Leading children's charities warn of spike in poverty due to austerity measures

The NSPCC, Action for Children and The Children’s Society have warned that the most vulnerable families will be disproportionately affected by tax and benefit changes and are likely to be £3,000 worse of each year by 2015.

The three charities asked Landman Economics to measure the number of families with children in Britain who are most vulnerable to adverse economic conditions and how these families will be affected by the changes to tax and benefits, cuts to public services and the on-going effects of the economic downturn.

The study defined vulnerability as households affected by worklessness, poor housing, lack of qualifications, mental health problems, illness or disability, low income and material deprivation and used the the 2007 Cabinet Office Family and Children Study as a basis.

In the Eye of the Storm: Britain's forgotten children and families also reported that although there are currently fewer that 50,000 children living in extremely vulnerable families this is set to double by 2015.

Dame Clare Tickell, chief executive of Action for Children, said: “The government needs to ensure that children are not the victims of austerity and there is still time to get it right.

“It is hugely disappointing that the parents of tomorrow are not being taken care of today. Through our services we are already seeing first-hand the damaging effects taking their toll.”

The charities are now calling for more integrated policies across government, in particular those on housing, health, employment, and education and welfare.

The report also calls for an urgent assessment of how further spending cuts, or tax and benefit reform, could impact on children and a commitment to track and report back on the number of children living in vulnerable families.

Andrew Flanagan, chief executive of the NSPCC, said: “We all expect to bear some of the austerity, but it seems the most vulnerable children are bearing the brunt.”

The charities said that although the government’s Troubled Families Unit was set up to address some of the problems that vulnerable families face, the charities believe the impact of the austerity on children has largely been overlooked.

Matthew Reed, chief executive of The Children’s Society, said: “The government’s austerity measures are hitting the most disadvantaged children in our society the hardest.

“When too many children go to school hungry, have no permanent home or proper shoes, it is clear we are not all in this together. These latest figures make shocking reading and must act as a wake-up call to those with the power to reverse this trend.”