Presentation from the Evidence Based Parenting Programmes and Social Inclusion conference held at Middlesex University, 20th September 2012

1. Save the Children
Chris Wellings, UK Head of Policy
The challenge of child poverty and
inequality

2. Child Poverty today - An overview
- In 2010 / 11 there were 2.3 million children living in
poverty before housing costs and 3.6 million children
living in poverty after housing costs
- Last year 34% of pupils on free school meals achieved
five good GCSEs, compared to 62% of pupils from better-
off homes
- More children are likely to fall into poverty in the
coming years – the Institute for Fiscal Studies has
projected that child poverty is set to rise by 400,000 in
the next three years and by 800,000 by 2020
2

3. Save the Children and Middlesex University
• 1,123 families have graduated from FAST over the last
2 years
• Parents reported statistically significant improvements
on a huge range of measures - including family
cohesion, family expressiveness and family
relationships
• Teachers reported statistically significantly
improvements in children’s academic competence, in
teacher relationships with parents and in parent
involvement with the school and their children’s
education
• Overall parents rated the FAST programme 9.21 out of

4. Developing Children’s Zones
- A new report in partnership with
Professor Alan Dyson from the University
of Manchester
- Fundamental principles of Children’s
Zones - to help children in a sustained
way, starting as early in their lives as
possible, and to create a critical mass of
adults around them who understand
what it takes to help children
succeed