Research and analysis

Child Poverty Expert Analytical Panel (CP-EAP)

Published 9 July 2026

Terms of Reference 

1. Role of the panel  

The Child Poverty Expert Analytical Panel (CP‑EAP) brings together external analytical and methodological experts on child poverty and its impacts.   

The panel acts as an independent sounding board, advising, scrutinising and challenging the analytical approach used to monitor and evaluate the UK Government’s 10‑year Child Poverty Strategy.  

Participation does not imply endorsement of government actions or analytical decisions. Members participate on the basis that independent expertise and scrutiny strengthen the Strategy’s evidence base.  

Requirements of the panel include:  

• sharing relevant expertise and emerging evidence to improve understanding of the evolving picture of child poverty across the UK  

• challenging and identifying gaps in the analytical programme supporting the Strategy’s monitoring, evaluation and evidence-building. Supporting the development of individual strands of work within this 

• contributing specialist insight, including on poverty measurement, participatory methods, lived experience, research and evaluation—both for individual policies, drivers of child poverty and across the Strategy as a whole  

• supporting and considering a UK‑wide approach that reflects activity across the Devolved Governments and incorporates important local and sub‑national variation  

The panel’s advice will be provided to the Child Poverty Unit analytical team, led by the Lead Analyst. The Lead Analyst will make final analytical decisions.  

Members are invited based on technical expertise in child poverty analysis and evaluation methodology. The Terms of Reference and membership list will be published. 

2. Confidentiality   

Information shared with the panel is confidential and cannot be shared externally without agreement from the Child Poverty Unit analytical team. Meetings are held in confidence to support open discussion, with proceedings not to be discussed externally.   

3. Engagement  

Engagement begins in February 2026 and continues until terminated by either party. Participation is unpaid. Meetings will generally be virtual, with substantial engagement by correspondence. The Child Poverty Unit analytical team will provide the Chair and Secretariat.  

Members are expected to actively engage with meeting materials and papers. Notice of meetings and papers will be provided wherever possible.  

4. Potential conflicts of interest  

Panel members may undertake analytical work commissioned for the Strategy but must maintain an ethical wall to avoid conflicts of interest. In practice, this will mean members will be asked to opt into attending meetings to discuss work being scoped that may be externally commissioned for the Strategy Monitoring and Evaluation. Choosing to participate in those meetings will be on the basis of understanding members should then not contribute to the bid writing or development process to competitively tender to deliver that work, given prior privileged insight on the project scope could give them a competitive advantage during the tendering stage. However, this does not preclude the member from being named as a member of the potential delivery team should a contract be successfully awarded. This applies only to projects specifically on the Child Poverty Strategy Monitoring and Evaluation that are developed through this group, and does not preclude members from bidding for any wider research or analytical projects cross-government.

Panel Membership  

Name	Organisation
Alex Beer	Nuffield Foundation
Professor Jonathan Bradshaw	University of York (Emeritus)
Mike Brewer	Resolution Foundation
Dr Ciara Fitzpatrick	Ulster University
Professor David Gordon	University of Bristol
Professor Rod Hick	Cardiff University
Professor Donald Hirsch	Loughborough University (Emeritus)
Peter Matejic	Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Professor Lindsey McMillan	University College London
Professor Jane Millar	University of Bath (Emeritus)
Professor Henry Overman	London School of Economics
Professor Ruth Patrick	University of Glasgow
Professor Kitty Stewart	London School of Economics
Professor David Taylor Robinson	University of Liverpool
Dr Spencer Thompson	University of Strathclyde
Tom Waters	Institute for Fiscal Studies