Select Committee · Work and Pensions Committee
Realising potential: Delivering the Child Poverty Strategy
Status: Open
Opened: 23 Jun 2026
Inquiry scope
Members of the Education and Work and Pensions Select Committees have decided to undertake an inquiry that will consider how the Government can ensure it will deliver a successful Child Poverty Strategy. On 5 December 2025, the Government published its Child Poverty Strategy , which it estimates will lift 550,000 children out of poverty by the final year of this Parliament. The Strategy sets out measures across three different areas: (i) boosting family incomes; (ii) driving down the cost of essentials; and (iii) strengthening local support. Whilst the Strategy signals a positive step in the right direction, the Committees are seeking to explore if the Government is being sufficiently ambitious. The Committees will also consider how accountability, outcomes, and the longevity of the Strategy could be strengthened through targets, monitoring and evaluation, to ensure sustained work and progress to reduce child poverty. Please read Parliament's guidance on giving evidence to select committees before writing your submission. For safeguarding reasons and to avoid identification, please refrain from naming specific people, educational settings or children in your submission. We are unable to publish personal testimony evidence that is submitted anonymously or contains this information. Personal testimony evidence that cannot be published will be read and summarised into an anonymised thematic note. Your submission should be no more than 3,000 words. You can submit evidence until 23:59 on 6 March 2026. Read the call for evidence for more detail about the inquiryOral evidence sessions
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| Date | Session and witnesses | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Jul 2026 |
Realising potential: Delivering the Child Poverty Strategy
Elaine Squires · Department for Work and Pensions,
James Wolfe · Department for Work and Pensions,
Olivia Bailey MP · Department for Education,
Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson DBE MP · Home Office
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| 1 Jul 2026 |
Work and Pensions Committee
Caroline Rice · Changing Realities,
Ella-Mae Michalski · Changing Realities,
Jonathan Paul Roberts · Changing Realities,
Rachel Luke · Changing Realities,
Sahar Khan · Changing Realities,
Samantha Richards · Changing Realities,
Tayyaba Siddiqui · Changing Realities
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| 3 Jun 2026 |
Work and Pensions Committee
Annabel Smith · West of England Combined Authority,
Beatrice Orchard · Trussell,
Charis Chittick · One Parent Families Scotland,
George Looker · Babyzone,
Josephine Whitaker-Yilmaz · Refugee and Migrant Children’s Consortium,
Lynn Perry · Barnardo’s,
Tom Drake · EFL in the Community
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| 15 Apr 2026 |
Work and Pensions Committee
Alun Francis OBE · Social Mobility Commission,
Baroness Ruth Lister · Loughborough University,
Carl Cullinane · Sutton Trust,
Daniel Lilley · Centre for Social Justice,
Dr Matt Barnes · City St George’s, University of London,
Edward McPherson · WPI Economics,
Professor Ruth Patrick · University of Glasgow
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| 24 Mar 2026 |
Realising potential: Delivering the Child Poverty Strategy
Dame Rachel de Souza DBE · Children's Commissioner for England,
Laura Hutchinson · Citizens Advice,
Mr Henry Parkes · Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR),
Priya Edwards · Save the Children UK,
Thomas Cave · Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG)
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Who gave evidence
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| Witness | Organisation | Sessions |
|---|---|---|
| Alun Francis OBE · Deputy Chair | Social Mobility Commission | 1 |
| Annabel Smith · Director of Strategic Partnerships and Stakeholders | West of England Combined Authority | 1 |
| Baroness Ruth Lister · Emeritus professor of social policy | Loughborough University | 1 |
| Beatrice Orchard · Head of Programme | Trussell | 1 |
| Carl Cullinane · Director of Research and Policy | Sutton Trust | 1 |
| Caroline Rice | Changing Realities | 1 |
| Charis Chittick · Head of Policy, Strategy and Communications | One Parent Families Scotland | 1 |
| Dame Rachel de Souza DBE · Children's Commissioner | Children's Commissioner for England | 1 |
| Daniel Lilley · Head of Youth | Centre for Social Justice | 1 |
| Dr Matt Barnes · Senior Lecturer in Sociology | City St George’s, University of London | 1 |
| Edward McPherson · Senior Consultant | WPI Economics | 1 |
| Elaine Squires · Deputy Director for Income, Family and Disadvantage Analysis | Department for Work and Pensions | 1 |
| Ella-Mae Michalski · Parent | Changing Realities | 1 |
| George Looker · Chief Executive Officer | Babyzone | 1 |
| James Wolfe · Director, Disability and Housing Support | Department for Work and Pensions | 1 |
| Jonathan Paul Roberts · Parent | Changing Realities | 1 |
| Josephine Whitaker-Yilmaz · Head of Advocacy, Praxis and Chair, No Recourse to Public Funds subgroup | Refugee and Migrant Children’s Consortium | 1 |
| Laura Hutchinson · Head of Public Affairs | Citizens Advice | 1 |
| Lynn Perry · Chief Executive Officer | Barnardo’s | 1 |
| Mr Henry Parkes · Principal economist and head of work, social security and living standards | Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) | 1 |
| Olivia Bailey MP · Minister for Early Education | Department for Education | 1 |
| Priya Edwards · Head of Policy, Research & Influencing | Save the Children UK | 1 |
| Professor Ruth Patrick · Professor of Public and Social Policy | University of Glasgow | 1 |
| Rachel Luke · Parent | Changing Realities | 1 |
| Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson DBE MP · Minister for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention | Home Office | 1 |
| Sahar Khan · Parent | Changing Realities | 1 |
| Samantha Richards · Parent | Changing Realities | 1 |
| Tayyaba Siddiqui · Parent | Changing Realities | 1 |
| Thomas Cave · Head of Policy | Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) | 1 |
| Tom Drake · Business Head of Community Projects | EFL in the Community | 1 |
Correspondence
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| Published | Direction | Letter |
|---|---|---|
| 14 Apr 2026 | To committee | Letter from the Children's Commissioner on Realising potential: Delivering the Child Poverty Strategy 31.03.26 |