Kids ‘not protected from food poverty’
Children from families that need support do not have safe places to play and need more protection, says a leading charity.
Home-Start supports more than 32,000 parents and families in times of difficulty across the UK and with families in British Forces bases in Cyprus and Germany. Its research shows three-quarters of vulnerable children aren't properly protected from food poverty.
Today Home-Start launched its first ever manifesto today at a Westminster event chaired by the charity’s ambassador Alastair Stewart OBE.
All Our Children
is a call to action for all political parties to put children’s lives at the heart of policy.
A recent survey of local Home-Starts revealed that more than 70% believed children in the families they work with are not supported by health and social services when their parents suffer from mental illness.
76% said they work with families whose children are not protected from food poverty and 81% support families where the children do not have safe places to live and play.
“These really are basic needs, but inconsistent local practice and often inadequate funding means many children are not getting the support they deserve,” said Rob Parkinson, Home-Start chief executive.
“Our manifesto shows why this is crucial and how we can all make it happen.
“With more than 40 years supporting families, Home-Start knows that small steps are often the most lasting. What we are proposing will make a real, immediate difference to the lives of children.”
TheHome-Start manifesto says all children to grow up with safe places to live and play, support when their parents suffer from a mental illness and protection from hunger and poor nutrition.
Multiple pressures from changes in families’ circumstances, unreliable employment, gaps in benefit payments, poor physical and mental health and housing problems can push people into crisis and when this happens, children suffer.
“It’s essential that there is consistent data that shows the scale and breadth of these problems,” Parkinson said.
“We need to know how many children are hungry, how many young children are overweight, how many children have parents with mental illnesses and how many children are injured so we can make a difference.”
The charity is using the hashtag #allourchildren in social media mentions of its new manifesto and @homestartuk on Facebook and Twitter.
View the full manifesto
here
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