This book brings together leading voices from academia and practice to discuss whether the government's new life chances agenda is meaningful. What does life chances mean? What can be done to improve them and how are children's life chances affected by poverty and deprivation?This year the government will publish its first ever life chances strategy. In this book, experts from research, policy and practice discuss the implications of the shift to 'life chances' as a frame for social policy, set out measures to improve children's life chances from perspectives including health, housing, families, early years, education and social mobility, and explain why we can't aspire to improving life chances unless we take action to reduce poverty.