Overview

The Child Poverty Act 2010 established targets for reducing child poverty in the UK, mandated strategies for achieving those targets, and outlined reporting requirements. It also assigned responsibilities to local authorities in England to address child poverty at a local level.

Description

The Act set four national targets for child poverty to be achieved by a specified target year (originally 2010, later amended). These targets focused on relative low income, combined low income and material deprivation, absolute low income, and persistent poverty. The Act created the Child Poverty Commission to advise on strategies. The Secretary of State was tasked with publishing UK-wide strategies to meet the targets, consulting with relevant bodies (including devolved administrations, local authorities, children's organisations, and parents' groups) and providing regular reports to Parliament. Devolved administrations in Scotland and Northern Ireland also had similar responsibilities for strategies and reporting within their jurisdictions. The act also made amendments to existing legislation regarding free school lunches and milk eligibility. Local authorities in England were given responsibilities to develop local child poverty strategies.

Government Spending

The Act did not specify particular amounts of government spending, but it implied increased spending in areas like employment support for parents, financial aid for children and families, parenting support programs, health services, education, childcare, social services, and housing. The exact financial impact would depend on the specific measures implemented to address the targets.

Groups Affected

• Children: The Act aims to directly benefit children living in poverty through improved services and support.
• Parents: Parents may benefit from increased employment support, financial assistance, and parenting skills training.
• Local authorities in England: These authorities have new responsibilities for assessing local needs and developing strategies.
• Devolved administrations (Scotland and Northern Ireland): These administrations had to develop and implement their own strategies to address child poverty within their regions.
• Government departments: Various government departments would be involved in implementing the Act’s provisions, including developing strategies, providing funding, and reporting on progress.
• Organisations working with children and families: These organisations will likely be involved in delivering services and contributing to the strategies and assessments.

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