CYP Now - Boost financial support for families to reduce ‘bed poverty’, government urged

The government should renew funding for the Household Support Fund and end the two-child benefits cap to reduce the number of families unable to afford suitable beds for their children, Barnardo’s has said.

Children who share a bed describe feeling tired, anxious and embarrassed. Picture: Adobe Stock

Research by the charity, based on a YouGov poll of more than 1,000 parents and more than 1,000 children, finds that six per cent of children are sleeping on the floor due to not having a bed of their own in the last 12 months.

Around one in ten children also said they had shared a bed with another member of their family because they didn’t have a bed of their own.

Analysis of the figures by Barnardo’s estimates that there could be around 700,000 children sharing beds and 440,000 children sleeping on the floor because they don't have a bed of their own.

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