Over 85,000 children in Britain living in extreme poverty: ‘There’s a sense of hopelessness’

A survey of frontline workers has revealed that more than 85,000 children are living in destitution – the most extreme form of poverty – in Britain.

Buttle UK heard from more than 1,000 frontline professionals working with around 150,000 children whose families are struggling with the cost of living.

It found that 58% of these children are experiencing destitution, an increase of 21% since 2021.

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One frontline worker said: “I worked with a nursery-aged child who was hospitalised due to malnourishment, which caused a heart condition, and all of her teeth required to be removed.”

More than half (53%) of the families being supported are unable to afford enough food for basic nutrition, and a similar proportion (55%) cannot afford basic utilities.

Joseph Howes, the chief executive of Buttle UK, said: “The details in this report are heartbreaking.  No child should be forced to live in these conditions, and it is having devastating long-term consequences for both their physical and mental health. 

“We have gathered overwhelming evidence of the extreme challenges families are forced to endure and the impact this is having on the services of frontline workers.

“They speak of the almost complete breakdown of support services for families – funding is either not available or poorly applied, and services are both inefficient and insufficient. Our figures show this is worse than ever before.”

Nearly half of families cannot cover their rent or mortgage (48%). Meanwhile, 59% could not afford basic furniture and more than a quarter (28%) of families cannot afford beds for their children.

A frontline worker said: “There is a sense of hopelessness. As a social worker, I often feel that there’s nothing that I could do that would make the necessary difference.”

Two thirds of children and young people supported were struggling to engage with education, and nearly as many (63%) were falling behind because of the high cost of living.

Almost all frontline workers who responded (99%) said that the mental and physical health issues of parents, and the trauma caused by these issues, were making education harder.

Another frontline worker commented: “In the 43 years I have worked in this service, I have never experienced the level of child poverty we are seeing today in one of the so-called richest countries in the world. And for some children and young people, they can see no way out of this trap.”

Buttle UK is supporting calls to lift the two-child limit on benefits, as well as for an ‘essentials guarantee’. which would ensure universal credit covers the cost of basics such as food, utilities and vital household expenses.  

The organisation is also calling for a dedicated cabinet minister for children and young people, following the examples of Scotland and Wales, as well as for access to mental health support for children easier.  

Howes added: “We need the government to take action now. Otherwise the impact of these living conditions will have dire long-term consequences for tens of thousands of children.”

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