Child Poverty Action Group

CPAG first met on 5 March 1965 at a meeting organised by Harriett C. Wilson, following publication of Brian Abel-Smith and Peter Townsend's work Poor and the Poorest; both men were founding members. Originally conceived as a short-term pressure group on family allowance, it campaigned for improved allowances for children in the poorest families.

CPAG researches and publishes facts and figures on child and family poverty in the UK, lobbies government and supports campaigns for effective policies, provides information and advice on social security and tax credits, runs welfare-rights training, and undertakes test cases extending the interpretation of law in favour of claimants. It is registered as a charity in England and Wales under Charity Commission registration number 294841.