Over one million UK children lived in destitution last year: Study

More than one million children have experienced destitution in the UK over the last year as their families could not afford to adequately feed, clothe or clean them, or keep them warm, a major study has revealed.

The study published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) shows that severe material hardship was “no longer a rare occurrence.”

In 2022, the study said, an estimated 1.8 million UK households were found to be destitute, impacting nearly 3.8 million individuals, including 1 million children.

Half of destitute households tried to get by on less than £85 a week after housing costs, with a quarter reporting no income at all, it added.

JRF’s CEO, Paul Kissack, slammed the government’s lack of efforts to tackle the rise in destitution.

“The government is not helpless to act; it is choosing not to,” he said. “Turning the tide on destitution is an urgent moral mission, which speaks to our basic humanity as a country, and we need political leadership for that mission.”

A co-author of the study, Prof Suzanne Fitzpatrick, of Heriot-Watt University,  also described soaring destitution as “morally reprehensible” and said the UK state had abdicated its responsibility to society’s poorest. “There must be immediate action from all levels of government to tackle this social emergency,” she said.

The study also revealed that households grappling with financial hardships have experienced a growing reliance on food banks or relatives for groceries with Adults reporting a frequent inability to afford more than one meal a day, often going without to ensure their children could eat.

More than half of destitute adults (51%) regularly went without toiletries such as shampoo and toothpaste, as well as hygiene and cleaning products, often relying on food banks for these items, it said.

The study also noted that people simply did not buy essential items like new clothing and footwear “at all.”

Many adult respondents were wearing worn-out clothes, and only buying new clothes – such as school uniforms and trainers – for their children, it said.

The study also found that the prevalence of destitution in the UK has shifted from being primarily experienced by immigrants who were ineligible for social security support to being predominantly experienced by UK nationals who receive welfare benefits.

ME