Child poverty is currently regarded by many as the 'number one' issue in Britain. Yet is has not always been so high on the policy agenda. What were attitudes to poor children two hundred years ago? How did child poverty emerge as both a quantifiable and urgent issue? And how did policy makers respond? These are the questions that this book tackles. The book charts key British developments in child welfare, child poverty research and state support for children from 1800 to the present day. With direct quotations from key sources, it argues that even in the face of clear evidence of hardship the response of policy makers to child poverty has been ambivalent. The book: presents a broad but sophisticated overview of 200 years of investigation into and responses to the plight of poor children; identifies key moments and figures of the period; includes chapters on children and work, education and child poverty research to provide the essential context for the story of the 'discovery' of child poverty; Clearly and accessibly written, this book provides a concise but richly detailed account of the subject. It will appeal to policy makers, practitioners, researchers and all those with an interest in child poverty wishing to understand the antecedents of current research and policy.