Children are increasingly going to school with holes in their shoes or no lunch because of the cost-of-living crisis. A stark new report from Barnardos shows many families have gone without or cut back on food, medical care, heat and light in the past six months.
Seven in ten parents say they sometimes or always worry about being able to provide essentials for their children. National Policy Manager with Barnardos Stephen Moffat says social welfare rates need to be addressed. “It’s very stressful,” one parent told Barnardos.
“Children don’t know the price of living, they shouldn’t know we are not surviving at the minute. If prices get higher, I don’t know how we will survive.”