2025 in urban health

Building blocks for tackling child poverty

Children’s mental health

Earlier this year, the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), with support from Save the Children UK, and funding from Impact on Urban Health, published recommendations on how the Government’s child poverty strategy could be effectively delivered. The ‘Building Blocks’ report calls for Government to:

1. Set ambitious targets & ensure accountability
2. Invest in families & essential services

The Government has recently published their Child Poverty Strategy. Read more about our response to policies on children’s health below.

Our impact on health

This year has seen some welcome progress on children’s health – with the Government showing real ambition to tackle child poverty and increase access to healthy and affordable food.

Two policy changes we were particularly pleased to see were:

1. The expansion of Free School Meals to all children in families receiving Universal Credit: This is a vital investment in children’s health, wellbeing, and future, and one that recognises the foundational role of nutrition in creating a healthier society. Access to a healthy, sustainable, and culturally appropriate meal at school each day, regardless of a child’s postcode, is a proven way to reduce health inequalities. Our recent evaluation of London’s Universal Free School Meal policy highlighted long-term health benefits for families.
2. The total removal of the two-child limit: This major policy change, announced in the Autumn Budget 2025, will mean families will receive support for third and subsequent children from April 2026. This will immediately lift hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty and it could also prevent many more from being forced into poverty over the coming years of this Parliament. This is a bold move that demonstrates real ambition to tackle the causes of child poverty.