"It Shouldn't Happen Here" , Save The Children Launches Its First Appeal To Help UK Children

The charity Save the Children, best known for helping some of the world's poorest families, has launched its first appeal to help UK children. 

The charity says the UK's poorest children are bearing the brunt of the recession, with some missing out on regular hot meals or new shoes.The campaign urges the government to focus on benefits for low-paid families and ask employers to pay a living wage.

Researchers for Save the Children surveyed more than 1,500 children aged eight to 16 and more than 5,000 parents, focusing on the lowest income groups.

The study draws on Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) figures which estimate that there are 3.5 million children living in poverty in the UK and predict a steep rise in the numbers in coming years.The charity defines living in poverty as having a family income of less than £17,000 a year.

More than half the parents in poverty surveyed (61%) said they had cut back on what they ate and more than a quarter (26%) had skipped meals in the past year.Just under a fifth (19%) said their children sometimes had to go without new shoes when they needed them.

The report, It Shouldn't Happen Here, also reveals the extent to which children are aware of how much financial strain their parents are under with more than half (58%) saying they thought it was getting harder for their parents to pay for everything.

Some 52% of the poorest children agreed that not having enough money made their parents unhappy or stressed and 43% 'strongly agreed' that their parents were cutting back on things for themselves such as clothes or food.