In 1997 one in three children were living in poverty, so the Government s goal of ending child poverty within 20 years is hugely ambitious. But already we have made real progress raising child benefit by a record amount, introducing the Working Families Tax Credit, and targeting extra help on those in the poorest areas through Sure Start. By 2001 we will be spending an extra 7 billion a year on support for children, lifting over one million children out of poverty. But raising children well isn t only about money many parents want extra support or clear advice. And NHS Direct s trained nurses will soon be available to every parent worried about their child s health, day or night.
Many people find it increasingly hard to balance work with family commitments.
The Government is working with employers to help makes this balancing act easier. We have also developed the first-ever national childcare strategy to increase the number of quality, affordable childcare places. Already, an extra 200,000 places have been created.