Benefit increases linked to fewer child protection plans, research finds

Increasing financial support for low-income families could reduce the number of children entering the child protection system, according to new research examining the relationship between poverty and children’s social care involvement.

The study, led by Kingston University in collaboration with the National Children’s Bureau, Policy in Practice, the University of Sussex and Research in Practice, found that even modest increases in household income were linked to lower levels of intensive social care intervention.

Professor Rick Hood from Kingston University London said: “This study shows that when families’ incomes fall, involvement with children’s social care can increase – and when incomes rise, it can reduce the need for more intensive intervention. Even relatively small improvements in income can make a meaningful difference to families under pressure.”

Researchers analysed more than 100,000 linked benefits and children’s social care records across six local authorities in London and south-east England. The study found children living in the poorest households were more likely to experience repeat involvement with children’s social care services and to be placed on child protection plans than families who were slightly better off but still receiving means-tested benefits.

While poverty alone was not found to increase the likelihood of an initial referral to children’s social care, it significantly increased the risk of repeat referrals and escalation to child protection plans once families came into contact with services.

Across the six councils included in the study, researchers estimated that around 300 additional child protection plans were associated with children living in the most financially disadvantaged households, at an estimated cost of £3.6 million over three years.

The research also examined the temporary £20 Universal Credit uplift introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the period the uplift was in place, children in households receiving the additional support were more likely to receive lower-level interventions and less likely to progress to child protection plans compared with households that were not eligible.

Professor Hood said: “This has clear implications for policy. Decisions that reduce support for low-income families risk increasing demand on child protection services, while measures that strengthen family finances can help prevent problems escalating in the first place.”

The study comes against a backdrop of rising child poverty, with 5.2 million children in the UK currently living below the poverty line.

Alongside the quantitative analysis, researchers spoke to parents and carers about their experiences of financial hardship. Families described struggling with debt, rising living costs, housing insecurity, childcare expenses and related health problems. Participants also spoke about the emotional impact of poverty on both parents and children, including stress, school attendance issues, domestic conflict and housing instability.

Keith Clements, senior researcher at the National Children’s Bureau, said social care staff often felt unable to intervene effectively when financial hardship was driving family difficulties.

“During the course of this study, the social care professionals we spoke to described being powerless to support families at an early stage where addressing their financial needs might make a difference in preventing their problems from escalating.”

Families described the benefits system as both an essential source of support and a source of stigma and stress, with complex processes that were difficult for both parents and practitioners to navigate.

The report argues that tackling financial hardship should become a central component of safeguarding policy and practice. Recommendations include identifying financial difficulties at the earliest stage of social care involvement, improving practitioners’ understanding of financial hardship and strengthening links between welfare and safeguarding systems.

Clements added: “This clearly needs to change. But it must be done in a way that recognises the considerable stigma, judgement, and discomfort that parents feel when quizzed about their incomes by social care staff.”

Deven Ghelani, director and founder of Policy in Practice, said the findings demonstrated the value of linking household income and social care data to better understand the causes of demand for children’s services.
“Linked administrative data on household income with children’s social care records clearly shows where poverty is driving worse outcomes for children, and driving up cost for councils.

“This project shows that local authorities hold the data they need to understand how financial hardship is shaping demand for children’s services, and they can use it to act, to target early and preventative support to families.”