Child mortality and looked-after children rates could be slashed by around a third over the next decade if measures are put in place by the government to tackle child poverty, according to academics. The University of Glasgow study, has mapped the potential impact of child poverty reduction measures on social and health inequality in England from this year until 2033.

The study found that infant mortality numbers could be reduced by 293 compared to 2023’s level and the number of children being taken into care cut by 4,696. In addition, 32,650 emergency admissions to hospital could be prevented and the number of children attending hospital with iron deficiency could fall by 458.

The report points out that child poverty is “a key determinant of population health and health inequalities” and that government policy “exerts a major influence over rates of child poverty” such as through social spending. Since the 2008 global financial crash, European countries with higher social spending have had lower rates of child poverty, says the research.