No child left behind: what the government’s child poverty strategy should aim to deliver

Almost 1 in 3 children in the UK are growing up in poverty. This stark reality undermines children’s health, wellbeing and life chances from their earliest years. 

From the quality of housing and access to nutritious food, to the security and stability of daily life, poverty infringes upon every building block of a healthy childhood. It disrupts crucial stages of learning and development and can have a detrimental impact on children’s mental and physical health. These disadvantages endure as young people grow up: hardship during childhood is linked to shorter lifespans and more years spent in poor health.

Last year’s election of a new government who publicly committed to tackling poverty offered hope for progress. Yet we are still waiting for the child poverty strategy, months after its expected release. When it comes, it must be more than a statement of intent. It must deliver real action now and tackle the deep-rooted drivers of poverty. Delays cannot excuse inaction on one of the most significant drivers of health inequalities in the UK.

The state of child poverty in the UK

In 2024, around 4.5 million children in the UK (31%) were living in relative poverty (after housing costs), up from 3.6 million in 2010/11 (27%). The cost-of-living crisis has left lasting scars, with inflation still above historical norms and the price of essential goods and services, namely energy, housing and food, remaining stubbornly high. For millions of families, struggling to meet basic needs has become part of daily life, and children continue to face higher poverty rates than other population groups in the UK (Figure 1).

Policy inaction on the two-child limit and benefit cap has left many families without adequate support. While these are obvious levers to support household incomes, a sustainable reduction in child poverty also requires tackling the structural drivers that entrench disadvantage. Without decisive policy change, projections indicate that child poverty could reach record highs by the end of this parliament (affecting 4.8 million children by 2029/30). 

Poverty is not just a matter of money. Inequalities are mirrored in health outcomes too, with strong associations between child poverty and lower life expectancy at birth (Figure 2). Persistently high rates of child poverty mean new generations are being born into environments that harm their health from the outset and give rise to lasting inequality. Tackling child poverty must therefore be viewed as a public health imperative, not just an economic or moral one.

What the child poverty strategy should aim to deliver 

The forthcoming strategy is a critical opportunity for government to take a big step towards improving children’s lives. To make meaningful progress, reduce the long-run damage of child poverty and mitigate its immediate harms, the strategy should aim to do these three things.

1. Tackle immediate need

Addressing material deprivation must be the starting point. Children going hungry, without warm clothing or secure housing, face the most acute and damaging effects of poverty. 

The strategy must therefore include targeted income and support measures. Removing the two-child limit and benefit cap, alongside increasing the child element of Universal Credit, could improve income adequacy for the poorest households. Research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies suggests such measures could lift up to 1.2 million children out of poverty.

The extension of free school meals to all children in families on Universal Credit is a welcome step, expected to benefit 100,000 children by 2030. Reaffirming commitments to restore the value of Healthy Start scheme from 2026/27 (to enable families to buy nutritious food for young children) would further support those most in need. However, both initiatives should be part of a wider strategy to ensure every child has access to the essentials for a healthy life, not temporary relief.

2. Address the wider drivers of poverty

Poverty is not only about low income; it is also about the conditions that make it hard for families to stay afloat. Insecure work, high housing costs, poor-quality housing and inadequate childcare all wear on families’ financial resilience and wellbeing. Tackling poverty requires more than short-term fixes. A credible strategy should address these issues directly, to reduce the structural pressures that push people into hardship and prevent long-term stability.

Targeted policies such as rent controls and increased investment in social housing can help families to access safe and affordable homes. Stronger protections for workers in low-paid or insecure jobs can reduce financial vulnerability. Expanding access to affordable, high-quality childcare and tailored employment support would help parents balance work with their caring responsibilities, boosting both family wellbeing and economic participation.

While immediate income measures are essential, deeper reforms are needed to avoid families continuing to fall into poverty traps in the future. 

3. Take a long-term preventative approach

Sustained poverty reduction requires upstream prevention. This ambition demands a long-term view and a system that works together effectively. The child poverty strategy should create structures that enable joined-up working across welfare, health, education and community services to intervene early and prevent hardship from taking root.

Over the past decade, many local services supporting families – such as youth work, health visiting and early years provision – have been eroded. Rebuilding these services is vital to ensure support reaches families promptly, addressing both financial and social needs as early as possible.

Evaluation of Sure Start highlighted the lasting impact of integrated early years support. By reducing hospital costs, increasing the educational attainment and eventual earnings of those affected, the societal return was significant, with indicative estimates placing long-run economic benefits at more than double the programme’s cost. This demonstrates that prevention works – and it must be at the heart of the government’s child poverty strategy.

Translating policy into practice

Decisions across central government departments shape the conditions in which children grow up, from education and housing to welfare and employment. The strategy should adopt a whole-government approach, embedding a ‘health in all policies’ framework so that every department contributes to better outcomes for children. 

To date, while the government’s health and opportunity missions signal intent, they lack the clear delivery plans and investment to realise meaningful change. The strategy should acknowledge these shortcomings and translate aspirations into a coordinated, cross-departmental plan with clear accountability and milestones to track progress.

Child poverty is not an inevitability. While it is understandable that the government remains focused on achieving growth and fiscal prudence, persistently high levels of poverty cannot be accepted as a political choice. It remains wrong that children continue to bear the cost of inaction. Although there is no single silver bullet, tackling child poverty requires a bold set of coordinated reforms to secure better health for future generations.