Introduction

The principal reason for writing this book is to invite the reader to ‘flip their thinking’ on child poverty; to set aside what they believe they understand and to consider a fresh perspective, one rooted in children's experiences and in the data collected about them and their families. The reason for using this book to try change people's minds is simply to improve the lives of children living in poverty in the UK and beyond. Townsend's quote at the start of this chapter was written more than half a century ago and was the final sentence of his book The Last Refuge on the circumstances of the elderly living in nursing homes. However, it just as easily applies to children. How we treat our children in society is a strong marker of the type of society we are. This book is an entreaty to create a better society for children. If we can get that right then many good results for everyone in society will ensue for many years to come.

There is much misunderstanding about the risks, causes and consequences of child poverty. The key sources we all rely on to inform our understanding of the social world, usually the media and what politicians say in the media, provides us with what we believe to be accurate knowledge. This poverty knowledge, or received wisdom, advances an often biased, and a certainly superficial perspective on children and families living in poverty. It focuses on salacious stories about individuals and families, rather than telling the truth about why families and children experience poverty. The most damaging element of such misunderstandings about poverty is that professionals, who work with children affected by poverty, such as health visitors, teachers and social workers, also rely on these sources for information and, in the absence of dedicated poverty teaching and learning of the type I have been involved with in Scotland, will misunderstand the problems children face and waste time and energy on false solutions.