The government's plan to end child poverty has been questioned by the Family Policy Studies Centre.

While it welcomes the government's anti-poverty strategy the charity says that the problem remains significant by post-war and European standards. In the industrialised world only Russia and the US have higher rates of child poverty.

Almost 20 per cent of children from low income households live within families where neither parent works.

The number of children living in low income households has trebled in the last three decades, the centre says.

Its research found that Pakistanis and Bangladeshis are the poorest groups in Britain, with 60 per cent living in households with less than half the average income.

Ceridwen Roberts, director of the charity, said: "Many poor children become poor adults and pass on poverty to their own children. It is crucial that the government gets the right policies to tackle the cycle of disadvantage so that resources are targeted at poor families."

Family Poverty and Social Exclusion from 020 7388 5900 or www.fpsc.org.uk