Child poverty levels are a huge concern
THE findings in the recent report from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and the Child Poverty Action Group are shocking. One in three children living in Wales – that’s nearly 200,000 – are living in poverty.
I have seen patients in both the clinic and acute emergency hospital setting who are obese through unhealthy diet choices, simply as parents feel that it is the most affordable option.
I have also become increasingly aware of children who are not maintaining a healthy weight as parents admit to not being able to offer a broad range of choices of healthy food.
Children with chronic respiratory conditions are reported to continue to live in houses with damp and mould.
Children with physical disabilities continue to live in housing without the space to store or use equipment for their basic hygiene and healthcare needs.
And at the most extreme end of the scale, poverty has a huge impact on child mortality rates.
Welsh children from the most deprived fifth of the population have a rate of child death 70% higher than those in the least deprived fifth.
The Welsh Government’s commitment to tackling inequality is welcome, but earlier this year the announcement that the target of ending child poverty in Wales by 2020 cannot be met should worry us all.
There must be cross-party political action to reverse this appalling trend. Although top-line methods for tackling inequalities such as taxation, benefits, welfare and social security are not within the Welsh Government’s control, there are certainly steps that can be taken.
For example, the Flying Start project, which provides free quality childcare, enhanced health visiting services, access to parenting programmes and playgroups currently involving nearly 40,000 children, should be extended so that all children living in poverty have access to the services and support it provides.