Discovering child poverty

The creation of a policy agenda from 1800 to the present

Lucinda Platt, The Policy Press, 144 pages, paperback, £13.99

This book provides a brief overview of how research and policy on child poverty has developed over the last 200 years. But even when the author is reviewing earlier developments, she links these to key debates in the present.

The opening chapters review how poverty first became a focus of research. It then shows how childhood acquired a clearer definition in terms of social policy following the passage of child labour legislation and the introduction of state education in the 19th century.

The book highlights how the debate around child poverty has shifted over the years. The government's 2020 target to abolish child poverty has put the issue at the centre of political debate. However, this book argues that shifts in research and policy development will probably lead to a different agenda before we get to 2020.