To mark the launch of the pioneering research report, A Clean Start in Life, leading product giving charity In Kind Direct hosted a Parliamentary reception in Westminster on Monday evening, sponsored by Helen Hayes MP, Chair of the Education Select Committee. The event brought together Parliamentarians, policymakers, civil servants, charities and corporate leaders, to urgently address the impact of hygiene poverty on the lives of children and young people.
With the publication of the Child Poverty Strategy being pushed back by government to autumn, the sector fear that this delay will leave even more children and young people falling into poverty. New analysis from Child Poverty Action Group shows 10,000 children have been pulled into poverty by the two-child limit since the government took office. That’s 109 children each day since July 2024.
The new research by charity In Kind Direct, in partnership with Children North East, is the first of its kind. Supported by a steering group of national charities such as Save the Children, Centre for Young Lives, Child Poverty Action Group, 4in10 and Hygiene Bank, the research highlights the stark reality that 1.1 million children in Britian are living in hygiene poverty and gives a voice to their experiences. Through national polling delivered with YouGov and engagement sessions with over 100 children and young people across England, the report captures powerful perspectives, bringing their experiences to life. It also delivers a clear message to the government, as children and young people call for change, urging leaders to listen, respond, and take action.
Michael Gidney, CEO of In Kind Direct, said: “Children are sharing toothbrushes, forced to go to school in dirty uniforms and families are having to choose between eating and keeping clean – impossible choices no one should have to face. This event is a critical moment to ensure the voices of young people living in hygiene poverty are heard in the corridors of power – and acted upon. Our network of 6,000 charities is doing vital work to distribute essential hygiene products, but the root cause is systemic poverty. This is a national issue. And it demands a national response.”
Further findings include:
- 1 in 5 (21%) children and young people living in hygiene poverty said they didn’t play with others because they’re worried about what they might think
- Almost 1 in 10 (8%) children and young people told In Kind Direct they didn’t play outside or play sports because they can’t wash themselves if they get dirty
- 9% have been bullied as a result
The reception will spotlight real stories from young people who took part in the research and the organisations who support them. It will also present policy recommendations, including:
- The child poverty strategy must be ambitious about eradicating child poverty with clear targets, strong accountability mechanisms, and investment in social security including scrapping the two-child limit and abolishing the household benefit cap.
- The social security system must be protected from cuts and address inadequate levels of social security by increasing benefits more widely, with regular uprating.
- Existing policy initiatives must be successfully implemented, monitored, evaluated and expanded to all children and young people.
Leigh Elliott, CEO of Children North East, added: “The shame and stigma attached to wearing a dirty school uniform or having greasy hair can be an unbearable burden for our children and young people. This research, along with our Poverty Proofing© consultations with thousands of UK pupils, reveal that an increasing number of children are facing this reality. We urge Parliament to listen, respond and act.”
Helen Hayes, MP & Chair of the Education Select Committee:
“The new research from In Kind Direct and Children North East highlights the shocking extent of hygiene poverty and the devastating impacts it has on children. Every child should have access to the essentials needed to keep themselves clean and no child should feel ashamed or unable to participate in activities with their friends because they cannot wash, brush their teeth or wear clean clothes. Addressing child poverty is an urgent challenge and it is vitally important that the Government’s Child Poverty Strategy is ambitious and set out an effective plan to eradicate child poverty. I look forward to scrutinising the strategy with the Education Select Committee when it is published later this year.”
The Parliamentary reception was part of a wider campaign to shift public and political awareness of hygiene poverty. Earlier last month, In Kind Direct partnered with Bluewater Shopping Centre to deliver a powerful immersive public installation that brought children’s voices from the research to life in the public toilets – a space where hygiene products are usually taken for granted.
Now, the charity is taking those voices to Westminster, urging Government to listen and respond.