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This research project will assess the feasibility and acceptability of providing co-located money advice services in universal and specialist child health and community family settings.
This research project is funded by ActEarly, the Specialist Children and Young People’s Service (SCYPS), the East London Foundation Trust (ELFT) and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets (LBTH) and will run from February 2023 to June 2024.
- Background
Children growing up in poverty experience poorer health and reduced life opportunities. This is particularly true for families where one or more child has a physical disability. The London boroughs of Newham and Tower Hamlets have high rates of unemployment, debt and children living in poverty which, in turn, reduces families’ ability to live healthy lives.
Research in Scotland and elsewhere has established that providing advice services to families with young children can increase benefit take-up, resulting in increased family incomes and the potential for improved health outcomes. The Healthier Wealthier Families programme involves co-locating financial advice services within health and community service settings. Financial advisors advocate for those experiencing hardship and help families to make independent and informed decisions to help maximise income.
The Healthy Wealthy Families Research Team (HWFT) are piloting an advice service in two settings in East London: the Specialist Children and Young People’s Service (SCYPS), a clinical site in the London Borough of Newham (LBN) operated by the East London Foundation Trust (ELFT), and Ocean Children and Family Centre and Isle of Dogs Children and Family Centre, operated by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets (LBTH).
- Methodology
Three sets of data will be collected:
- Process data collection through administrative case records for each family held by the money advice services.
- Participant interviews (n = 60) which will take place three months after the first money advice session (phone/face to face).
- Delivery service stakeholder interviews (n = 18 – 22) which will take place six months after the first money advice session.
We anticipate reporting findings in Spring 2024.
- Team
Project leads
- Professor Claire Cameron, UCL Social Research Institute
- Dr Michelle Heys, Institute of Child Health
Members
- Dr Siew Fung Lee, UCL Social Research Institute
- Angela Bartley, East London Foundation Trust
- Lucy Furby, East London Foundation Trust