Buttle’s 2023 report on the state of child poverty in the UK found that increasing numbers of families cannot afford utilities or food. Frontline workers reported that 60 per cent are now living in destitution, a 15 per cent rise from last year.
-
Children feel the strain of the rising cost of living
-
We need a national strategy to uphold children’s rights
With another difficult winter ahead, CYP Now looks at initiatives to support struggling families and children over the festive season:
Food poverty
Grant-making charity The Greggs Foundation is aiming to build stronger and healthier communities in areas served by Greggs, will be injecting more money into their hardship grants as Christmas approaches.
They have partnered with many schools who can access the hardship fund to support vulnerable families in their school community with food and vital household items over the Christmas period.
Foundation manager Tracy Lynch said: “We are making sure that schools are fully aware that they can access funds to make sure children and their families have what they need over Christmas.”
The Trussell Trust is running an urgent appeal to support families over the Christmas period as it is expecting to provide over one million emergency food parcels this winter.
It is anticipating its busiest winter ever and is asking for donations to support those in financial difficulty access essential food and supplies.
Comic Relief is dishing up one million meals for struggling families this year as its new research found that more than half of UK parents are worried about their ability to pay for food over the winter months, rising to over two-thirds of those in a single parent household.
Comic Relief is part of Jingle Jam this December, the world’s biggest gaming charity event.
The event sees gamers and streamers come together from across the world with a common goal to raise as much as possible for a range of causes. With the money raised, Comic Relief intends to partner with FareShare and local organisations to redistribute surplus food to help vulnerable people and families.
Cost of living
Hundreds of disadvantaged first-time parents in the North East will receive a box of essential items to aid early development thanks to funding from North of Tyne Combined Authority.
The partnership between Newcastle, North Tyneside, and Northumberland councils and a directly elected metro mayor, has awarded £187,000 to The Children’s Foundation to fund the boxes which will include essential items as well as stimulating toys and books to encourage playing, laughing, reading, singing and counting.
Manchester City Football Club has launched it Christmas campaign, The Greatest Season of All, to give the gift of football to young people in the community.
For every purchase made from a range of Christmas items such as a dressing gown and a family pyjama set, the club will donate £5 to its charity, City in the Community.
All funds will go to support programmes which aim to empower healthier lives for young people in Manchester through football. Every £10 raised will enable a young person to enjoy the equivalent of four hours of free football and a healthy lunch in the school holidays in 2024.
The Club will also be delivering a calendar of festive activities in December to support families who need it most. This includes donating free Christmas Day meals to foodbanks and welcoming hundreds of local people to the City Football Academy for various celebrations.
Michael Geary, head of the charity, said: “We are delighted that the club has, once again, committed to making a difference in the local area by supporting its charity.
“By teaming up with the fans, this campaign will have a significant impact on our ability to empower healthier lives through football.”
Coram, the first and longest running children’s charity in the UK, has launched its first advertising campaign in 20 years to raise awareness of the important work it does to support the nation’s most vulnerable children.
The By Themselves campaign shows images of children accompanied by short, punchy messages explaining how Coram works with children and young people to ensure they have the support they need.
The awareness campaign aims to raise the profile of the charity, and to encourage more partners and donors to come forward to support its work amid rising demand for its services. The cost-of-living crisis and the impact of Covid-19 has meant many more children and young people needing extra support.
Children in care and care leavers
The John Lewis Partnership is supporting care leavers through a new range designed by people with experience of the care system.
Its new brand, Made With Care, launched in October. The first shopper bag was designed by Michael Archibald, a care-experienced 18-year-old from Glasgow. It can be found in Waitrose and John Lewis.
Archibald said: “Creative industries are such a competitive field and being given the chance to work with such big companies makes me feel like I’m able to go places. I want more care experienced people to feel this way.
“I'm so excited by the potential of Made With Care to give more people like me a platform to be creative and raise more awareness at the same time.”
Profits from each bag sold will go to the Building Happier Futures fund, John Lewis’ employment programme to hire young care-experienced people.
Vulnerable children
The NSPCC is running its fundraising Christmas five kilometre event, Walk for Children, as it expects to be contacted by a child every 45 seconds this Christmas.
The walk is scheduled for 22 December, the longest night of the year, to recognise how long each night feels for an abused child.
Last Christmas, Childline delivered more than 1,000 counselling sessions and is encouraging members of the public to sign up and take part to raise funds so counsellors can answer urgent calls this Christmas.
Think2Speak is spreading Christmas cheer to trans youth across the country by sending secret Santa cards and gift bundles to young trans people.
It wants to crowdfund £15,000 to send Christmas gifts to trans, non-binary and gender diverse young people and have partnered with artist Mister Samo who is designing the cards.
The Mark Allen Foundation has partnered with KidsOut this Christmas, a charity which works to ensure children have fun and happiness in their lives, whether they have escaped domestic violence or are living in poverty.
KidsOut has three ways to support disadvantaged children this Christmas - by donating money to support the charities aims, gifting presents to be distributed to disadvantaged children or through local volunteering.
