UNICEF UK calls on the new government to scrap the two-child benefit cap as it warns of severe pressure on parents of young children.
Mounting debt and expensive childcare are putting children at risk, UNICEF UK has warned, as the charity claims 87% of parents of children under five worry about their future.
Based on findings from its annual survey, the charity said parents are not getting the support they need – particularly in lower-income households – and called on the government to do more.
One respondent to the survey said educational toys and books are too expensive for them, while they can’t afford days out and can just about buy second-hand clothes.
Joanna Rea, the charity’s director of advocacy, said support for parents must become an “urgent national priority”.
“This is the moment to start making the UK one of the best places to raise a child and reverse the years of underinvestment and austerity which contributed to the UK having the highest increase in child poverty of any rich country,” she said.
“With a quarter of parents borrowing money to pay for the essentials for their children – supporting them must be an urgent national priority for the new government.”
Other findings show:
• 38% dread the holidays because of the financial strain they put on the family;
• 25% have had to borrow money or gone into debt to make ends meet;
• 66% said the cost of living crisis had negatively impacted their family;
• 63% report struggling with their mental health while being a parent;
• 62% said childcare is one of the biggest challenges facing parents.