Rising living costs are forcing many UK parents to reduce activities for their children and, in some cases, use child benefits to cover household essentials, according to new research from Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG).
A survey of 2,200 parents found that 79% believe bringing up children has become more difficult financially than it was two years ago, with almost a third (31%) saying it has become “a lot” harder. The pressures were even greater among families receiving universal credit, with 85% finding it harder.
The research, carried out by Survation for CPAG, also found that 46% of parents had struggled to stay within their household budgets over the past year. That figure increased to 62% among claimants of universal credit.
For some families, child benefit is increasingly being used to meet basic household costs rather than expenses specifically associated with children.
Over a third (38%) of parents said they had sometimes used the payment for groceries or household bills - going up to 52% among those receiving universal credit.
Financial pressure is also affecting how families spend time together, with around half (49%) of struggling families saying money worries hindered them from enjoying quality time as a family, rising to 56% among universal credit households.
The survey suggests that children are also missing out on social and extracurricular activities because of household finances. Among parents who said they were struggling to manage, 28% reported that their children had faced social isolation because of the family’s financial circumstances. This increased to 36% among universal credit households.
A fifth said their children had previously socialised with friends, or wanted to do so, but the cost now made this unaffordable.
Parents also reported being unable to pay for a range of activities, with over a quarter (28%) saying swimming lessons were beyond their budget. A quarter could not pay for sports clubs and 26% said they could not fund music lessons for their children.
More than one in five struggling parents (22%) said they could not afford a birthday party for their children.
One parent told CPAG: “I suppose I'm always in a state of stress every month because of that spiral of getting further into a state each month and obviously that hole getting bigger every month. I am always stressed, probably irritable as well. And the social aspect as well of the things we've had to stop doing. We're not as close to family anymore. And, obviously, we don't socialise with friends because we can't afford those days out, so you feel a bit isolated and alone.”
Not surprisingly, 94% of recipients said they valued child benefit, while 81% described it as essential to meeting monthly expenses that they would struggle to manage without it. Among universal credit households, that figure rose to 88%.
Only 28% of parents surveyed said they believed the government was performing well in its response to the cost of living crisis.
Over two thirds (67%) of families receiving child benefit said an additional £10 per child each week would help them cope with living costs - increasing to 76% among UC recipients.
CPAG said the value of child benefit has fallen in real terms since 2010, with the payment for a first child currently worth £27 a week, around £5 less in real terms than it was 16 years ago after accounting for increases in the cost of living. Payments for subsequent children stand at £18 a week.
The charity is calling on the government to increase investment in child benefit in the forthcoming Budget. CPAG estimates that increasing child benefit by £10 per child each week would improve living standards for 11 million children, reduce the severity of poverty for 3 million, and lift around 400,000 children out of poverty.
Sara Ogilvie, director of policy at CPAG, said: “The cost of living is busting family budgets, undermining family life and increasing the risk of social isolation for kids. This cost-of-living government can and must restore investment in child benefit in the forthcoming Budget so that all parents are able to give their children a fair shot at success.”
