A national voice is finally saying out loud what we have been saying – and seeing – for years.
This week’s Children’s Commissioner’s report, “Growing up in a low‑income family” has laid bare the reality we’ve been seeing at Yorkshire Children’s Charity for the last four years: children in England today are living with “almost‑Dickensian levels of poverty”, missing out on basics, living in unfit homes and struggling to access education.
Poverty in Yorkshire
Yorkshire is among the worst-affected UK regions, with 1 in 3 children in poverty, and the highest childhood disability rates in low-income households.
The children and families we work with across Yorkshire reflect everything raised in the report…
- Children without beds
- Families without heating
- Empty cupboards, cold homes, and impossible choices
Destitution isn’t just about poverty – it means being unable to meet the most basic human needs: food, warmth, shelter, clothing, and hygiene. Essentials no child should go without.
Nothing in the report shocked us. Sadly, we see it daily. People often say, “It’s hard to believe,” but these are real children, in our communities, experiencing real hardship.
Warm, Dry and Ready to Learn: Our Winter Support Campaign
As a regional charity, we have seen first-hand how poverty robs children of their education and opportunities and are committed to tackling these barriers head-on.
Our ‘Warm, Dry and Ready to Learn’ Winter Support Campaign focuses on getting warm coats, shoes, bedding, and essential items to children across Yorkshire, so they can arrive at school warm, dry, and ready to learn. Last year we delivered over 10,000 essential items to children, directly resulting in higher school attendance and improved learning readiness across the region.
This campaign has seen a 700% increase in need since Year 1 – a devastating reflection of how much worse things have become for families across our region.
We echo the Children’s Commissioner’s words, and we urge everyone to read and share the report. As adults, we have a duty of care – and for many children, we are the only people they can rely on.
“Children don’t talk about poverty. They talk about circumstance.”
We must also continue to put pressure on local authorities. Children cannot wait. Their wellbeing must be prioritised above process, politics, and red tape.
We stand alongside every voice calling for change – and we’ll continue to fight for a future where every child in Yorkshire has the chance to thrive.
When Yorkshire Children’s Charity launched three and a half years ago, we committed to tackling the hidden and very real barriers that poverty creates for children in our region. This report has given us the confidence that we are going in the right direction.
