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Sign in or register for an accountBeing in poverty during childhood can affect immediate health and child development as well as long-term health and other outcomes throughout life. Children living within the most deprived ten percent of the country are twice as likely to die as the most advantaged ten percent, and children in more deprived areas are more likely to face a serious illness during childhood and to have a long-term disability.
In terms of everyday life, being in poverty can mean that children go without some of the most basic necessities, experiencing hunger, discomfort and exclusion. Children in poverty may also miss out on opportunities for social interaction, learning and fun. Children growing up in poverty tend to do less well in education, affecting later job opportunities and income, and are more likely to experience poor mental health.
Government statistics for 2023-24 on households below average income show that at a national level, nearly one in five children (2.34 million in total) are living in absolute low income families before housing costs are taken into account. This means that the household in which a child lives has an income below 60% of the median income level in 2011 when adjusted for inflation.
For at least the last decade, the proportion of children aged under-16 in absolute low income families in Salford has been higher than in England, but lower than the overall proportion in Greater Manchester. Between 2014/15 and 2021/22 the local proportion of children in low income families moved between 18% and 21%, after which it rose sharply, reaching almost 26% in 2023/24. The national rate followed a similar trend.
The rate of children living in low income families in Salford changed from less than one-in-five to more than one-in-four children over two years and is currently 6.7 percentage point above the national figure.
[Download the chart data for Children in absolute low income families (csv format, 1kb]
Poverty rates are higher for larger families, families with young children and single parent families, and where these factors are combined the likelihood of a family being in poverty is greater still. Despite this, within Salford, in-work poverty is significant. There are almost twice as many children in low income working families (9,372) compared to low income families not in work (4,869). There are similar numbers of children in low income lone parent families (7,127) as low income two-adult families (7,115).
The proportion of children in low income families varies significantly across the city. In 2024, the ward with the highest proportion was Ordsall with 39% and the ward with the lowest proportion was Boothstown & Ellenbrook at 7.5%.
Almost four-in-ten children in Ordsall ward live in low income families. Kersal and Broughton Park ward and Broughton ward each have almost 2,000 children living in low income families.
[Download the map data for Children in absolute low income families (csv format, 3kb]
The headline figures used to measure the number of children living in low income families does not take account of the cost of housing, instead it measure income before housing is taken account of. Analysis from End Child Poverty gives a figure of 25,445 Salford children (40.8%) in poverty after housing costs. Analysis from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) finds 44% of all people (not just children) living in socially rented housing are in poverty after housing costs have been accounted for, compared to 35% for private renters, 14% for those in homes owned outright and 10% in homes owned with a mortgage. Both of these organisations identify the two-child benefit cap as a driver of child poverty. An official measure of local area poverty after housing costs is in development.
The UK government has established a Child Poverty Taskforce which met for the first time in August 2024. The role of the Taskforce is to oversee the development and delivery of a cross-government Child Poverty Strategy to reduce and alleviate child poverty. The strategy is due in Autumn 2025 with the aim of improving children’s lives and life chances now and tackling the root causes of child poverty in the long term. The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) suggests a number of ‘pillars’ for an effective strategy to break the cycle of child poverty:
Among other measures, Salford’s Holiday Activity and Food programme is a package of support for children and young people on benefits related free school meals. The programme provides free access to multiple activities and food during Easter, Summer and Winter holidays. Early help schemes have the aim of increasing the uptake of healthy start vouchers for pregnant women and young children, and identifying vulnerable groups for additional support. These measures are largely aimed at affecting the harms of poverty.
Other activity aims to improve income through increasing employment and making Salford a Living Wage City. Salford’s Welfare Rights and Debt Advice Service works with residents to ensure they are receiving benefits and tax credit they are entitled to as well as helping them to manage debt.