Over the last ten to fifteen years economic and social rights have become part of development discourse and social policy debates in developed countries. One of the core objectives of a rights-based approach is to invert the power relationship between policy-makers, service providers and those with experience of poverty. This paper examines the extent to which the values which underpin a rights-based approach are consistent with the values of those such an approach is designed to help, arguing that the values underpinning a rights-based approach are somewhat, but not wholly, consistent with the values of those with experience of poverty. The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of this finding for policy-makers and service delivery agencies.