Children going hungry because of stigma around seeking support

Children in Shropshire are going hungry because of the perceived stigma around asking for support, a study has revealed.

Research by Shropshire Food Poverty Alliance (SFPA) has found that school staff are worried that children are missing meals at home, while the number of children eligible for free school meals has risen by 48 per cent since before the pandemic.

The alliance, which brings together council, health and voluntary organisations, surveyed 41 schools and 56 other groups over last winter and spring about how food insecurity is impacting children in the county.

The resulting report was presented to Shropshire Council’s health and wellbeing board at a meeting on Thursday.

SFPA co-ordinator Sophie Padgett said: “Probably the most concerning thing that came out of the report was the level of concern that people were reporting around children’s food insecurity.

“Of the schools we surveyed, 77 per cent were concerned that there were children within those schools that might be going hungry because there wasn’t enough food in the house.

“Rurality was consistently commented on as presenting additional barriers, and those barriers came in five main themes.

“They were lack of rural transport infrastructure, lack of affordable food retailers, the rural fuel premium that many households pay, limited or no internet access and the low wage economy that exists in Shropshire.”

Ms Padgett said there was concern that families in need are missing out on help they are entitled to, including ‘healthy start’ vouchers – a “vital nutritional safety net for low income households” – which are only being claimed by around 50 per cent of eligible Shropshire families.

She added: “When you look at free school meals there was concern that not all families who are eligible were signed up, but also that there were families that really could benefit from this support but didn’t qualify because the threshold is still really very low.

“Time and time again the barrier that was cited for coming forward for this sort of support was stigma. We heard it again and again.”

To combat this, Ms Padgett said the alliance was focussing on “putting dignity at the heart of any strands of work we do”.

There are also plans to launch a new campaign to publicise schemes such as healthy start vouchers in a bid to increase uptake.

Committee member Mark Brandreth, accountable officer for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said: “It’s interesting and sad at the same time. I’m sat here with an emotion of horror to be honest.

“I get the phrase ‘food insecurity’ – it’s the way we professionalise this – but I don’t like it. This is hungry kids, and I think we need to call a spade a shovel on some of this stuff.

“I am very concerned about the children and families that are eligible and not accessing.”

Mr Brandreth asked what local NHS partners should and should not be doing to help.

Ms Padgett said training was being carried out with front-line professionals who are able to do “light-touch signposting”, so that they know “how to approach those conversations sensitively”.

Meanwhile a new report by Healthwatch Shropshire, also published on Thursday, has highlighted the impact of food insecurity on people living in the south west of the county.

As part of a pilot project, funded by Shaping Places for Healthier Lives programme, the group worked with Shropshire Council’s public health team, Citizens Advice Shropshire and SFPA to hear from individuals and families with lived experience of food insecurity and those who work to support them.

Stigma was once again highlighted as a major barrier to support, with one interviewee reporting that they had chosen not to go to a food bank because they did not want to be seen, while another family admitted travelling out of their town to access a food bank further away.

Following the pilot project a detailed plan was submitted to the Shaping Places for Healthier Lives programme, supported by the Health Foundation in partnership with the Local Government Association.

Shropshire Council has now been awarded £300,000, over three years to tackle food insecurity in south west Shropshire.

Key recommendations in the report include encouraging the public and voluntary sectors to work in partnership to make services accessible, and improving communications.

The report also recommends referral processes be streamlines to ensure people are able to access the support they need, and that ‘wraparound’ support be provided for people who are in financial need.

Lynn Cawley, Healthwatch Shropshire Chief Officer, said: “We are delighted to have played a part in the project ensuring that the voices of those experiencing food insecurity are at the heart of this work, and we are really looking forward to seeing how this funding makes a difference to the health and wellbeing of those living in food poverty.“

Rachel Robinson, Shropshire Council’s director of public health, added: “The findings from those with a lived experience of food insecurity are especially stark and highlight this growing problem and its impact on people’s health and wellbeing.

“I endorse the recommendations highlighted in the report, and the need to work together with communities, the voluntary sector and with partners to tackle the stigma and issues raised though the research.”