Changing Realities

It was a lot. I didn’t realise I’d be placed all over social media. I thought it would be just a couple of pictures for something, but it is what it is now. I have thought about it a lot this morning and I had to put my thoughts down on paper.

'I will never be sorry for standing my ground and standing up for what I believe is right.'

Vital, if hard to read, words from Stacey @changingrealities.bsky.social about why she won't be stopped from speaking out about poverty by trolls

www.changingrealities.org/blog/why-i-w...

CR participant, Izzy, wrote about the challenges of upfront childcare costs for people accessing Universal Credit and the challenges that come with wraparound care for children with SEND. The blog recommends changes that could improve this system. Read here: changingrealities.org/blog/jumping...

A year ago today I joined some of the incredible @changingrealities.bsky.social parents at Downing Street who shared what changes are needed to end child poverty - incl why the two-child limit must be scrapped. It’s brilliant to see yesterday’s announcement after so much hard work from so many.

It is really remarkable that this was just 12 months ago today. And that we woke up this morning to a country which will finally get rid of the two-child limit. The parents and carers we work with have been instrumental along with others especially @cpaguk.bsky.social in making this change happen.

Kim explains that her husband lost her job during COVID, & the family were surviving up until then. But since then, they've been barely surviving. Right now, she's not got the heating on despite it being freezing, as they have to save it for when the children are at home.

BBC Radio 4 - World at One Forty-five minutes of news, analysis and comment, with Sarah Montague.

Kim speaking to BBC World at One right now, about the impact of the two-child limit lifting on her family. She says she hopes it'll give her some breathing space.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b...

"...The removal of the two-child limit means families like mine might truly be able to thrive without being unfairly judged or held back simply because of its size." (Kim, CR parent) #2CL #Budget 🧵3/3

"...It means that all of my sons can receive the support they deserve, easing so much of the day-to-day stress I’ve been carrying. Most importantly, it gives me the chance to focus more on their happiness, their opportunities, and their future." (Kim, CR parent) #2CL #Budget 🧵2/3

"The removal of the two-child limit brings my family a deep sense of relief. Without the cap hanging over me, I finally feel less weighed down by constant financial worry and more able to make choices that genuinely reflect what each of my boys’ need." (Kim, CR parent) #2CL #Budget 🧵1/3

"It’s amazing to hear that the 2 child benefit cap has been lifted after so many years of campaigning for this change. This will help lift so many families out of poverty and although there is still a lot of work to do, it is a step in the right direction going forward." (Stacey, CR parent) #2CL

My quick-fire take for @prospectmagazine.co.uk on why we should celebrate the scrapping of the two-child limit

Draws on research for @nuffieldfoundation.org & ongoing work with the amazing @changingrealities.bsky.social

The fight to end child poverty goes on. But today we must celebrate. It will make a real, lasting difference to families the breadth of the UK and I’m so grateful to everyone in @changingrealities.bsky.social & @cpaguk.bsky.social who have advocated tirelessly for its full abolition

Our reflections on the challenges of life on a low income, and thoughts on where change is most needed.

Parents from Changing Realities react to the news that the "two child limit" will be removed from April 2026. #Budget #2CL 🧵4/4 Read our blog posts here: www.changingrealities.org/blog

"We have to think twice about luxuries – being able to afford basics is enough let alone splashing out. The cost of living has gone up and it has been so difficult for so long. The lifting of the two-child limit should help to go some way towards having a decent standard of living." (Ashley) 🧵3/4

" ...there is nothing left over for unexpected issues or costs, which is a real struggle, particularly for a single parent. Xmas holidays are coming up, too, and my kids are limited from doing anything fun, for example, a basic meal at Pizza Hut for a family of four is easily around £40-£50." 🧵2/4

"The lifting of the two-child limit will help to relieve the situation of so many families like mine. Winter is here and I’m having to budget on heating..." (Ashley, Changing Realities parent affected by 2-child limit) 🧵1/4 #Budget #2CL

Spoken at the Resolution Foundation on 12th November 2025

Our participant Tayyba recently delivered a powerful speech at a roundtable at @resolutionfoundation.org. The powerful speech touched on single parenthood, in-work poverty and domestic violence and why we need to centre and protect our children's futures: changingrealities.org/writings/tod...

Changing Realities is a project bringing together almost 200 parents and carers across the UK. The project documents what life is like for parents on a low income and, using lived experience, campaigns for the change we need to see.

Recently, we attended @ipprscotland.bsky.social 10 year anniversary event. CR participant James sat on a panel titled: 'Can Scotland meet its poverty targets' alongside CPAG and the Poverty Truth Community. He wrote a wonderful speech which can be read here: changingrealities.org/writings/cha...

The two-child benefit cap inflicts suffering on the UK's children. Labour must scrap it Sam Richards, a mother and participant of the Changing Realities project, writes about why the two-child limit on benefits should be dropped.

Sam, a mother of one child, coherently explains why the two child benefit cap must be lifted as part of the upcoming child poverty strategy. Read her opinion piece @bigissue.com @uofgussp.bsky.social
www.bigissue.com/opinion/two-...

This autumn will see the publication of the first UK child poverty strategy in many years. It is a time-limited and vital opportunity to make real and lasting difference to the lives of the 4.5 million children currently living in poverty. In this new report, co-produced with IPPR, we set out a realistic and targeted agenda for change. Now is the time to take sustainable and effective action on child poverty, working with the everyday experiences of families who know what would make a difference to them and their lives.

In pushing for action on child poverty, @changingrealities.bsky.social have been a vocal and persistent voice of change & their blueprint w/ @ippr.org @cpaguk.bsky.social makes clear why ending the 2-child limit must be a vital first step. www.changingrealities.org/writings/get...

This morning, I was invited to a meeting in The House of Lords, along with Changing Realities, two other participants and members from other organisations. The roundtable – chaired by Baroness Ruth Lister and Professor Ruth Patrick – was also attended by other Lords, senior civil servants and Changing Realities funders. We discussed the government’s Child Poverty Strategy, which will hopefully be announced shortly after the budget in November.

"Children are our future and will help this country thrive and grow, but to do this they must have the best possible start in life that they can have."
Read our wonderful blog from Brian on his experience at the House of Lords Child Poverty roundtable 👉 changingrealities.org/blog/hope-on...

Happy Birthday to our very own @ruthpatrick0.bsky.social 🎂

Getting the child poverty strategy we need: A co-produced agenda for change | IPPR Any credible child poverty strategy must act directly to put more money into parents’ pockets. This starts with the removal of the two-child limit and bene

Moreover, our report produced alongside IPPR on what is needed in the Child Poverty Strategy can be read here: www.ippr.org/articles/get...

The core of our work has not changed, but we have. We have spent, in some cases, years together, uplifting our voices and learning how to be part of a movement for change, and we are proud to be here to represent our work and the people within.

On 23rd October, we headed to a Child Poverty Strategy roundtable hosted by Baroness Lister at the HoL. Our participants delivered powerful testimonies & their speech can be read here📣: changingrealities.org/writings/cha...

@uofgussp.bsky.social
@ippr.org
@cpaguk.bsky.social

Parents and carers of @changingrealities.bsky.social are doing essential work to bring child poverty issues to the public eye as the govt prepare to publish their Child Poverty Strategy. Powerful words from @ruthpatrick0.bsky.social on scrapping the two child limit in this popular substack.

You can read our joint report with @ippr.org and @cpaguk.bsky.social here: www.ippr.org/articles/get...

The discussion - co-hosted with IPPR - focussed on key priorities outlined by our collective of CR participants: an end to the two-child limit, the abolition of the benefit cap, more support for school costs & childcare, and the harmful fixation on work-seeking. Blogs & more to come from this! ✏️

Today, we attended a roundtable at the HoL hosted by Baroness Ruth Lister on the subject of the Child Poverty Strategy. CR participants, inc. Jo & Brian, delivered powerful testimonies, using the space to push for an ambitious Strategy that genuinely confronts the root causes of child poverty. ✊

Our participant James has written an excellent piece for @scotsman.com. ✏️

"The fight for true social justice is long and arduous. But for that hour or so, in that grand room, we were not just the ‘marginalised’ or ‘the beneficiaries’, we were the experts."

Read: www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

Energy bills rise while Westminster talks immigration Why have our politicians forgotten about the cost-of-living crisis?

A couple of weeks ago, CR participant Brian spoke to @newstatesman1913.bsky.social about the continuation of the cost-of-living crisis, which he feels politicians have "completely pushed to one side." Read more: www.newstatesman.com/politics/eco...

@uofglasgow.bsky.social
@uofgussp.bsky.social