A Different Take

The aim of this project is to promote the voices of children, young people and families with experiences of child poverty (either as a child or as a parent). 

Media and policy narratives around child poverty in the UK tend to position children and families in poverty as ‘troubled’, unskilled, and a societal threat.  In contrast, research findings indicate that parents and children demonstrate few behavioural differences to their better-off peers, but suffer from exclusion, bullying and stigmatisation. 

Children’s and families’ own knowledge and perspectives are notably absent from debates on what poverty is, how it impacts individuals and society, and what types of intervention would be most useful. 

This project developed panels of children, young people and parents with experience of life on a low income, providing them with opportunities to identify a shared agenda and with training in peer research and media engagement. 

These panels have produced reports, resources and recommendations for a variety of policy makers and practitioners, intended to promote a truly child- and family-centric approach to combatting child poverty and its effects.

Impact

Project partners have adopted the model developed in this project to inform and develop their ongoing work.  For example, the panel has been written into Thriving, Leeds City Council’s child poverty strategy; and the Child Poverty Action Group plan to continue developing and using the panel to inform their work and campaigns.