Supporting children and families Report Card 18 highlights the role of cash benefits, which are among the most effective ways to support children and families and alleviate child poverty. In 21 of the 39 countries with available data, low-income families received less support from cash benefits in 2022 than they did in 2012. There was also progress. Slovenia and Poland, the top two countries in the UNICEF Innocenti ranking, made strides in reducing poverty. For Slovenia, the key to success was improving living standards by increasing the minimum wage. In Poland, the government’s decision to increase cash benefits for families helped to reduce child poverty. But much more is needed. In addition to providing adequate cash benefits for children and families, eliminating poverty requires governments to invest in multiple services that touch children’s lives, including education, health and nutrition and to develop effective labour market policies. In 2015, the world rallied around the Sustainable Development Goals, which featured an ambitious challenge: to eliminate extreme poverty and halve poverty in all its forms by 2030, everywhere. In the high-income and upper middle-income countries of the EU and OECD, some progress has been made. However, there is much more to do to end child poverty in the midst of wealth. 3 Child Poverty in the Midst of Wealth Innocenti Report Card 18