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Why we're needed

One third of all children under five in the UK are living in poverty.

At Little Village, we believe in every child’s right to a good childhood, and the desire all parents have to give their children the best possible start in life. Unfortunately, through our work we see how families can quickly become trapped in poverty by the lack of a safety net, now made much worse by the cost of living crisis.

That’s why, alongside our baby bank operations, we also prioritise our work as a force for change, giving families a platform to tell their stories, as well as working in partnership with others, including other baby banks, to campaign for change.

We’re proud to be members of the End Child Poverty Coalition4 in 10 – London’s Child Poverty Network and to be one of the partners of Together Through This Crisis, a campaign to highlight the cost of living crisis.

Why do families get referred to Little Village?

There are a wide range of reasons for families being referred to Little Village. In 2022:

  • 35% of families were homeless or living in temporary accommodation 
  • 12% of families were dealing with domestic abuse
  • 45% of families were lone parents
  • 22% of families had no recourse to public funds and 22% were seeking asylum 
  • 6% of families had a disabled family member

It Takes A Village report

In April 2022 we published research that shows that around half of the 4.2 million children in poverty in the UK live in a family with a child under the age of five. This demonstrates how the presence of younger children in the household exacerbates the prevalence of poverty due to the increased financial pressures families with young children face.

The research forms part of a new report, It Takes a Village, which explores the rates, persistence and depth of poverty in families with babies and pre-school children in the UK. Analysis of the report was conducted by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

It also features the results of a national survey of 1400 families with children under five facing financial hardship.

The report shows that:

  • Half of the 4.2 million children in poverty in the UK live in a family with a child under the age of five.
  • 1.3 million of the 4.2 million children in poverty in the UK are babies and children under the age of five.
  • 47% of racial minority families with a child under 5 are in poverty.
  • 55% of children in single parent families with a child under 5 are in poverty.
  • 40% of children in families with a child under 5 and a disabled parent are in poverty.

Results of the national survey of 1400 parents shows that:

  • 52% of parents said that housing conditions had a negative impact on their health.
  • 67% said that the cost of childcare stops them from being able to work or doing the job that they want to do.
  • 42% said that the lack of available free, local activities and support for children has had a negative impact on their child’s development or health