It is now widely accepted that the government's ambitious pledge to halve child poverty by this year will not be met.
According to latest figures there are still 2.9 million children living in poverty before housing costs are taken into account, around 650,000 short of the government's target.
With recession set to bring wholesale public sector cuts and job losses over the next year, the government's wider pledge of ending child poverty by 2020 is also now in jeopardy.
Despite the disappointment, children's campaigners and social policy experts are urging politicians not to give up on the target.
Kate Stanley, director at think tank Institute for Public Policy Research, says: "Not hitting the 2010 target should not mean we lose focus. If anything current financial problems mean reducing child poverty is more important than ever."
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