A third of UK parents 'struggling' financially

The survey of more than 2,000 parents in the UK also found that almost half considered themselves to be 'facing financial struggles'.

The charity pointed out a ‘triple hardship’ facing families, including a lack of hope in the future, as only a third of parents believed their children’s standard of living would be better than their own.

Imelda Redmond, 4Children’s chief executive, said, ‘These results issue a triple warning – many families across the country are on the edge, struggling financially and are finding it difficult to be optimistic about their children’s futures.’

The charity’s survey coincides with the launch of its new inquiry into the challenges and opportunities of family life in the UK: ‘Britain’s Families: Thriving or Surviving.’

Meanwhile, the Government’s official child poverty statistics claim that the percentage of children in households living under the poverty line in 2014 is at ‘its lowest level since the 1980s,’ at 17 per cent. The DWP says this has remained unchanged since the previous year.

The Department for Work and Pensions figures claim that 2.3 million children live in relative poverty in the UK.

The figures also show that the majority of poor children (64 per cent) live in households where at least one adult is working.

The Government's current definition of child poverty is whether a child lives in a household with an income of less than 60 per cent of the national average.

The number of families living in relative poverty has fallen by more than 100,000 on the previous year.

The Child Poverty Act, introduced by Labour just before the 2010 election, legally commits the Government to reducing child poverty to fewer than one in ten children by 2020.

However, ministers are considering changing the definition of child poverty.

In a speech last week, David Cameron said the current measure distorts the true picture, hinting at a change in child poverty targets.

David Holmes, chair of the End Child Poverty coalition, said in a statement, ‘Next month’s Budget should be an opportunity for the Government to announce positive steps to reduce child poverty and not a moment for cuts to children’s benefits, like tax credits targeted at children in low income families.

‘With the annual cost of child poverty already £29 billion a year it must make good economic as well as moral sense for the Government and indeed the whole nation to commit afresh to reducing and ultimately ending child poverty.

‘The childhoods and future life chances of millions of children are at stake here.’