Child Poverty Bill

My Lords, my amendment would ensure that, in the focus on further education and the training of parents, which is a very important aim, sight is not lost of a different sort of skill that would immeasurably improve the life of a child living in that household. Much of the disjunction between income and material deprivation measures relates directly to personal choices. It is a tragic but undeniable fact that many parents do not have the necessary skills to make the best choices for their children. There are, of course, terrible cases when a parent wilfully abuses or harms a child in their care. There are severe penalties for that sort of behaviour, but in many cases the harm is done through ignorance, not malice. We have spoken a little about factors such as child obesity, which can lead to severe health problems for the rest of a child’s life as well as potentially triggering bullying and self-esteem issues. In most cases, the obesity is not caused by insufficient household income, as healthy food need not be expensive. The condition could be caused simply by a lack of understanding of what a healthy diet is or of its importance. With the high rate of teenage pregnancy, it is sadly true that many parents have barely left their childhood. It is no surprise that many young parents find themselves faced with responsibilities that they never imagined taking on and with no support system to turn to for help. I hope that the Minister will agree that any strategy must involve actively seeking out and helping these parents. I beg to move.