Child poverty

Poverty is the single greatest threat to the well-being of children and families. Growing up in poverty can affect every area of a child's development - social, educational and personal. As adults they are more likely to suffer ill-health, be unemployed or homeless, and become involved in offending, drug and alcohol abuse, and abusive relationships.

Living in a poor family can reduce children's expectations of their own lives and lead to a cycle where poverty is repeated from generation to generation. In tackling poverty it is crucial to break the cycle. Education is a key element of this, as are initiatives, which involve people in developing their skills and finding their own solutions to the problems in their community.

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Recently, Barnardo’s has also looked at families living in poverty and the impact of the school holidays on them. The loss of free school meals during the holiday period and the added financial burden of saving up for new school uniform for September means that parents often struggle to make ends meet. These added financial pressures mean that there is little chance of the trips and activities that most families take for granted. For most of these families a holiday remains a distant dream.

Lack of income is compounded by very limited summer holiday provision in many areas. Barnardo’s has found that access to leisure centres and swimming pools as a particular difficulty, with little conscious attempt being made to integrate transport with activities.

Plus, read read our publications about poverty - Counting the cost of child poverty, Wish you were here and Still missing out. Free downloads of the summaries are available.

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