Child Poverty Strategy

The government has published its long awaited Child Poverty Strategy, which can be found on their website here.

The strategy sets out the steps they are taking to reduce child poverty in the short term, as well as putting in place the building blocks needed to change the course we’re on and create long-term change. The strategy brings together the action the government has already taken, alongside new measures, to increase incomes, reduce essential costs and strengthen local services. It also outlines how government will hold itself to account on delivering the impact they have promised through this Parliament and beyond through a robust approach to monitoring and evaluation.

Amongst the measures described are:

• removal of the two child limit, lifting 450,000 children out of relative poverty within this parliament;
• increase of the National Living Wage by 6.7% to £12.21;
• rolling out free breakfast clubs in England, to support parents to boost their working hours;
• expanding free school meals in England to all children in households in receipt of Universal Credit;
• announced plans to roll out Best Start Family Hubs in every local authority in England.