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Two Commons select committees have launched a joint inquiry into the Government’s newly announced Child Poverty Strategy, signalling parliamentary scrutiny of whether the proposals are capable of delivering a sustained reduction in child poverty across the UK.
The Education Committee and the Work and Pensions Committee will jointly examine the ambition, design and likely impact of the Strategy, which was published last month. The inquiry will focus on whether the measures set out are sufficient to address the scale and persistence of childhood poverty, and how progress should be monitored and evaluated over time.
Around one in three children in the UK (approximately 4.5 million) are currently living below the poverty line. Government estimates suggest that the removal of the two-child limit from April could lift around 450,000 children out of poverty by 2029, with a further 100,000 expected to benefit from other measures within the Strategy. However, the committees note that even if these projections are realised, around four million children would continue to experience poverty.
The Strategy centres on three broad objectives: increasing family incomes, reducing household costs, and strengthening local support. Measures include expanded access to free school meals, extended funded childcare entitlements for working parents, and further investment in Family Hubs. While the proposals have been broadly welcomed, concerns have been raised that the Strategy does not include binding statutory targets or clear milestones.
The inquiry will examine whether the absence of measurable targets undermines accountability and limits the Strategy’s long-term effectiveness. MPs will also explore how poverty is experienced unevenly across regions, nations and communities, and whether the Strategy adequately addresses children facing additional barriers, including those with experience of the care system, children at risk of criminal exploitation, and those on the margins of the youth justice system.
A further area of focus will be how the Government intends to work with devolved administrations to set targets, monitor progress and assess outcomes, given the differing policy frameworks across the UK. The committees have indicated that effective collaboration will be critical to securing lasting reductions in child poverty.
For family and children law practitioners, the inquiry is likely to be particularly relevant in the context of public law proceedings, private law disputes involving financial hardship, and broader safeguarding concerns linked to deprivation. The committees have highlighted the need to consider how poverty intersects with educational attainment, health outcomes and social mobility.
As part of the inquiry, the committees have issued a call for written evidence, inviting submissions from professionals, academics, charities and those with lived experience. Contributors are asked to address issues including whether the Strategy is sufficiently ambitious, what additional policy interventions may be required, how progress should be measured, and what data is necessary to assess impact across protected characteristics and at local level.
The committees have also asked whether international approaches to setting targets and monitoring child poverty could offer useful comparators, and what steps are required to ensure the longevity of the Strategy beyond the current parliamentary term.
The deadline for written evidence is 6 March 2026. The committees are expected to publish their findings and recommendations later in the year.
