We want to put things into perspective. We are a charity working with kids in the East End of Glasgow and have recently taken the same format to Wester Hailes in Edinburgh. Although not all children and families in these areas are affected by the issues we tackle, there are hard hitting facts and figures that we would like to share with you that highlight the need for us to work with children that are living in poverty and its affects.
Facts and Figures:
- In some postcode areas in the east end of Glasgow, 60% of children live in workless households,
- Almost 50% of adults of working age are on incapacity benefit and life expectancy can be as low as 54. - (Glasgow Herald)
Over 90,000 children in Scotland live in severe poverty - of these:
- 72% of children parents’ are not in work
- 66% of children are in families claiming income support, job seekers allowance and incapacity benefit,
- 45% of mother’s of children have no educational qualification,
- 1 in 2 children live in single parent families,
- 10% of children are from an ethnic minority, compared to 2.6% not in poverty,
41% of children live in families with a disabled adult, compared to 17% of children not in poverty. - Living Below the Radar:
- Measuring Severe Child Poverty in the UK - Save the Children
- Poorer children are five times more likely to regularly miss school. - BBC News
Poverty in Glasgow is being blamed for malnutrition in almost one in five youngsters who attended a children's hospital in the city. Health experts say many families cannot afford a more varied diet. - BBC News
Although the facts and figures may seem bleak, not all families will have the same issues. However, living in or near an area of high poverty can affect you directly or indirectly through crime, lack of amenities, poor educational facilities etc.
And the sheer volume that may need help means that sometimes children and families might not get the support they need; a parent struggling with a child with a learning difficulty or emotional issue might not know where to turn, a parent who's a former addict may be afraid to ask for help in case social services intervene.
All families, regardless of background find that they have difficulties from time to time and too often parent's may not be aware of available support or the best action to take. With Kids aims to fill that gap and to provide flexible support that is suited to the needs of children and parents.
To find out more about the work we do here at With Kids you can visit our
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