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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

Even though the policy was aimed at adults, the negative consequences of welfare cuts for children were significant - see also connected analysis: www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=...

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

At the moment, a family of four receiving asylum support is getting about 60% of UC + CB and about 20% of median income, which according to HO protects them from destitution. Will this mean benefit recipients will have some benefits taken away through UC deductions? Suggests they might in EN

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Bill seems to confirm that families with children and other dependents (24) will be required to pay back some of the asylum support provided to them, even though children themselves will not be subject to the requirements (23).

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Great to celebrate Refugee Week this year at @barnardos.org.uk @rampproject.bsky.social event & connect with charity leaders, parliamentarians & other stakeholders. 🧵

Barnardo's briefing on the implications of the immigration and asylum bill

Speakers (from left) Jon Featonby - Refugee Council, Patricia Durr - ECPAT, Lyn Perry & Nabil Ali - Barnardo's

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 10/06/2026

In fact the HO are already making greater use of detention including for children. Latest figures show there were 44 occurrences of children entering immigration detention in the first three months of 2026 - almost double the number in 2025. This won't include all STHF like Manston (I think).

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

For those working on the asylum family returns consultation: worth remembering lessons under previous Labour gov: ‘Starve them out’: does every child really matter? A commentary on Section 9 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004 journals.sagepub.com/doi/epdf/10....

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

Glorious sunny day. Perfect marching weather! 🌞🥁❤️ #refugeesarewelcome #hopenothate #unitynothostility

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 28/03/2026

Glorious sunny day. Perfect marching weather! 🌞🥁❤️ #refugeesarewelcome #hopenothate #unitynothostility

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 11/03/2026

Off to Edinburgh for a workshop on 'Evidencing the Wider Impacts of the Scottish Child Payment: Challenges and Opportunities for Data, Research and Practice'. Excited to hear about others' research & present our own findings from the Family Finances study with Suzanna Nesom.

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Our piece with @ruthpatrick0.bsky.social in response to last week's Scottish Budget @scotnational.bsky.social While ⬆️ Scottish Child Payment for 🚼 from next year is very welcome ✅ we think all children in Scotland living in poverty need more support & here's why: www.thenational.scot/politics/257...

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

Under govs earned settlement reforms, said NHS mum next door could even be born in the UK but spend her whole childhood without access to key benefits like Child Benefit based on where her parents were from or what they did while she was growing up.

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

And *spoiler alert* this policy does disproportionately impact children from racialised backgrounds. But she's right that NO child deserves to grow up in poverty & be excluded from vital support.

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

Strong stuff from the Chancellor 💪🏻 One slight prob: her gov's NRPF policy (which restricts access to MOST benefits not just UC & which they're planning to extend to those w/ ILR) does precisely this: discriminates between children based on where parents are from www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Guardian article on scrapping two child limit

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

'How the Scottish child payment has made a real difference – and not discouraged parents from working' op ed by @emmatominey.bsky.social @kittyjstewart.bsky.social @ruthpatrick0.bsky.social in @scotsman.com via www.scotsman.com/news/opinion...

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

The following list contains the essential needs items that the 2024 weekly subsistence payments were calculated for, mostly per annum. The clothing list seems especially harsh & unrealistic. As anyone with kids knows, gloves, hats & jumpers go missing almost on a weekly basis.

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

For families awaiting their claim, the provisions around asylum support are still very unclear. Some will be forced to work but presumably without any wrap-around support e.g. childcare, child benefit or universal credit to top up low income. This will be impossible for some.

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 17/11/2025

Support will be terminated for families with children whose claim has been refused - a key safeguard in place since NASS was established in 1999. Alongside forced returns (and presumably detention) for children and families who don't/can't leave.

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 16/11/2025

So hard to understand with all the smoke and mirrors: so the right to work for asylum seekers but getting rid of asylum support? if you can't work, given you have NRFP, will you be homeless & destitute?

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

Good to see my evidence to the committee mentioned. Full HASC report: committees.parliament.uk/work/8763/as...

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 27/10/2025

Lots of interesting findings in HASC asylum accommodation report today including that at end of March 2025, there were 23,758 children receiving Asylum Support (a quarter - 23% - of support recipients) - a huge jump from 15,513 at the end of 2022.

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

Says it all about how interested govs are in finding out how many children are affected by NRPF conditions. We've been asking for this info since 2016 at least. If only Reform would want to know these things. We might get somewhere! questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-ques...

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 30/09/2025

Looks like yesterday's 'announcement' around earned settlement might not apply to households already in the UK which if true is positive but there may be other restrictions coming. www.thetimes.com/article/13e1...

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 03/09/2025

Message from morning bus ride: "All are welcome" ❤️

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

Help please: we're trying to recruit some more parent research participants in Scotland for our #FamilyFinances project. Specifically: parents who are receiving #UniversalCredit and #ScottishChildPayment and who have at least one baby (0-12months) in the household. Can you help spread the word?

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 24/07/2025

But from previous FOI data we know that while most children were in dispersed accommodation at the end of 2022 (14,187 on S95 & 539 on S4), the remaining 787 children were receiving S98 support either in Initial Accommodation (457) or contingency hotels (330). sticerd.lse.ac.uk/case/_new/pu...

Asylum support recipients by support type, accommodation type and age group at the end of 2022.

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 13/07/2025

Here's one of my co-authors Gersi speaking about our research for London Councils on #BBCPoliticsLondon (starts at 8.35) www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis... #unaccompaniedyoungpeople #seekingsanctuary

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 13/07/2025

Great to be able to speak about our report for @londoncouncils.bsky.social & ALDCS on the needs of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children & young people on #BBCpoliticsLondon this morning @lse-sticerd-case.bsky.social #UoBeds #SLRA - clip via @bbciplayer www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002fx8m

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 20/06/2025

🚨Blog post: "Communities provide VITAL support to children & families seeking sanctuary across the UK. But they cannot protect thousands of children from deep & persistent poverty. Only gov reforms can do that." ilonapinter2019.wordpress.com/2025/06/20/c... #childpoverty #RefugeeWeek #asylumsupport

Refugee Week 2025 Community As a Superpower image saying "This Refugee Week, Our Superpower Is..."

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 18/06/2025

The HO reasoning at the end of the article is just wonderful. "Although Guilherme is only 11, it warns him that staying in the UK illegally could lead to him being detained, prosecuted, not being allowed to work or rent and having his driving licence taken away from him."

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

'No cheap way to reduce poverty' says Toon from @reusilience.bsky.social research

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

Ruth presenting joint work with @uiscejordan.bsky.social and @maddypower.bsky.social from @changingrealities.bsky.social research on working with low income parents in the UK at #FISS25

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

Ruth & Kitty presenting paper on 'The sins of the parents: Conceptualizing adult-oriented reforms to family benefits' journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.... by @ruthpatrick0.bsky.social @kittyjstewart.bsky.social @aaronreeves.bsky.social at #FISS2025

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 03/06/2025

On my way to Sigtuna 🇸🇪 for the FISS international research seminar in social security. Excited to be on a panel with @ruthpatrick0.bsky.social @kittyjstewart.bsky.social on 'Governing Through Polycrises: Despatches from the UK'

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

Loved seeing Chasing Hares at the Tower Theatre last night. Powerful & hopeful. www.towertheatre.org.uk/hares/

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 26/03/2025

Enjoyed the sunshine after the CASE seminar. Thanks so much to all who were able to attend & for the brilliant questions. Recording should be out at some point. But always happy to chat offline.

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Ilona Pinter @ilonapin.bsky.social · 23/03/2025

📢💡Evidence briefing on child poverty in the context of the UK's immigration & asylum system. Earlier this year (Jan), @lucyleon.bsky.social and I published a joint evidence submission to the government's Child Poverty Strategy review🧵

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