BASW heralds major campaign win as two-child limit lifted

The Chancellor confirmed at the Budget that the two-child limit will be abolished

This was a flagship ask in our manifesto for social work, and we’re relieved to see the government now acting on it.  

BASW Interim CEO, Professor Sam Baron

BASW has joined with fellow anti-poverty organisations and individuals in celebrating a significant move from the government to alleviate child poverty levels across the UK.

At the Budget statement, the Chancellor announced that the two-child limit, which restricts Universal Credit to two children in a family, will finally be scrapped. 

The controversial policy, introduced in 2017, leaves families without means-tested support for their third and subsequent children worth £3,514 a year. As a result, 1.6million children across the UK are affected.

Alongside prominent anti-poverty campaigners, such as the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, BASW has long argued that ending the two-child limit would be the biggest and most cost-effective way to tackle hardship and disadvantage. Research by CPAG has estimated that 350,000 children would be lifted from poverty instantly and the depth of poverty would be reduced for another 800,000.

It was a key ask in our 2024 General Election Manifesto for Social Work and formed part of our Social Work Stands Against Poverty campaign which we highlighted to MPs at Westminster in 2023. When Labour first took office in July 2024, BASW wrote to the Chancellor urging her to end the two-child limit as part of a wider child poverty strategy.

Speaking in response to the announcement, BASW UK’s Interim Chief Executive Professor Sam Baron said:

“It is fantastic that the government has recognised that the two-child limit has impoverished families who simply do not have enough money. 

“Being a parent is tough, being a parent in poverty is harder. We have long known that declining living standards is a driver of social work intervention, and that children growing up in poverty are unfairly denied the best possible start in life.

“Scrapping this damaging and punitive policy will lift thousands of children out of hardship and make a massive difference to countless families across the UK who desperately need more help. It’s why it was a flagship ask in our manifesto for social work, and we’re relieved to see the government now acting on it.  

“We will keep pressure on Ministers to continue to introduce policies that enable children to thrive and live long, happy and healthy lives.”