Nursery World - One in five parents in 'dire financial straits' as charity warns UK is in ‘cost-of-children crisis’

The UK is in the midst of a ‘cost-of-children crisis’ as new analysis shows one in five parents are in ‘dire financial straits’.

Action for Children has published new research showing the impact of the cost of living crisis on families, PHOTO: Screengrab Action for Children

According to new research by Action for Children, families with children are among the hardest hit by the cost of living crisis, with one in five (19 per cent) classed as being in ‘serious financial difficulty’, the most severe form of financial insecurity. This is six percentage points higher than those without children (13 per cent).

Children forced to sleep on the floor or on soiled and mouldy bedding due to poverty

It comes as the Trussell Trust has said that its network of food banks are ‘bracing for the worst winter yet', expecting to distribute more than 1 million food parcels between December 2023 and February 2024 – the most parcels ever. It says this equates to an average one food parcel every eight seconds (11,500 a day) and 7,000 people seeking support each day.

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