Modest income boosts could reduce child protection interventions, study suggests

Relatively small increases in income for families living in deep poverty could reduce the number of children placed on child protection plans, according to new research that highlights the role of financial hardship in shaping children's social care involvement.

The study, led by Kingston University and funded by the Nuffield Foundation, analysed more than 100,000 linked benefits and children's social care records across six local authorities. Researchers found that while poverty alone did not make children more likely to be referred to social care for the first time, it significantly increased the likelihood of repeat referrals and escalation to child protection plans once families were known to services.

The research was carried out earlier this year in collaboration with the National Children's Bureau, Policy in Practice, the University of Sussex and Research in Practice.

Children living in the poorest households – where family incomes fell below the poverty line and spending often exceeded available income – were found to be more likely to experience repeated involvement with children's social care than those in households receiving means-tested benefits but with slightly higher incomes.

Researchers estimate that, across the six councils included in the study, around 300 additional child protection plans were associated with children living in the most financially disadvantaged households. These interventions were estimated to cost local authorities around £3.6 million over three years, representing around one per cent of total safeguarding expenditure across the participating councils, excluding the costs of children entering care.

The findings also examined the temporary uplift to Universal Credit introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. During the period when additional financial support was available, children in affected households were more likely to receive lower-level support and less likely to progress to child protection plans, suggesting that modest increases in household income can help prevent family difficulties escalating.

Alongside the quantitative analysis, researchers interviewed parents and carers about their experiences of financial hardship. Families described struggling with debt, rising living costs, housing insecurity and childcare expenses, while explaining how financial pressures affected children's wellbeing, school attendance and health, alongside increasing parental stress, domestic conflict and housing instability.

Participants also described the benefits system as both an essential source of support and a significant cause of stress because of its complexity, with social workers themselves often finding it difficult to navigate on families' behalf.

The researchers argue that identifying and responding to financial hardship should become a core part of safeguarding practice. They recommend that practitioners routinely identify financial difficulties during initial assessments, receive training to recognise poverty and access specialist advice, and are supported to hold sensitive, voluntary conversations about family finances that distinguish financial support from safeguarding assessments.

Professor Rick Hood, Professor of Social Work at Kingston University, said the findings demonstrate a clear relationship between family finances and children's social care demand.

"This study shows when families’ incomes fall, involvement with children’s social care increases - 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.

“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.”

Keith Clements, Senior Researcher at the National Children's Bureau, said the research highlighted the limitations practitioners face when trying to support families experiencing poverty.

“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.

“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.”

With an estimated 2.3 million children nationally living below the poverty line, the researchers argue that reducing financial hardship is not only a matter of tackling inequality but could also help reduce pressure on overstretched children's social care services by preventing safeguarding concerns from escalating into more intensive interventions.