From the chapter ‘Well-being‘
Laurence Guinness, CEO of The Childhood Trust
For most children, school holidays are times of happiness, freedom and adventure, a magical time when some of our happiest memories are made. But not for everyone. Some children anticipate the holidays with a sense of dread. Poverty turns school holidays into a time of stress, missing out, shame and resentment. This essay highlights the specific experiences of children living in poverty in London during the long summer holidays, and suggests, through listening to children, what they need the rest of us to do to make their lives better.
Approximately 800,000 children are living in poverty in London.[i] In the last ten years, there has been a more than 70 per cent increase in children who live in working households that fall below the poverty line.[ii]
Children living in poverty have a much higher incidence of physical and mental health problems as well as diminished life chances and lower educational attainment. Poverty also puts pressure on families, which can lead to relationship problems, poor parental mental health and substance misuse.
At The Childhood Trust, London’s child poverty charity, we aim to tackle the devastation that poverty can cause for children by providing the support and resources that they need to thrive. In 2018, in keeping with our values of listening to and working with children, we conducted research with inner-city children to understand their experiences during the long summer holidays.[iii] The findings revealed a distressing reality of childhood poverty during the school holidays, with children describing experiences of hunger, loneliness, exposure to violence, fear of exploitation and antisocial activity; with each factor bringing further consequences for the children affected.
Hunger
Across the UK, up to 3 million children experience ‘holiday hunger’, a term used to describe households that become food insecure during the summer holidays due to household financial issues and the loss of free school meals.[iv]
In London, our research found that 66 per cent of children and young people who received meals from charities during the holidays would otherwise go hungry.[v] For those families undergoing financial hardship who do not access such support, they may rely on unhealthy low nutritional value, but cheaper options.
The implications of childhood hunger are significant and can lead to behavioural, academic and emotional problems across adolescence,[vi] and are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and depressive symptoms in adults aged 25–84.[vii] Therefore, it is imperative that future policies extend the provision of a free school meal to provide universal support for children who experience hunger during the school holidays.
Loneliness
For working parents on low wages and zero-hours contracts, it can be almost impossible to be with their children during the day during the school holidays, with many being totally unable to afford to pay for holiday clubs. This results in children being left alone for long periods of the day without the presence of an adult.
In London, our research found that 50 per cent of children under the age of 11, who have been supported by charities, are left without adult supervision during the summer holidays, with 90 per cent of ‘charity-supported’ children and young people not experiencing time away from home (such as to go on holiday). Lack of supervision leads to feelings of loneliness, boredom and fear, commonly found in those younger than ten and reaching up to the early teens.
Research has shown that children between the ages of four and 11 who are left alone for more than three hours a day reported higher levels of depression and lower levels of self-esteem compared to their peers.[viii] Lack of supervision heightens susceptibility to peer pressure and thus an increased likelihood of participating in antisocial activities,[ix] which exposes children to violence and exploitation.
Exposure to violence
The risk of engaging in antisocial activities increases during the summer holidays since the security of routine and supervision provided through school ceases. As a result, the likelihood of children being exposed to violence and abuse also rises. Our study in London found that 54 per cent of children and young people have witnessed violence during the holidays, and from data collected by 22 charities, 45 per cent claim that youth violence in communities they serve is out of control.
Worryingly, a Children’s Commissioner report[x] found that nationwide, 27,000 children would identify as a gang member, with 313,000 children aged ten to 17 defined as a gang member by someone who knows them. However, the number of children exploited and groomed by gangs is thought to be much higher.
Being part of a gang is a crucial factor in shaping problem behaviour since it increases chances of offending, antisocial behaviour and drug use.[xi] Similarly, problem and antisocial behaviour are strong predictors for joining a gang,[xii] revealing a reciprocal influence in problem behaviour and gang membership.
Since children and young people living in poverty are at higher risk of exposure to violence through lack of supervision, loneliness, peer pressure and boredom, new policies must increase the resources available to promote positive community strategies, such as free youth clubs in every borough, thus encouraging prosocial behaviours and protective factors.
Fear of exploitation
The children who participated in our study strongly expressed a fear of exploitation, with 65 per cent of children and young people frightened of being attacked and/or exploited by gangs during the summer holidays.
A research project undertaken by The Childhood Trust in 2018, conducted with 22 charities, found 50 per cent of beneficiaries reported a high threat of sexual exploitation of children and young people during the summer holidays (compared to term time).[xiii] Childhood sexual abuse is associated with an increased likelihood of developing post-traumatic stress disorder, substance misuse issues and schizophrenia,[xiv] with a two to four times heightened risk of being revictimised.[xv]
The solution
While accounting for the risk factors associated with poverty and the many associated negative life outcomes for children, the need for policies to focus on alleviating the impact of childhood poverty becomes paramount.
Children need to have a wide range of opportunities and positive experiences that nurture their development. The Summer Holiday Manifesto was created by a group of children (aged 7–13) as an informed response to their experiences of enduring long school holidays without adequate provision.
These children were directly affected by the £1.1 billion cuts to youth services budgets of 74 per cent in real terms since 2010/11.[xvi]Consequently, London lost over 600 youth workers over this period, with 63 per cent of youth centres being shuttered for good.
Over two days the children participated in a workshop to produce a list of ‘demands’ (as they described them) that were presented to Nadhim Zahawi MP, former Children’s Minister.
The same children took part in a Summer Give Programme, delivered by 44 charities. This programme included camping, cooking, sports, sailing, climbing, drama, circus skills, music, writing and just having fun. In 2022, 137,000 London children participated in The Childhood Trust’s Champions for Children programme over the summer holidays, which helped to alleviate the impact of child poverty with a diverse range of activities.[xvii]
By ensuring support during the holidays, the risk of hunger, violence, sexual abuse, exploitation and loneliness often experienced by disadvantaged children in the summer holidays was mitigated. But the children demanded more than this – they wanted systemic change, as outlined in their manifesto:
The children’s Summer Holiday Manifesto
We, the children, demand that:
- Children should never go hungry during the holidays when there isn’t a free school meal (or at any other time).
- Children should never be left on their own all day if their parent(s) have to work.
- All children should have a holiday club to go to where there are free, fun activities and hot meals.
- All children should feel that they can play outside without threat or intimidation from gangs or other children.
- The police should be able to keep children safe during the holidays.
- Local MPs should volunteer at their local holiday club so children know who their MP is and can tell them what needs to change.
- The Government should fund Local Authorities to universally provide these things for all children.[xviii]
Conclusion
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the stark inequalities among children living in London. Our own research in June 2021 found one in three children living in poverty suffering from anxiety and depression. This is twice the rate of children nationally, which went from one in ten to one in six children because of the pandemic, and a strong indicator of the failure of social policy to tackle inequality for children.[xix]
We now live in a society where youth services and support are more likely to be provided by a charity than a local authority.[xx] When governments fail to invest in the scale necessary to address the issue at its core, the children’s Summer Holiday Manifesto acts as a beacon signal to the layers of impact of poverty on children.
Without greater investment both in spending, but also, and crucially, in actually listening to and learning from children, children’s chances and long-term life trajectories remain unstable and uncertain, with costly consequences for civil society.
Through the adoption of key policies set out in the Summer Holiday Manifesto, children will be afforded the opportunity to develop into adults who live their lives to the fullest potential.
Notes
[i] Leeser, R. (2021) ‘Poverty in London 2019/20’, London Datastore, News, 28 March, https://data.london.gov.uk/blog/poverty-in-london-2019-20
[ii] CPAG (Child Poverty Action Group) (2019) ‘Child poverty in working families on the rise’, Press release, 28 March, https://cpag.org.uk/news-blogs/news-listings/child-poverty-working-families-rise
[iii] The Childhood Trust (2019) A Summer Holiday Manifesto: By Children, For Children, www.childhoodtrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Childhood-Trust-Summer-Holiday-Manifesto.pdf
[iv] Long, M.A., Defeyter, M.A. and Stretesky, P.B. (2021) Holiday Hunger in the UK: Local Responses to Childhood Food Insecurity, London: Routledge, www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781003029977/holiday-hunger-uk-michael-long-margaret-anne-defeyter-paul-stretesky
[v] The Childhood Trust (2018) A Summer Holiday from Hell: Experiences of Children Living in Poverty in London, https://view.publitas.com/the-childhood-trust/the-childhood-trust-a-summer-holiday-from-hell-report-2018/page/1 [data collected from 22 charities, supporting 12,337 children and young people, 4–18 years old].
[vi] Shankar, P., Chung, R. and Frank, D.A. (2017) ‘Association of food insecurity with children’s behavioral, emotional, and academic outcomes: A systematic review’, Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 38(2): 135–50, doi: 10.1097/DBP.0000000000000383.
[vii] Perna, L., Zhang, Y., Wild, B., et al (2020) ‘Childhood exposure to hunger: Associations with health outcomes in later life and epigenetic markers’, Epigenomics, 12(21): 1861–70, doi: 10.2217/epi-2019-0333.
[viii] Rajalakshmi, J. and Thanasekaran, P. (2015) ‘The effects and behaviours of home alone situation by latchkey children’, American Journal of Nursing Science, 4(4): 207–11, doi: 10.11648/j.ajns.20150404.19.
[ix] Rajalakshmi, J. and Thanasekaran, P. (2015) ‘The effects and behaviours of home alone situation by latchkey children’, American Journal of Nursing Science, 4(4): 207–11, doi: 10.11648/j.ajns.20150404.19.
[x] Children’s Commissioner (2019) Childhood Vulnerability in England 2019, www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/report/childhood-vulnerability-in-england-2019
[xi] Medina-Ariza, J., Cebulla, A., Ross, A., Shute, J. and Aldridge, J.A. (2013) Children and Young Children in Gangs: A Longitudinal Analysis, Nuffield Foundation, www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/files/32552889/FULL_TEXT.PDF
[xii] Medina-Ariza, J., Cebulla, A., Ross, A., Shute, J. and Aldridge, J.A. (2013) Children and Young Children in Gangs: A Longitudinal Analysis, Nuffield Foundation, www.research.manchester.ac.uk/portal/files/32552889/FULL_TEXT.PDF
[xiii] The Childhood Trust (2019) A Summer Holiday Manifesto: By Children, For Children, www.childhoodtrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Childhood-Trust-Summer-Holiday-Manifesto.pdf
[xiv] Hailes, H.P., Yu, R., Danese, A. and Fazel, S. (2019) ‘Long-term outcomes of childhood sexual abuse: An umbrella review’, The Lancet, 6(10): 830–9, https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(19)30286-X
[xv] Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (2017) The Impacts of Child Sexual Abuse: A Rapid Evidence Assessment, www.iicsa.org.uk/reports-recommendations/publications/research/impacts-csa
[xvi] YMCA (2022) D£valued: A Decade of Cuts to Youth Services, www.ymca.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/ymca-devalued-2022.pdf
[xvii] Qu, R., Gommichon, C., Sivaganesh, V. and Turner, N. (2022) Champions for Children 2022: Summer Report, The Childhood Trust, https://view.publitas.com/the-childhood-trust/the-childhood-trust-champions-for-children-summer-report-2022
[xviii] The Childhood Trust (2019) A Summer Holiday Manifesto: By Children, For Children, www.childhoodtrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Childhood-Trust-Summer-Holiday-Manifesto.pdf, p 6.
[xix] McNair, R. and Banham, P. (2021) Post-Lockdown Children in Crisis, The Childhood Trust, https://view.publitas.com/the-childhood-trust/post-lockdown-children-in-crisis-the-childhood-trust
[xx] UK Youth (2022) The Economic Value of Youth Work: A Report for UK Youth, November, www.ukyouth.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Economic-Value-of-Youth-Work-Full-Report.pdf