Children in England are living in conditions resembling “almost Dickensian” poverty, according to the Children’s Commissioner, who has called for the urgent removal of the two-child benefit cap to address the UK child poverty crisis.
In a new report, young people shared shocking experiences of extreme deprivation, including having no water for showers, homes infested with rats, and bedrooms riddled with mould. The report highlights how poverty has become normalized for many children across the country.
Dame Rachel de Souza, who has served as Children’s Commissioner for the past four years, said there has been a dramatic shift in how children describe their lives, with issues once considered “adult” concerns now deeply affecting young people.
“Children shared harrowing accounts of hardship, with some facing almost Dickensian levels of poverty,” de Souza stated. “They are not talking about poverty in theory—they’re speaking about the lack of basics: safe homes free from mould and rats, enough food, a space for homework, privacy, heating, and even basic hygiene.”
Growing Normalization of Poverty Among Children
The report warns that many children now see such dire conditions as normal, reflecting dangerously low expectations of their rights and needs.
“In one of the richest societies in the world, it is shameful that children are growing up believing their futures depend entirely on their financial circumstances,” de Souza said.
According to official figures, 4.5 million children were living in poverty in the UK in the year to April 2024—a record high. The Labour government’s long-awaited child poverty strategy has been delayed until autumn, facing increasing pressure to remove the two-child limit on universal credit.
Welfare Challenges and Rising Political Pressure
Education Minister Bridget Phillipson recently admitted that the government’s welfare U-turns would complicate efforts to end the cap, casting doubt on whether the policy will be included in the strategy.
The two-child limit, introduced by the Conservatives in 2017, restricts child tax credit and universal credit to the first two children in most households. The Child Poverty Action Group estimates that 109 children are pushed into poverty every day due to this policy.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates that scrapping the policy would cost £3.4 billion annually but would lift around 500,000 children out of relative poverty.
De Souza stressed that ending child poverty won’t happen overnight, but “any effective child poverty strategy must begin with scrapping the two-child limit.”
Urgent Calls for Broader Support
Based on interviews with 128 children aged 6 to 18, the report also identified issues such as lack of access to nutritious food, cramped living conditions, and unsafe housing.
De Souza called for several reforms, including a “triple lock” on child-related benefits to keep pace with inflation, limits on the use of temporary accommodations, and free bus travel for all school-age children in England.
Paul Whiteman, General Secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said schools are increasingly acting as safety nets—providing food banks, warm hubs, and even laundry services—but stressed that schools alone cannot solve the child poverty crisis.
He backed the commissioner’s demand for cross-departmental action and automatic enrollment for free school meals.
The Department for Work and Pensions has been contacted for comment.
