14 November 2007
Poor children in England as young as five hide their needs from
parents to protect them from the impact of poverty, new report
reveals
Children as young as five are feeling the effects of living in
poverty in England, a new report reveals, with some hiding their
needs from their parents or giving their family money they received
as gifts. These are just some of the findings revealed in a new,
thought-provoking report ‘Living with Hardship 24/7: the diverse
experiences of families in poverty in England’ launched today by
the Chancellor of the Exchequer at the City of London’s Guildhall,
as part of the Campaign to End Child Poverty’s Month of Action.
The report, with a foreword by the Prime Minister, which is
published by The Frank Buttle Trust and based on research conducted
by the NSPCC and the University of York, explores in-depth the
impacts of poverty on families’ lives.
The report’s lead author, Dr Carol-Ann Hooper, Senior Lecturer
in Social Policy at University of York, said: “For many of the
families in this study, poverty meant going without basics such as
a cooked meal each day for adults or toys for children. Children as
young as five recognised that poverty was a key source of stress
for their parents, and some tried to alleviate it by hiding their
needs and wishes, and giving or lending money they had received
from other family members. They were also often sad, angry,
frustrated or upset by the impacts of poverty on their lives and
hardship clearly impacted in a range of ways on all dimensions of
children’s well-being.”
The report has produced some disturbing findings regarding the
experiences of children living in households affected by
poverty:
- Children as young as five are stressed because of their
situation which can be directly attributed to stress of poverty
experienced by their parents.
- Poverty makes all other forms of adversity hard for parents to
cope with, by restricting their options for help or relief.
- Families living in disadvantaged areas worry about crime and
unsafe neighbourhoods and have less access to good housing whilst
families in more affluent areas have less access to affordable
activities and other amenities.
- Children in deprived areas had the additional stress of a more
violent local culture including gangs using weapons in schools and
the community.
- Bullying was often clearly related to poverty for children
living in affluent areas.
The report argues that poverty should be seen as a form of
societal neglect of children.
Quote from the Rt Hon Alistair Darling, Chancellor of the
Exchequer
"The Government remains committed to ending child poverty in a
generation and to halving it by 2010 and so I am pleased to launch
this report in which children tell us about their experiences of
living in poverty. As the report makes clear, if we are to reach
our goal everyone must work together so that the right support is
provided in our schools and nurseries, our health and social
services, the voluntary sector, the financial and banking sectors
and local and central government."
Hilary Fisher, Director of the Campaign to End Child Poverty,
said
"The report Living with Hardship 24/7 launched today during the
Campaign to End Child Poverty’s Month of Action clearly shows the
devastating impact child poverty has on children. 3.8 million
children - one in three - live in poverty in the UK today, one of
the highest rates of child poverty in the industrialised world. We
need action now to tackle it. We are calling on the Chancellor to
make the 2008 budget a budget to end child poverty. Without the
investment of an extra £4 billion by April 2009 the Government’s
commitment to the child poverty targets will be just a hollow
promise.”
Gerri McAndrew, Chief Executive of The Frank Buttle Trust,
said:
“I am delighted that the Chancellor of the Exchequer is
launching our report on poverty, and that the Prime Minister has
written the Foreword to the report. This endorsement will greatly
assist us in raising awareness of this ground-breaking research and
of the devastating impact of poverty on the lives of children.”
Michael Snyder, City of London Policy Chairman said
“The City is committed to stamping out child poverty in the UK.
The City of London Corporation and big business already work
closely with some of London’s most deprived boroughs bordering the
City such as Tower Hamlets and Hackney. Regeneration through
mentoring, skills transfer and training is one of the most
practical and effective ways of ensuring every child reaches their
full potential unimpeded by financial means. Every child has the
right to make a success of their life, government, business and
individual families need to pull together to make this a
reality.”
The City Bridge Trust, of which the City of London is the sole
trustee, has recently awarded £96,000 to End Child Poverty to help
fund the salary costs of a London development officer and £8,000 to
Child Poverty Action Group which will make a significant difference
to promoting the campaign. These grants will be announced at the
launch as part of the City’s contribution to the campaign. The City
Bridge Trust, grants £15+million a year to charitable organisations
and projects benefiting the inhabitants of Greater London.
Clare Thomas, Chief Grants Officer for The City Bridge Trust
said; “London has the highest concentration of child poverty in the
UK with just over half a million (41%) living in poverty. The
grants awarded to Child Poverty Action Group and End Child Poverty
will help raise awareness of child poverty in the capital, helping
to identify the best practice to help solve the specific challenges
facing London. With the launch of Living with Hardship 24/7 today
we hope to raise still more funds with which End Child Poverty can
further their final aim – to end child poverty in the UK.”
Dame Mary Mash, NSPCC Director and Chief Executive, said:
“Living with Hardship 24/7 clearly demonstrates that poverty can
impact in a range of ways on children’s well-being. The report
shows that financial hardship can aggravate families’ problems,
including domestic violence, abuse, bullying and mental health
problems, by limiting their access to help and support.”
Living in Hardship 24/7 also makes some clear
recommendations:
- More radical action to reduce child poverty and social
exclusion is needed as is greater awareness across all services of
the impacts of poverty and of other sources of adversity
- Housing needs should be systematically incorporated into local
planning for children’s well being
- Free and accessible services for low income families in all
areas – including and in particular affluent areas
Ends
Notes to Editors
Poverty in the UK - the facts[1]
- 3.8 million children (30% or 1 in 3) are living in poverty in
the UK today[2]
- Nearly 13 million people are still living below the poverty
line
- The number of people living in poverty doubled between 1979 and
1999
- In 2005/6 child poverty rose by 100,000 - the first since
1999
- 55% of the poorest families cannot afford a week’s holiday
- 12% of lone parents cannot afford presents on special
occasions[3]
- Approx 200,000 children have parents who cannot afford meat or
fish every other day
- 150,000 parents can’t afford to buy their child a waterproof
coat
Campaign to End Child Poverty
The Campaign to End Child Poverty is a coalition of more than 90
organisations working to eradicate child poverty in the UK. It is
formed from children's and other charities, social justice groups,
faith-groups, trade unions and others concerned about the
unacceptably high levels of child poverty in the UK. For more
information about the Month of Action, contact the Campaign to End
Child Poverty press office on 0207 278 3404 or Laura Payne at
laura@ecpc.org.uk or visit
www.endchildpoverty.org.uk
The Government has set targets to halve child poverty
rates by 2010 and to eradicate child poverty by 2020. The comments
in this release represent the views of the Campaign to End Child
Poverty and do not necessarily reflect the views of member
organisations.
Living with hardship 24/7: the diverse experiences of
families in poverty in England
This groundbreaking report from The Frank Buttle Trust, University
of York and the NSPCC looks in depth at the experience of families
living on a low income in both affluent and deprived
neighbourhoods. The study is based on interviews with 82 parents
and 59 children (aged 5-11) from 70 low income households, and
focus groups with social workers, teachers and health visitors. The
findings highlight the need for more recognition of the many ways
in which poverty impacts on families’ lives and for a holistic
approach to supporting parents and children.
The Frank Buttle Trust
The Trust was founded in 1937 and has been operational since 1953.
It is the largest UK charity providing grant aid solely to
individual children, young people and families in desperate need.
For over half a century, the Trust has helped many thousands of
vulnerable children, young people and families throughout the
United Kingdom.
In 2006 – 2007, the Trust made 8,785 grants, totalling £2.7
million:
- For basic, essential items such as beds (929 grants), bedding
(672 grants), children’s clothing (579 grants)
- To assist with school fees for vulnerable children – many of
whom have been victims of bullying (302 grants, totalling
£666,000)
- To provide grants to support vulnerable young students and
trainees who are without family support, enabling them to achieve
their potential and become empowered, contributing members of
society (185 grants, totalling £277,000).
The Trust was inspired to commission this research, funded by
the Big Lottery Fund and undertaken by the NSPCC and the University
of York, to raise awareness of the silent, invisible suffering of
the children living in poverty in this affluent, first-world
country, and to engender the will among those with influence –
including, of course, government – to eradicate child poverty in
the UK forever. The report makes some powerful recommendations for
improving the lives of families living in poverty, and the Trust is
committed to disseminating the research findings widely to bring
about positive change.
The City Bridge Trust
The City Bridge Trust is London’s largest independent grant-making
trust, of which the City of London Corporation is the sole trustee.
Through its grant-making and strategic initiatives, The City Bridge
Trust works closely with voluntary groups and charities to reduce
disadvantage in London. The City Bridge Trust was set up in 1995 as
the grant making arm of Bridge House Estates whose original purpose
was to maintain the first stone bridge across the River Thames –
London Bridge. www.citybridgetrust.org.uk
City of London Corporation
The ancient City of London Corporation has a 21st- century role
supporting the business City as the world's leading international
financial and business centre. The City of London Corporation
provides local government services for the City of London “Square
Mile” at the heart of London - but its responsibilities also extend
far beyond the City boundaries and include paying for and running
the Barbican Centre, Epping Forest, Hampstead Heath, and three
wholesale food markets, as well as acting as the London Port Health
Authority. The City of London Corporation is the sole trustee of
The City Bridge Trust.
For press enquiries please contact
Cubby Fox at City of London Press Office on 020 7332 3451 or
cubby.fox@cityoflondon.gov.uk
[1] Household Below Average Income figures (HBAI), Office for
National Statistics, March 2007
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hbai.asp#hbai [2] IBID, after housing
costs, according to the amended HBAI measurements [3] Family and
Children Study, 2004