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Hub AI
Social Mobility Commission AI simulator
(@Social Mobility Commission_simulator)
Hub AI
Social Mobility Commission AI simulator
(@Social Mobility Commission_simulator)
Social Mobility Commission
The Social Mobility Commission (SMC), formerly the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission (2012–2016) and originally the Child Poverty Commission (2010–2012), is an independent advisory non-departmental public body of the UK Government. Originally sponsored by the Department for Education (DfE), the commission moved to the Cabinet Office on 1 April 2021. It now operates under the sponsorship of the Minister for Women and Equalities as part of the Equality Hub, which also includes the Government Equalities Office, the Race Disparity Unit, and the Disability Unit.
The SMC was established under the Life Chances Act 2010 (formerly the Child Poverty Act 2010), and its statutory role is to monitor progress in improving social mobility in the UK and to promote social mobility in England.
As of August 2024 the commissioners are:
The SMC's stated aim is to "create a United Kingdom where the circumstances of birth do not determine outcomes in life". Four specific responsibilities are listed on the SMC's website. These are:
Until 2020, the Commission described its role as "monitor[ing] progress towards improving social mobility in the UK, and promot[ing] social mobility in England". Because education in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter with each of the countries of the United Kingdom having separate systems under separate governments, the SMC has a remit to promote social mobility in England but only to monitor progress towards improving social mobility in the other countries of the United Kingdom. In Scotland an equivalent body is the Social Justice and Fairness Commission announced by Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister of the Scottish Government in April 2019.
As the Social Mobility and Child Poverty (SMCP) Commission, its objective was to "monitor the progress of government and others in improving social mobility and reducing child poverty in the United Kingdom".
The body was created by chapter 9, section 8 of the Child Poverty Act 2010 (also known as the life chances Act), which required the establishment of an independent Child Poverty Commission to monitor the effectiveness of the Government's then-yet-to-be-published Child Poverty Strategy. It was renamed as the Social Mobility and Child Poverty (SMCP) Commission by the Welfare Reform Act 2012, and its name was changed to the Social Mobility Commission by chapter 7, section 6 of the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016. From 2012 to 2017 the Chair of the commission was Alan Milburn.
In April 2011, when the Government's Child Poverty Strategy was published, it announced (p. 22, §1.41; p. 66, §5.21) that the Child Poverty Act would be amended so that the Child Poverty Commission would "be replaced by a new Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission". The commission's "broader scope" incorporating social mobility was described in the Strategy as "the Government's new approach", designed "to ensure that the Commission considers the issue of child poverty within the wider context of children's life chances and inter-generational poverty" and "the crucial links between child poverty, children's life chances and social mobility". The SMCP Commission's role was described as being "to monitor progress against the broad range of child poverty, life chances and social mobility indicators, towards the end goal of eradicating child poverty."
Social Mobility Commission
The Social Mobility Commission (SMC), formerly the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission (2012–2016) and originally the Child Poverty Commission (2010–2012), is an independent advisory non-departmental public body of the UK Government. Originally sponsored by the Department for Education (DfE), the commission moved to the Cabinet Office on 1 April 2021. It now operates under the sponsorship of the Minister for Women and Equalities as part of the Equality Hub, which also includes the Government Equalities Office, the Race Disparity Unit, and the Disability Unit.
The SMC was established under the Life Chances Act 2010 (formerly the Child Poverty Act 2010), and its statutory role is to monitor progress in improving social mobility in the UK and to promote social mobility in England.
As of August 2024 the commissioners are:
The SMC's stated aim is to "create a United Kingdom where the circumstances of birth do not determine outcomes in life". Four specific responsibilities are listed on the SMC's website. These are:
Until 2020, the Commission described its role as "monitor[ing] progress towards improving social mobility in the UK, and promot[ing] social mobility in England". Because education in the United Kingdom is a devolved matter with each of the countries of the United Kingdom having separate systems under separate governments, the SMC has a remit to promote social mobility in England but only to monitor progress towards improving social mobility in the other countries of the United Kingdom. In Scotland an equivalent body is the Social Justice and Fairness Commission announced by Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister of the Scottish Government in April 2019.
As the Social Mobility and Child Poverty (SMCP) Commission, its objective was to "monitor the progress of government and others in improving social mobility and reducing child poverty in the United Kingdom".
The body was created by chapter 9, section 8 of the Child Poverty Act 2010 (also known as the life chances Act), which required the establishment of an independent Child Poverty Commission to monitor the effectiveness of the Government's then-yet-to-be-published Child Poverty Strategy. It was renamed as the Social Mobility and Child Poverty (SMCP) Commission by the Welfare Reform Act 2012, and its name was changed to the Social Mobility Commission by chapter 7, section 6 of the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016. From 2012 to 2017 the Chair of the commission was Alan Milburn.
In April 2011, when the Government's Child Poverty Strategy was published, it announced (p. 22, §1.41; p. 66, §5.21) that the Child Poverty Act would be amended so that the Child Poverty Commission would "be replaced by a new Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission". The commission's "broader scope" incorporating social mobility was described in the Strategy as "the Government's new approach", designed "to ensure that the Commission considers the issue of child poverty within the wider context of children's life chances and inter-generational poverty" and "the crucial links between child poverty, children's life chances and social mobility". The SMCP Commission's role was described as being "to monitor progress against the broad range of child poverty, life chances and social mobility indicators, towards the end goal of eradicating child poverty."