Changing Realities

This piece starkly sets out the fears anyone without a considerable personal safety net has about falling seriously ill or becoming disabled. The cuts to social welfare will make this all too real.

Well done @milliemaglet.bsky.social & @bigissue.com

How patients could suffer after Labour's universal credit cuts Millie Light writes of the deep sorrow she feels for anyone who becomes sick or disabled with cancer after the universal credit cuts.

Fantastic blog in @bigissue.com from @changingrealities.bsky.social very own @milliemaglet.bsky.social writing powerfully on how insecurity and universal credit collide www.bigissue.com/opinion/canc...

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The news that the Labour government aims to end child poverty by the next election could and should be great news for all – particularly for the millions of families suffering from the inequalities and setbacks child poverty causes across the UK. But how far will they go to not only end child poverty but ensure that firm measures are in place to secure a fairer future for all?

“Poverty doesn’t end with childhood”. In this 💥new💥 blog, a lone parent records the lasting impact of poverty on his daughter as she enters adulthood. Brian urges the government to make up for the ‘years of neglect’ that has ‘left the poor to get poorer’. ⬇️ 📝
changingrealities.org/blog/child-p...

I’m a single parent living in Scotland with my son. Here, the school summer holidays run from the end of June until mid-August, so we’re just over half-way through.

"The school holidays should be a wonderful break, full of memory-making activities, fun, and getting some rest. But instead, it’s a miserable time". A lone parent in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿shares their experiences of another summer in poverty.
💥 New blog💥: ⬇️ 📝

changingrealities.org/blog/the-mis...

Sunshine laughs on streets so wide,

Hot on the heels of the last poem about the strain of the summer holidays on families on low incomes, 🍬Syeda writes about ‘the silent need’ of children for whom the holidays are “A Summer Uneven” ⬇️ 📝

changingrealities.org/blog/a-summe...

But freedom’s price wears paper thin.

Parents on low incomes have been speaking about how the school summer holidays are financially and emotionally draining. 🎪 Changing Realities participant, Kim, uses poetry to express her experiences in ‘The Summer Guilt’ ⬇️ 📝
changingrealities.org/blog/the-sum...

Card with RCPCH and CPAG logos and quote: 'We hear of parents who make the [milk] powder stretch for the week. And instead of the usual five scoops, they put in three or four because the tin needs to last.' - Paediatrician

The testimony we heard from paediatricians for our report with @rcpch.bsky.social was heartbreaking:

'We hear of parents who make the [milk] powder stretch for the week. And instead of the usual five scoops, they put in three or four because the tin needs to last.'

When I heard that the UK Government has delayed the new Child Poverty Strategy, I felt really disappointed. Through Changing Realities, so many of us have shared our stories, our ideas, and our hopes. We’ve worked hard, using our lived experience to help shape something better for families. So to hear it’s being pushed back again—it hurts. It feels like families like mine are being told to keep waiting.

‘How delays in policies hurt families like mine’. In this 💥NEW Changing Realities blog post, Gloria shares how delays to the child poverty strategy affect everyday decisions, like choosing between fresh fruit or bus fare. Read here ⬇️ 📝
changingrealities.org/blog/still-w...

TW: suicidal ideation; suicide

‘Left behind twice: why cuts to mental health and disability support leave us nowhere to turn’. Nicola P illustrates how “living without a safety net” reinforces a “vicious cycle that no one in government seems willing to break”.
New Blog Post ⬇️ 📝 😣
changingrealities.org/blog/left-be...

Whilst some families are indeed fortunate enough to be able to afford summer camps, days out, and larger grocery deliveries, for many like me, this is just a pipe dream.

🤹 When you’re living on a low income, the school summer holidays can be “filled with dread”. Changing Realities participant, Ella, likens parenting during the summer break to “spinning plates”🤹. New Blog Post here ⬇️ 📝 ☀️
changingrealities.org/blog/summert...

If you’re a parent or carer with children under 19, and you’re on a low income, we’d really like to work with you. Together, we can document the realities of this cost-of-living crisis.

Now, more than ever, change feels needed and we’re excited to work with @changingrealities.bsky.social‬ parents in Lambeth and Southwark, ‪@cpaguk.bsky.social‬ and @impurbanhealth.bsky.social‬ to continue to document life on a low income and push for change 📝🌱
changingrealities.org/get-involved

Single parent? Private renter?

Let us know your experiences in our survey here: forms.office.com/e/JwxbbjqdXW

All data will be anonymous and used to influence policy change to tackle single parent discrimination in housing.

Pls RT

I’ll begin by saying that there is a lack of clarity about what exactly is going to happen or when it’s going to happen. You hear the news, and see social media posts, but there is no real communication about what’s going on. And when you’re anxious, when you’re on the edge, you feel like every single thing that isn’t in your plan or that takes you by surprise is harder to deal with - because it builds upon the anxiousness you already have and the trauma you’ve suffered.

“Everything is already a struggle” - NEW blog post by Changing Realities participant, Arjan, shares the stress of waiting to hear about disability cuts & the prolonged sense of ‘suspension’ & continued uncertainty following the passing of the welfare bill. ⬇️ 📝
changingrealities.org/blog/everyth...

Fab to get copy of @socialpolicyuk.bsky.social 37

Chapter 2 “lost hope, lost trust” features @changingrealities.bsky.social diaries in lead up to 2024 election showing the fragility of trust & people living on edge.

Tomorrows welfare bill isnt reform - it’s cruel, Labour must not look away

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Our latest @changingrealities.bsky.social paper in the Journal of Poverty and Social Justice📄:

Exploring the lived realities of poverty during the UK ‘cost-of-living crisis’ through participatory research

Read it here 👉 bristoluniversitypressdigital.com/view/journal...

If you’re a parent or carer with children under 19, and you’re on a low income, we’d really like to work with you. Together, we can document the realities of this cost-of-living crisis.

📢 We've received new funding from the brilliant ‪@impurbanhealth.bsky.social‬

💡🏴‍☕ Are you a parent or carer in Lambeth and Southwark, managing life on a low income while raising kids under 19? We would love you to join us:

changingrealities.org/get-involved

Please share!

MS Research 2025 - Mo Stewart Research

'The Failure of DWP Safeguarding', a new report by Mo Stewart Research could be worth sending on to your MP ahead of next week's vote on the new PIP primary legislation: www.mostewartresearch.co.uk/ms-research/...

“Look, there it is,” Wayne says. My brother is standing there, pointing his finger at a white-washed plank of wood. “That’s not normal,” he adds.

"Disability isn’t just about budgets or benefit bills, it’s about the real lives of real people." Changing Realities participant, Beverly, packs a punch sharing her lived experience of chronic illness and the cruelty of cuts to PIP. New blog: ⬇️ 📝 💥 changingrealities.org/blog/cuts-le...

Changing Realities < Sheila McKechnie Foundation

We are delighted to share that Changing Realities has been nominated for a Sheila McKechnie Foundation Award in the 'Amplifying Voices' category! Congratulations to all our participants and the team for this recognition 💛 🎺 🎉
smk.org.uk/awards_nomin...

As someone currently receiving Adult Disability Payments and the LCWRA (health element) of Universal Credit, I'm very worried about how/when these proposed changes will affect me.

The ‘Pathways to Work’ health and disability Green Paper is causing concern and distress for many. In a new blog, Lisa considers the shadow it casts on Scottish families and worries how it might affect her own situation. Read Lisa’s blog here: ⬇️ 📝
changingrealities.org/blog/the-gre...

It doesn't add up for the Chancellor to say that people not in work have nothing to fear from changes to welfare, when she says in the same breath that she is determined to press on with cuts to disability benefits. Her government's own impact assessments show that it will push poverty up.

convinced they know best.

Sometimes, the frustrations of not quite meeting the “criteria” for support or services are best responded to creatively. Changing Realities participant, Jolene, demonstrates this through a somewhat satirical and incredibly poignant poem: ⬇️ 🖌️ 🫂
changingrealities.org/blog/someone...

How has the Household Support Fund fared from the Spending Review? 🧵

How will the promise to make sure “every child has the chance to thrive” be realised? Especially when there was nothing in this spending review on ending the two-child benefit limit or providing support for families in poverty through investing in social security
Jonny Roberts in @theguardian.com

🔥 Four (yes four) fixed-term jobs now being advertised working across two great projects & with an AMAZING team @changingrealities.bsky.social & @safety-nets.bsky.social 🔥

These are at ‪@uofglasgow.bsky.social‬ as I'm moving there at the end of this month www.jobs.gla.ac.uk/job/research...

Has Rachel Reeves made the right choices? Our panel responds to the spending review The chancellor announced spending on health, housing, defence, and infrastructure. But will it be felt by ordinary voters? Polly Toynbee, Kirsty Major, Sahil Dutta, Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah and Jonn...

Jonny from @changingrealities.bsky.social responds to the #SpendingReview:

'How will the promise to make sure “every child has the chance to thrive” be realised? Especially when there was nothing on ending the two-child limit or... investing in social security.'
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Big day in Westminster today. But big implications for the whole country. A "zero-based" spending review means the government has been through all public spending and decided its priorities line by line. Follow for analysis through the day.

Olivia Blake: ‘Migrant children living in poverty is a hidden crisis’ - Politics.co.uk As MPs gather in Westminster for today’s spending review, I will be holding a debate on child poverty and No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF). The discussion could not be more urgent. The debate comes ...

Today MPs will be debating child poverty and the blanket ban on access to social security for migrant families www.politics.co.uk/mp-comment/2...

‘I feel a deep sense of relief and hope hearing about the government's plan to extend free school meals to all children in households receiving Universal Credit from September 2026. As a parent and carer, I know how much pressure school costs can add to an already stretched budget. This change could save families like mine up to £500 per child each year, which is significant when every pound counts... ‘This policy is a positive step towards addressing child poverty, but I hope it's just the beginning of broader support for families in need.’ - Ollie U

What does the expansion of free school meals in England mean to families? Ollie U from @changingrealities.bsky.social
talks about relief, but also hope that this is the beginning, with broader support to come:

'Six months is a long time in the life of a child growing up in poverty'.

Dan C welcomes the extension of free school meals, but is concerned about the delays to the publication of the Child Poverty Strategy