Government aspirations to build the most family friendly society in Europe are being severely tested by sweeping cuts to public spending and a radical set of changes to the UK tax and benefits system. Indications suggest that this combination is having a significant – indeed disproportionate - impact on families with children. The Family and Parenting Institute is working on a two-year programme of research tracking family life through an ‘Age of Austerity’. This research will interrogate spending cutbacks to local services as well as exploring how fluctuations in household income are affecting family well-being.
Working with Ipsos MORI, the Institute for Fiscal Studies and ESRO we are delivering three interlinked strands of work:
• Module One: The impact of national austerity measures and welfare reform on family income
• Module Two: The impact of spending cuts on services to children and families in eight local authorities
• Module Three: In-depth tracking of the financial fortunes of 10 families using ethnographic research.
Drawing all these strands together, a final programme publication will be launched in spring 2013 - presenting a multi-dimensional picture of family life through an age of austerity.
Module One:
Family Report Card 2012
State Support For Families in a New Welfare Era - May 2012
Family Income in an Age of Austerity Seminar - March 2012
New IFS report reveals impact of austerity on families - January 2012
Family Friendly Report Card 2011
Family Friendly Report Card 2010
Families in an Age of Austerity – How tax and benefit reform will affect UK families
Financial Advice for Families
Changes to Tax and Benefits on Families Report - November 2010
Module Two:
Families on the Front Line? - full report and prezi
Families on the Front Line? - press release
Module Three:
Family Matters - summary
Family Matters - full report
Family Matters - press release
