Child Poverty

The Child Poverty Act 2010 placed a legal requirement on all local authorities and their delivery partners to:

• work together to reduce the effects of child poverty;
• conduct a local needs assessment; and
• produce a child poverty strategy

We are committed, along with our partners to meet these requirements and keep to the single, clear ambition outlined in the Children and Young People’s Plan:

“to ensure that all children and young people in Richmond upon Thames, whatever their background, lead safe, happy and healthy lives with opportunities to learn, develop and fulfil their potential”.

This is reflected by our commitment in the Children and Young People’s Plan to:

“support all children, young people and their families to prosper, and reduce the impact of poverty”.

We carried out a child poverty needs assessment to help us understand and tackle child poverty in the borough. This includes findings from a consultation which asked local children, young people and their families for their views and experiences on child poverty.

We used the results of the needs assessment to develop a child poverty strategy, which shows the actions we will take to reduce child poverty in the borough.

• Child Poverty Needs Assessment 2011(pdf, 1669KB)
• Child Poverty Strategy 2011-14(pdf, 217KB)

Child Poverty Strategy 2014-17

Achieving for Children, on behalf of Richmond Council, has reviewed the Child Poverty Strategy 2011-14, and developed a new Child Poverty Strategy for 2014-17.

The new strategy sets out the current situation in the borough in relation to child poverty, what the 2011-14 strategy has achieved, and what the strategic approach to tackling child poverty will be in the borough for the next three years.

The strategy will be refreshed in three years, but will remain a 'live' document and can be revised as context and needs change. Actions may be added, removed or amended as required.

• Child Poverty Strategy 2014-17(pdf, 789KB)