The two-child benefit policy has been described as a “cap on childhood” and as it comes to an end, Claire* hopes to throw a birthday party for her son. It is a celebration most children may take for granted, but Claire and her partner run out of money at the end of every month, skipping meals so that their three children can eat. Her son, now in his final year at primary school, has never had a party. The limit, which was introduced under the Conservatives in 2017 and allowed parents to claim universal credit (UC) or tax credits for their first two children only, was scrapped by the Labour government at the last budget. The decision means from 6 April low-income families could be entitled to a payment equal to about £300 a month for each additional child in the household. Families already on UC should get the extra money automatically. Claire’s story is one of many collected by the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), which estimates 109 children have been pushed into poverty …