THE RESEARCH
Title: Living with Hardship 24/7: the diverse
experiences of families in poverty in England.
Authors: Carol-Ann Hooper, Sarah Gorin, Christie
Cabral and Claire Dyson.
Institution: The research was carried out by a
partnership of the Frank Buttle Trust, the NSPCC and the University
of York, with funding from the Big Lottery Fund.
Abstract: This newly published study looks in
depth at the experience of 70 families living on a low income in
both affluent and deprived neighbourhoods. Based on interviews with
parents, children (aged five to 11) and professionals, the findings
highlight the need for more recognition of the many ways in which
poverty affects families' lives and for a holistic approach to
supporting parents and children.
OBJECTIVES
The original aim of the project was to increase understanding of
the known association between poverty and some forms of child
maltreatment, but it was subsequently widened to look more broadly
at the experiences of families living on a low income. The term
"poverty" was not used in any publicity for the project, as it was
anticipated (rightly) that some families would perceive this as
stigmatising or not identify themselves as "poor". Nevertheless, by
the definitions of poverty most commonly used in the UK - either
being in receipt of means-tested benefits or with below 60% of
median income before housing costs - almost all the households
interviewed were poor.
The families participating in this study were not a random
selection of those on low incomes. Other research, such as that by
Deborah Ghate and Neal Hazel on "parenting in poor environments",
which included a survey of over 1,750 parents from the 30% poorest
areas in the UK (see links and resources), provides a more
representative picture of the stresses and strains of parenting on
a low income and how families cope. Ghate and Hazel found that
nearly half of such families felt they were generally "coping
well", despite the difficult circumstances under which most
lived.
The 70 families interviewed for the Living with Hardship study
were chosen because they were experiencing difficulties. Most had
previously been in contact with social services, and almost one in
six had experience of children being placed on the child protection
register. Nevertheless, there are features of this report which
make it valuable reading. It aimed to cover families living in
hardship in a range of circumstances (in affluent and deprived
areas, and from different ethnic backgrounds). It included
children's views, and explored parents' life histories and current
situations.
Child poverty is high on the political agenda. Gordon Brown (who
wrote the foreword to this study report) has pledged to end child
poverty by 2020, and a new cross-departmental Child Poverty Unit
has been announced in response to the slow progress made so far
towards achieving this target. There is evidence that children who
grow up in poverty are at risk of a wide range of adverse
experiences, and that their disadvantage can persist into adult
life (Feinstein and others, 2007).
A recent analysis for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation of UK
poverty and wealth found that over the past 15 years, more
households have become poor, although fewer are very poor. Areas
that are already wealthy have become disproportionally wealthier
and there is evidence of more polarisation, whereby rich and poor
now live further apart (JRF 2007). Understanding poverty's impact
on families, and poverty in the context of affluence, is an
important aim.
FINDINGS AND
ANALYSIS
The families interviewed had a wide range of experiences,
strengths and difficulties. Each had an individual history and
story to tell, and the study warns against viewing low income (or
"high risk" or "problem") families as a homogenous group who can be
identified and targeted for interventions.
Many experiences of hardship were common across the different
contexts, but there were also important differences in the
challenges families faced. Families in deprived areas had worse
housing conditions and greater worries about crime and unsafe
neighbourhoods, and some children experienced the stress of a more
violent local culture within the community or at school. Families
on low incomes in affluent areas, on the other hand, had less
access to affordable activities for children and other amenities,
and children's experiences of bullying were often clearly related
to poverty.
Stigma associated with poverty was widespread and contributed to
families' isolation. It was particularly associated with poverty
for families living in affluent areas. Many parents found it very
hard to ask for help, and both parents and professionals did not
always know about available local services. Once in poverty,
climbing out could seem impossible. More than one in 10 of the
families was paying between 60% and 70% of their weekly income in
debt repayments. Where available, relatives - especially
grandparents - could be an important source of support both
financially and emotionally, but nearly half the children had no
grandparents in their social networks.
There were high levels of stress among parents living on low
incomes. Families often faced a range of other problems, including
childhood maltreatment, domestic violence, relationship breakdown,
bereavement and mental health problems. Poverty made all other
forms of adversity more difficult to cope with, by restricting
options for help, relief from responsibility or distractions.
Parents reported a high level of behaviour problems among children,
especially boys, and this could be exacerbated by overcrowded or
poor housing.
When asked about their experiences of services, parents valued
people who listened to them, treated them with respect, were
sensitive to their circumstances and showed them care when they
needed it. Continuity of relationships was particularly valued, and
loss of a trusted worker was a key source of disappointment with
services. GPs were more commonly used for support than either
social workers or health visitors, and were highly valued for
knowing the parent and family well. Within schools, communication
was central to how parents experienced them. Inability to afford
extras such as school trips meant children could be excluded from
valuable opportunities. Some parents felt humiliated by this,
especially those living in affluent areas. Parents easily felt
intimidated in schools and found advocacy support helpful when
conflicts arose.
A particularly disturbing finding was the impact of family
poverty on children's emotional well-being. Even very young
children were shown to worry about the family's financial
situation, and to hide their own needs so as not to distress their
parents further. Clearly, poverty makes the achievement of a "good
childhood" much more difficult.
June Statham is professor of education and
family support at the Thomas Coram Research Unit, Institute of
Education, University of London.
j.statham@ioe.ac.uk,
www.ioe.ac.uk/tcru
LINKS AND
RESOURCES
● The full report: CA Hooper, S Gorin, C Cabral and C Dyson,
Living with hardship 24/7: the diverse experiences of families in
poverty in England, York Publishing, 2007, is available to download
from The Frank
Buttle Website
● The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has published
several summaries in its Findings series from studies commissioned
as part of a parenting research initiative. Particularly relevant
are Parenting and Children's Resilience in Disadvantaged
Communities (February 2006, ref 0096), Parenting in multi-racial
Britain (July 2006, ref 0396) and What Makes Parenting Programmes
Work in Disadvantaged Areas? (July 2006, ref 0386).
● The Unicef report Child Poverty in Perspective: an
overview of child well-being in rich countries rated children's
well-being as worse in the UK than other rich countries, with UK
children experiencing some of the worst levels of poverty.
● CSCI (2006)
Supporting Parents, Safeguarding Children: meeting
the needs of parents with children on the child protection
register.
● Feinstein L, Hearn B, and Renton Z (2007) Reducing
Inequalities: realising the talents of all, NCB
●
Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2007) Poverty
and Wealth Across Britain 1968 to 2005.
● Ghate D and Hazel N (2003) Parenting in Poor Environments:
stress, support and coping. A summary of key findings is at
www.prb.org.uk