Child poverty transitions: exploring the routes into and out of child poverty, 2009–2012

Summary

There is a large volume of evidence on how living in poverty can be detrimental for children. Hence much government policy has been aimed at getting households out of poverty; whether through income transfers, reducing worklessness or increasing earnings for those in work. Attempts have also been made to prevent households moving into poverty in the first place, as any spell of poverty can lead to an increased risk of recurrent or persistent poverty in the future. This study uses data from 2009/2010–2011/2012 to provide new evidence on child poverty transitions since the onset of the recent recession. Its aim is to better understand the patterns of, and drivers behind, moves into and out of poverty for families with children, thereby providing vital new evidence for policy makers tasked with preventing and alleviating child poverty.