Summary 5

1. Policy context 9

2. The characteristics of in-work child poverty 10

3. Longitudinal analysis of transitions in and out of child poverty 14

Analytical approach 14

What proportion of children are transitioning into or out of poverty? 15

What moves children into or out of poverty? 16

Summary 22

4. Our primary research with low-income working families 24

Job quality 24

Prospects for labour market progression 27

What do low-income working parents think would help them to progress? 31

Employment and skills support 32

5. Policy implications and recommendations 35

Research summary and implications for policy 35

Our recommendations 36

References 42

Appendix 1: Characteristics of households in in-work child poverty, 2024/25 44

Appendix 2: In-work child poverty rates in regions with higher rates of single parents and large families 45

Appendix 3: Regional variation in movement into and out of poverty 46

Appendix 4: Methodology for new primary research 47

Characteristics of the families surveyed 48