More parents struggling to provide food for children, survey suggests

The proportion of parents who say they have struggled to provide sufficient food for their children over the past year because of a higher cost of living has grown, according to a charity survey.

The latest Barnardo’s research found a quarter of parents (25%) with children aged 18 and under said this was the case, up from a fifth (20%) of parents two years previously.

The findings, from a survey of just over 2,000 parents across Great Britain last month, suggest the impact of the cost-of-living crisis is impacting more families than at the time of its last research on the subject in October 2022.

The new Labour Government has been facing pressure around its support for elderly people amid a controversial decision to scrap winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners by restricting the handout to those on pension credit or other benefits.

But Barnardo’s said children must not be forgotten, as it restated its call for a commitment in the autumn Budget to scrap the two-child benefit limit.

The charity’s research also found that, of those parents surveyed, 8% had made use of a local food bank as a direct result of the cost-of-living situation, up from 6% in 2022.

It found examples of a young person who had spent time in care not having electricity or gas for two weeks last winter, and another care leaver struggling to manage their tenancy with little money for food after rent payments.

Barnardo’s chief executive Lynn Perry said: “Millions of parents up and down the country are struggling to feed their children – with even more families struggling now than two years ago.

“The cost-of-living crisis continues to bite, with families facing a desperate struggle to keep the power on and the fridge stocked this winter.

“Last month, we welcomed the Government’s announcement of a Child Poverty Taskforce and stand ready to work with ministers to find lasting solutions. But families can’t wait any longer for support.

“We urge the Government to use next month’s autumn Budget to take bold steps – including a commitment to end the unfair two-child limit on benefits.”

The limit restricts child tax credit and universal credit to the first two children in most households.

Campaigners have long been calling for the policy, introduced by the Conservatives in 2015 and which has been in effect since 2017, to be scrapped.

Voices of support for that call have included the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby who has described it as “cruel” and a policy which is “neither moral nor necessary”.

A Government spokesperson said: “No child should be growing up hungry – that’s why our ministerial task force is kickstarting work to develop an ambitious strategy to reduce child poverty and give children the best start in life.

“We have extended the Household Support Fund to protect the most vulnerable this winter and we will roll out free breakfast clubs in all primary schools while delivering on our plan to tackle inequality and make work pay.”

– A total of 2,063 parents of children aged 18 or younger were surveyed online between August 1 and 8 with figures weighted to be representative of all adults across England, Scotland and Wales.