Save the Children find shocking numbers of children in the UK living in poverty

A survey carried out by children’s charity, Save the Children, has found shocking numbers of children in the UK are living in poverty, urging the government to take drastic action to reverse the statistics.

The Survey was carried out on more than 1500 children aged 8-16 in the UK, and over 5000 parents that fall into the lowest income group, and the results have made it very clear that children too are shockingly being affected by the strain of the recession. 61% of the parents assessed admitted that, due to the recession, they have had to cut back dramatically on family food provisions, with 19% of parents noting that their children have at times had to go without basic requirements, such as new shoes, due to their financial strain. 58% of the children assessed were aware of their parent’s financial struggle, and 43% strongly agreed that their parents had recently cut back on food.

The results of Save the Children’s survey support the figures given by the Institute of Fiscal studies, claiming that 3.5 million children in the UK are currently living in poverty, and this figure is set to steeply increase. It is clear from these shocking figures that drastic action is required immediately to ensure that our children have the best possible start to life.                                

Save the children are urging the government to intervene in the issue, indicating that the UK minimum wage for adults is nowhere near enough to support a family, and are calling for employers to pay a ‘living wage’ to ensure that every family has enough to provide at least the basic things, such as food, required to reasonably live off. In addition, it is being suggested that the government should aim to truly help in eradicating this problem in the UK by funding 80% of childcare costs for the lowest income group to ensure that the strains of childcare do not complicate work and income.

As well as strongly urging government intervention, Save the Children have started their own fight against UK child poverty. The charity aims to raise £500 000 to help boost education opportunities for children of the lowest income groups, and provide basic essentials, such as furniture, ovens, and toys to their families to ease financial strain and eradicate these shocking figures of childhood poverty.