Speakers
Description
Authors: Georgina Warner (Uppsala University, Sweden), Amy Bond (University of Exeter, UK), Vashti Berry (University of Exeter, UK), Eleanor Bryant (University of Exeter, UK), Nick Axford (University of Plymouth, UK), Nina Johansson (Uppsala University), Claire Cameron (University College London, UK), Mary-Alice Doyle (Nesta, UK), Georgia Smith (University of Exeter, UK), Kath Wilkinson (University of Exeter, UK), Rebecca Summers (University of Exeter, UK), Morwenna Rogers (University of Exeter, UK), James Hall (University of Southampton, UK), Iain Lang (University of Exeter, UK), Kristin Liabo (University of Exeter, UK), Ida Hedkvist (Child Health and Parenting (CHAP), Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Sweden), David Isaksson (Health Services Research, Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Sweden), Anna Sarkadi (Child Health and Parenting (CHAP), Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Sweden), Angela Bartley (East London Foundation Trust, UK), Elizabeth Cecil (Thomas Coram Research Unit, University of College London, UK), Laura Austin Croft (East London Foundation Trust, UK), Catherine Harris (Thomas Coram Research Unit, University College London, UK), Siew Fung Lee (Thomas Coram Research Unit, University College London, UK), Matthew Oultram (East London Foundation Trust, UK), Michelle Heys (Thomas Coram Research Unit, University College London, UK), Abigail Knight (Camden Council, London, UK), Ghazal Moenie (Nesta, UK), Jun Nakagawa (Candeb Council, London, UK), Dea Nielsen (Nesta, UK), Moria Sloan (Nesta, UK and Cabinet Office, UK), Benny Souto (Camden Council, London, UK), Carla Stanke (Camden Council, London, UK), Zoe Tyndall (Camden Council, London, UK)
Chair: Georgina Warner
Background: Children who experience economic disadvantage have an increased risk of poor health, social and educational outcomes. A range of interventions across the prevention continuum exist to prevent or address poor child and youth psychosocial outcomes. Often, however, they focus on issues such as parent-child relationships, parenting skills and family functioning, paying less attention to issues such as families’ low income, debt or other financial stressors. While such issues demand a policy response, there is also scope for frontline services to support families financially and materially to improve child outcomes. This might include the direct provision of money and goods but also advice or support with income maximisation, debt reduction, money management and income generation.
Aims: This symposium explores evidence on the potential for financial well-being support (FWbS) delivered by frontline services to improve family financial well-being and thereby improve child outcomes. It focuses on the provision of such support in the context of social and health services and lessons about its nature, acceptability, implementation and impact.
Overview of presentations: Paper 1 (Bond) draws on survey and interview data from family support service managers and commissioners in England to identify models of integrated financial well-being support in family support provision. Paper 2 (Bryant) presents findings from a scoping review of the international literature on programmes that integrate parenting support and FWbS. Paper 3 (Johansson) draws on qualitative data to explore how prevention is conceptualised within Swedish Budget and Debt Counselling, with a focus on how counsellor perceptions align with formal service guidance. Paper 4 (Cameron) presents findings from a study on the feasibility and acceptability of integrating routine health appointments with welfare benefits advice in inner-city east London. Paper 5 (Doyle) outlines an ongoing pilot programme that provides low-income families in pregnancy with a cash grant alongside one-on-one advice on services and benefits.
Connection to symposium theme: The economic determinants of poor child and youth outcomes are present at all levels of the prevention continuum. Low income and related financial stressors are particularly elevated among families targeted for selective, indicated or treatment interventions, yet such interventions tend to treat them as context rather than intervention focus. FWbS can take multiple forms, with different forms and levels of intensity potentially relevant at different levels of the prevention continuum.
| Conflict of interest | The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest. |
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