East foodbank says it's "giving out, more than it's getting in"
They want the Government to offer more support to struggling families
An East Anglia foodbank has told us they're 'giving out, more than they are getting in', as increasing numbers are being hit by rising costs.
This comes as it's revealed almost two million children could be trapped in poverty because their parents face at least one major barrier to work, according to new research from the charity, Action for Children.
Helen Gilbert runs a foodbank for the Trussell Trust - which has branches across Norfolk and Suffolk: "We're seeing more and more families come into foodbanks. Previously, it used to be around a third of the people that we help were families - that's now increased to about 40%, many of whom have never used a foodbank before.
"It's a problem that's getting worse."
Action for Children said the research clashes with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's statement that creating jobs "is the best anti-poverty strategy".
Researchers found work is often not a route out of hardship for families where both parents or a single parent is already working full-time, have long-term sickness or disability, or caring responsibilities.
Indeed, 440,000 children are in poverty despite their parents or single parent working full-time, while an additional 641,000 youngsters are in poverty where at least one parent is disabled.
The research found 1.36 million children in poverty are in families with one barrier to work, while 495,000 youngsters are in families with two barriers, and 95,000 are in those that face three.
Helen spoke to us about some of the barriers parents face: "There are many factors for why people can't just go in and find jobs.
"There are lots of single parents and childcare is very, very difficult. It's expensive and often still revolves around people having to do the school run, because there are no after school clubs that are reliable enough for someone in a job."
The benefit cap
The report also found the benefit cap, which limits the total benefits a household can receive even if their entitlement would otherwise be higher, is a "big driver" of deeper poverty.
It recommends abolishing the cap completely, and raising the child element of universal credit by at least ÂŁ15 a week.
The researchers estimate these measures would lift 340,000 children out of poverty, while costing the Government ÂŁ4 billion.
Imran Hussain, the charity's director of policy and campaigns, said work is not the "silver bullet" for poverty that it is often presented as.
"To improve the lives and life chances of all children we need to be honest about why so many are growing up in poverty and hardship," he said.
"We must confront the myth that everyone in poverty can simply work their way out of it.
"Our findings show that when it comes to supporting families in financial distress, work is simply not the silver bullet it is often presented as. We need more realism and less rhetoric from Government in how we talk about the relationship between poverty and work.
"And we need a social safety net that ensures families can meet their essential costs and restores the link between a family's needs and the support that is available to them."