Committees launch joint inquiry on Government’s Child Poverty Strategy

New inquiry: “Realising potential: Delivering the Child Poverty Strategy”

MPs on the Education and Work and Pensions Committees have today launched a new inquiry investigating how the Government's new Child Poverty Strategy, announced last month, can meet its aims.

The new inquiry will examine the Strategy's ambition and potential impact and consider which policy measures could help the Government achieve its goal of reducing childhood poverty levels.

Currently, 1 in 3 children - 4.5 million - in the UK are below the poverty line. Scrapping the two-child limit from April, is expected to lift around 450,000 out of poverty by 2029 and ease the deprivation of many more according to Government estimates. Added to other measures in the strategy, the Government expects 550,000 in total to be raised above the poverty line. However, roughly four million will continue to suffer hardship.

The Strategy aims to boost family incomes, reduce the costs, and strengthen support locally to reduce child poverty. Other measures within it include increasing access to free school meals, extending funded childcare entitlements to working parents and investing in Family Hubs. While it received support from many organisations, critics have argued that it lacks binding targets. MPs on the Committee will examine this concern, and the experience and future prospects of those who suffer poverty in childhood.

MPs will also consider how the Government should work with the UK's devolved governments to set targets and assess the success of the Strategy, in order to secure its long-term success.

Chair quotes

Education Committee Chair Helen Hayes said, “A child growing up without the essentials they need is a child less likely to grow up healthy, to see the benefits of a quality education, and be able to reach their full potential. Children cannot learn properly if they are growing up in cold and damp homes, arriving at school hungry, and lacking access to the books, toys and resources they need to thrive.

The Government's new Child Poverty Strategy is a positive step towards righting this wrong. But does it go far enough? It is crucial that this strategy contains measures which will genuinely change the lives of children and families and in particular lift children out of the very deepest poverty, rather than focusing solely on those who are easiest to help. Through our inquiry, we will work together to examine the ambition contained in this vital plan.

The Government wants to improve children's lives by tackling the root causes of poverty. Looking closely at the evidence, we will assess whether this Strategy is likely to deliver on that ambition and ensure that as many children as possible are lifted out of hardship.”

Work and Pensions Committee Chair Debbie Abrahams said, “Poverty in childhood is an anchor that weighs down on the chances of a successful, healthy and happy life for the children affected, now and in the future. It also has a profound impact on society.

“Nothing less than a robust, clear and effective strategy with strong lines of accountability to drive down child poverty is acceptable. Scrapping the two-child limit is an important start with estimates that the announced measures could reverse the rise in childhood poverty since 2010, but there is so much more to do.

“We'll be scrutinising the strategy for the effectiveness of the measures in it, and its ambition. Targets and milestones are essential to enable effective monitoring and evaluation of the strategy. For example, what targets should be set for the reduction of child poverty in the UK – 10%, 25%, 35%? What targets should be set for different nations and regions? It's essential that the strategy addresses the unequal distribution of poverty in different parts of the UK, and to people from different backgrounds.”

Call for evidence and terms of reference

Those who want to give evidence can do so by answering any of the questions below on the inquiry's evidence submission portalbefore 16.00 on 6 March 2026.

Strengthening outcomes

• Is the Child Poverty Strategy sufficiently ambitious?
• Are the drivers and outcomes that the Government has to set out in the Strategy the right ones?

• Are there any policies and initiatives that could strengthen the outcomes in:

(i) boosting families' incomes;

(ii) saving families' money;

(iii) securing families' finances; and

(iv) strengthening local support,

• That were not included in the Child Support Strategy? What will the distributional impacts of the Strategy be, including across the regions and nations of the UK and among different groups of children and families with protected characteristics?
• What impact might the Strategy have on children who experience other specific barriers, for example, children with experience of the care system; children at risk of criminal exploitation; and children at risk of entering the criminal justice system?
• How well does the Child Poverty Strategy link to the Government's work on social mobility? Are there any further strategic ambitions or outcomes that the Government should focus on to support social mobility? For example, relating to closing the educational attainment gap and supporting high aspirations among children and young people.

Monitoring and evaluating progress

• Should the Child Poverty Strategy include measurable targets and interim targets? If so, what should they be?
• How should the Government work with the devolved nations on setting targets, and monitoring and evaluating progress on delivering the Strategy?
• What is your view of the Government's proposed 'Monitoring and Evaluation Framework' for the Child Poverty Strategy? How could it be improved?
• What should be included in the Government's baseline report this summer?
• How should the Government support the monitoring and evaluation of actions to reduce child poverty at the local level, and across different protected characteristics? And what data is either available or necessary to achieve this?
• • What data is available and necessary to monitor child poverty and the impact of interventions, across protected characteristics, at the local level?
• Are there any international comparators the Government should learn from, in relation to how it sets targets, and how it monitors and evaluates progress on action to reduce child poverty?
• What will be necessary to secure the longevity of the Child Poverty Strategy?

ENDS

Notes to editors

• If you wish to link to the evidence submission portal for your websites, the URL once the embargo period has elapsed will be:https://committees.parliament.uk/work/9581/realising-potential-delivering-the-child-poverty-strategy/