Averting disaster: The impact of poverty on disadvantaged children is a crisis we can't ignore

I am certainly not alone in worrying about the impacts rising living costs may have on children’s welfare, particularly those who are disadvantaged. But how much evidence is there to justify this concern, and what can be done to address some of these real challenges?

Firstly, let’s address the potential size of the problem. Latest official poverty statistics show that one in eight children were living in households below the poverty line in 2020/21, that’s 3.9 million children.

But to understand trends in the last year we must look at other data sources. The Trussell Trust shows an increase of 14% in the distribution of emergency food parcels to people in crisis, with over 2.1 million provided between April 2021 and March 2022. More than 800,000 of these parcels went to children. It is the first time the Trussell Trust has distributed more than two million parcels. This group runs only two in every three foodbanks, meaning the total figures for the UK will be worse. For the majority of those in poverty, there is no flex remaining in their budgets.