A child’s life in Wales in 2023

As the Bevan Foundation launches its Presents to End Poverty Christmas appeal, Steffan Evans looks at what the latest data tells us about child poverty

For more than a decade, little to no progress has been made in reducing child poverty in Wales. Indeed, things are forecast to get worse, not better. With the Welsh Government’s child poverty strategy lacking in ambition, the Bevan Foundation’s work in developing lasting solutions to poverty has never been more important. That is why we are launching our Presents to end poverty campaign today.

To develop solutions to child poverty it is vital that we deepen our understanding of it. The Bevan Foundation’s Snapshot of poverty series has become a vital tool for anyone interested in learning more about poverty in Wales. To complement this series, we commissioned Beaufort Research to survey 400 Welsh children on our behalf. The findings make for grim reading. We will publish a full analysis of the results in the new year, but the headlines are too important to hold back.

Children going without essentials.

Half of Welsh children worry about money or about whether their families can afford to pay the bills. This staggeringly high figure shows both how difficult life is for families across the country and just how acutely aware children are of the financial pressures facing their families.

Digging deeper, we asked whether children had been worried about lack of money for specific items – the findings are deeply concerning.

Nearly 1 in 4 Welsh children (23%) reported that they have recently worried about being cold. Around 1 in 6 children have worried about not having the right materials to do their homework (16%) or having the right clothing, such as school uniform (15%). Around 1 in 8 have worried about being hungry (13%) or not being able to travel to school or to the doctor (12%).

Children missing out on their childhood

The impact of child poverty extends beyond children going cold and hungry. Perhaps one of the cruellest ways it does so is by depriving children of the adventures and experiences that other children enjoy during their childhood. Nothing illustrates this more clearly than the fact that nearly a quarter (24%) of children who completed our survey told us that they have missed out on having a birthday party due to their family’s financial position.

To add to this, more than 1 in 5 children told us that they missed out on a school trip (24%), playing sport (22%), playing with friends (21%), or having music or dance lessons (20%) due to their family’s financial position. Missing out on these experiences does not only rob children of their childhood but also has an impact on how well they do in school, on their health, and on their future prosperity. Children are sadly all too aware of this.   

More than 1 in 5 children (21%) told us that they felt that how much money their family has, had an impact on how well they’re doing in school. The same proportion of children told us that their mental health has been negatively affected, whilst 1 in 10 said the same about their physical health. Perhaps the worst of all our findings is that more than one 11% of children told us that they had been bullied due to the amount of money their family has.

Change is possible

Things don’t have to be this way. There are actions that can be taken to end child poverty in Wales and to gift every child the best possible start in life. The Bevan Foundation’s work is already making a difference. Our work has led to the roll out of universal free school meals in primary schools and to more support for school uniform costs. We are eager to do more, however, especially with regards to the youngest children where funding for support is woefully inadequate.

By donating a virtual present to our appeal, you’ll help us persuade decision-makers to take the actions which give young children a better start in life. We’ll use your present to further explore the pressures on low-income families with under-fives and model the actions that are most likely to increase the support available to them.   

Steffan Evans is the Bevan Foundation’s Head of Policy (Poverty).