ChildRIGHT: Child Poverty -- New legislation brings hope on child poverty

The Child Poverty Act 2010 received Royal Assent at the end of March. The Act places the government's commitment to eradicating child poverty by 2020 on a statutory footing, by requiring the government and local authorities and their partner organisations to work together to achieve this end.

Recent statistics indicate that there are more than 2.9 million children living in poverty in the UK. This is one of the highest rates in Europe. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has expressed concern at the number of children living in poverty in the UK and, in 2008, it called on the government to adopt legislation to formalise its commitment to eradicating child poverty in the UK. The introduction of the Child Poverty Act is to be commended, as it places a duty on the government to fulfil the commitments it made in Public Service Agreement 9. It is questionable, however, whether the provisions of the Act are sufficiently rigorous to achieve the eradication of child poverty in the UK.