CPAG search

To help inform the UK government’s work, we have set out how to deliver an effective child poverty strategy.

This briefing raises the alarm about several myths and misunderstandings concerning Scottish child payment that advisers commonly hear from families.

CPAG’s annual Cost of a Child report looks at how much it costs families to provide a minimum socially acceptable standard of living for their children. It is calculated using the Minimum Income Standard (MIS) research, carried out by the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

CPAG’s annual Cost of a Child report looks at how much it costs families to provide a minimum socially acceptable standard of living for their children. It is calculated using the Minimum Income Standard (MIS) research, carried out by the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

In the absence of leadership from Westminster in recent years, devolved governments and local authorities have developed their own strategies to tackle child poverty. The UK government has now committed to developing a UK-wide cross-government child poverty strategy, which is a hugely welcome step. What key lessons from experiences of developing child poverty strategies in the devolved nations should inform the future development of a UK-wide cross-government child poverty strategy?

Our social security system, like our NHS, should be there for us all, especially those who need it most. It needs updating, so it works in today’s world. By the time it is fully rolled out, half of all children in the UK will live in a household claiming universal credit (UC). With some financial investment and operational changes, UC can be the safety net that families need.

Seven years after the introduction of the two-child limit, there are almost 1.6 million children in 440,000 families affected by the policy.

While the additional financial support provided to households with children in Scotland is having a positive impact on family incomes compared with the UK as a whole, many are still struggling to meet a socially acceptable standard of living.

The cost of raising a child to age 18 is £166,000 for a couple and £220,000 for a lone parent.

This report, from CPAG and the NEU, looks at the impact of universal free school meal entitlement on families, schools and children.

Racial inequalities in child poverty are particularly stark, with over half of children from Black, Pakistani and Bangladeshi backgrounds likely to grow up in poverty. Economic structures that reinforce gender inequality and entrench systemic racism mean that certain groups, including women, children and Black and minority ethnic families are much more likely to be living in poverty.

Our UK Cost of the School Day programme, carried out in partnership with Children North East, has been transformative for schools and pupils. An independent evaluation of the project between 2019-22 highlights its impact on families, schools, local authorities and the wider education system.