Shocking report that over 14m people in this country are facing hunger because they can’t afford enough food. This is the UK. 2025. Shameful.

Powerful piece from Multibank President, Gordon Brown, on the urgent need to tackle child poverty. The Multibank network helps by providing families with things they need - but charity alone won’t solve this, we need to see serious systemic change. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

This.

Just let this sink in: "the children who have got no food to eat, the children who can't wash their clothes so they are going to school dirty and if they're lucky the school are washing their clothes for them” The UK in 2025. Shocking and shameful www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Good to be on BBC Breakfast this morning with the inspiring Jess talking about young people in care being moved during their exams

Looking forward to being on BBC Breakfast shortly.

Agreed. It also makes no sense - as PIP is to support with the extra costs of disability whether or not you’re working. So cutting PIP might do the exact opposite of what it is supposedly intended to.

New @becomecharity.org.uk research finds shockingly high numbers of children in care moved or having to leave care during GCSE and A-level years, sometimes right in the middle of their exams. This should not be happening and needs to stop.

"The care system has been broken for too long - this funding will begin to fix it - but there's still much more to do to give all children the love, stability and support they need." - @katharinesj.bsky.social, Chief Exec Our full statement #SpendingReview:

This is so unacceptable from a grown man who should know better than to talk this way about children

It’s great to see more universities stepping up to support care-experienced young people

This is a really welcome step which will make a difference to thousands of children’s lives. But it’s only a first step if we’re serious about addressing child poverty. There’s much more to do to address the unacceptable numbers of children growing up in poverty in the UK

This is so utterly depressing - “concerns at the top of government that the financial cost of key proposals outweighs the political benefit, even though tens of thousands more children will fall into poverty as a result” www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Really strong piece from Ashley John Baptiste - setting out the case for reform of the care system for children xhttps://www.newstatesman.com/politics/society/child-poverty/2025/05/britain-is-failing-children-in-care

Really proud to launch the new @becomecharity.org.uk strategy today alongside a new look and feel for the organisation. This represents our determination to have a bigger impact for care-experienced children and young people.

Seven million families going without essentials. And that’s even before further cuts to disability benefits

Absolutely - disabled people are frightened. Very hard to justify these cuts.

Important report showing what it costs for children to be able to engage in school. And of course that’s without other essentials like housing, food, transport. If we don’t address poverty we embed inter generational inequality cpag.org.uk/news/minimum...

Children in youth offender institutes are being held in their cells for 20 hours a day with only 15 hours of education a week - this is just setting them up for a cycle of crime rather than rehabilitating them and giving them a chance to start again www.cypnow.co.uk/content/news...

This is the kind of news story I am here for

@katharinesj.bsky.social has been chief executive of @becomecharity.org.uk since 2019, but will soon take the top job at the @themultibank.bsky.social www.thirdsector.co.uk/chief-execut...

*Some personal news* - delighted to be joining @themultibank.bsky.social as CEO in Aug. Looking forward to making a difference to the lives of families in poverty. I’ll still be at @becomecharity.org.uk for few months. So proud of what we’ve achieved & to be leaving the charity in a strong place ❤️

Good to talk at Fatima Whitbread ‘s summit at the Guildhall about the systemic issues facing care experienced children & young people. Uplifted by being in a room full of people committed to making a difference & most importantly hearing from young people themselves who were utterly inspiring.

Good to be at Fatima Whitbread’s summit at the Guildhall hearing from an impressive range of speakers about what needs to change in the care system.

1700 children referred to childrens social care every single day. That’s 6 whole primary schools. We urgently need better early help for families, proper support for children going into care and to address poverty which underpins so much of this www.local.gov.uk/about/news/l...

We’re spending less on early help for children & more on late support including a whopping £1.3bn more on children’s homes. Demand on statutory services means little funding to help families avert crises. Add in “market factors” in children’s social care. And this is where we land.

Depressing (but important) thread on work by @neweconomybrief.bsky.social estimating the cumulative impact of welfare cuts likely to be around 340K more people pushed into poverty by 2029-30

Thoughts and prayers for journalists trying to come up with April fools stories today with the news being what it is at the moment.

Pretty proud of my mum about to have her first novel published!! 🎉🎉🎉

Huge thanks to @jakerichardsmp.bsky.social who is bringing forward a private members bill to address the issue of children in care being moved far from home which is currently being debated in Parliament. www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/...

More children in poverty. Even before the welfare cuts. We are now the kind of country where people have to rely on charity to eat. Shameful.

I spoke to the BBC about the worrying rise in children in care having their liberty deprived because of the desperate shortage of suitable places for them to live www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Poorer households to be around £500/year worse off after welfare cut. These are families already on extremely low incomes having to turn to foodbanks to eat and making choices between the rent and heating. Struggling to see how this can possibly be justified www.theguardian.com/politics/liv...

@gregbeales.bsky.social nice to see you yesterday 🙂

Just your casual Sunday giving the address at Suffolk’s annual justice service at St Edmundsbury Cathedral. I spoke about how, if we are to transform the care system, we need optimism, hope and a belief that something better is possible

For anyone who needs a bit of nice news today. Humans are kinder than we sometimes give ourselves credit for ❤️ www.bbc.com/news/article...

My letter in @theguardian.com on the impact of the proposed welfare cuts for under 22s. Become is warning it will push 1000s of disabled young care leavers further into poverty. These are some of our most vulnerable young people & they must be exempt www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Our Chief Exec @katharinesj.bsky.social quoted in The Guardian on the devastating impact proposed welfare cuts will have on #CareLeavers and why we think they should be exempt 👇 www.theguardian.com/world/2025/m...

Young care leavers must be exempt from these welfare cuts. Disabled young people leaving care do not have family support to fall back on - they’re expected to be independent from 18 yet won’t be able to claim extra support til 22 - these cuts will push them further into poverty.

We're really concerned about the Government's proposal to restrict the health element of Universal Credit to those aged under 22 and its impact on care leavers. Care leavers are already facing a care cliff - their voices must be heard.

❤️

Utterly depressed by these cuts which will be devastating to so many disabled people. Young people leaving care who have a health issue or disability will be impacted by PIP eligibility and if under 22 wont be able to claim financial support for health issues. So wrong www.bbc.com/news/article...

I’m really proud that @becomecharity.org.uk platforms young people. We do it because of our values & commitment to centring young people’s voices. But also because it makes a huge difference. Young people’s voices are powerful - just read this piece www.politicshome.com/opinion/arti...

Proud to be a mentor for Leaders Plus supporting parents to combine careers & family life. Their Senior Directors programme is for parents in leadership roles who would value peer support, expert insights & learning. Deadline for applications is 1 April www.leadersplus.org/seniorleader...

Young people leaving care desperately want to build a stable future but face huge challenges- poverty & insecurity, little help with housing, health. No wonder so many struggle. We must adddress these systemic issues not push more into poverty with punitive cuts www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Absolutely agree. Unevidenced and unhelpful comments.

So pleased to see the expansion of corporate parenting duties which can make a real difference to support for care - experienced young people

Good thread on disability benefits - on how the claims underpinning the rationale for cuts are wrong

Please sign Become’s petition to stop children in care being moved far away from their community simply because there are no local options closer to home

Feel there’s an undercurrent of blaming families & individualising the problem here rather than looking at systemic reasons why children are not “school ready” Where’s support for families who are struggling? What about for SEN kids 🙋‍♀️? Not sure how much checklist will help address underlying issues