Advocates against poverty, educators, and welfare professionals have expressed increasing concern over the harmful consequences of extreme poverty, especially for children. These consequences include physical illness, malnutrition, mental health issues, social isolation, absenteeism from school, and disruptive behavior in the classroom.
According to a study released by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), approximately 1.8 million households in the UK, totaling nearly 3.8 million individuals, including 1 million children, experienced destitution at some point in 2022. Half of these households struggled to survive on a budget of less than £85 per week after paying for housing, and 25% had no source of income at all.
A representative from the government stated:
Reducing inflation is our top focus as it will benefit everyone’s financial resources.
The number of people living in poverty has decreased by 1.7 million since 2010, with 400,000 fewer children affected. However, we acknowledge that some families are still facing challenges. To address this, we are offering an average of £3,300 in support per household. This includes a 10% increase in benefits this year and another raise in the national living wage.
In order to assist individuals in escaping poverty through employment, we are allocating £3.5 billion towards aiding thousands in securing jobs. We are also eliminating obstacles for parents by implementing the largest ever increase in free childcare services – offering 30 hours of free childcare for working parents and assisting children from nine months old until they begin school. This initiative will save eligible parents an average of £6,500 annually.
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Source: theguardian.com
