Child Poverty Bill

My Lords, Amendment 33 is short and simple, it is not quick and dirty. I tabled it to emphasise that any measures taken in the UK strategy must take account of the range of potential health problems that might be impacting on the welfare of a child. Mental health concerns remain, unfortunately, underdiagnosed and undertreated. Also unfortunately, but not surprisingly, they are more likely to appear in people struggling in lower income brackets. Failing to address a health concern in a child at a young age can lead needlessly to lifelong problems. It is also not just the physical and mental health of the child that the Secretary of State must concern himself with. The Minister is well aware of the impact on employment prospects a physical or mental health problem has. Even where this is not the case, children growing up in a household with a parent with a health problem are often forced to take on the role of carer themselves. Not only are these children at risk of being brought up in a workless household, they must also struggle to fit their lives around the needs of their parents. I beg to move.