A Clean Start in Life, a newly commissioned report by In Kind Direct, reveals that 4 children in every classroom in Great Britain are currently living in hygiene poverty, that’s 1.1m children. Hygiene poverty is not being able to access products many of us take for granted like shampoo, toothpaste and period products.
The charity, founded in 1996 by HM King Charles lll, is launching an immersive campaign from the 2nd – 11th May playing out voices and experiences of children and young people living in hygiene poverty in an unusual public space – the toilets at Bluewater shopping centre aimed at stopping people in their tracks and inspiring action.
Visitors to the Bluewater shopping centre’s restrooms, a space where hygiene essentials are often taken for granted, will hear voices and experiences of children having to face impossible choices everyday, such as sharing toothbrushes with siblings, going to school in a dirty uniform and worrying about standing out among their peers for the wrong reasons.
Michael Gidney, CEO at In Kind Direct comments: “Children are sharing toothbrushes, worrying about standing out at school for the wrong reasons and families are having to choose between eating and keeping clean – impossible choices no one should have to face. As well as surveying young people online, we spoke directly to children across England who told us hygiene poverty is damaging childhoods, and no one should feel embarrassed to ask for help.
Our immersive ‘Not a Choice’ campaign at Bluewater shopping centre aims to bring this hidden crisis into a public space, where we all engage with hygiene products daily. By amplifying the voices of children and real experiences in the shopping centre restrooms, we hope to create a moment of reflection for visitors before asking them to help us end hygiene poverty.
Through our network of over 6,000 charitable partners, we are distributing essential hygiene products to families throughout the UK. But this is a solution to a problem that should not exist. The Government’s Child Poverty Strategy must be ambitious about eradicating child poverty to break the generational cycle of going without and ensure every child has a clean start in life.”
Key findings from the campaigns research revealed that of GB children living in hygiene poverty:
- 20% are going without essential hygiene products on a monthly basis.
- 1 in 4 children have low self-confidence and 17% have felt embarrassed and ashamed.
- 21% don’t play with others because they’re worried about what people might think
- 15% have had to share individual-use products with their family (e.g. toothbrush), and 16% have had to wear the same clothes for multiple days in a row
- 9% have been bullied
These findings stem from In Kind Direct’s A Clean Start in Life research report, developed in partnership with Children North East, which included GB-wide polling and focus groups with children and young people.
Leigh Elliott, CEO at Children North East comments:
“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.
Every baby, child and young person should be able to live a happy, healthy childhood, yet children have told us hygiene poverty is impacting their mental health and school attendance. By lifting families out of poverty, we can help protect young lives from the lasting impacts of not being able to access everyday necessities.
Children North East is proud to have worked in partnership with In Kind Direct to conduct this research with children and young people, and we hope their voices will drive meaningful change.”
The report highlights that immediate action is needed. Children and young people told the charity they wanted to see better access to hygiene essentials in their communities and more income for struggling families. The report calls on the Government to use the upcoming Child Poverty Strategy to lift families out of poverty and secure a healthier, happier future for children by scrapping the two-child limit, abolishing the household benefit cap, and making sure schools and charities are resourced to meet immediate need. The full report will be published on the 2nd May 2025.
The campaign at Bluewater Shopping centre in the restrooms on the Upper Thames Walk will run from the 2nd of May to the 11th May encouraging shoppers to stop, listen and take action.