On 23 October 2019, the Work and Pensions Committee heard fresh calls from representatives of the Church of England, Jewish organisations and the Muslim Council of Britain, to lift the cap on benefits for families with a third child and further children born after April 2017.

While it is clear that many families will be affected in the future, children affected by the policy are currently below the minimum age for most of the professional services offered by charities in the Caritas network. In addition, a family seeking support may not specifically indicate that this policy is the cause of their hardship – they are more likely to talk about other factors such as housing difficulties, debt and family breakdown. CSAN has called on its member organisations to share evidence when they can. In the meantime, Catholic parishes may already include families affected by the policy.

We would encourage parishioners who have been affected to raise this issue with their local MP, and encourage them to call for the cap to be lifted.