Children at Risk

The Children's Society found almost three in 10 of 16 to 19-year-olds growing up in poverty do not feel optimistic about the future. Children living in poverty are more likely to feel like failures and suffer mental health problems than their wealthier classmates, the report warned.

The charity warned that a projected rise in child poverty could lead to an increased demand for child and adolescent mental health services. The Children’s Society chief executive Matthew Reed said: “Evidence shows that children who live in poverty are exposed to a range of risks that can have a serious impact on their mental health, including debt, poor housing and low income. Government and health trusts are failing to recognise children in poverty as a vulnerable group for mental health problems. By cutting support for low income families the Government risks further entrenching the impact of poverty on the mental health of children across the country and perpetuating the cycle.”