How to help end childhood crisis in the UK

It’s been 12 months since the first lockdown began in the UK. For many families, it’s been 12 months of suffering and struggling to cope. The most vulnerable children are now at breaking point.

Even before the pandemic, 4.3 million children in the UK were living in poverty. Many are going without proper food, clothes, heating and essentials. The past year has made this so much worse, with unemployment set to climb, pushing even more families into financial hardship.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

If we act now we have a chance to put children first in the pandemic recovery and end childhood crisis for good.

Action for Children hasn’t stopped during the pandemic. During the last year, our frontline staff have worked tirelessly to keep 99% of services open and supporting the most vulnerable children.

But with demand for our services rising and resources limited, there are so many more families who need our help.

Now we need your help to reach them.

That’s why we’ve launched the End Childhood Crisis campaign to raise the vital funds we need to reach even more children who’ve suffered in the pandemic.

Thanks to the generous donations of thousands of supporters over the past year, we’ve been able to step in when families couldn’t make ends meet. We’ve supported around 20,000 children and young people to pay for essentials like food, nappies, soap, and gas and electricity.

But there are so many more children who need us to be there for them and their families. That’s why we’re asking for your help.

With your support we can make sure children have things like enough proper food, somewhere safe to sleep, shoes that fit, equipment for learning, and support with mental health. These are the essentials, the fundamentals of a safe and happy childhood – things that no child in the UK today should go without.

Our fear is that, without the right support, things will get even worse. Poverty can be devastating for children; its effects can last a lifetime. Without urgent help the life chances of these children could be damaged. We can’t let the horror of the pandemic and the misery of poverty scar a generation of vulnerable children.

That’s why we need to act now. With your help, we can use the pandemic recovery to make real and lasting change for children across the UK.

If you're not in a position to make a donation right now, you can still help our campaign.

You can still support us by sharing our campaign film or fundraising for us. We're grateful for all the support we receive.