive mainstream education, supported by £4bn investment. Children with special educational needs will access targeted and specialist support through a clear three-tier framework, with Individual Support Plans and stronger Education Health and Care Plans for complex needs. We will work with the sector and prioritise early intervention and cross-service collaboration to ensure better outcomes nationwide

The Strategy also includes measures to improve the experiences and health and education outcomes of children in temporary accommodation, including disabled children. This includes improving the quality and suitability of placements, £10.9 million in 2025/26 for 61 local authorities to increase access to support and services, and a new notification system so housing authorities can alert schools, health visitors and GPs when a child enters temporary accommodation, enabling timely support and reducing harmful impacts.

The publication of the strategy was just the first step on our journey to drive down child poverty over the next decade and beyond. We have always been clear that this will be a long-term strategy, and we will continue to consider families with disabled children.