Poorest UK families enduring ‘frightening’ collapse in living standards, survey finds

The UK’s poorest families have endured a “frightening” collapse in living standards over the past year as a result of soaring energy and food prices, with nearly two-thirds experiencing extreme levels of poverty and deprivation, a survey has found.

The annual survey of frontline poverty and social services professionals by the Buttle UK charity reported unparalleled concern about the prevalence and consequences of hunger and mental illness in struggling and vulnerable families affected by the rising cost of living.

This year’s survey had received some of the most distressing accounts of children in need it had ever seen, the charity said. “We are talking not just about significant hardship but life-changing and life-limiting deep poverty.”

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One respondent, noting the parental neglect and domestic chaos endured by a child she visited once a week for “emotional wellbeing” sessions, reported the child had no shoes that fitted her, was frequently excluded from school, and had been caught stealing an apple from the local shop because she was hungry.

The respondent added: “She has no friends in school and no outside interests. She spends her time in a cold, dark house. When I read this back it sounds like a story from the 1800s. It’s unbelievable that in the UK, in 2023, there are children living like this.”

Respondents to the survey reported that more than half of the families they worked with had been unable to afford food, heating, rent, or online access, with just under half going without basic domestic appliances. Nearly two-thirds had used food banks.

Another respondent wrote that they worked with a child “who lives in a cold, dark house due to their parents being unable to afford to heat or light the home. A child that does not want to go to school because they are worried about their parent’s physical and mental wellbeing. A child isolated from friends, as they cannot afford to attend their friends’ birthday parties, as their parents cannot afford a small present for the party.”

Although most families relied on a range of local authority support services, respondents said services had often either been cut back or were unable to meet demand, with mental health and homelessness support worst affected. Charity food banks were the only service reported to have increased capacity.

The children affected had poor levels of health, wellbeing and hygiene, as well as isolation and emotional and physical abuse. Many respondents reported the young people they worked with had struggled to engage with education.

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“Children will refuse school if they are noted to be different, hungry, dirty, smelly, tired, no friends, struggle to maintain relationships, singled out, no support for mental health, struggle to get assessments or extra support needed to reach their potential,” one said.

Buttle UK surveyed 1,240 professionals working in child protection, family support, housing, homelessness, and schools in April and May. Between them they were working with about 200,000 children across the UK. Of this group, 120,000 (60%) were reported to be in destitution.

Joseph Howes, the chief executive of Buttle UK, said: “The increase in children and young people living in destitution is stark and worrying. A child poverty strategy is needed to support in the longer term, but changes can be made now to pull hundreds of thousands of children out from the destructive grip of poverty.”

A government spokesperson said: “There are 400,000 fewer children in poverty since 2010 – but we know cost of living pressures are squeezing families’ budgets, which is why we’re providing record financial support worth an average £3,300 per household and bearing down on inflation to help everyone’s money go further.”