Plan to track progress on lifting 550,000 children out of poverty published
Families across the country will be able to see how the Government will track its progress in tackling child poverty in the years ahead, as a new report is published today (9 July)
- New report sets out the starting point of the Child Poverty Strategy in 2024/25 and outlines how progress will be monitored, evaluated and reported over time.
- Early action taken to drive down poverty includes scrapping the two-child limit and expanding free school meals.
- Progress will be tracked through research studies and statistical evidence to understand what works and drives lasting reductions in child poverty.
The report sets the 2024/25 baseline position – the starting point for child poverty before the landmark Child Poverty Strategy was published – and outlines how progress will be measured over the Strategy’s full ten-year course, with annual reporting providing transparency and accountability.
Scrapping the two-child limit, expanding free school meals from September 2026 and launching our £1 billion Crisis and Resilience Fund are some of the early actions already driving change. Together, these measures are expected to lift around 550,000 children out of poverty by the end of this Parliament.
Progress will be measured against two headline metrics, relative low income after housing costs, and deep material poverty with the report setting out a broad programme of research and analysis to track progress.
This includes a new study of parents and carers in or near poverty, over four years, which will look at how families’ circumstances, incomes and sources of support change, and how the Strategy is experienced in practice, lived experience research, cross-government policy evaluation, and contextual indicators covering the key drivers of child poverty.
Delivering this mission demands action at every level. The new Interministerial Group on child poverty will provide cross government support alongside continued collaboration with devolved governments, regional and local partners, civil society, business and faith groups as well as those with lived experience of poverty.
Work and Pensions Secretary, Pat McFadden, said:
"Tackling child poverty is one of the most important things this Government can do, giving the next generation their best chance of secure jobs and healthier lives.
"We’ve already made a start, scrapping the two-child limit and launching our £1bn Crisis and Resilience Fund are making a real difference.
"This baseline report shows we are taking a serious, evidence-led approach to tackling child poverty, driving forward the change that gives every child the security and opportunity to thrive."
The report also sets out a clear place-based focus, working hand in hand with local areas across England to strengthen anti-poverty efforts and ensure every child and family gets the high-quality support they need, wherever they live.
The publication of the baseline report comes as the last ever statistics showing the number of people affected by the two-child limit were published yesterday.
Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said:
"I understand the very real hardship families face when money is tight - and the pain of wanting to give your child every opportunity to succeed, while struggling just to get by.
"That is why we are investing in the practical support that makes a real difference - including our historic expansion of free school meals and the removal of the two-child limit, rolling out free breakfast clubs and affordable childcare across the country. Together, these represent the largest reduction in child poverty in a single parliament since records began.
"This report sets out how we will measure the impact of that support and hold ourselves accountable, so that every child, whatever their background, has the foundation they need to flourish."
The report is the latest step in the Government’s landmark Child Poverty Strategy, published in December 2025. It brings together actions across housing, employment, education and cost of living, recognising that no single measure alone will end child poverty.
Tackling child poverty is central to the Government’s mission to give all children the best start in life. The voices of children, young people and families will remain central throughout,
From: Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Education