An effort to reduce child poverty across a North East borough is making "good progress", a report has revealed.
The scheme in Stockton is part of a wider anti-poverty strategy running from 2024 to 2027 and recently delivered a series of targeted interventions in 2025.
The measures included enrolling nearly 400 children for free school meals, generating an additional almost £500,000 in pupil premium funding.
Clare Besford, cabinet member for children and young people at Stockton Council, said: "Reducing child poverty isn’t just a priority for us - it is a moral responsibility.
"No child should ever feel the weight of disadvantage, and we are determined to stand alongside families to ensure every young person in our borough has the chance to flourish.
"Seeing the real, tangible difference our support is making is incredibly heartening.
"When we put people at the centre of every decision, we not only help ease financial pressures, but help build a future where all children can thrive, no matter their circumstances."
The council’s HAF (Holidays are Fun) programme saw more than 10,000 sessions attended, providing over 14,000 free, funded holiday activities and healthy meals.
Through the council’s four Family Hubs, families were able to access free school uniform, prom outfits, and a range of cost‑of‑living support services such as welfare and budgeting advice.
One parent said the Here to Help Summer Family Fun Day in July - which offered community support and free school uniform - was “a huge help”, allowing her to save on uniform costs while speaking directly to organisations providing information and advice.
Meanwhile, community engagement with residents and Mandale Mill Primary School included cooking sessions and craft activities, which formed part of the council’s wider Early Intervention and Prevention work to bridge the gap in inequalities in North Thornaby.
The child poverty reduction programme forms part of the council’s commitment to reducing poverty and inequality through its Powering Our Futures programme, A Fairer Stockton-on-Tees and Anti-Poverty Strategy 2024-2027, as well as key priorities in the Stockton Plan.
It has been made possible through the Stockton-on-Tees Child Poverty Network, which brings together the Council and its partner organisations to discuss the key issues children and families living in poverty are experiencing across the borough.
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The collaborative meets quarterly to find solutions to these issues and improve the lives of local children and young people.
The work also supports the Government’s national strategy, ‘Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty’ to alleviate child poverty.
The council remains committed to targeted early intervention and ensuring that every child in Stockton is given the "best possible start in life".
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