A rapid review of children and young people's views of poverty and welfare in the context of Universal Credit

Children and young people's (CYP) life chances depend heavily on family resources. This paper reports a rapid review of qualitative/mixed method studies about Universal Credit undertaken with CYP in the UK; subsequently expanded to include additional descriptors economic disadvantage. Sixteen were reviewed; narrative synthesis was used explore themes. Most recruited experience disadvantage; none explicitly reported perspectives experiencing disability or rurality. Findings show growing up poverty has significant, negative impacts health well-being, causing feelings exclusion, shame unfairness; raising important questions adequacy welfare support UK.