These surveys clearly highlight the negative impact of poverty on children and young people’s mental health and emotional wellbeing.
The Children & Young People's survey found that:
- Children, when asked what they thought affected children living in poverty the most, highlighted the mental and emotional impact of poverty, feeling anxious, being unhappy and isolated, being in debt and feeling left out. They also frequently referred to feeling ashamed and trying to hide their circumstances from peers and adults.
- 73% of children and young people said that at least part of their uniform must be purchased from a specialist retailer.
- 38% of children said they’ve seen children and young people being bullied because they don't have as much money or the same things as others.
- Over 60% of children said they were worried that they haven't got enough money to stay where they live.
- Nearly 80% of children said they live in a place where they don't feel safe to go outside.
The Practitioners and Professionals survey found that:
- In comparison to 2023, 90% of practitioners and professionals have said that the poverty situation has ultimately got worse, citing increasingly poor mental health of both children and adults; the rising costs of everyday living; lack of food and poor nutrition; and loss of support due to cuts in service as driving factors.
- The rising cost of living was identified as a top five poverty related issue by 93% of respondents and chosen by 58% as the top issue.
- Barriers of access are still in place, with many families living in poverty and on lower incomes not accessing the support they need or are entitled to. Most noted barriers were lack of knowledge of services and access to them, funding cuts; depletion of staff and services; centralisation of support; and reduced face to face contact.
- Practitioners and professionals believed that poverty negatively affects children and young people’s experience of school and learning, as well as their educational outcomes. The issues most frequently cited were hunger; bullying; stigmatisation; social isolation; school costs (uniform and transport); tiredness and inequity of opportunity.
- Over 72% of respondents reported that free school meals positively impacted children's nutrition, parental mental health, and reduced poverty-related stigma.
Dr Nick Wilkinson, RCPCH Officer for Wales, said:
Poverty has no place in a child’s life, its effects are far reaching and incredibly damaging. These three reports highlight the bleak reality a lot of families in Wales are facing.
The Welsh Government introduced the Child Poverty Strategy in 2024, which provided a glimmer of hope but fell short of addressing the severe challenges facing children and young people and the services that support them. Later that year, we at RCPCH Wales, led a coalition of 47 organisations in urging the Welsh Government to take urgent action to mitigate the impact of poverty and inequalities.
These survey findings and experiences within this report reinforce the need for decisive, ambitious and measurable action to support children and families across Wales