Y12 Sociology by Miss Rigby https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4 What social policies have the Conservatives brought in since 2015 and how has this affected families and households? en-us 2022-06-22 07:35:27 UTC 2022-06-22 13:01:40 UTC hello@padlet.com What the Conservatives pledged to do! arigby https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227618248 Election 2015: Conservative manifesto at-a-glance - BBC News

A useful article which summarises what the Conservatives intended to do when they came to power in 2015. This was before Brexit, the pandemic, the conflict in Ukraine and the cost of living increase! ]]> 2022-06-22 07:45:28 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227618248 Immigration https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227817092 The government has passed the Immigration Bill to introduce a points-based immigration system, and passed the relevant immigration rules and statutory instruments to implement the policy by the end of 2020. The new system came into effect on 1 January 2021 and applications were open from 1 December 2020. The government may still choose to pass additional legislation as it updates or amends the policy where necessary. ]]> 2022-06-22 12:36:09 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227817092 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227817503 https://www.theweek.co.uk/general-election-2017/84760/conservative-manifesto-2017-theresa-mays-key-policies Theresa May’s Key policies]]> 2022-06-22 12:36:38 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227817503 The Troubled Families Programme https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227818220 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-families-2021-to-2022-and-beyond/supporting-families-2021-22-and-beyond]]> 2022-06-22 12:37:34 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227818220 Useful article! arigby https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227818712 An article exploring the link between the current cost of living crisis and Conservative policies over the last decade.]]> 2022-06-22 12:38:14 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227818712 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227819320 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-families-2021-to-2022-and-beyond/supporting-families-2021-22-and-beyond]]> 2022-06-22 12:38:56 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227819320 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227819439 https://www.theguardian.com/society/2022/jun/09/how-right-to-buy-work-why-boris-johnson-planning-extend-it]]> 2022-06-22 12:39:06 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227819439 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227819624 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2019-50524262

]]> 2022-06-22 12:39:20 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227819624 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227820004 https://www.conservatives.com/our-plan]]> 2022-06-22 12:39:50 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227820004 Child maintenance https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227821400 Government reform In June 2021, the Government published a consultation on proposed legislative changes to the current child maintenance system (the 2012 system). The consultation sought views on proposals such as: Including unearned income (that HMRC has information on) alongside paying parents earned income in CMS calculationsWriting off small volumes of debt under £7 “where the maintenance calculation has ended but there remains an outstanding debt and the value of the debt is substantially less than the cost of collecting it.”Communicating CMS notifications digitally if requested as a preference by the customerThe Government published its response to the consultation in March 2022. National Audit Office report. In March 2022, the National Audit Office (NAO) published a report on child maintenance. The report said parents are now relying less on the state to help them make maintenance arrangements, which was an aim of the Government’s 2012 reforms. While the number of people making a family-based arrangement has increased as intended, there has also been an increase in those with no maintenance arrangement. As a result, the report said, there has “been no clear change” in the number of families with effective child maintenance arrangements (including arrangements not through the CMS) since the Government had reformed the system in 2012. It estimated 1 in 3 separated families in Great Britain had a child maintenance arrangement where the agreed maintenance was paid in full.The report added the aim of increasing the number of effective maintenance arrangements overall was based on a wider cross-government set of policy agendas on separated families. However, this “broader set of cross-government actions had yet to emerge in the way envisioned.”]]> 2022-06-22 12:41:39 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227821400 Child Poverty https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227822515 In order to help those looking after family members, ‘especially women’, a Conservative administration would ‘support the main carer in any household receiving the Universal Credit payment’. Elsewhere in the manifesto the party explains that its support for the main carer receiving Universal Credit ‘will help give greater independence to individuals, most often women, trapped with coercive partners’.

There is also a commitment to continuing to use the tax and benefits system to reduce poverty, including child poverty. The manifesto asserts:

‘Children should grow up in an environment with no limits to their potential – which is one of the reasons we are making it a priority to put more money in the pockets of low-paid workers and maintaining our commitment to free school meals.’

]]> 2022-06-22 12:42:50 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227822515 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227822577 https://amp.theguardian.com/politics/2015/apr/14/conservatives-election-manifesto-2015-the-key-points]]> 2022-06-22 12:42:56 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227822577 Economy https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227823050 The Conservative party says mortgages, schools, hospitals, and pensions are things that depend on a strong economy. Pledges on the economy include:

Running a surplus by 2018 so that the UK “starts to pay off its debts”
No rise in VAT, national insurance contributions or income tax.
A crack down on tax evasion and the “aggressive” avoidance of tax.
Creating a “Northern powerhouse” through investment.
Spending £100bn on infrastructure in the next parliament.


]]> 2022-06-22 12:43:34 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227823050 Work Life Balance https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227823850 A Conservative government would ‘want to look at more radical ways to support working families in the UK’. The manifesto notes that ‘our lifestyles have been transformed over the last four decades’, with many families today having two working parents who are juggling work and other responsibilities. Particular concern is expressed about the way that caring responsibilities can have a big impact on the careers of women and limit their participation in the workplace.]]> 2022-06-22 12:44:24 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227823850 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227825402 https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-7403/]]> 2022-06-22 12:46:30 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227825402 Childcare https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227826595 The Conservative manifesto states:‘Raising a family should be the most fulfilling experience of your life. But for too many parents, the costs of childcare are a heavy burden. We want to give parents the freedom, support and choice to look after their children in the way that works best for them. We will establish a new £1 billion fund to help create more high quality, affordable childcare, including before and after school and during the school holidays.’]]> 2022-06-22 12:47:57 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227826595 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227826647 https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/nov/24/conservative-manifesto-the-key-points-policies-boris-johnson

]]> 2022-06-22 12:48:00 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227826647 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227827020 https://www.centreforcities.org/blog/5-big-changes-cities-policy-since-2015-general-election/]]> 2022-06-22 12:48:31 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227827020 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227827162 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/611991/Supporting_disadvantaged_families.pdf]]> 2022-06-22 12:48:38 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227827162 Increase the number of nurses by 50,000 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227827597 Reintroduce maintenance grants for nursing students. The party hopes to train more nurses by reintroducing maintenance grants of between £5,000 and £8,000 a year for students. The scrapping of these grants in 2017 was controversial and was followed by a fall in applicants. So, it is something of a U-turn.]]> 2022-06-22 12:49:07 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227827597 Trade https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227827640 The government has successfully negotiated a deal with Japan to replace the EU–Japan deal. It has also formally launched negotiations with the USA, Australia and New Zealand.]]> 2022-06-22 12:49:11 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227827640 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227827793 While in 2015 the Conservatives committed themselves to ‘backing the institution of marriage in our society’ by retaining the transferable tax allowance between married spouses and undertaking to ensure that ‘the transferable amount will always rise at least in line with the Personal Allowance’, the only reference to marriage this time around appears in a statement of opposition to forced marriage in a section headed ‘Supporting all victims of crime’.]]> 2022-06-22 12:49:21 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227827793 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227827828 7 Core Principles of Conservatism
  • Individual Freedom. The birth of our great nation was inspired by the bold declaration that our individual,God-given liberties should be preserved against government intrusion
]]> 2022-06-22 12:49:24 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227827828 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227828295 https://freemovement.org.uk/the-conservative-plan-for-immigration-after-brexit/]]> 2022-06-22 12:49:54 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227828295 Spend £6.3bn on 2.2 million disadvantaged homes https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227829629 This pledge to spend £2,860 per household on improving the energy efficiency of social housing would affect 2.2m homes. 

The claim that households could save up to £750 a year on their energy bills sounds optimistic and could only apply to homes with terrible energy efficiency. The typical saving after such work on housing, experts say, tends to be more like £50. The policy is dwarfed by Labour's promises of spending £9,300 per home on almost all of the 27 million homes in the UK, at a cost of £250bn.



]]> 2022-06-22 12:51:27 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227829629 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227830114 The UK's homes are so poorly insulated that to meet the country's 2050 climate commitments we need a nationwide programme to upgrade them. This pledge to spend £2,860 per household on improving the energy efficiency of social housing would affect 2.2m homes. But there's no mention of what would be done for those who own their own home. The claim that households could save up to £750 a year on their energy bills sounds optimistic and could only apply to homes with terrible energy efficiency. The typical saving after such work on housing, experts say, tends to be more like £50. The policy is dwarfed by Labour's promises of spending £9,300 per home on almost all of the 27 million homes in the UK, at a cost of £250bn.]]> 2022-06-22 12:52:05 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227830114 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227830771  for the Tories this is a much more strategic offer - aiming to create 250,000 extra childcare places during the holidays for primary school-age children - about 5% of that age group. It would cost £250m per year for three years, with £250m for one-off costs such as buildings.This recalls the era of former Labour prime minister Tony Blair, with its pre-austerity expansion of breakfast clubs, after-school clubs and holiday clubs. Much of this will be delivered through schools, so it will depend on them being able to make their premises available over the summer holidays.]]> 2022-06-22 12:52:49 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227830771 Create 250,000 extra childcare places https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227831098 Aiming to create 250,000 extra childcare places during the holidays for primary school-age children - about 5% of that age group. It would cost £250m per year for three years, with £250m for one-off costs such as buildings.
This recalls the era of former Labour prime minister Tony Blair, with its pre-austerity expansion of breakfast clubs, after-school clubs and holiday clubs. Much of this will be delivered through schools, so it will depend on them being able to make their premises available over the summer holidays.
]]> 2022-06-22 12:53:15 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227831098 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227831776 A Conservative government will introduce 30 hours of free childcare for three and four year olds. People will be able to take a year of unpaid sabbatical leave to care for a family member and a new statutory bereavement leave will be offered to parents.]]> 2022-06-22 12:54:07 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227831776 Financial support for households with children https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227832195 In the July 2015 budget, Cameron’s government announced the two-child limit for tax credits and Universal Credit across the UK. For new claims and new births from April 2017, only the first two children would be recognized in a benefit claim (with a few exceptions). After a concession from then Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Amber Rudd, the policy was amended so that it would only apply to new births from April 2017. By spring 2020 all households affected therefore had a child aged three or younger.

The Conservative administrations also implemented wider benefit cuts across the UK which have affected families with young children. These included the four-year freeze on working-age benefits from April 2016; the lowering of the benefit cap to £20,000 (£23,000 in London) from November 2016; and the abolition of the family element of Child Tax Credits for families with first children born after 6 April 2017.

In the 2016 Welfare Reform and Work Act, the government removed all mentions of child poverty from the Child Poverty Act 2010, renamed it the Life Chances Act 2010, and removed all four income-based child poverty indicators and their targets. They replaced these targets with a requirement to report on measures of household worklessness and educational attainment at age 16. In 2017 the Scottish Parliament overrode these changes and reinstated child poverty targets.

The 2016 act also increased work conditionality for responsible carers (lone parents or main carers in couples) of children under five, reducing the age at which parents have to start attending work-focused interviews (age one), take ‘active steps’ to prepare for work (age two), and be available for and actively seeking work (age 3-4). Parents face sanctions if they do not meet these conditions.]]> 2022-06-22 12:54:38 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227832195 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227832509 https://freemovement.org.uk/the-conservative-plan-for-immigration-after-brexit/]]> 2022-06-22 12:55:00 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227832509 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227833779 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-families-programme-guidance-2022-to-2025/chapter-2-delivering-supporting-families]]> 2022-06-22 12:56:27 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227833779 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227834060 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-families-programme-guidance-2022-to-2025/chapter-3-the-national-supporting-families-outcome-framework]]> 2022-06-22 12:56:48 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227834060 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227834132 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-families-programme-guidance-2022-to-2025/chapter-2-delivering-supporting-families]]> 2022-06-22 12:56:53 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227834132 Outcomes : A small fall in take-up of paternity leave https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227834355 The number of women taking maternity leave increased between 2014-15 and 2019-20, but the number of men taking paternity leave fell slightly. In 2018-19, 31% of eligible new fathers took up their statutory two-week paternity leave, down from 34% in 2014-15.

]]> 2022-06-22 12:57:10 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227834355 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227834910 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/11/23/families-basic-social-structure-conservatives-penalising/]]> 2022-06-22 12:57:51 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227834910 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227836154 8. Left grieving families without bereavement benefitsPeople who lose their partner before pension age can claim a Bereavement Support Payment - worth up to £3,500, plus £350 a month for 18 months.But couples must be married or in a civil partnership to qualify - which deprives the benefit to 2,200 "cohabiting" couples with children each year.DWP slammed for leaving thousands of grieving families in limbo without benefitsThey won a victory in August 2018, when the Supreme Court ruled the situation was incompatible with human rights law.But 14 months later - the situation hasn't improved leaving thousands of people in desperate situations after the loss of a loved one.Bereavement Support Payments launched in 2017 as a "fair" replacement for the old system but have been slammed for hitting thousands of families with cuts.That is because while 52% were estimated to be better off than under the old system, 48% were worse off.The DWP said MPs had already fully debated whether to allow unmarried couples to claim when the benefit was approved.A DWP spokesman said: “We are committed to supporting people during bereavement and with the introduction of Bereavement Support Payment in April 2017, have widened the support available. This is, in addition, to help provided for co-habiting couples through the wider welfare system.]]> 2022-06-22 12:59:13 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227836154 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227836714 The benefit change that affected almost 600,000 childrenThe Tories' two-child limit on benefits pushed millions of children deeper into poverty and meant 592,000 children went unsupported according to experts.Pioneered by welfare-slashing former Chancellor George Osborne, the limit prevents parents claiming Child Tax Credits or Universal Credit for "third or subsequent" children born after 6 April 2017 - a cut of up to £2,780 per child.That forces families to share the same budget they had for two children among three, four or more.Official figures show most families affected are already in work, making a mockery of Tory claims that the change is to encourage people into the job market.]]> 2022-06-22 12:59:43 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227836714 https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227838219 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/conservative/11534619/manifesto-policies-summary.html]]> 2022-06-22 13:01:39 UTC https://padlet.com/arigby/bs33261099xmoso4/wish/2227838219