While there are policies intended to address the social problem of poverty, the definition of poverty itself is dictated by policy (i.e., the poverty rate as defined by the federal government). As a practicing social worker, you may say that number is “just a number” and not reflective of the true, real costs of poverty. Likewise, the financial realities of contemporary society or your community may mean the policy-driven number does not reflect the amount of money it actually takes to survive.

The child poverty rate is a component of the poverty rate. What more can it tell us about social welfare policy, society’s responsibility to those in need, and how social welfare policy translates at the state level? In this Discussion, you consider these questions as you examine the impact of the child poverty rate.

• Research the Annie E. Casey Foundation site found in the Learning Resources to locate information about child poverty and the child poverty rate in your state(Georgia).

• Explain the importance of understanding the child poverty rate.
• Identify the child poverty rate in your state.
• Describe an important characteristic of your state’s poverty rates.
• Explain one contributing factor to child poverty in your state.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation. (n.d.). Poverty. https://www.aecf.org/topics/child-poverty