Last week, the UK government set out its strategy to tackle child poverty - a significant and welcome step forward. In order to ensure the strategy’s ambition is realised, we recommend that focus now turns to capitalising on the existing plans for expanded integrated family support, which we know can improve child outcomes, particularly for children from low-income families.

Extensive research shows that children growing up in poverty are more likely to miss out on the resources and experiences needed for healthy development. 

Family income is a reliable predictor of school readiness and children from poorer backgrounds are more likely to have developmental delays by age three. These early disadvantages can have lifelong consequences, increasing the likelihood of poorer adult health, wellbeing and lower income. This means that reducing child poverty is a crucial step towards ensuring every child has an equal chance of developing to their full potential. 

The government’s newly published child poverty strategy promises to lift 550,000 children out of relative low income by 2029 - around 200,000 of them under the age of five. This is a vital step forward in breaking down barriers to opportunity for children.

By far the most significant change in the strategy is the repeal of the two-child limit, first announced in November’s budget. Alongside this, measures outlined include increasing the National Living Wage, increasing the basic rate of Universal Credit, expanding government funding for childcare (including to those returning to work), expanding free school meals and breakfast clubs, rolling out Best Start family hubs across England, extending the warm homes discount and limiting costs for school uniforms. It is positive to see that the strategy seeks to support families across many facets of family life, as tackling child poverty requires a holistic approach. 

But we know that the strategy alone will not be sufficient to tackle the issue and many more children will continue to live in poverty. While a reduction of 550,000 children living in poverty is undeniably a positive outcome, this represents just a one percentage point decrease by the end of this Parliament and still leaves 30% of children living in poverty. 

Over the course of this Parliament, the UK government will need to support families continuing to face challenging financial circumstances - and the lasting consequences of financial hardship - and ensure they can give their children the best possible start in life. 

There is high-quality evidence from Sure Start demonstrating that integrated family support is an effective way to improve child outcomes - particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Providing this integrated family support will give a vital foundation to help realise the ambition of the child poverty strategy and the UK government’s opportunity mission.

The UK government has already made significant commitments towards scaling integrated family support in their early-years strategy. They have committed to expand Best Start family hubs to every local area in England. To set the Best Start family hubs up for the best chance of success, the UK government must ensure that there is adequate funding and robust delivery support.

Currently, the £500 million that has been committed by the Department for Education over three years to deliver the Best Start family hubs falls far short of historic funding levels. And while the Department of Health and Social Care is funding the Healthy Babies programme, this has not been expanded nationally and the exact funding level has not been confirmed. Based on recent funding trends, this means that funding will be stretched more thinly across hubs and will likely lead to each existing Best Start family hub receiving less funding than it currently receives. 

The Local Government finance settlement, due to be released before Christmas, will be the next big test of the government’s commitment to its opportunity mission. If the ‘top-up funding’ from the Department of Health and Social Care is not sufficient, local authorities will need to make choices on what to prioritise in their local Best Start service offers. Either way, it will place limitations on what they can achieve or highlight the need to look again at funding levels from next year.

Delivering effective family support is not something the UK government can do on its own. It will require the skills, experience and coordinated effort of the wide-range of public and voluntary sector organisations that already do so much to make family support what it is today. To play our part, Nesta have launched a project to provide resources, guidance and opportunities for connection to help local authorities to develop high-quality, Best Start in Life strategic plans. Find out more about how to get involved via our project page.

Note: We have estimated the number of children under five being lifted out of poverty from the proportion of children under five in poverty as of 2022/2023.