This book brings together a range of theoretical and empirical perspectives on conceptualization, measurement, multidimensional impacts and policy and service responses to address child and family poverty. It illuminates issues and trends through country level chapters, thus shedding light on dynamics of poverty in different jurisdictions. The book is structured into three sections: The first includes introductory chapters canvassing key debates around definition, conceptualization, measurement and theoretical and ideological positions. The second section covers impacts of poverty on specific domains of children¿s and families¿ experience using snapshots from specific countries/geographic regions. The third section focuses on programs, policies and interventions and addresses poverty and its impacts. It showcases specific interventions, programs and policies aimed at responding to children and families and communities and how they are or might be evaluated. Cross national case studies and evaluations illustrate the diversity of approaches and outcomes.

Foreword.- Acknowledgements.- Understanding Child and Family Poverty An Introduction to some key themes and issues.- Child poverty in the international context (Elizabeth Fernandez; Ioana Ramia).- Not Just Statistics: Making Children's Poverty More Visible (Peter Saunders).- Child Poverty and Child Well-Being in International Perspective (Jonathan Bradshaw).- Why are poor people always with us? (Michael Wearing; Elizabeth Fernandez).- Disadvantage, Equity and Children's Rights in 21st Century Australasia (Marie Connolly).- Children's subjective wellbeing in disadvantaged situations (Carme Montserrat; Ferran Casas; James Ferreira Moura Jr).- 7 Child Poverty in Germany: Conceptual aspects and Core Findings (Sabine Andresen, Susann Fegter, Klaus Hurrelmann, Monika Pupeter, Ulrich Schneekloth).- Poor for How Long? Chronic Versus Transient Child Poverty in the United States (Sara Kimberlin, Jill Duerr Berrick).- Child Poverty Reducation in Brazil: Reversing Bismarck? (Armando Barrientos, Amanda Telias).- Poverty and social exclusion of Children and Families in Italy and Europe: Some comparisons (Cinzia Canali; Devis Geron).- Poverty in Italy (Tiziano Vecchiato).- A Family centred approach in helping poor children in Hong Kong (Joyce, L C Ma).- Young people at Risk of Lifelong Poverty: Youth Homelessness in Australia (Patricia McNamara).- Poor Children, Poor Services, Poor Outcomes (Maria Herczog).- In what ways might poverty contribute to maltreatment? (Marian Brandon).- Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families in Australia: Poverty and child welfare involvement (Claire Tilbury).- Family Poverty: Reviewing the Evidence for an Integrated Community-Based Practice (Anita Lightburn, Chris Warren-Adamson).- Reducing Poverty and Investing in Children and Families (Elizabeth Fernandez, Anat Zeira, Tiziano Vecchiato, Cinzia Canali).- Contributors.