Child Poverty

Around 3.8 million children live in poverty in the UK – nearly three in every ten. That makes children considerably more likely to live in poverty than adults. It’s not necessary, it’s not acceptable, and we can do something about it.

Growing up in poverty can blight children’s well-being and their future life chances. For example children living in poverty are more likely to have poor physical and mental health and less likely to achieve their full potential at school. They are also far less likely to be in further education, employment or training after school. Recent research from The Children's Society found a clear link between low household income, children’s material deprivation and a child’s low well-being. 

The Children’s Society supports some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children and young people in this country through our specialist services and children’s centres. Our policy team works to lobby and influence decision makers, so that family incomes are lifted above the poverty line and that disadvantaged families have access to the services they need to give their children the best start in life.

Our main lobbying priorities are:

• Making high quality childcare affordable and accessible to all families by ensuring they are given sufficient supported with their childcare costs.
• Ensuring that work is a guaranteed route out of poverty for all families, especially those with high childcare costs.
• Making sure that families which are unable to work because of illness, disability, care responsibilities, or other barriers to the labour market, are not forced into poverty by their circumstances.
• Guaranteeing that families with disabled children are sufficiently supported to meet the extra costs associated with raising a child with a disability.
• Addressing child poverty from the very earliest years, so that children are not born into poverty.
• Ensuring that key services engage with the most disadvantaged and hardest to reach families.

For more on our recent policy work addressing child poverty in the UK, please follow the links down the left hand side of this page.