'Care' plea for children in poverty

A coalition of more than 70 organisations, headed by the Campaign to End Child Poverty and volunteering charity CSV, aims to sign up 35,000 people to work with vulnerable youngsters from deprived backgrounds.

Ed Miliband, minister for the third sector, will attend the campaign launch on Thursday in London's Tower Hamlets, helping schoolchildren plant vegetables at an allotment to teach them about healthy eating.

Recent figures show that around 3.8 million children in the UK are living below the relative poverty line with 1.3 million in conditions of severe poverty. The Dare to Care initiative aims to show how volunteering can make a real difference in helping to tackle this problem.

Children living in poverty are likely to have worse health, be more prone to road accidents, have lower aspirations and fewer educational achievement than their peers. This "poverty of experience" can be addressed through volunteer work, the campaign believes.

People can help improve the lives of millions by, for example, helping improve the reading age of a child, or giving families tips on how to run more fuel-efficient homes.

Martin Narey, chair of End Child Poverty, said: "The UK has one of the highest rates of child poverty in the industrialised world despite being one of the wealthiest nations. Children who grow up poor are more likely to leave school without qualifications and have fewer employment opportunities. Volunteering in projects to support children experiencing poverty can really make a difference."

Dame Elisabeth Hoodless, executive director at CSV (Community Service Volunteers), said: "What is needed is direct action by individuals and communities to tackle poverty of experience and skills that can transform the life of a child."

Commenting on the launch of the initiative, Mr Miliband said: "Government must continue to invest in direct measures to tackle child poverty through higher incomes and better services in order to meet our goals.

"This programme will complement that investment by raising levels of understanding about what it means to grow up in poverty and mobilising volunteers that do great work to support and mentor children from deprived backgrounds."