Three hundred thousand children are living in poverty across the South West, according to new figures.
Charities said the figure – the fifth highest of the 12 regions of the UK – was "unacceptable" and that the Government had to do "much more to help those who are struggling against the brutal effects of welfare cuts".
The Government's annual poverty statistics showed 3.6 million children were living in relative poverty in 2012-13. The overall figure fell by 100,000 over the past year to 9.7 million, according to new official figures.
Matthew Reed, chief executive of The Children's Society, said: "The Government's claim that it is protecting the most vulnerable families from falling behind is not borne out by these figures, which show that an unacceptable number of children are still living in poverty in the South West.
"We know that children who grow up in poverty are more likely to suffer poor health and struggle at school.
"It needs to do much more to help those who are struggling against the brutal effects of welfare cuts, stagnant wages and rising food and fuel prices if it is to stop the continuing crisis of child poverty."
The Government said the figures also showed that in-work poverty fell by 200,000. Ministers also said the percentage of people in relative poverty is at the lowest level since the 1980s.
Median incomes remained broadly unchanged between 2011/12 and 2012/13, up £2 to £440 a week for a couple with no children. Relative poverty is measured as 60% of median income .
Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith said: "Despite the deepest debt-fuelled recession in living memory when £112 billion was wiped off the economy, we have protected the most vulnerable families from falling behind with 300,000 fewer children in poverty since 2010.
"Today's figures underline the need to stick to the Government's long-term economic plan of restoring a strong economy that creates jobs, and a tax and welfare system that helps people into work and makes work pay."
The Gingerbread campaign group said the statistics showed a steep rise in child poverty for single parent households where the parent works full-time, climbing from 17% of households where the single parent works full-time in poverty in 2011-12 to 22% in 2012-13.
Almost one in four children whose single mother or father works full-time is now growing up poor, while nearly one in three with a single parent working part-time is in poverty, said the group.
Gingerbread chief executive Fiona Weir said: "It is deeply concerning that while the economy is on the up, hundreds of thousands of families remain trapped into poverty.
"For far too many single parent families, work offers no real promise of escape from hardship, as today's figures show a rise in working poverty where a single mum or dad is working full-time."
Prime Minister David Cameron's official spokesman said child poverty was at its lowest level since the 1980s and had fallen by 300,000 since 2009-10.
Her said: "Does the Government want to continue to do more in this area? Of course.
"Absolutely at the heart of improving prosperity across the country and for all is the importance of sticking to the long-term economic plan, because at the heart of dealing with poverty is work."
The spokesman added: "In terms of wider poverty, the target established under the previous government is one of relative income, and that stands at its lowest level since 1982."
