Why Money Matters offers compelling fresh evidence and new insights on the relationship between family income, poverty and children's lives. Written by leading experts in the field, it brings together up-to-date and accessible information and analysis from a variety of sectors, including education, health and welfare. Issues explored include the impact of debt on family life, the psychological effects of the struggle to make ends meet, and new evidence of the direct consequences of poverty on children's achievement and life chances. Why Money Matters presents a powerful case for putting family income at the heart of the poverty debate. It will be of particular interest to policy-makers, researchers, students and academics.