Thread by @CPAGUK

Our event on the two-child limit is getting underway, hosted by ⁦@alisonthewliss⁩ and ⁦@BishopPaulB⁩

Our head of policy @josietucker talks about the collaborative effort between many orgs on the #allkidscount report - including @churchofengland @womensaid @turn2us_org @refugeecouncil and Interlink cpag.org.uk/twochildlimit

160,000 families have already been affected by the two-child limit - mostly working families, mostly with 3 children

We were overwhelmed by some of the stories we heard about the impact of the two-child limit - see this thread for more

People’s situations are dynamic and change - the two-child limit ignores this

Michelle is now sharing her experience of the two-child limit - “we’ve struggled massively... we didn’t know about this policy... I’ve struggled mostly because of childcare”

Michelle: “if it hadn’t been for my my mum I’d have been at the food bank It’s wrong to assume that everybody plans their children because they don’t”

Camilla from @UniversityLeeds spoke to several families affected by the two-child limit - the stories were difficult to hear

“It’s the normal things we take for granted that make the difference” - @alisonthewliss on the stories we heard from families on what they’re going without as a result of the two-child limit

Jenny from @womensaid is now sharing stories from refuges - and the awful choices women face when they are victims of domestic abuse and become pregnant with a third of subsequent child.

“I didn’t want any more children...” - a survivor of domestic abuse was persuaded to have a baby by her abusive partner, and then found out about the two-child limit when she arrived at a refuge

.@alisonthewliss responds to the #allkidscount report - “I didn’t want to be proven right on this” - Alison has tirelessly campaigned against the policy

“There’s a lot more we need to do to put this in front of ministers and make sure they know the full impact of it” - @alisonthewliss

.@heidiallen75 - “these are children - for that reason alone it’s a terrible policy”

Baroness Lister: “I don’t think I’ve got as angry reading a report as reading All Kids Count”

It pushes children deeper into poverty, undermines govt policies on domestic abuse and family conflict - Ruth Lister

Seb from @refugeecouncil outlining why they oppose the two-child limit - “families have experienced severe trauma... and have no financial backup... and the two-child limit undermines the gov’s policy on integration”

The @refugeecouncil’s clients want to move on with their lives - the two-child limit gets in the way of that

.@ZoeCharleswort1 from Policy in Practice highlights that councils are also bringing the two-child limit in in council tax support

Chaya from Interlink Foundation - children are a blessing, not a stigma

“For women to be driven to termination because of lack of financial support is a very sad place to be” - Chaya from Interlink Foundation

.@MaeveSherlock on the social security system: people will put in and take out at different times of their lives and it’s there for when unexpected things happen

.@RapeCrisisEandW highlights the misunderstandings of rape that underpin the rape clause in the two-child limit - eg, women have to leave their abuser to get exception

.@alisonthewliss also points out the problem of the rape clause in Northern Ireland because there is an obligation to report crimes.

Call to action from @alisonthewliss as the meeting draws to a close - make sure everyone knows this is happening

You can read more about the cross-organisational campaign challenging the policy at cpag.org.uk/allkidscount