“Christmas is a big worry for families”, according to research from Action for Children
A survey by the finds 77% of children and young people feel money worries will make this Christmas an anxious time
More than three quarters of 11–21-year-olds in the South East fear their parents’ cashflow will lead to an anxious family Christmas, according to Action for Children.
Research by the charity, found 77% of those surveyed feel money worries will make this Christmas a nervous time, with more than a third (35%) think their family will be worse off financially this Christmas compared to last year.
Alice Woudhuysen is from Action for Children, she says “It’s just really sad to hear as Christmas should be an exciting time for families.
“Children should be looking forward to it and parents should be looking forward to it, but the research shows that the cost of living crisis is far from over as Christmas is a big worry for families.”
"One mum was limiting her food intake"
In our region, around three in five of those surveyed thinks it’s likely their parents will have to sacrifice something important or special for themselves over the Christmas holidays to make sure they receive presents.
Ms Woudhuysen said: “One mum said she was limiting her food intake, only having one snack a day and eating her children’s leftovers so that she could save some of that money.
“Also, parents are feeling really guilty that they can’t afford new shoes for their children or that the shoes they are wearing are too small.”
The charity, Action for Children, are working to help those experiencing poverty, as Ms Woudhuysen tells us what that can look like, she said: “Often children can be ill constantly, they could be suffering from colds in very cold homes with no flooring.
“It really varies but it shows that child poverty really exists and it’s a tragedy that it’s happening today.”
Ms Woudhuysen also tells us the impact that child poverty has, she says, “We know that it disrupts childhoods and harms their life chances in future”.
She added: “Sadly, children who experience poverty do worse at school, they earn less as adults, suffer poorer mental and physical health, and they’re more likely to need help from a social worker.”
Craig Hoggarth, operational director at Action for Children in the South East, said: “It’s easy to think that poverty happens elsewhere, but as our research shows the cost of living crisis is still very real for South East families and continues to impoverish children in every community.
“Our frontline workers are supporting children every day: we’ve seen children without a bed sleeping on the floor with just blankets, and families phoning us in tears because they have no money to feed their children. It’s relentless, and it doesn’t stop because it’s Christmas.
“Until every family has enough money to keep their child warm and well fed, we will continue to help them. That’s why we’re asking the public to get behind our Secret Santa campaign to help us support our most vulnerable children, not just at Christmas but every day.”