New data reveals the shocking reality of child poverty in the North East

The North East now has the country’s highest rate of child poverty in the UK, with two in five of those aged 16 or under living below the poverty line. This is up from 37% the previous year and 26% six years ago.

The data comes from the latest report from the End Child Poverty coalition, which represents over 70 organisations united in a vision of a UK free of child poverty. North East Child Poverty Commission, of which our Operations Director Michele Deans is Vice Chair, has produced a regional summary and release of the data.

Some of the council areas with the highest child poverty rates include Newcastle, 42.2%, Middlesbrough, 41.2%, Sunderland, 39.7%, Redcar and Cleveland, 39.3%, South Tyneside, 39.1%, and Hartlepool, 39.0%. All six feature in the top twenty worst performing areas for child poverty in the UK.

“Child poverty should never be accepted as a fact of our society.”

What do these figures mean?

Every day across the charity, our teams see the impact of poverty on babies, children, young people and their families. Sometimes the impact is explicit, such as insufficient access to food, heating, clothing or suitable housing. However, our work deals with many of the less defined impacts of poverty, such as the toll it takes on mental health, relationships and engagement with community life. We have therapists supporting new mums to bond with their baby under difficult circumstances, counselling support for families in crisis and drop-ins for young people to access advice, fun and friendship.

Our Poverty Proofing the School Day team are at the frontline of hearing the effect of poverty on the daily lives of children, collecting insights from 10,000s of pupils each year. They capture their difficult experiences of children in their own voices:

• “I beg my mum to get new things, but I know how stressed she is, then I get stressed.”
• “Sometimes we don’t have enough food – our stomachs decide when we are hungry.”
• “If it was expensive, I wouldn’t ask my mum – she’d feel embarrassed and I’d feel bad.”
• “They talk behind your back [at what you wear] and stand staring at you.”

“To see real change we must educate people, install those with lived experience of poverty into positions of power and hold decision-makers to account.”

A loud call to action

Our CEO, Leigh Elliott has highlighted the challenges charities face in tackling the ‘Wicked Problem’ of poverty, which requires balancing meeting short-term need with campaigning for government intervention and systemic change. In the past year alone, we have loudly advocated for changes to policy on issues that can be game-changing for families on the frontline of poverty, from raising benefits to access to Free Schools Meals to rental reform, as well as distributing research and best practice insights to those who have the power to influence long-term change, such as our Cost of the School Day UK publications. This new data is a fresh call to action for something to be done.

Leigh comments, “The new data from End Child Poverty does not only present a shocking account of child poverty in our region and across the UK but a powerful warning for the future as financial pressures on families continue to grow. Child poverty should never be accepted as a fact of our society. There are many actions the government and other organisations can take to improve the lives of the millions of individuals living in poverty across the UK. We know that the cause of poverty is not choices made by individuals living in poverty, but the choices of decision-makers who do not act in the interest of those with the least in our society, whether by intention or not. To see real change we must educate people, install those with lived experience of poverty into positions of power and hold decision-makers to account.”

Like our peers, End Child Poverty and North East Child Poverty Commission, we are calling for the UK Government to make social security more adequate in the long term, so that every family can afford the essentials:

• For those on Universal Credit, reducing deductions and abolishing the benefit cap and two-child limit.
• Improving access to free and affordable childcare.
• Extending free school meals to all children in families receiving Universal Credit.

From messy fingers to busy feet, play comes in all shapes and sizes. In the summer of 2021, our Playful Lives team took play on the road, bringing fun-filled sessions to gardens in Newcastle and hosting playtime at our Cowgate centre.

There is a lot of power in play, both as a way to learn and a way to connect. Yet COVID lockdowns and time spent away from school made learning and engaging with other children more difficult. Add into to the mix that families may be dealing with different pressures, and playtime becomes harder to make happen.

This is where the Playful Lives team could step in and provide a helping hand. For example, one family who took part had approached the Cowgate Centre team to see if there were any fun activities their daughter could take part in after the isolation of lockdown.

Dad explains, “It was supposed to be her first year in school, but instead she spent almost two years mostly with adults. Coming to the sessions were a big moment for her. A time to have fun after COVID. It was especially great to see her meeting other kids.”

“She really enjoyed herself, and she isn’t easy to impress! There were lots of activities to do: drawing, painting, Play-Doh, sand. We also did dancing, which was great. It was the drawing and making she enjoyed the most. She made a crown to wear, bracelets and a teddy bear. She was very happy with what she had made.”

Dad reflects that the time with the Playful Lives team played a valuable role in helping his daughter to navigate for the transition from lockdown to starting school.

“We think it’s prepared her for when she does start. It has broken down her shield a little so she will be ready to spend time with other children.”

This week Children North East and North Tyneside Learning Trust are celebrating the successful delivery of the BU wellbeing support programme to hundreds of pupils within the Trust’s partnership schools.

Research by the charity Young Minds revealed the extent of the impact of the pandemic lockdowns on young people’s mental health, finding that 83% of them felt it had made their mental health worse. Schools were on the frontline of navigating these challenges, even if it was from behind a screen. For many young people school was the only engagement they had during the lockdown outside of their family.

North Tyneside Learning Trust was motivated to act, partnering with Children North East to deliver a special version of our BU programme which supports young people to develop skills for social and emotional wellbeing.

Pupils from 16 schools were given the chance to undertake a bespoke version of our BU course, tailored to the challenges young people faced during and as a result of lockdown. Through creative activities and positive discussions, the programme supported children and young people to build resilience and develop positive techniques to manage their mental health. It covered diverse subjects that impact the wellbeing of young people, from friendship, self-image, communicating feelings and coping techniques.

119 students took part in courses delivered by the Children North East team, then Partnership staff were trained to deliver the programme, giving more students the chance to take part and extending the access to support for those who already had. Adapting to the challenges of lockdowns both face-to-face and remote versions of the course were offered to schools.

Staff from the schools have shared that BU sessions made a significant impact on many of the young people and saw them using what they had learned in practice, such as coping techniques during times of stress. Some said it was the first time they had seen a session delivered on mental rather than physical health, with one teacher happily surprised to see the quieter male students they had expected to shy away from the topic embrace it and speak freely about some of their experiences.

Gary Munday, Pastoral Guidance Officer at Monkseaton Middle School explains, “The children have responded well to the sessions, and we can see them grow into it as the weeks build up. The sessions have given the students the skills, confidence, and resilience to support them to achieve.”

One thing which shone through the feedback was the positive reflections of the pupils, with one even calling it “absolutely magnificent”. Many of the stories shared by the staff supporting the project fitted into three themes; it was helping the young people cope better, groups have developed strong friendships and they were enjoying the time spent exploring their emotions. Or, as one young participant explained, “…sharing feelings cos sometimes you don’t like to talk about them”. One pupil mentioned in their feedback that it had been a really important outlet to speak about their feelings as their Family Worker was not visiting during the lockdown.

Schools reported the programme had sometimes made a wider impact within their pastoral care. For example, one found that the materials could be used on an individual level with students being supported through difficulties, such as when a disclosure had been made.

Katrina Moffat, Project Manager at the North Tyneside Learning Trust shares how the programme created value for pupils, “The impact of Covid-19 on the young people in our schools reached beyond the classroom and it was important for North Tyneside Learning Trust to support the mental health of our young people. Through working with Children North East, we have been able to provide groups of young people with access to the BU programme and also provide training for staff in schools allowing them to continue to provide support. We’re really pleased to have been able to work with CNE and support North Tyneside Learning Trust schools in this important area.”

The 16 schools that took part were Valley Gardens Middle School, Denbigh Primary School, Hazelwood Community Primary School, Norham High School, Wallsend Jubilee Primary School, Benton Dene School, Monkseaton Middle School, Southlands School, Amberely Primary School, Percy Main Primary School, Richardson Dees Primary School, Westmoor Primary School, Wellfield Middle School, Rockcliffe First School, Ivy Road Primary School and Carville Primary School.

In our latest guest blog, Poverty Proofing Co-ordinator Sarah Hughes shares why she left a career in teaching to join the team and her experience of joining Children North East.

It is the first time I have been paid to spend time writing a blog. With my background as a teacher, I used to write material as models for my classes, but to be directed to write, for the purpose of others to read it, just because – rather than having to – is something I have to keep pinching myself about. 

Writing is just one small part of why I am glad I joined this charity. My role as a Poverty Proofing Co-ordinator has enabled me to step outside of the classroom and be plunged into the real workings of schools; I cannot believe how much I didn’t know, I didn’t know – despite thinking I did.  

My main focus was to move away from the academic side of working with young people and attempt to be a catalyst in real, systemic change. Every single day of my teaching career involved at least one pupil who was staring poverty in the face; holding the hand of poor mental health, or teetering on the brink of not wanting to exist. This is the true epidemic. This is the reason I could no longer amble on, hoping others would pick up the pieces, so long as these children got their target grades. 

What Poverty Proofing the School Day has introduced me to is the ability to connect with so many people. Children are unafraid of voicing how they feel; highlighting the unfair and inadvertent exclusion that schools often work so hard to avoid. Staff are working tirelessly, more so now than ever, to ensure every child has a wealth of opportunities. But by having the gift of voice, to hand that voice to greater power, it illuminates so many dark corners; it gives hope and drives the change that is needed in society. This role is more than I ever could have written down on paper about what I want to spend my days doing. 

But for now, I’ll write this blog, and smile!

Where we live has a huge impact on our lives. We have all become more aware of this during the multiple lockdowns of the pandemic, as we have contended with working, studying and socialising from home. But for children living in unsafe and unsuitable housing, the impact is catastrophic. This month the Fairer Private Rented Sector White Paper was published, sharing reforms set to be brought into law under the long-awaited Renters Reform Bill. The changes have been called by the Big Issue as the “biggest shake-up of the sector in decades”, but what might this mean for babies, children and young people and why does it matter?

The Fairer Private Rented Sector White Paper, published 16^th June, promises to “redress the balance between landlords and 4.4 million private rented tenants”. Its reforms include removing landlords’ rights to make ‘no fault’ evictions, to refuse to rent to families on benefits, or make significant increases to rent.

On paper, the UK has one of the most lucrative housing markets in the world, with the value of property exploding over the last two decades and an influx of foreign investors. But housing market data hides the reality of shocking inequality and a housing crisis, with 1.27 million households facing homelessness, overcrowding and living in hazardous conditions. The White Paper identifies one in five private renters as living in unfit homes. The reality of this is hundreds of thousands of children whose health and wellbeing is suffering because of the conditions they live in.

Research lays bare the devastating impact of poor housing on the health and wellbeing of babies, children and young people. Damp, mouldy conditions pose a huge health risk for babies and young children, significantly increasing the risk of hospital admissions for respiratory illnesses among under 3s and making children three times as likely to develop asthma by the age of seven.

Meanwhile, overcrowding has a significant impact on older children, as their sleep suffers affecting their educational attainment, they struggle to find space to do their homework, and parents worry their children are not coming home as much because of overcrowding. It comes as little surprise that the attainment gap has widened significantly during the pandemic, as children in crowded homes have struggled to engage with online learning, and that there has been increased reporting of mental health difficulties among children and young people during the pandemic.

Creating a healthy home environment in unsuitable, insecure conditions is immensely difficult. We know that housing worries are often a significant contributing factor to the stress faced by parents in the families we support, and that this affects their own health, wellbeing and quality of relationships in the home.

The Fairer Private Rented Sector reforms should help create more secure, longer-term housing options that empower tenants more control over their home environment and reduce anxiety around tenancy risks. If it delivers on its promises, the bill could make a positive impact on the lives of millions. However, how and at what speed the reforms are enforced will determine their true impact. The Renters Reform Bill was promised in 2019 and is yet to be published but is scheduled for release by the end of 2022. The length of this process will be of little comfort to the families living in the conditions it seeks to address.

It is critical that the government makes good on the pledges set out in this White Paper and the Levelling Up White Paper and ensure all homes are fit for human habitation and empower tenants to raise concerns about the condition of their property without the fear of eviction. Moreover, the commitment to increasing the availability of social housing stock needs backing up with a concrete plan. New homes need to be developed based on robust data of local housing need so it contains the right mix of larger and smaller homes to meet demand and eliminate overcrowding.

Children North East want all babies, children and young people to be able to be happy and healthy. Without change, poor housing will continue to contribute to inequality around health and educational attainment and make growing up harder. We need to hold this government to account so that the positive direction of travel into a needs-driven, and effectively-enforced housing policy or hundreds of thousands of children will continue to grow up without a safe home to live in.

Across the UK, organisations are taking part in Learning Disability Week, with the aim of raising awareness about important issues impacting individuals with a learning disability and fighting stigma and discrimination.

The week is organised by the national charity Mencap to celebrate and advocate for the 1.5 million people living with a learning disability across the UK, including 2.5% of children.

For over 10 years Children North East has been offering support specifically to help children and young people with special education needs, including those with a disability… from peer groups where they can find support and friendship to mentoring programmes offering a helping hand at key moments in their life, such as moving to independent living.

This Learning Disability Week we want to share some of the support currently available through Children North East making a difference for young people.

Peer Mentoring

Sometimes adults just don’t get what it’s like to be a young person today. So, when it comes to dealing with some opportunities or challenges another young could be the perfect person to talk to and offer support. That is why we created our peer mentoring services.

Our peer mentoring programmes for young people with SEND cover a range of locations and, importantly, goals. It could be working to overcome a challenge in your life to having a friendly face as you’re joining a community activity.

Peer Mentor Robson Steele shares how this support worked for one of his mentees, “Ben* was referred to Youth Link because he lacked confidence talking to people and wouldn’t access public transport by himself which made him quite isolated. As part of the support, we travelled to the activities by bus and metro, which helped Ben gain confidence in travelling by himself. Gradually Ben became more chatty and outgoing, and now attends the FAB Group here at Children North East as well as taking up other hobbies”. You can read Ben and Robson’s story on our blog.

Browse our list of mentoring support available, or if you think you could make a difference as a Peer Mentor to a young person with SEND, learn more about how to get involved on our website.

FAB Group

Our longest running group for young people with SEND is the FAB (Fantastic and Brilliant) Group for young people aged 11 to 25. It was set up because we know some of the people best placed to share insights into things that could benefit young people with SEND are… other young people with SEND! Every month, the FAB Group come together to make friends, share experiences and exchange insights into support.

A few times a year, the FAB Group choose and visit a different place in Newcastle and then, after the visit, feedback as a group on their experience and how inclusive they felt it was, helping the venue to improve the experience they offer to other young people who have SEND. Previous visits have included BALTIC art gallery, the Centre for Life science centre and the city’s universities.

Other activities, chosen by FAB members, have included interviewing local musicians such as Joe McElderry and painting a mural at our allotment!

Learn more about our FAB Group.

Masquer-Aid

The journey towards getting a diagnosis and the support which that unlocks can be a new and sometimes emotional experience. One of our newest projects, Masquer-Aid, is a peer support group for people who have recently found out they are neurodifferent or are waiting for a diagnosis. The group talk about shared experiences and explore themes such as mental health and friendship. Attendees can have 1-2-1 conversations with our expert team during the sessions. Aimed at 11 to 25 year olds, there are five different sessions each week across Newcastle and Gateshead including high-energy and chilled sessions, as well as one just for gamers!

Learn more about our Masquer-Aid Support Groups or browse other support groups run by the Children North East.

Do you think you, or someone your know, could benefit from the support offered by Children North East?

You can view a list of current support for young people with SEND available through Children North East on our dedicated webpage.

*Names have been changed for safeguarding reasons