What could the latest elections results mean for children in poverty and crisis?

We believe that a child’s circumstances should never be their destiny, and this needs to be reflected in every political party’s promises to their voters. We welcome the initiatives presented by the winners SNP in Scotland and Plaid Cymru in Wales, through the SNP’s ‘defining mission’ to eradicate child poverty or the best start targets in Wales.

We are immensely proud of our work towards ending the two-child limit with our friends at the End Child Poverty Coalition which resulted in  350,000 children being lifted out of poverty! But the current Labour government must invest more to help families in poverty.

At Buttle, we see families pushed to the brink by a cost-of-living crisis that has left 4 million children across the UK living in poverty. The disparity is even more stark for children from Black and Asian communities, where 47% are living in poverty, over double the rate of their white peers. (Read more stats from the Child Poverty Action Group here)

The focus must remain on the individual child behind the data. Our work is driven by the conviction that every child deserves the essentials, a bed of their own, a chance to engage in their education and true wellbeing, regardless of the crises and financial hardship their families may face.

We look forward to working with all governments to ensure that these manifesto promises translate into real-world dignity, ensuring that no child’s future is capped by the hardship they experience today.