Before the pandemic, 4.3 million children were living in poverty in the UK. In 2020/21, this fell to 3.9 million, thanks in large part to a temporary £20 a week uplift in Universal Credit payments. However, since the benefit was reduced again, recent analysis from the Resolution Foundation has projected that the number of children in poverty could rise by 500,000 by April next year.
Luke Bramhall, poverty proofing lead at Children North East, says, ‘More families are living in poverty. That’s the reality. We are now only going to see poverty rates increasing for the youngest children, within an early years sector that’s already on its knees from underfunding.’
Families who have not previously experienced financial hardship, or just miss the threshold for financial support, are also at risk of struggling. Val Pope, business manager at the Early Years Alliance, says practitioners should be on the alert for any families to be affected by a change in circumstance.
‘Settings should try to avoid making any assumptions about who may be experiencing poverty and financial hardship. Families who are affected, especially during the cost-of-living crisis, could be the ones you least expect,’ she says.
POVERTY CONSCIOUS
The consequences of growing up in poverty can be wide-ranging. ‘Poverty affects every area of a child’s life, jeopardising health and education and even their future earnings as adults,’ says Alison Garnham, chief executive of the Child Poverty Action Group.
Children’s access to fresh, nutritious food could be reduced by tightening budgets, families may struggle with the cost of cooking hot meals, and the Early Years Alliance also warns of the impact rising costs might have on children or parents with SEND, especially if they use any specialist electric equipment.
Some families may not have funds for additional items such as play resources, access to the internet or trips out, which could have an effect on children’s learning, as well as on their social development.
‘We’ve got to be really conscious of how we champion certain things,’ says Bramhall. ‘Trips out, or fancy-dress days, all bring challenges of belonging and inclusion for young children. Things like charity events and sponsored activities might actually be taking money from people who need it most.’
‘MUMMY DOESN’T EAT’
When monitoring families for signs of poverty, Alison Heseltine, early years development officer at the Early Years Alliance, recommends keeping an eye out for changes in behaviour, but acknowledges clear signs can be hard to detect.
‘Parents may not want to share the problems they are facing, so it is important for educators to look for indications of poverty not only in children, but in adults too. Adults may show signs of stress, distress and tiredness; they could also be distracted, irritable and demonstrate they are less able to cope,’ she says.
‘Signs in children could include tiredness, hunger and distressed behaviour. They may also talk about things happening in the home; for example, they might say: “Mummy doesn’t eat” or “It’s cold in our house”. Educators may also notice a child’s clothing is not well cared for or appropriate, and they may have poor personal hygiene. That said, this is not always the case: parents may prioritise their child’s appearance to hide that they are struggling.’
While struggling financially or being in poverty is not in itself a safeguarding concern, the impact that poverty may have on an adult’s health and wellbeing could impact their relationship with their child.
‘As a result, a parent’s stress could escalate and have a knock-on effect on a child’s welfare, in some instances leading to safeguarding concerns,’ says Heseltine. ‘It is important that safeguarding training helps to increase educators’ awareness of the impact of poverty and financial hardship.’
SUPPORT FOR ALL
Sometimes, that awareness can come from very close to home. In 2019, Nursery World found one in ten childcare workers lived in poverty.
For those with less personal experience of the issue, Children North East’s Poverty Proofing programme helps early years settings and schools to audit their setting for the impact of decisions made on those living in poverty.
Bramhall explains, ‘We want to ask questions like, do our home corners really reflect the home? How often do we change a nappy? How many wipes are we using? These choices can have a significant impact on children and parents.’
However, supporting staff can present its own problems, Bramhall continues. ‘For us, just getting an early years staff team together for a training session can be problematic, as staff can’t always get the time out of rooms, which straight away smacks of underfunding. When the whole sector is struggling, it’s naturally challenging to be able to support others too.’
Practitioners might be tempted to help families in any way they can. However, Pope warns against lending money or creating funds unless settings are well able to do so.
‘Some settings are in a position to offer flexible payments or set up a hardship fund,’ she says. ‘However, providers should avoid letting debts accumulate in a misplaced effort to be kind.’
For free tips and support, the Early Years Alliance has launched a Winter Toolkit to help both settings and parents, including tips on how to stretch food budgets, and cheap activities and practical steps, from providing a daily snack table to offering a clothes swap shop.
Avoiding any extra costs and dealing with families in a non-judgemental and open way is the safest approach to take, advises Bramhall. ‘First and foremost, awareness and understanding are vital,’ he says. ‘It’s about always asking yourself, what could be the impact of this on those who are worst off?’
CASE STUDY: Camborne Nursery School, Cornwall
At Camborne Nursery School in one of the most deprived areas in Cornwall, head teacher Emma Short says the challenges are only increasing. ‘We’re dealing constantly with people who are on the cusp of debt, or even losing their homes. Since September, those families have been noticeably struggling more. We haven’t even faced the cold weather yet, and I know people haven’t got the money for their gas and electricity.
‘Post-Covid, I think a lot of people have re-evaluated their lives. We’ve had three mothers split with their partners and become single mums just in the last few weeks. So there are people who have always struggled, and then those who are going to start struggling.’
The setting offers food bank vouchers. ‘I try to push them on people all the time,’ says Short, ‘But most families won’t take them. People are reluctant to ask for help. But the change in situation has been so dramatic. I usually only manage to get rid of vouchers about once every two months. In the last week, I’ve handed out three.’
Last week, Short loaned out petty cash for the first time. ‘I gave £20 to a father who had just split with his children’s mum, who was in prison. They were changing their benefits over and he was told it could take 11 weeks to come through. He wanted to take his disabled son to a portage group, but it cost £4 on the train, and he’d hardly have anything left. It was quite shocking.’
The nursery tries to help families access support. ‘We signpost wherever we can,’ says Short. ‘We also offer as many opportunities as possible for parents to come in and share amazing experiences with their children. It’s important to try to lift expectations [or] people struggle with mental health.’
Despite this, the setting is limited with the help it can provide. Short says, ‘We just don’t have the funding.’
