This report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation reveals that without significant investment in social security, the UK government will not ease child poverty by the end of this Parliament.
The report also highlights that child poverty rates are significantly higher in England (30 per cent) and Wales (29 per cent) compared to Scotland (24 per cent) and Northern Ireland (23 per cent).
It emphasises the critical role of specific welfare policies, such as the Scottish Child Payment, in reducing poverty, with Scotland projected to see a decrease in child poverty rates by 2029.
Children have consistently had the highest poverty rates throughout the last 30 years. In the mid- to late 1990s, a third of children lived in poverty. This fell to 28% by 2004/05 and reached its lowest level of 27% in 2010/11 to 2013/14.
After this period, child poverty then rose, reaching 31% in 2019/20, before falling back to 27% in 2020/21 and rising since to stand at 30% in the latest data. Families with children are more likely to be receiving benefits than families without children.