September 2012. History was made. The charity Save the Children UK, best known for helping some of the world's poorest families, has launched its first ever appeal to help UK children.
The charity says the UK's poorest children are bearing the brunt of the recession, with some missing out on regular hot meals, clothes & shoes.
This government has a ruthless track record on removing peoples benefits forcing claimants into chronic debt & poverty. The campaign urges the government to focus on benefits for low-paid families and ask employers to pay REAL a living wage.
Save the Children surveyed more than 1,500 children aged eight to 16 and more than 5,000 parents, focusing on the lowest income groups.
The study draws on Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) figures which estimate that there are 3.5 million children living in poverty in the UK and predict a steep rise in the numbers in coming years.
More than half the parents in poverty surveyed (61%) said they had cut back on what they ate and more than a quarter (26%) had skipped meals in the past year.
Just under a fifth (19%) said their children sometimes had to go without new shoes when they needed them. Some 19% of children in poverty said they had missed out on school trips and 14% said they did not have a warm coat to wear in the winter.
The report, It Shouldn't Happen Here, also reveals the extent to which children are aware of how much financial strain their parents are under with more than half (58%) saying they thought it was getting harder for their parents to pay for everything.
Some 52% of the poorest children agreed that not having enough money made their parents unhappy or stressed and 43% 'strongly agreed' that their parents were cutting back on things for themselves such as clothes or food.
The report quotes last month's Department for Work and Pensions figures which showed 61% of children in poverty had working parents. It urges the government to encourage more employers to pay above the minimum wage so that workers can provide for their families.
Government spending cuts has reversed progress made on tackling child poverty, a report for children's charity UNICEF warns.
Unicef also warned poverty puts children's future health, education and employment prospects at serious risk.
They point out the UK's success in reducing child poverty before the Tory coalition government, saying it was linked to the previous Labour government's focus on increasing household income.
European Anti Poverty Network
Save our Schools
Child poverty Action Group
PCS Pay Austerity pay calculator
Come and join us on October 20th in London PCS are encouraging all members and their families to take part in the demo, which is expected to be bigger than the previous demo held on 26 March when over half a million people took part.
We will be arranging transport to London from Leeds, Sheffield, York and Hull, which will be FREE for all PCS members and their families. To ensure we can meet the expected demand we need to know numbers as soon as possible.
To reserve your seat/s, please provide the following information to leeds@pcs.org.uk:
0113 2005300
The charity says the UK's poorest children are bearing the brunt of the recession, with some missing out on regular hot meals, clothes & shoes.
This government has a ruthless track record on removing peoples benefits forcing claimants into chronic debt & poverty. The campaign urges the government to focus on benefits for low-paid families and ask employers to pay REAL a living wage.
Save the Children surveyed more than 1,500 children aged eight to 16 and more than 5,000 parents, focusing on the lowest income groups.
The study draws on Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) figures which estimate that there are 3.5 million children living in poverty in the UK and predict a steep rise in the numbers in coming years.
More than half the parents in poverty surveyed (61%) said they had cut back on what they ate and more than a quarter (26%) had skipped meals in the past year.
Just under a fifth (19%) said their children sometimes had to go without new shoes when they needed them. Some 19% of children in poverty said they had missed out on school trips and 14% said they did not have a warm coat to wear in the winter.
The report, It Shouldn't Happen Here, also reveals the extent to which children are aware of how much financial strain their parents are under with more than half (58%) saying they thought it was getting harder for their parents to pay for everything.
Some 52% of the poorest children agreed that not having enough money made their parents unhappy or stressed and 43% 'strongly agreed' that their parents were cutting back on things for themselves such as clothes or food.
The report quotes last month's Department for Work and Pensions figures which showed 61% of children in poverty had working parents. It urges the government to encourage more employers to pay above the minimum wage so that workers can provide for their families.
Government spending cuts has reversed progress made on tackling child poverty, a report for children's charity UNICEF warns.
Unicef also warned poverty puts children's future health, education and employment prospects at serious risk.
They point out the UK's success in reducing child poverty before the Tory coalition government, saying it was linked to the previous Labour government's focus on increasing household income.
European Anti Poverty Network
Save our Schools
Child poverty Action Group
PCS Pay Austerity pay calculator
A Future that Works
Come and join us on October 20th in London PCS are encouraging all members and their families to take part in the demo, which is expected to be bigger than the previous demo held on 26 March when over half a million people took part.
We will be arranging transport to London from Leeds, Sheffield, York and Hull, which will be FREE for all PCS members and their families. To ensure we can meet the expected demand we need to know numbers as soon as possible.
To reserve your seat/s, please provide the following information to leeds@pcs.org.uk:
- Name
- Membership number
- Branch
- Work and mobile telephone contact numbers
- Work and home email addresses
0113 2005300 
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