WELFARE reforms are needed to tackle child poverty, England’s Children’s Commissioner said today as research found that parents’ stresses about the cost of living are at the forefront of children’s minds.

Dame Rachel de Souza’s report argues that the two-child cap for receiving child tax credit or universal credit means children in larger families are more likely to experience financial difficulties and that “children should not be penalised or plunged into poverty because of the choices of their parents.”

The commissioner’s calls include for the existing base rate for universal credit to be reviewed and for all eligible children to be auto-enrolled for free school meals.

Dame Rachel said every single child she had spoken to had answered Yes when asked if their parents were worried about food costs.

Her Big Ambition research report covered topics including family, jobs and skills, education, online safety and health, but the cost-of-living issue had been “ubiquitous in children’s responses,” she said.

Dame Rachel said it is deeply worrying that  this is one of the first things on children’s minds and that she feels “really strongly that the pressures on families with young children are immense,” especially those close to poverty.

“We want welfare reform looked at [concerning] that group,” she said. “We think there’s a lot that can be done as well as [scrapping] the two-child limit.

“No child should grow up in poverty in the sixth-richest country in the world, frankly.”

End Child Poverty Coalition co-ordinator Rachel Walters said that the findings come as no surprise.

She said: “Last week we learnt, via the government’s own statistics, that child poverty levels are at a record high, with 4.3 million children living in poverty in the UK.

“These are families who have to worry about the costs of everyday essentials and, as a result, children are going hungry and parents are skipping meals.

“But poverty is a political choice and, in this election year, every political party should ensure that ending child poverty is top of their priority list.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has confirmed that he would keep the two-child cap if he wins the next election.

The Children’s Charities Coalition backed the commissioner’s call, saying: “From struggling to make ends meet during the cost-of-living crisis to crumbling schools and overstretched mental health services, children and their families need help now.”