Quick Guide: Families
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Maternity leave

Childcare

Child tax credits

Child poverty

Welfare reform

Inequality

Welfare reform
The government wants to reform incapacity benefit to encourage people back to work

Making work pay has been the centrepiece of Labour's approach to welfare reform.

Young people, mothers with school age children, and now those on incapacity benefit are all being encouraged to seek work rather than stay on benefit.

Labour has changed the tax and benefit system to increase the rewards paid to people with children who stay in work.

But critics say that the system is too expensive and many people would have found jobs anyway.