Publication of DWP research reports: Children in Britain: findings from the 2003 families and children study (facs) Family life in Britain: findings from the 2003 families and children study (facs)
Research published today by the Department for Work and Pensions explores the characteristics and circumstances of families and children in 2003. The reports are based on analysis of the Families and Children Study (FACS). This study began in 1999, with a representative sample of all lone parents and low/moderate-income couple families. From 2001 a representative sample of lone parents and all couples with dependent children were interviewed. The study follows the same families from one year to the next.
FACS provides information about children, their parents and families as a whole across a wide range of subjects. This year, we have provided two reports with descriptive findings. The report ‘Children in Britain’ describes findings on child characteristics, health, schooling, activities and leisure, maintenance and childcare. The report ‘Families in Britain’ describes findings on family characteristics, parental health, education, work, family income, benefits and tax credits, savings and material deprivation.
The first report published today is: DWP Research Report No. 249 ‘Children in Britain: Findings from the 2003 Families and Children study (FACS)’ by Maxine Willitts, Tracy Anderson, Clare Tait and Grace Williams.
The main findings include the following:
- Around 1 in 5 children lived in a household where no one worked. Around a quarter of children lived in a lone parent family.
- Family income, partnership and work status were related to children’s leisure activities. Children from lone parent, workless and low income families were less likely to have access to a computer, have been on holiday in the last year or have participated in organised activities.
- Childcare use was associated with children’s age and family working status. Families were most likely to use childcare for pre-school children. Use fell when children started school, but was still fairly high and remained at around the same level until up to the age of ten. Use of childcare differed most according to families’ working status – with those not working using childcare much less.
- Informal types of childcare continued to be used more than formal types in all family circumstances. Formal types of childcare (eligible for government support) were used mostly for pre-school and to a lesser extent young school-age children.
- Half of families where at least one child had a non-resident parent did not have an order or agreement for child support in place. Six in 10 of families where there was an agreement in place had received payments. The majority of families received payment on time (64 per cent). Families with a voluntary maintenance agreement were more likely to receive all their payments on time compared to those with a CSA assessment (66 per cent compared to 57 per cent).
The second report published today is: DWP Research Report No. 250 ‘Family Life in Britain: Findings from the 2003 Families and Children study (FACS)’ by Matt Barnes, Nick Lyon, Stephen Morris, Vicki Robinson and Yee Wan Yau.
The main findings include the following:
- Lone parent families, which make up a quarter of all families with children, were nearly four times more likely than couple families to live in social housing or privately rented accommodation. Lone parent families were over nine times more likely than couple families to have no parent in work.
- Lone parent families are almost three times as likely as couple families to belong to the lowest income quintile (37 per cent and 13 per cent respectively) based on equivalised income before housing costs. Eight in ten mothers who were in a couple family for all three years (2001-2003) spent no time in the lowest income quintile, compared to 45 per cent of mothers who were lone parents in each year.
- Approximately two-thirds of lone parents who were in the lowest income quintile were found in the same position 12 and 24 months later. This compares to around one half of couple families.
- Looking at results over the 2001-2003 period, the work status of mothers remained fairly stable over 12 months and 24 months. However, there was a slight increase in work effort, with more mothers moving into work or increasing their working hours, than mothers stopping work or decreasing their working hours. Nearly half of mothers not in work reported that the reason for not working was ‘to be with children’.
- The percentage of families who reported going without at least one item because they could not afford it decreased between 2002 and 2003 from 50 per cent to 48 per cent. In 2002 seven per cent of families reported going without eleven or more items because they could not afford them compared with five per cent in 2003.
- In 2003, one in ten families could not afford new clothes when needed and almost one in five could not afford one night out per month. Approximately one fifth of workless families were unable to afford 11 or more items, compared to only one per cent of working couple families.
Notes to Editors
- The sample was drawn from Child Benefit records. Interviews with around 7,250 families with a total of 13,473 dependent children were conducted in autumn/winter 2003/2004. Main interviews were conducted with the ‘mother figure’ in the household, with partners interviewed where present and willing to participate.
- The National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) conducted the fieldwork for the research. NatCen and DWP researchers conducted the analysis of FACS contained in this report.
- ‘Children in Britain: Findings from the 2003 Families and children study (FACS)’ by Maxine Willitts, Tracy Anderson, Clare Tait and Grace Williams. DWP Research Report Series No. 249 is published on 28th June 2005. A summary and copy of the report is available on the DWP website: http//www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/.
- ‘Family Life in Britain: Findings from the 2003 Families and children study (FACS)’ by Matt Barnes, Nick Lyon, Stephen Morris, Vicki Robinson and Yee Wan Yau. DWP Research Report Series No. 250 is published on 28th June 2005. A summary and copy of the report is available on the DWP website: http//www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/.
- Prepared by DWP Cross-cutting Strategic Analysis Directorate
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