Six ways policymakers can tackle rising child poverty

In our latest evidence review, Changing patterns of poverty in early childhood, we examine the causes and consequences of this increase and set out six key elements for addressing early childhood poverty.

1. Recognition of all the contributing factors to child poverty and how they intersect.
   A sustained reduction in child poverty will only be possible if action is taken to address the wider societal and economic changes that are exacerbating the problem. The growth of in-work poverty means that having working parents does not necessarily protect young children from poverty. Children now need to have one parent in full-time work and another in at least part-time work to largely escape poverty. The continued shift from social housing to privately rented accommodation is also having an impact, as it brings with it higher housing costs and greater insecurity for families. 
2. Improved social security benefits and access to the right kind of employment.
   Social security changes such as the ‘two child limit’ and the abolition of the families element of child tax credits have driven a sharp rise in poverty for larger families with young children. Removing the two-child limit and retaining the £20 uplift in Universal Credit, alongside other improvements to the social security system, would help reduce early childhood poverty, particularly if complemented by action to support parents to access employment that takes account of the care needs of the under-fives.
   
   
3. Support for parental mental health and parenting.
   Financial hardship is linked to poorer parental health, which can have a negative impact on some aspects of parenting and consequently how well children fare. The impact of the pandemic, both on parents’ economic security and mental health is particularly worrying in this context, with mothers of children under five experiencing some of the greatest increases in poor mental health. Providing mental health support for parents, while not a solution to child poverty in itself, would help mitigate the impact of poverty on young children’s lives.
   
   
4. Harnessing effective approaches to address concentrations of poverty and deprivation.
   There are significant regional variations in early childhood poverty across the UK. The North East of England not only has the highest rates of poverty, but is also home to the local authorities with the biggest increases in child poverty since 2014/15. Pockets of deprivation are also concentrated in some coastal areas. However, there is limited understanding of how different risks of poverty combine in small local areas, and how to address them. To effectively tackle child poverty, we must take local, as well as national, action. 
   
   
5. Understanding which policies have been most successful and cost effective in improving outcomes for children.
   As the drivers of poverty have become more complex, so too has the policy response, but too little is known about the relative effectiveness of different policies. We need modelling of the longer-term benefits and costs of these policies, particularly given current public spending constraints. We also need a more holistic approach - tackling early childhood poverty is an essential part of any strategy to narrow gaps in young children’s learning, health and wider development, yet policy and practice between these areas is fragmented.
   
   
6. Developing a consensus, across political divides but also at a societal level.
   The last twenty years have demonstrated that an approach to child poverty characterised by wide swings in public policy has not delivered a sustainable solution. Many questions remain unanswered, such as whether public policy should prioritise families who are in deep and persistent poverty or take a wider preventative approach. We must also consider how to develop wider public support for the kind of measures and investment needed to get to grips with the scale and nature of child poverty. Building consensus in such a way is never easy, but it is essential if we are to move from a piecemeal to a sustained approach to addressing child poverty.

Carey Oppenheim is early childhood lead at the Nuffield Foundation