Child poverty
This section has information about the Government’s child poverty policy. This includes the first national child poverty strategy, an explanation of the Child Poverty Act and the role of the Child Poverty Unit.
Helping children overcome poverty will make a huge difference not only to their lives but to the lives of their families, communities and to society as a whole. Ending child poverty means tackling a wide range of complex issues to improve children's chances in life and empowering families to move themselves out of poverty for good.
There are challenges ahead, but the Coalition’s Programme for Government made clear its commitment to ending child poverty by 2020. Success depends on finding the best long-term solutions to tackling child poverty and the national strategy sets out how the Government proposes to tackle child poverty in the forthcoming years.
More information on what the Government is doing to tackle child poverty can be found at:
Measuring child poverty: A consultation on better measures of child poverty (now closed)
The government published a consultation on 15 November 2012 that asked how the reality of child poverty can best be reflected. The consultation, which closed on 15 February 2013, considers a number of potential dimensions:
- income and material deprivation
- worklessness
- unmanageable debt
- poor housing
- parental skill level
- access to quality education
- family stability
- parental health.
The results of the consultation are being analysed and the Government will respond in due course.
The consultation is available here for reference purposes:
- Measuring Child Poverty: A consultation on better measures of child poverty (5MB)
(consultation now closed)
Child poverty national strategy
‘A New Approach to Child Poverty: Tackling the Causes of Disadvantage and Transforming Families’ Lives’ sets out the Government’s approach to tackling poverty for this Parliament and up to 2020. At its heart are strengthening families, encouraging responsibility, promoting work, guaranteeing fairness and providing support to the most vulnerable. This strategy meets the requirements set out in the Child Poverty Act 2010, focuses on improving the life chances of the most disadvantaged children, and sits alongside the Government’s broader strategy to improve social mobility.
- A New Approach to Child Poverty: Tackling the Causes of Disadvantage and Transforming Families’ Lives (Department for Education)
The Child Poverty Act
The Child Poverty Bill was introduced to the House of Commons on 11 June 2009 and obtained Royal Assent on 25 March 2010.
The Act requires the Secretary of State to meet four targets to eradicate child poverty by 2020. It requires a strategy every three years (first being in spring 2011) to meet these targets and report annually on progress. The Act conveys duties on local authorities.
The Act is jointly sponsored by the Department for Education, the Department for Work and Pensions, and Her Majesty's Treasury. You can read the Child Poverty Act 2010 on the Office of Public Sector Information website.
- Child Poverty Act 2010 (OPSI)
As required by section 1(1) of the Child Poverty Act 2010, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has laid a report on whether or not the previous government’s target to halve child poverty by 2010 was met.
- Child Poverty in the UK: The report on the 2010 target (Department for Education website)
The Child Poverty Unit
The Child Poverty Unit brings together key officials from the Department for Work and Pensions, the Department for Education and HM Treasury. More information on the work of the Unit is available on the Department for Education website.
