Child Poverty

In the UK, particularly in England and Wales, children’s life chances are determined by the economic status of the families into which they are a part of. Children from poor households are more likely to suffer the consequences of their families’ condition. They will have to endure the stigma of poverty in a profoundly lopsided society where the socioeconomic standing of individuals is determined by their capacity to buy. These poor children also have less access to quality educational opportunities (Welbourne, 2012). Furthermore, children living in poverty at present are likely to remain poor for the rest of their lives because of intergenerational cycles of poverty

Poverty is often associated with Third World countries, where the outcome of such poverty is often death from disease or starvation. However this is the extremes of poverty, and is rarely experienced within the UK. Despite this poverty still takes place within the UK just at a lesser extent, however this does not take away from the devastating effects that poverty can have. This poverty can be attributed to having less money and lower living standards than others of the same society (European Anti-Poverty Network, 2009). Child poverty is a direct result of adult poverty (Poverties.org, 2011-2012) however unlike and adult, the experience of poverty for a child can effect later life drastically. In April 2011, there were 13 million people in the UK living below the poverty line, this included 3.6 million children (Department for Work and Pensions, 2011), and these numbers are expected to rise further (Child Poverty action Group, 2000-2012). This type of poverty does not discriminate, it is a direct result of inadequate resources.

Poverty is a human services issue that is spread throughout the nation and world. ‘The percentage of children who are poor is more than three times as high in the United States as it is in Norway or the Netherlands.’ (Porter, 2016) The trend since 2000 is that there is an increasing amount of families, and in turn children, living in poverty. Poverty has been defined as the state of being extremely poor. But what does that mean? Poverty is the lack of financial, emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical resources. Children cannot change their situation because they are dependent on adults to provide for them which makes poverty easily passed from generation to generation. “Poverty directly and indirectly affects

The government was enforced to put actions into place after the child poverty act 2010 put in place targets to eradicate child poverty by 2020. The government’s aim to do this has not gone unseen as the government initiatives has had some positive impact on families. (Fauth, 2013)

We all know what it means to be poor, it means to be short of money, unable to afford many of services that other people of the society can. Child poverty means to be living in a family where they are having hard time making ends meet. As one of the richest country, 3.9 million children in the UK living in poverty is apalling.2 What is even worse is London, the capital city, having ‘the highest rate of child poverty of any English region.’3

For the purpose of this essay I am going to be discussing how social policy and legislation with regards to poverty in the UK has evolved and the effect it has had on children and their families. There are 3.5 million children living in poverty in the UK today, 27 per cent of children (Department for Work and Pensions, 2013). According to Mayer (1997), poor homes tend to have overcrowding, lack electrical outlets and less likely to have central heating. The level of cognitive stimulation is another element, which can be affected by lack of financial resources and poverty (Guo & Harris, 2000). This essay will now focus on five key acts these are; the poor law, National assistance act, the Sure Start programme, the child poverty act

This report will focus on contemporary poverty in the UK although poverty is different globally, it will look at childhood in general and show the effect that poverty has on the experiences of childhood. The report will define poverty and use statistics and government policy on poverty. Three sources will be analysed, for the academic my main source is on the book of Ridge (2002) which is Childhood Poverty and Social Exclusion from a Childs perspective, next for media source it is a documentary called Poor Kids and my case study is on a lone parent family. Townsend who was a sociologist in (1979) defined poverty he said

When analyzing children growing up in poverty a lot of factors come into play such as their physical, psychological and emotional development. To grow up in poverty can have long term effect on a child. What should be emphasized in analyzing the effects of poverty on children is how it has caused many children around the world to suffer from physical disorders, malnutrition, and even diminishes their capacities to function in society. Poverty has played a major role in the functioning of families and the level of social and emotional competency that children are able to reach. Children in poverty stricken families are exposed to greater and emotional risks and stress level factors. They are even capable of understanding and dealing with

Children whose parents are having uneven income do not get decent nourishment as well as education. It is well documented that children of such families are also more likely to have adverse outcomes in other phases of their life. This contains low educational achievement, poor physical and mental health, and susceptibility to take up substance abuse and crime. On the other hand, there are currently several government policies meant to address the social impacts of child poverty, for example the Children’s Action Plan which aims to improve outcomes for vulnerable children and the Better Public Service

Homelessness, overcrowding or poor conditions of houses can have a severe effect on children. Eventually, it leads to child poverty. Moreover, it argued that the Government will not meet its target to end child poverty unless the plight of hundreds of thousands of children living in bad housing is tackled. In the briefing, Graeme Brown, Development Director at End Child Poverty, said that 3.9 million children are experiencing the misery of poverty. So if the Government is serious about ending child poverty, they must tackle housing and give children the chance they deserve to grow up in a decent home. Therefore, poor housing affects children’s condition in society and it creates the situation of child poverty to some extent.

Not many people realize that child poverty is a significant social problem in today’s world. Children are the future of society, so they need to be fully developed to continue with what has already

In poverty stricken areas, it is most common to blame the parents of the family. What most people usually do not notice is how the children of this situation are affected. “There are 30 million children - across 35 countries with developed economies - living in poverty” (Healey 9). This number is not counting the number of children who are living in absolute poverty in undeveloped countries. “A study concluded that over one billion children – more than half the children in developing countries – suffer from at least one form of severe deprivation” (“Children Living…” 1). These children’s well-being is at stake and most people are completely unaware as to what is going on. According to Eric Jensen, author of Teaching With Poverty in Mind, students under three years of age need four specific commodities to grow up

Poverty refers to the material conditions, social position and economic position of individuals within society. (Spicker, 2014). Common consequences of poverty prevent people from being able to supply their home with heat, adequate food and results in a general low quality of life. Overcrowding, family structure and the health and education of parents are all common contributions to child poverty. This causes stress and strain on families all around the United Kingdom, which has a lasting effect on countless children. I plan to explore why children within the UK live in poverty, and discuss how this affects many different aspects of their lives.

Socio-economic factors are widely acknowledged as important determinants of poverty. If an individual experiences adverse living conditions in childhood, majority of them will have inadequate income and result in low socio-economic status as adults (Carroll et al, 2011). Children born in poor households have difficulty in accessing the basic needs (e.g. food, clothing, and good living environment) and this can affect their learning ability at school, unable to focus. In other words, they have a higher chance of dropping out of school or lower education attainment, unable to provide appropriate qualifications when they move onto adulthood, seeking for job opportunities. These children are finding day-to-day life tough, they are living in cold, damp houses, do not have warm or rain-proof clothing, their shoes are worn, and many days they go hungry (Children's Commissioner, 2012). Often this has taken place over a long period of time, impacting on their development, behaviour and physical health furthermore limiting their potential as they grow into adults.

Steadily, the UK’s poverty rate began to decline and is currently resting at 22%. London is the richest part of Britain and it is often referred to as the engine of the national economy. On the other hand, it also has the highest poverty rate. One of the biggest issues that the UK faces is child poverty. There are currently 3.6 million children living in poverty, an environment that could be detrimental their education.