Here is an opportunity to view the world differently. This chapter sets three challenges to those seeking to tackle child poverty and social exclusion. The first is that the local economy can have an impact on child poverty. The second is that an asset- and solution-based focus on child poverty can have a more positive and sustainable impact. The third is that children and young people should be seen as positive agents for change in their communities, who can also have an impact on both child poverty and social inclusion. I shall start with the perceived picture as it stands, and mention briefly some recent challenges to that picture. The chapter then explores in more detail the way in which children and young people currently feature in moves to tackle child poverty and social exclusion. It goes on to ask how different that might look from an asset-based, child- or young person-led approach that focuses on the local economy. The chapter finishes with some suggestions for how to take this approach forward and a challenge to existing policies.

Since the early 1990s, successive governments have instigated a series of initiatives designed to promote the social and economic regeneration of communities across the UK. While all have favoured Area Based Initiatives at local level to promote social and economic inclusion in addition to taxation and labour market measures, there have been continuing reports of dissatisfaction with their results, both in terms of jobs and services created, sustainability and whether they were targeting the most excluded groups (Bramley et al, 1998; Howarth et al, 2001).

Since 1997, a series of government initiatives has focused on children and young people as part of a commitment to end child poverty by 2020 (DSS, 1999; HM Treasury, 2001). The context for these initiatives has been a strong national economy: