Child poverty
The Government is committed to halve child poverty by 2010 and eradicate it by 2020. These pages explain what needs to be done to meet these targets. You can read our Child Poverty Strategy and other key reports and evidence and find out where to get more information.
Ending child poverty: everybody's business
"Ending child poverty: everybody's business" sets out the next steps, including the measures announced in Budget 2008, that will make further significant progress to halving child poverty by 2010. The document also sets out the Government's vision for a renewed drive on child poverty for the next decade, including a number of areas of further work and approaches the Government will pilot that will help develop the strategy for 2020.
New Joint Child Poverty Unit
On 29 October 2007 DWP and the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) announced the creation of their Joint Child Poverty Unit. This Unit brings together the child poverty policy officials and analysts in the two departments, along with Neera Sharma on secondment from Barnados, to take the Government’s child poverty strategy to its next stage of development.
The role of the Unit is to:
- provide an integrated approach across Government to tackling child poverty
- build on the Child Poverty Review, by taking stock and taking forward the strategic direction to eradicate child poverty by 2020
- engage all our stakeholders, learning from their expertise
- engage those in local service delivery to take ownership to support our commitments
- undertake research and analysis to support the development of successful policies.
The background
In the mid to late 1990s the United Kingdom suffered higher child poverty than nearly all other industrialised nations. Over a period of 20 years, the proportion of children in relative low-income households had more than doubled, one in five families had no one in work and one in every three children was living in poverty. In 1999 the Prime Minister pledged to eradicate child poverty in the UK within a generation. The next key milestone is the Government's commitment to halve child poverty by 2010.
Reversing the trend
We have succeeded in reversing the long-term trend in rising child poverty. Since 1997 we have reduced the number of children living in relative low income by 600,000.
Our Child Poverty Strategy
- 'Working
for Children' – Child Poverty Strategy (721KB)
- Executive
summary – 'Working for Children' (105KB)
Other reports and evidence
- Delivering on Child Poverty:
what would it take?
Lisa Harker reported her findings on the Department for Work and Pensions’ child poverty strategy on 1 November 2006. - Opportunity for all – the annual Government report about tackling poverty and social exclusion.
- Opportunity for all – Children and young people
- National Action Plan on Social Inclusion 2003-05