UK child poverty: the state we’re in

Join leading experts to explore the geography, causes, and consequences of child poverty in the UK today, and what urgent actions are needed to build a fairer future.

Child poverty in the UK is at its highest level in a generation, with millions of children growing up without secure access to food, housing, or opportunities. What does this mean for society today, and for the health and wellbeing of generations to come?

Join us for a timely and thought-provoking panel discussion as we examine the scale, causes, and consequences of child poverty in Britain. The event will discuss the biology of poverty, which explores how inequality and deprivation affect not only children’s lives and opportunities but also their bodies and long-term health.

Together, the speakers will reflect on the deepening crisis, the human cost of austerity and inequality, and the changes needed to create a fairer society.

Meet our speakers

Alison Garnham is the Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group. Prior to that she was the CEO of Daycare Trust. She has previously worked as the the Director of Policy, Research and Information at One Parent Families (now Gingerbread), a role she did for nine years. Alison was an Honorary Officer of the End Child Poverty Campaign.

Danny Dorling is the Halford Mackinder Professor of Geography at the University of Oxford. His work examines issues of inequality, health, housing, education, and employment in Britain and internationally. He has written and co-authored numerous influential books, including Inequality and the 1%, Rule Britannia: Brexit and the End of Empire, and more recently Seven Children.

Helen Rowe is a writer, campaigner, and social policy researcher with a focus on poverty, housing, and social justice. She is the author of Eliminating Poverty in Britain, which offers practical and radical proposals for ending child poverty in the UK. Helen provides local authorities, schools and charities training on the biology of poverty and child poverty.

Chaired by Martine Croxall, a presenter with BBC News Channel and a Fellow of the Society.