Child poverty
Why tackling poverty matters
UNICEF states: “For a child, poverty can last a lifetime.
In the eyes of a child, poverty is about more than just money. Very often children experience poverty as the lack of shelter, education, nutrition, water or health services. The lack of these basic needs often results in deficits that cannot easily be overcome later in life. Even when not clearly deprived, having poorer opportunities than their peers in any of the above can limit future opportunities."
Source: Child poverty - UNICEF DATA
Children who grow up in poverty lack many of the experiences and opportunities that others take for granted and can be exposed to severe hardship and social exclusion. Their childhood suffers as a result and this is unacceptable.
Poverty damages childhoods - some families cannot, for example, afford to keep their homes warm or pay for basic necessities and activities, such as three meals a day, school uniforms or social outings.
The government estimated that 4.3 million children were living in relative low-income families in 2022/23 – approximately 30% - and that this had risen from the previous year due to higher than anticipated inflation levels, driven by the impact of the war in Ukraine and supply chain challenges, but anticipated that in 2023/24 this would improve due to rises is wages and benefits and falling inflation.
Lone parent households, children living in large families and those from global majority ethnic groups are more likely to live in poverty and around 75% of children growing up in poverty live in households where at least one parent is working.
What are we doing in Nottinghamshire?
Our ambition is for Nottinghamshire to be a place where children grow up free from deprivation and disadvantage, where birth and social background do not hold people back from achieving their potential.
Through our Life Chances for Children and Families Strategic Partnership, we work in partnership to reduce the impact of poverty on children and families and increase financial resilience.
Priorities 2024 to 2026
Our priorities for 2024 to 2026 are to:
- build our workforce confidence, knowledge and capacity, across all services working with families so they are aware of how to support parents to gain and retain paid employment
- use our Family Hub Networks to build strong partnerships of locally accessible services, supporting families holistically to address their challenges and improve life chances
- continue to promote access to funded childcare through signposting to families and cascading publicity campaigns
- continue to promote the Healthy Start Scheme, food security initiatives and the HAF programme
- promote the benefits of signing up for Free School Meals, highlighting the benefit of those who receive the universal offer for Foundation children and beyond
- support partners to be able to inform and signpost under-represented families to health information, particularly linked to immunisations and vaccinations, oral health and respiratory illnesses
- work to ensure awareness of 'Baby Bank' type support for families across Nottinghamshire
- celebrate and support volunteering as a route towards employment, building community capacity
- support systemwide activities that are aimed at helping children and families be lifelong learners, from the earliest years to adulthood, helping our children get off to the Best Start in their early years so that they are ready to start reception and achieve their potential as they move up the key stages at school. Particularly in communities experiencing multiple challenges that impact on the building blocks of health and wellbeing.
Local child poverty data
The most recent data available from the Department for Work and Pensions is from 2023 to 2024 and is included in the tables below, which shows the details of both 'absolute' and 'relative' low income families.
The local child poverty measure used is Relative Low Income and is defined as living in a household with low income, before housing costs, having claimed certain benefits at least once in the year, with income below 60% of the median in a given year.
| Area | 2022-2023 | 2023-2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Nottinghamshire | 16.9% | 18.8% |
| Ashfield | 21.6% | 23.8% |
| Bassetlaw | 20.9% | 23.5% |
| Broxtowe | 14.6% | 16.0% |
| Gedling | 14.5% | 16.4% |
| Mansfield | 20.6% | 23.2% |
| Newark and Sherwood | 17.8% | 19.8% |
| Rushcliffe | 7.7% | 8.3% |
| England | 17.4% | 19.1% |
| Area | 2022-2023 | 2023-2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Nottinghamshire | 21.2% | 22.2% |
| Ashfield | 27.0% | 28.2% |
| Bassetlaw | 25.9% | 27.3% |
| Broxtowe | 18.3% | 19.1% |
| Gedling | 18.4% | 19.5% |
| Mansfield | 26.2% | 27.6% |
| Newark and Sherwood | 22.5% | 23.5% |
| Rushcliffe | 9.3% | 9.6% |
| England | 21.3% | 22.1% |
In Nottinghamshire (excluding the City of Nottingham) 22.2% of the child population 0-15 years were living in relative low income in 2023/24, compared to 21.1% in 2022/23, 23.2 %5 in 2021/22 and 15.4% in 2020/21.
There is considerable variance across the districts, as detailed in the table above, with Ashfield having the highest percentage of children 0-15 living in relative poverty at 28.2%, followed by Mansfield at 27.6%, Bassetlaw at 27.3% and Newark & Sherwood at 23.5%. These 4 districts have child poverty levels higher than the England average.
Gedling at 19.5% and Broxtowe at 19.3% are below the England average and Rushcliffe continues to be the most affluent district of the county at 9.6%, well below the England figure, however it should be remembered that even in these districts there will be families experiencing child poverty.
Child poverty data maps for Nottinghamshire (2023 to 2024)
An interactive map of Nottinghamshire has been created. This can be used to 'zoom in' to district, ward and Family Hub Network area and shows the percentage of children living in relative low income families:
Guidance on how to use the map:
Further information for professionals on child poverty:
Maps covering 2023 to 2024 for the county and individual districts/boroughs are also available in PDF format:
