Reducing Poverty and Investing in Children and Families

This chapter summarizes the main themes of this volume. The contributors, pioneering scholars in their respective countries, have provided illustrations of innovative approaches to the conceptualisation and measurement of the dynamic complexity of poverty. Most of the chapters reflect the notion of relative poverty, beyond economic dimensions and discuss a range of contextual factors that lead to child poverty. The theoretical position contemplated structural inequalities that underpin poverty. A central theme in this volume addresses the causal connections built into views of poverty and provides insight into the political agenda setting process for policy development. Policies guided by social causation are explored in several chapters. Another theme discusses poverty through the lens of children and families subjective experiences. Because children served by child protection systems are the most marginalised and disadvantaged children in society, several chapters allude to the poverty, inequality and structural disadvantage that underline disproportionate representation in child welfare systems. Finally, the growth in child and family poverty highlight the need to respond more effectively. A few chapters demonstrate the potential value of government social policy in reducing family poverty as well as social protection approaches that, by varying degrees have been effective in alleviating poverty in country specific contexts.