Parents worry over financial pressure of school holidays

Wales
Cardiff
North Wales
South Wales
Monday 25 July 2016 at 10:49am

Parents in Wales are concerned about the extra financial pressure of the summer holidays and will also skip a meal to feed their children, according to a UK poverty Charity.

The latest report by the Trussell Trust found 56% of parents with children aged between five and 16 are likely to worry about the extra cost of paying for childcare and activities for their children.

Almost one in three parents expect to skip a meal during the six-week break so there will be enough food for their children to eat.

Today’s new statistics come as the charity launches a national programme of holiday clubs to tackle this urgent issue.

The Trussell Trust Holiday Clubs provide families with fun and learning activities and a hot meal.

Parents are worried about the costs of activities for their children over the summer holidays. Credit: PA images

Volunteers, trained by the local foodbank to talk with parents and understand why they are struggling this summer, will also signpost families onto relevant local services or organizations to provide further support.

When asked about ways in which pressures over the summer could be eased for lower income families parents said there needs to be more help.

The report also found:

67% of parents agree that it should not fall to charities to provide extra support to low income families in the holidays.
55% believe the government and local councils should do more to provide extra help to low income families during the school summer holiday period.
91% parents agree that free school holiday clubs for children that provide activities and food would significantly help relieve stress for low income families during the school holiday period.

Families who rely on free school meals during term time can find themselves facing hunger in the school holidays, when there is an extra financial pressure to provide main meals. No one knows the full scale of hunger in Wales during the school holidays yet, but these figures make one thing clear: many families are closer to crisis than we think. It should be a wake-up call to us all that so many children will have a parent expecting to skip a meal or more this summer so they can feed the family. Foodbanks in Wales already provide additional help to families who struggle to put food on the table outside of term time, and our summer pilot of Holiday Clubs is a crucial step in broadening the support offered by foodbanks in the holidays. But foodbanks alone will not end hunger during the school holidays; a long-term coordinated solution between government, businesses, schools and charities will have the most impact