The root causes of child poverty (From East London and West Essex Guardian Series)

The root causes of child poverty

11:03am Friday 8th August 2008

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MORE than 18,000 children in Waltham Forest live in poverty – that’s a staggering 40 per cent of the borough’s young population, writes Dan.

It is well documented that children who receive free school dinners generally gain a worse education overall, proving there is a strong link between poverty and education.

However, we do not have any concrete evidence as to the reasons for it. All we can do is speculate.

There are many theories which could explain the situation.

For example, unhealthy parental influence, a bad work ethic instilled in a child from an early age, unstable home environment, a wrong attitude or lack of ambition caused by money struggles, to name just a few.

But surely most of these problems could easily occur in a wealthier family too?

The big question remains: What do we do about it all?

It seems sensible that having working parents would encourage ambition and with the Olympics on the way the area should see a major economic boost, creating more jobs and bringing in money.

It might even be useful for nurseries and primary schools to hold workshops on the subject so children are aware of problems they might face from an early age and can cope better thereafter.

Education is essential in escaping and counteracting poverty, as well as leading a full and happy life and an enormous milestone on the road to a thoroughly healthy economy in Waltham Forest, so we need to get to the root of the problem – and fast!