Realising Potential: Delivering the Child Poverty Strategy

In July 2026, the Muslim Charities Forum (MCF) submitted this formal response to the Education & Work and Pensions Committees regarding the Government’s Child Poverty Strategy. While welcoming efforts to ease financial strain, this submission highlights the urgent need to address the structural inequalities that disproportionately impact marginalised groups, including British Muslim households. It serves as a vital resource for policymakers, civil society leaders, and community advocates working toward a fairer future for all children.

Key Highlights:

• British Muslims face disproportionately high levels of poverty, with nearly half of Muslims in England and Wales living in poverty.
• The current Strategy lacks the necessary ambition to tackle long-term structural barriers and fails to include distributional targets by religion or ethnicity.
• There is a critical need for ringfenced, long-term funding for BME and faith-led charities that serve the communities experiencing the highest rates of child poverty.
• Effective poverty monitoring requires robust, disaggregated data collection at the local level, delivered in partnership with trusted civil society organisations.

Download the full document to read MCF’s complete analysis and policy recommendations.