The masterplan aims to ease hardship, but the answer isn’t always in policy – early childcare and strong relationships are what truly make a difference.
This article was written by Dr Jane Gilmour, consultant clinical psychologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital, and Umar Toseeb, professor of psychology at the University of York.
Last week, the government unveiled its Child Poverty Strategy, which ministers claim will help ‘around 550,000’ children out of hardship by 2030.
The strategy’s headline pledges are preventing children growing up in B&Bs; expanding childcare for families on Universal Credit; helping parents save money on baby formula; reduced energy bills; a higher living wage; and the removal of the two-child benefit cap.
All worthy aims, but as mental health specialists, we’ve been thinking how far these measures actually support children’s wellbeing and cognitive growth.
Poverty, resilience and children’s mental health were the focus of a recent Mind the Kids episode with Dr Divyangana Rakesh of King’s College London. Here, we reflect on what her latest research suggests about the strategy’s impact on young people’s wellbeing and implications for social care professionals.
The roots of resilience
Growing up in poverty or disadvantaged circumstances has often been associated with poorer cognitive outcomes – worse executive function, memory and academic performance.
A recent paper by Dr Rakesh, based on a study of over 11,000 children aged between nine and 10, doesn’t totally dispute that association. But strikingly, it does find that around 25-30% of children from low income backgrounds display above average cognitive function.
She defines this ability to beat the odds as ‘resilience’, and her paper examines the different factors which may promote that resilience.
These aren’t all things in which it is easy or possible to intervene during childhood – one of them is high birth weight, another is living in an area of higher privilege (as opposed to in a deprived neighbourhood). Others, however, are more actionable – one clear predictor is participation in physical activity and extra-curricular activities, including visual arts and performing arts. Another is the duration of breastfeeding.
A hit, and a miss
Dr Rakesh told the podcast her data suggests the best way to build resilience is through high-quality childcare and support for parent in early childhood. Recent studies of Sure Start centres back this up, showing positive effects on mental health and education.
She also highlighted the importance of extra-curricular activities in schools and opportunities for children to meet role models. These activities are valuable not just for what they offer directly, but because they help children build face-to-face social networks, which are harder to find in today’s digital world.
The Child Poverty Strategy mentions ‘childcare’ and ‘nurseries’ around 90 times and includes the government’s previously-announced plan to roll out Best Start Family Hubs across England. However, the terms ‘extra-curricular’ and ‘after school’ are only mentioned one time apiece.
It’s too early to draw firm conclusions, but the strategy seems well aligned with evidence on early interventions that support good mental health.
The power of relationships
The focus on extra-curricular activities as a way to build social connections highlighted one of our clearest takeaways from the episode: the immense value and protective power of relationships.
There is strong evidence that having consistent relationships – with peers, parents, carers, teachers or others – can be a powerful buffer for mental health. The fact this continues to be covered in the revamped RSHE curriculum is positive, and anyone working with children and families is doing a very important thing if they can nurture those relationships.
This connects to a long-standing debate in counselling and psychotherapy: is it the techniques used or the quality of the relationship (the ‘therapeutic alliance’) that matters most for successful outcomes? Research, including a topic we explored in an earlier episode of Mind the Kids, increasingly shows the relationship is crucial. The same likely applies in social care: the partnerships you build with families may be just as important, if not more so, than the specific interventions you provide.
Partial solutions: still solutions
The scale of child poverty in the UK – 4.5m children are living in these conditions – can feel like an elephant in the room when working with struggling families. Given the fundamental drivers are economic and political, it would be tempting and understandable to despair and feel that work done as an individual practitioner is just papering over the cracks.
But partial solutions are still solutions. While social care along can’t solve poverty, we can introduce ‘positive moderators’ – small changes that can shift a child’s trajectory. Early interventions can improve cognitive outcomes, support mental health and create space for resilience to grow.
These small impacts gather momentum over time. A child who keeps stable relationships during a crisis, or whose resilience is nurtured, is less likely to face poor outcomes. What seems like a modest intervention today can become a foundation for the future.
In a landscape of great need and limited resources, doing a little is not futile – it’s realistic, evidence-based, and necessary. Hopefully, the new strategy proves fruitful in supporting that hard work, and providing more holistic solutions.
Images: Jane Gilmour, Umar Toseeb and Luke Pennystan/UnSplash
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