Facts on child poverty in the UK

from Wales Online

Some stats and figures on child poverty in the UK. - Kale

by Jamie Robins, Gwent Gazette

The widely accepted definition of poverty is having an income which is less than 60% of the national average.

For example, in 2005/06 this was £182 per week for a single adult with two children under the age of 14 and £260 per week for a couple with two children under the age of 14.

Poverty shapes children's development. Before reaching his or her second birthday, a child from a poorer family is already more likely to show a lower level of attainment than a child from a better-off family.

By the age of six, a less able child from a rich family is likely to have overtaken an able child born into a poor family.

Children up to 14-years-old from unskilled families are five times more likely to die in an accident than children from professional families, and 15 times more likely to die in a fire at home.

Children growing up in poverty are more likely to leave school at 16 with fewer qualifications.

As many as 2% of couples, and 8% of lone parents, cannot afford two pairs of shoes for each child.

Poverty affects children’s health throughout their lives. When they go on to have children of their own, these effects are passed to the next generation.

Poor children are born too small; birth weight is on average 130 grams lower in children from higher social classes.

Low birth weight is closely associated with infant death and chronic diseases in later life.

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