Recession pushes more children into poverty

Children are bearing the brunt of the recession with as the number living in poverty surges.The number of those qualifying for free school meals - a key government indicator of poverty - went up by 21,000 last year, new figures reveal.In January, 1,095,430 children qualified for free school meals, the first rise in four years, with families in the north east and Midlands worst affected. Children are eligible for free school meals if they live in a household with an income of less than £16,000.

The amount of families classed as being on low-income families is rising fastest among those with children of primary school age, which suggests that these families are worst affected by the recession. Primary age children are more likely to be on free school meals because they often have a non-working parent. Typically, their families are still paying large childcare bills and their parents are younger.The figures, broken down by every local authority in England, were published by The Department for Children, Schools and Families. And the numbers are likely to have risen even more since January, because unemployment has gone up.

Child poverty campaigners said these numbers show the impact of the recession on children's lives - but government ministers stuck to the line that they had lifted half a million children out of poverty since 1997.“The figures are a strong indicator of the extent to which children are bearing the brunt of the recession,” said Neera Sharma, of children’s charity Barnardo’s. “More children are falling below the poverty line, as parents lose their jobs and others struggle to keep their heads above water, trying to cope with the cost of living. At the last count, four million children were below the breadline.”

Kate Green, of the Child Poverty Action Group, said that the figures could rise still further. "What we're seeing is that parents are falling out of work and their whole families are then affected. It's the effect of the recession on families, but there is a lag in the data and the impact will be even greater now. The effect on families and unemployment will be with us even after the economy begins to recover. Dawn Primarolo, minister for children, said: "We have lifted half a million children out of relative poverty but are now upping our game by legislating to eradicate child poverty by 2020, so that all children have the best start in life and have the opportunities to flourish. We're determined not to abandon communities to long-term unemployment and risk generations of families falling into, and staying in, poverty."

By Hayley Jarvis for SOS Children