Researching Poverty and Vulnerability

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Written By: Renata Maziak-Barnes

How the Cost of Living Crisis and Cuts to Services Are Deepening the Challenges Faced by Vulnerable Families and What Can Be Done to Support Them

Poverty is not an isolated issue—it intersects with multiple areas of vulnerability, compounding the risks faced by children and families. The ongoing cost of living crisis, combined with cuts to essential services, has intensified the demand on children’s social care and exposed deep cracks in the system designed to protect the most vulnerable. A recent report by The Childhood Trust has laid bare the harsh reality: social workers are increasingly struggling to provide adequate support to children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), due to a lack of resources and mounting caseloads.

At DisabledEntrepreneur.UK, we are committed to exploring these complex intersections and identifying ways families can be better supported. Here we outline the broader context and offer insight into effective approaches to safeguarding children living in poverty who are also navigating other vulnerabilities.

What Works: Effective Support for Families in Poverty

Effective family support starts with an integrated, multi-agency approach that recognises poverty as a safeguarding issue. This means early intervention, accessible mental health support, disability-specific services, and adequate financial aid are crucial. Professionals need the tools, training, and authority to make timely interventions, while local authorities must be adequately funded to sustain community-based programs and social care infrastructure.

Larger Families and the Rising Tide of Poverty

Larger families face heightened challenges. Rising energy costs, food insecurity, housing shortages, and inadequate benefit caps disproportionately affect families with multiple children. Tailored support strategies—such as increasing the child element of Universal Credit for large families, community food hubs, free school meals for all, and dedicated family support workers—are needed to ease this burden.

The Intersections of Poverty and Other Vulnerabilities

Poverty often coexists with other vulnerabilities, creating a web of disadvantage that is hard to escape:

• Children with Disabilities (Physical & Psychological): Families of disabled children incur higher costs related to care, equipment, transport, and therapy. Poverty can lead to delayed diagnosis, poor mental health, and limited access to inclusive education and respite care.
• Neurodiverse Children: Many neurodiverse children require tailored educational plans and support networks. Without early intervention and specialist input, poverty can exacerbate exclusion and lead to breakdowns in school placements and mental wellbeing.
• Care Leavers: Young people leaving the care system often lack financial stability, social support, and housing. With limited access to education and employment, they are at greater risk of homelessness, exploitation, and poverty.
• Mental Health: Poor mental health in either parent or child is both a cause and consequence of poverty. Families experiencing financial stress report higher incidences of depression, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation.
• Social Isolation: Living in poverty often limits a family’s ability to participate in community life, attend events, or maintain relationships—deepening emotional distress and reducing resilience.
• Young Carers: Children who care for ill or disabled parents or siblings often juggle school, household responsibilities, and emotional burdens, with little formal recognition or support. Poverty exacerbates their stress and limits access to resources such as tutoring, counselling, or leisure activities.

Impacts of Financial Hardship on Young People Using Social Care

Children who interact with social care services while living in poverty face greater instability. From frequent school changes due to housing insecurity to unmet emotional needs caused by food or clothing deprivation, the consequences are lasting. Poverty can erode trust in institutions, breed shame, and create a sense of helplessness—making it harder for young people to engage with social workers or build safe, secure relationships.

Children in Need and the Cumulative Effects of Poverty

When poverty intersects with additional vulnerabilities—such as disability, domestic abuse, or family breakdown—it compounds the risk of neglect and harm. Social workers report lacking the training, funding, and systemic support to address these intersections adequately. As a result, some children are pushed further into crisis before receiving meaningful help.

Situational Vulnerability: Temporary but Dangerous

Some children face acute, temporary risks due to circumstances like sudden parental job loss, eviction, or exposure to domestic violence. These situational vulnerabilities demand swift, responsive, and trauma-informed action from social care. Delays or poor understanding of the contextual impact of poverty can mean early warning signs are missed, and children fall through the cracks.

Conclusion: Moving Forward with Compassion, Funding, and Focus

To truly support vulnerable families, we must see poverty for what it is—a pervasive risk factor that influences every other domain of a child’s life. More than just economic deprivation, poverty reduces access to opportunity, stability, and well-being. Investing in early intervention, social work training, disability inclusion, and long-term support for care leavers and young carers is essential. At DisabledEntrepreneur.UK, we are calling for a whole-system shift—one that sees children not as statistics, but as individuals with potential, deserving of a fair start in life.

We are proud to have partnered with a trusted market research agency to help us explore key social issues with depth and precision. If you have any research you would like us to undertake or collaborate on, please do not hesitate to contact us and submit a pitch for our review.

Resources:

• RPSC Highlight Notice: Children’s Social Care | NIHR
• LMRMC Creative Solutions for Market Research Projects
• Welcome to The Childhood Trust | London’s Child Poverty Charity
• Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND): Overview – GOV.UK