Opposition to the Government’s proposed cuts in tax credits continues to mount — even members of the House of Lords have been prepared to spark a constitutional crisis by voting for a delay in their implementation. But early years practitioners across the UK are already seeing the direct financial reality of benefit cuts and the rising cost of living as the families that they work with are struggling to afford everyday essentials. Some early years providers are even stepping in to help with childcare fees and to feed and clothe the children in their care.
Although there was a big drop in child poverty in the UK in the first decade of this century, Alison Garnham, chief executive of Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG), warns that we are on course for a 1980-like poverty surge, driven largely by cuts and benefits freezes.
‘Reforms and cuts proposed in the summer budget will, if voted through, land another 600,000 more children in poverty by 2020, taking the total to 3.8 million UK children in poverty by the end of this Parliament,’ she says. ‘As workers in early years know, behind those statistics there are very young children being held back by hardship at every turn.’ She argues that instead of tax cuts, low-paid parents need a real living wage and action to tackle rocketing housing and childcare costs.
The Trussell Trust, a national charity that operates food banks to provide food and support to those experiencing financial crisis, has seen an increase of 19 per cent in the numbers of people that it supports in the last financial year. From 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2015, it gave 1,084,604 people three days’ worth of emerge-ncy food. This figure includes almost 400,000 children.
A spokesperson puts these increasing numbers down to rising food and fuel prices, static incomes, underemployment and changes to benefits. Benefit delays (30 per cent), low income (22 per cent) and benefit changes (14 per cent) are the top three reasons that people are referred to the charity.
Early years practitioners are responding to the crisis by finding a range of practical ways to support families who are struggling financially. PACEY reports that increasing numbers of childminders are not raising their prices because they are sensitive about the financial constraints of families.
One member says, ‘I have a family whose children I’ve been looking after for four years. I know they have been really struggling as the dad has a zero-hours contract. I just tell them to pay me when they can. It causes huge cash flow problems for me, but I hate to see them struggle.’
The Pre-School Learning Alliance reports that practitioners are collecting food parcels for families, helping with washing and donating spare clothing. Settings are also compiling lists of local agencies that can support families in financial need and helping to fill out forms.
Bridgeton eco nursery has set up a clothes swapping system
‘Poverty is reaching into every UK community, but it isn't inevitable’
‘Poverty is reaching into every UK community, but it isn’t inevitable,’ says Ms Garnham. ‘We should be moving heaven and earth to stop it and to prevent the damage it is doing to childhoods and children’s life chances.’
CASE STUDIES
St Richard’s School Nursery, Chichester, West Sussex
Many parents using St Richard’s School Nursery, Chichester, work for the NHS and nursery supervisor Rosemary Beal believes there is an increase in the numbers who are finding it difficult to pay the fees. ‘I think they struggle because living costs and rent are going up but wages are not increasing at the same rate,’ she says.
The nursery offers a flexible payment system to all parents so as not to stigmatise. This enables parents to say how much they are able to pay each month, to spread the cost of childcare fees throughout the year, even if they need to pay for only a few weeks before the nursery education grant starts for their child. Some parents are still paying off fees when their children have moved to school and some fees are even waived.
‘Provided we keep the numbers of children up we can absorb the cost, especially as the church owns the building and we don’t have rent to pay, which gives us some flexibility,’ says Ms Beal.
Staff work hard to build rapport with parents and chat to them informally so they can pick up on any worries. They deliberately don’t organise activities such as sponsored events and paid-for trips to reduce financial expectations. They also help by liaising with the local school and taking unclaimed school uniforms from its lost property to give to families whose children are starting school.
Bridgeton Family Learning Centre, Glasgow
Staff at Bridgeton eco nursery asked parents to bring in unwanted children’s clothes last year for an activity about recycling. They set up a clothes rail in the parents’ room for families to swap the clothing and soon became aware that it was much needed by some families.
‘The room is in a quiet area next to the office and we chatted to the parents who went in. Many said what a good resource it was and some confided that they were struggling because their benefits were cut or their hours at work were reduced,’ says team leader Claire Wales.
The project is still running and the nursery has accumulated many bags of donated clothes, which are used to replenish the clothes rail. ‘We pitch it as an eco activity so there is no stigma attached, and everyone is encouraged to reuse the clothes so nobody is singled out,’ she explains.
The nursery spoke to the local food bank, operated by The Trussell Trust, to find out how it could help its families further and has become a voucher holder so that it can refer parents for food when needed. So far, the nursery has helped two families to receive food parcels.
‘It’s important to listen to families and not assume what they need,’ says Ms Wales. ‘We help everyone that comes to us, in total confidence.’
Puffin Community Nursery, Brighton, East Sussex
Puffin Community Nursery joined the FareShare scheme in 2011, to supplement food provision cost effectively in the setting and discreetly support parents struggling to buy food.
FareShare collects quality surplus food from supermarkets and restaurants and distributes it to charities and community groups nationwide for a small fee, dependent on the size of the organisation. It costs Puffin £300 a year, but nursery manager Alex Paterson says that the setting more than recoups the cost in the food received each week.
‘We’re based in the most deprived area of Brighton, if not in the South East, and it is difficult for some of our parents to afford quality food on a regular basis, especially if they have multiple children.
‘We also have parents with issues such as drugs and alcohol, and food may not be a top priority. We want to make sure children access decent food,’ he says.
‘We select foods we receive from what has been donated and try to keep a healthy agenda. Regulars include apples, carrots, peppers, houmous, pasta and rice, but we also get foods that we wouldn’t think to buy like naan bread and olives, which gives the children exposure to new foods. We try to stockpile non-perishable items to give to families when needed. I’ve never known a family to be offended.’
Staff also have knowledge of local organisations that can provide support with financial issues and signpost parents to them when needed, but they are noticing a reduction in the number of services.
Rowner Family Centre, Gosport, Hampshire
Rowner Family Centre operates a nursery and a packaway pre-school, and in both settings there are families with financial problems, many of whom work.
‘We often have problems when a family’s circumstance changes and their tax credits suddenly become withdrawn or they are overpaid and they can’t afford to pay it back,’ says early years operations manager Nicci Atkinson. ‘Parents entitled to tax credits are hesitant to take them because they worry that they will be overpaid and then get into difficulty.’
Staff conduct home visits when children start at the settings, which enables them to build a relationship with parents and can give a rough measure of financial situation.
‘We feel our way when it comes to finances. Two-year-old funding is criteria based, so that gives an indication and the Early Years Pupil Premium form helps us to gauge if a family may need extra support in the future,’ she says. ‘If I think a parent seems upset or worried then I’ll simply ask them if they want to chat.’
The staff ensure they have plenty of spare wellies and coats so that children without any appropriate clothing are not excluded from activities, and the settings also supply suncream and nappies. Ms Atkinson has accessed funding from the nearby military base to provide presents and food parcels for families who can’t afford them at Christmas. She helps families to access local agencies such as food banks and will assist in filling out benefits forms.
FACTS AND FIGURES
There were 3.7 million children living in poverty in the UK in 2013-14. That is 28 per cent of children, or nine in a classroom of 30.
As a direct result of tax and benefit decisions made since 2010, the Institute for Fiscal Studies projects that the number of children in relative poverty will have risen from 3.6 million to 4.3 million by 2020.
Work doesn’t provide a guaranteed route out of poverty in the UK. Two-thirds (64 per cent) of children growing up in poverty live in a family where at least one member works.
Poverty can blight childhoods. Growing up in poverty means being cold, going hungry and not being able to join in activities with friends. It can also be linked to more complicated health histories over the course of a lifetime.
Childcare and housing are two of the costs that take the biggest toll on families’ budgets. When you account for childcare costs, an extra 130,000 children are pushed into poverty.
Supplied by CPAG
MORE INFORMATION
Child Poverty Action Group, www.cpag.org.uk
FareShare, www.fareshare.org.uk
The Trussell Trust, www.trusselltrust.org
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