Co Down dad on struggling to make ends meet as families share fears of anxious Christmas

As Northern Ireland gets set for the festive season, new research suggests the cost of living crisis is far from over and continuing to take its toll on families with children, particularly those on the breadline.

To support its annual Secret Santa campaign to help the country’s most vulnerable children, Action for Children commissioned surveys with nearly 3,000 UK children and young people aged 11-21, and over 100 of its frontline staff, to explore the financial pressures facing families with children in the run up to Christmas.

Mark* from Co Down is the primary carer for his five-year-old son. He has been receiving support from Action for Children since October and credits the charity with helping him through a very difficult period.

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He said: “[Bringing up a child] is tough. I can’t thank Catriona at Action for Children enough for the help she’s given me – she has gone over and above. In the past I would always have thought that being a male you have to be ‘tough’ and just get on with things but in the last few months I’ve learned that a problem shared really is a problem halved.

“Things have been tough financially. I’ve had to give up hours at work to work around my son and childcare is so expensive, although I do get some benefits to help. I’m often in overdraft and I’ve taken on a casual second job as a delivery driver for a bit of extra cash. I never thought I would have to use a foodbank but this year I have. The people were lovely and there’s a really good community spirit where I live.”

Mark continued: “I’ll admit I’m not the best cook in the world but Action for Children has helped me out so much with vouchers for groceries and a slow cooker and recipes to get me started. They’ve also helped me with the cost of electricity. I put the heat on for an hour and half in the morning and two hours in the evening for my son but I try to keep it off as much as possible otherwise.

“There’s an extra pressure at this time of year when you see all the Christmassy things on TV and in the shops. And it’s the peer pressure at school too. My son came home a few weeks ago saying some other boys had been to see a Man Utd football game and could we go?

“I would love nothing more than to take him to a match like that but it’s just out of the question with our budget. At the moment, I just have to focus on heating and eating. It’s very hard to make memories when things are stressful. My son loves the cinema and going swimming but trips out are so expensive.

“Our situation has definitely impacted my mental health and I’ve suffered from serious anxiety. Thankfully, I’m in a better place at the moment, having gone through a programme of talking therapy which I found really useful. I’m not sure how Christmas will look this year but I can say hand on heart that it will be better because of the support we’ve received from Action for Children.”

The charity's research, which included a survey of over 300 children and young people in Northern Ireland, found large numbers are acutely aware of their parents’ concerns about money, with three quarters of those surveyed in NI (76%) feeling those worries will make this Christmas an anxious time.

The survey of 11 to 21-year-olds in NI also found seven in ten (71%) think it’s very or fairly likely their parents will have to sacrifice something important or special for themselves over the Christmas holidays to make sure they receive presents.

A third (32%) think their family will be worse off financially this Christmas compared to last year while more than a quarter (27%) worry their parents won’t have enough money to pay household bills and one in ten worry about their parents skipping meals or going hungry to ensure they had enough to eat (11%).

Many were also concerned about the hardship facing children or young people they know in their school or peer group with two in five (40%) worried about someone whose family wouldn’t be able to afford Christmas presents. Three in ten (30%) who knew someone they thought wouldn’t be able to heat their home and keep it warm and a quarter (25%) worried about someone whose family wouldn’t be able to pay for a Christmas tree to decorate.

The cost of living crisis continues to be felt hardest by low-income families with children. The proportion of children and young people on Universal Credit who felt their parents would be anxious over the Christmas season because of money worries, that they would have to sacrifice something special for themselves, or be unable to afford Christmas presents, Christmas dinner, or keeping their house warm was, on average across the UK, 14 percentage points higher than those not on Universal Credit.

Lorna Ballard, Director at Action for Children in Northern Ireland, said: “It’s easy to think that poverty happens elsewhere, but as our research shows the cost of living crisis is still very real for many families and continues to impoverish children in every community.

‘Our frontline workers are supporting children every day: we’ve seen children without a bed sleeping on the floor with just blankets, and families phoning us in tears because they have no money to feed their children. It’s relentless, and it doesn’t stop because it’s Christmas.

‘Until every family has enough money to keep their child warm and well fed, we will continue to help them. That’s why we’re asking the public to get behind our Secret Santa campaign to help us support our most vulnerable children, not just at Christmas but every day.”

To become a Secret Santa and donate to Action for Children visit iamsanta.org.uk.

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