[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":85},["Reactive",2],{"post:giving-evidence-at-a-select-committee-my-experience":3},{"_id":4,"authors":5,"body":13,"categories":7,"imageCredit":65,"imageUrl":66,"parent":7,"plainTextBody":67,"publishedAt":68,"slug":69,"submenuItems":71,"subtitle":7,"title":84},"4f1d7f61-489d-47a8-be41-8a8765202f48",[6],{"image":7,"name":8,"organisation":9,"slug":10},null,"Sam Richards","Changing Realities",{"_type":11,"current":12},"slug","samantha-richards",[14,25,33,41,49,57],{"_key":15,"_type":16,"children":17,"markDefs":23,"style":24},"dabc700ebe4e","block",[18],{"_key":19,"_type":20,"marks":21,"text":22},"4c51b8620db7","span",[],"I was recently asked by Changing Realities to take part in a select committee about the recently published Child Poverty Strategy. I had no experience of what to expect and did not know what a select committee entailed. However, having complete faith in Changing Realities to support me as they have done with previous roundtable events, I said yes. A select committee, I learnt, is made up of different MPs from different parties. In this case, we were having the session so that they could ask us questions about our lived experience of poverty and our reflections on Changing Realities’ engagement with the Child Poverty Strategy.",[],"normal",{"_key":26,"_type":16,"children":27,"markDefs":32,"style":24},"a4582f592f06",[28],{"_key":29,"_type":20,"marks":30,"text":31},"1187922897ef",[],"I have done a couple of round table events with Changing Realities that were attended by Government ministers, but I was more nervous about the select committee as it was not chaired by Changing Realities. However, the team at Changing Realities made sure that we were well supported and prepared throughout the process. We were even given a list of questions that would be asked so we were able to prepare in advance. We also had support and help from a buddy for the prep work and for the event. I am a planner and ended up preparing for each question, as I was worried I would go blank when I was there. The select committee was also to be filmed, I’m very camera shy, so initially I was worried about this, but I found out later it was just aired on parliament TV. My twelve-year-old son was also allowed to accompany me to the select committee; it made me feel very proud that my son could witness me speaking.",[],{"_key":34,"_type":16,"children":35,"markDefs":40,"style":24},"2265bdcccfdd",[36],{"_key":37,"_type":20,"marks":38,"text":39},"5da122c83a4e",[],"There was a consensus amongst me and the other Changing Realities participants that this was a step up from the usual round table events. The select committee was formerly opened, and we were each sat amongst various members of parliament; all were lovely and very welcoming. We were asked different questions by the members of parliament about our involvement with the development of the Child Poverty Strategy and our lived experiences as parents and carers living on a low income. CR participants spoke movingly about the barriers and challenges they have encountered, but also eloquently offered policy solutions to the members of the select committee, some of which I detail below. The members of parliament were really engaged and asked further insightful",[],{"_key":42,"_type":16,"children":43,"markDefs":48,"style":24},"122c59a76ac1",[44],{"_key":45,"_type":20,"marks":46,"text":47},"dccccdde6391",[],"questions and seemed really interested in what we had to say. I found myself being able to answer questions and talk about topics that I had not prepared for, even though I was initially worried I might go blank and get something akin to stage fright!",[],{"_key":50,"_type":16,"children":51,"markDefs":56,"style":24},"8738cc2c159d",[52],{"_key":53,"_type":20,"marks":54,"text":55},"51cdfca5147d",[],"I spoke about how the government should be congratulated with what they have done so far with regards to child poverty, by notably removing the two-child benefit cap. However, I further asked the select committee to keep up the momentum of eradicating child poverty. Children are our future. When I was preparing, I really wanted to convey to the select committee that families' basic needs must be met. To me, a family’s basic needs can be likened to the bottom layer of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: food, shelter, and warmth. I spoke about how the Child Poverty Strategy has not addressed these needs, as local housing allowances are woefully inadequate, and benefits do not cover spiralling energy and food prices. I further raised how some families are subject to No Recourse to Public Funds and the fact that the benefit cap remains in place, putting families in harm's way. I just really wanted the government to know that low-income families are trying to gain financial stability, but they are caught in a poverty trap which is not of their own making.",[],{"_key":58,"_type":16,"children":59,"markDefs":64,"style":24},"bfca0d1d283b",[60],{"_key":61,"_type":20,"marks":62,"text":63},"5fbb8adaf96e",[],"As the select committee ended, members of parliament spoke individually to each of us and seemed really invested in what had been raised. I felt as a group our voices were heard and valued. I felt very privileged to participate in the select committee. As for my son, he gave me his seal of approval by telling his friends that his mum campaigns against child poverty!",[],"Photo belongs to Sam Richards","https://cdn.sanity.io/images/brhp578m/production/f6c25ac7ba24f5e3bd35fa8b05b5f9851b08be37-1200x1600.jpg","I was recently asked by Changing Realities to take part in a select committee about the recently published Child Poverty Strategy. I had no experience of what to expect and did not know what a select committee entailed. However, having complete faith in Changing Realities to support me as they have done with previous roundtable events, I said yes. A select committee, I learnt, is made up of different MPs from different parties. In this case, we were having the session so that they could ask us questions about our lived experience of poverty and our reflections on Changing Realities’ engagement with the Child Poverty Strategy.\n\nI have done a couple of round table events with Changing Realities that were attended by Government ministers, but I was more nervous about the select committee as it was not chaired by Changing Realities. However, the team at Changing Realities made sure that we were well supported and prepared throughout the process. We were even given a list of questions that would be asked so we were able to prepare in advance. We also had support and help from a buddy for the prep work and for the event. I am a planner and ended up preparing for each question, as I was worried I would go blank when I was there. The select committee was also to be filmed, I’m very camera shy, so initially I was worried about this, but I found out later it was just aired on parliament TV. My twelve-year-old son was also allowed to accompany me to the select committee; it made me feel very proud that my son could witness me speaking.\n\nThere was a consensus amongst me and the other Changing Realities participants that this was a step up from the usual round table events. The select committee was formerly opened, and we were each sat amongst various members of parliament; all were lovely and very welcoming. We were asked different questions by the members of parliament about our involvement with the development of the Child Poverty Strategy and our lived experiences as parents and carers living on a low income. CR participants spoke movingly about the barriers and challenges they have encountered, but also eloquently offered policy solutions to the members of the select committee, some of which I detail below. The members of parliament were really engaged and asked further insightful\n\nquestions and seemed really interested in what we had to say. I found myself being able to answer questions and talk about topics that I had not prepared for, even though I was initially worried I might go blank and get something akin to stage fright!\n\nI spoke about how the government should be congratulated with what they have done so far with regards to child poverty, by notably removing the two-child benefit cap. However, I further asked the select committee to keep up the momentum of eradicating child poverty. Children are our future. When I was preparing, I really wanted to convey to the select committee that families' basic needs must be met. To me, a family’s basic needs can be likened to the bottom layer of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: food, shelter, and warmth. I spoke about how the Child Poverty Strategy has not addressed these needs, as local housing allowances are woefully inadequate, and benefits do not cover spiralling energy and food prices. I further raised how some families are subject to No Recourse to Public Funds and the fact that the benefit cap remains in place, putting families in harm's way. I just really wanted the government to know that low-income families are trying to gain financial stability, but they are caught in a poverty trap which is not of their own making.\n\nAs the select committee ended, members of parliament spoke individually to each of us and seemed really invested in what had been raised. I felt as a group our voices were heard and valued. I felt very privileged to participate in the select committee. As for my son, he gave me his seal of approval by telling his friends that his mum campaigns against child poverty!","2026-07-16T13:41:00.000Z",{"_type":11,"current":70},"giving-evidence-at-a-select-committee-my-experience",[72,75,78,81],{"path":73,"title":74},"/blog","Blog",{"path":76,"title":77},"/our-work","See our work",{"path":79,"title":80},"/write-ups","Write-ups",{"path":82,"title":83},"/zines","Our zines","Giving Evidence at a Select Committee: My Experience",1784819844806]