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Local innovation will be needed to eradicate child poverty by 2020, a Treasury minister has said.
In a speech to campaigners in Manchester, financial secretary Stephen Timms called for council to play a more substantial role in achieving government targets.
Ministers hope to tackle the issue through the landmark Child Poverty Bill.
But Timms accepted that "Whitehall doesn't know best".
"Success depends on your leadership, on delivery at the local level," he said.
"Local providers are close to poor families. Local professionals help struggling families every day.
"Cracking child poverty requires local authorities to prioritise the issue; to get the right people together; thinking creatively about what to do."
Timms also warned that there was "no silver bullet" on child poverty.
And he called for a "multi-faceted" and "carefully co-ordinated" government approach to reaching the 2020 targets.
"The challenges are stubborn, complex and wide-ranging," he said. As part of the solution, Timms proposed that the government should "personalise" the care it provides to those living in poverty.
"People moving into work sometimes worry they might end up worse off," he admitted.
"We have done a lot in the benefit and tax credit system to make sure it is worth being in work.
"For example, almost all families who increase their earnings don't lose tax credits in the first year. Just communicating that better could make a real difference.
"And, we can do better still if we can personalise the support we provide – what consultants might call, 'customer segmentation' or just understanding people's actual lives better."
The Child Poverty Bill received its second reading in July, before recess, and is set to become law before the end of the year.
It will put into law the government's commitment to eradicate child poverty by 2020.
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd