Child of the North evidence put forward to Child Poverty Taskforce

"The figures are stark: one in three children in the UK are in poverty and the trend is moving in the wrong direction. 40% of children in Liverpool are growing up below the poverty line. This is a disaster for their health, education and future prospects. “The committee heard how policies that our team have evaluated, like the English Health Inequalities Strategy made a big impact on poverty and improved health over the period 1997-2010. And how policies implemented under austerity completely reversed these gains, putting unsustainable pressures on health and care services. We also discussed new evidence on how poverty and child adversity drive child mental health problems, NEET, and social welfare use in adulthood. “It’s great that the Health Inequalities Policy Research Group here at the University of Liverpool could contribute independent, robust evidence to shape this agenda. It is clear that bold action is needed to improve children’s lives, through policies that drive down poverty and address inequalities, starting with the removal of the two child benefit cap.”

Academic Co-Director of Health Equity North, and Professor of Public Health and Policy at the University of Liverpool