Up to one in four small families now receive more in child-contingent support from the government than their children actually cost, according to a new study.

Researchers from the Institute for Fiscal Studies say that government support for children has grown by more than half in the past four years.

The report found that since 1975 "child-contingent support" - income that families receive because they have children - has more than doubled in real terms from £10bn to £22bn a year.

The fastest rise has been since 1999, almost all of it due to policy changes.

Between 10 per cent and 25 per cent of families with one or two children may now be receiving more financial support than the minimum cost of supporting their children, says the study. Child contingent support favours the oldest child so helps small families.

www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialpolicy/124.asp