Research and analysis

Improving Lives: Helping Workless Families Indicators 2021: Data for 2005 to 2020

Published 25 March 2021

What you need to know

There are 9 indicators and underlying measures used to track national progress in tackling the disadvantages that affect families and children’s outcomes:

1. Parental Worklessness
2. Parental Conflict
3. Poor Parental Mental Health
4. Parental Drug and Alcohol Dependency
5. Problem Debt
6. Homelessness
7. Early Years
8. Educational Attainment
9. Youth Employment

The government has a statutory duty to report data annually to Parliament on 2 of the 9 indicators for England only:

1. Parental Worklessness
a. The proportion of children living in workless households
b. The proportion of children living in long-term workless households

2. Educational attainment at Key Stage 4

Read the annual update on these indicators.

Contact Details

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DWP Press Office: 0203 267 5129
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Indicator 1: Parental Worklessness

Workless households are households where no one aged 16 years or over is in employment. These members may be unemployed or economically inactive. Economically inactive members may be unavailable to work because of family commitments, retirement, study, sickness or disability.
A long-term workless household is a workless household, as defined above, who have been workless for at least 12 months or have never worked (in a paid job). A long-term workless household does not necessarily imply that adults within them have been long-term unemployed. Some adults may have been out of work for 12 months or more, but had periods of inactivity such as looking after family or illness during that time.

9.8% of all children were living in workless households between October and December 2020

Proportion of children living in workless households (UK), 2006 to 2020

Source: Working and workless households in the UK: October to December 2020

9.8% of all children (around 1.25 million children) were living in workless households in the fourth quarter of 2020. This has increased by 90,000 children from the previous year.

The percentage of children in workless households is derived from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), which samples around 75,000 people each quarter. To avoid seasonal fluctuations in quarter-on-quarter data results from October to December are compared each year.

7.8% of all children had been living in workless households for at least 12 months in 2019

Proportion of children living in long-term workless households (UK), 2006 to 2019

Source: Children living in long-term workless households in the UK: 2019

7.8% of all children (around 990,000 children) were living in long-term workless households in 2019. This is 10,000 fewer children than the previous year.

The percentage of children in long-term workless households is from the Annual Population Survey (APS) that combines Waves one and five of the LFS with an additional booster sampler and contains around 300,000 individuals.

For more information:

Working and workless households in the UK: October to December 2020

Children living in long-term workless households in the UK: 2019

Indicator 2: Parental Conflict

The proportion of children in couple-parent families reporting relationship distress has not been updated as the Understanding Society survey data for the measure is updated every two years. The next update will be in 2022.

The proportion of children living in separated families who see their non–resident parents regularly has not been updated as the statistic has been suspended. A change in the coverage of source data means that the available data on separated families does not represent the whole separated parent family population for the period 2017-2018. The separated families measure will be available again for the period 2019/20 in 2022.

The parental conflict measures have been developed using Understanding Society survey data. The Understanding Society survey interviews up to 40,000 households across the UK each year. Households are asked questions relating to relationship distress once every two years.

Experiencing relationship distress is defined as when either parent in a couple-parent family states that most or all of the time they consider divorce, regret living together, quarrel, or get on each other’s nerves (in response to questions asking about their relationship with their partner).

Regular contact with the non-resident parent is defined as when the resident parent states that the child ‘usually sees’ the non-resident parent ‘at least fortnightly’ during term time. Regular contact between children and their parents is a positive outcome and serves as a proxy measure for reasonable quality inter-parental relationships in separated families.

12% of children in couple-parent families were living with at least one parent reporting relationship distress

Statistic suspended 52% of children in separated families saw their non-resident parent at least fortnightly

Proportion of children in couple-parent families reporting relationship distress (UK), 2011 to 2018

Source: Parental conflict indicator 2011/12 to 2017/18

Proportion of children in living in separated families who see their non-resident parents regularly (UK), 2013 to 2016

Period	Proportion
2013 to 2014	53%
2015 to 2016	52%
2017 to 2018	Data unavailable

For more information:

Parental conflict indicator 2011/12 to 2017/18

Indicator 3: Poor Parental Mental Health

Poor Parental Mental Health is measured using the Understanding Society survey, which captures information from up to 40,000 households across the UK each year. The questions come from the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), which is the most widely used screening tool for common mental disorders.

Twelve questions are asked about an individual’s self-confidence, worries and sleep amongst other things over the past few weeks. The questions have two negative options (where the respondent feels worse than usual) and two positive options (where the respondent feels the same or better than usual). Scores of one are given to negative responses and zero to positive responses. Scoring four or more classifies the person as reporting symptoms of anxiety or depression.

This is considered a better measure of poor mental health than asking the respondent if they have been diagnosed with depression or anxiety, as asking the respondent directly is likely to under-represent the level of poor mental health due to under-diagnosis and under-reporting.

The proportion of children living with at least one parent reporting symptoms of emotional distress has increased each year from 2014/15.

The proportion of children living with at least one parent reporting symptoms of emotional distress was 32%

Proportion of children living with at least one parent reporting symptoms of anxiety and/or depression (UK), 2010 to 2019

Source: Children living with parents in emotional distress: 2020 update

For more information:

Children living with parents in emotional distress: March 2021 update

Indicator 4: Parental Drug and Alcohol Dependency

The number of parent’s dependent on alcohol or opiates has not been updated as new data is not available. New data for the number of alcohol-dependent parents are expected to be published later in 2021.

Parents are defined as individuals aged 18 and over that have children (aged under 18) living with them. Parents involved in treatment also includes pregnant individuals.

In 2017/18 around 118,000 parents were estimated to be dependent on alcohol in England

The number of parents who are opiate users or dependent on alcohol (England), 2010 to 2019

Over the last seven years, the number of alcohol-dependent parents has remained largely stable. It decreased slightly from 119,000 in 2016/17 to 118,00 in 2017/18.

Alcohol dependency is estimated using data from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Study (APMS), Office for National Statistics census information and hospital admissions by Sheffield University and Public Health England. Opiate dependency uses data from the Police National Computer, probation and prison treatment data and data from the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System. They are produced by Liverpool John Moores University and Manchester University with support from Public Health England.

Between 2017 and 2020, 50% of parents with alcohol dependency and 15% of opiate using parents completed treatment and did not return within 3 years

Proportion of alcohol dependent or opiate using parents who have entered and completed treatment within the last three years (England), 2008 to 2020

Source: Public Health England

The proportion of alcohol-dependent parents completing treatment decreased to 50% between 2017/20. The percentage of parents completing treatment for opiate use also decreased to 15% between 2011/14.

The proportion of alcohol-dependent or opiate using parents completing treatment uses information collected through the National Drug Treatment Monitoring System analysed by Public Health England. It counts parents who have completed and not returned for treatment within three years. Opiate users must not be receiving any substitute medication at the time of leaving treatment.

For more information:

Substance misuse treatment for adults: statistics 2018 to 2019

Indicator 5: Problem Debt

The proportion of children living in households in persistent problem debt has not been updated in 2020. The data is from the Wealth and Assets survey and is due to be published later in 2021. The next update will be in 2022.

A household is considered as being in problem debt if at least one adult:

• reports falling behind with bills or credit commitments and the household’s debt repayments are at least 25% of the household’s net monthly income
• reports falling behind with bills or credit commitments and at least one adult is currently in two or more consecutive months’ arrears on bills or credit commitments
• considers debt a heavy burden and the household’s debt represents at least 20% of the household’s net annual income

Persistent problem debt is where children are in a household in problem debt in two consecutive waves of the Wealth and Assets Survey (WAS).

2% (around 230,000) of all children in Great Britain were living in households in persistent problem debt

Proportion of all children living in households in persistent problem debt (Great Britain), 2010 to 2018

The proportion of children living in households in persistent problem debt fell to 2% from 3.9% in the most recent two-year period. It is still well below its peak of 6.2% in 2011/12 and 2013/14.

Proportion of all children living in households in problem debt (Great Britain), 2010 to 2018

Source: Wealth and Assets Survey (Great Britain)

The proportion of children living in households in problem debt is not part of the Problem Debt Indicator but provides evidence to support the measure.

7.8% of children were living in households in problem debt in 2017/18.

For more information:

Problem debt, Great Britain: July 2010 to June 2016 and April 2014 to March 2018

Indicator 6: Homelessness

The term ‘homelessness’ does not only apply to people ‘sleeping rough’. For this indicator, homelessness is statutory homelessness, where a local authority has accepted a homeless duty for a household.

A homelessness duty is where a local authority is satisfied that the household is unintentionally homeless, eligible for assistance and is in a specified priority need group for example they have dependent children. Suitable accommodation must be made available by the local authority when there is a homelessness duty. This can involve placing the household in temporary accommodation until a settled housing solution becomes available or until some other circumstance ends the duty.

Around 9 in every 1,000 households in England with dependent children (around 63,000 households) were living in temporary accommodation at the end of June 2020

Households with dependent children living in temporary accommodation per 1,000 households (England), 2005 to 2020

Source: Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government Homelessness Statistics and Household Projections

9 in every 1,000 (63,000) households were living in temporary accommodation with children at the end of June 2020. This is below the peak of 12 in every 1,000 (73,000) households at the end of June 2005.

The number of households with dependent children living in temporary accommodation per 1,000 households combines statistics on dependent children in temporary accommodation and projections of the number of households with dependent children from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Information on the number of households in temporary accommodation is collected from local authorities on the last day of each quarter.

For more information:

Live tables on homelessness

2014-based household projections: detailed data for modelling and analytical purposes

Indicator 7: Early Years

The global pandemic has forced the Department for Education to cancel the 2019/20 national curriculum assessments and data releases. Therefore, they have not updated the proportion of children achieving “a good level of development” on the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile for 2020.

The Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) assesses children in state-funded early years’ education against seventeen early learning goals. Teachers assess children through classroom observations during the academic year in which they turn five. A “good level of development” is achieving at least the expected level in communication and language, literacy, mathematics and physical, personal, social and emotional development.

57% of pupils eligible for free school meals in 2019 achieved a good level of development on the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile

Proportion of children achieving a good level of development on the EYFSP at age five (England), 2013 to 2020

In 2019, 57% of pupils eligible for free school meals achieved a good level of development on the EYFSP, this compares to 74% of all other pupils and 72% of all pupils. The percentage of pupils in all three groups achieving a good level of development continues to increase each year.

Comparisons cannot be made with EYFSP results before 2013 as the EYFSP was changed in 2012. with greater emphasis being placed on communication and language and physical, personal, social and emotional development.

Attainment gap for “good level of development” between pupils eligible for free school meals and all other pupils (England), 2013 to 2020

Source: Early years’ foundation stage profile results in England: 2019 to 2020

The “good level of development” attainment gap between pupils eligible for free school meals and other pupils is not part of the Early Years indicator but provides evidence to support the measure. It is calculated from the difference in the percentage of pupils achieving a “good level of development” who are eligible for free school meals and the percentage of all other pupils achieving the same.

In 2019, the “good level of development” attainment gap between pupils eligible for free school meals and all other pupils increased slightly to 17.8 from the 2018 figure of 17.3. The global pandemic has prevented the updating of the attainment gap in 2020.

For more information:

Early years foundation stage profile results in England: 2019 to 2020

Indicator 8: Educational Attainment

The global pandemic has forced the Department for Education to prioritise their data gathering and release practices. Therefore, they have not updated the attainment at Key Stage 2 indicator for 2020.

Attainment at Key Stage 2 is the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Attainment at Key Stage 4 has changed in this publication due to the continuing reforms of GCSEs. Attainment at Key Stage 4 is now the average “attainment 8” score per pupil in state-funded schools. This measures attainment across eight subjects rather than just Maths, English language and English literature.

Pupils are defined as disadvantaged if they have been eligible for free school meals in the previous six years, they have been looked after for at least one day during the year or they have ceased to be looked after by a local authority in England because of adoption, a special guardianship order, a child arrangements order or a residence order. 31% of pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 in 2019 and 26% of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in 2020 were classified as disadvantaged in state funded schools.

The most recent data continues to show that disadvantaged pupils are performing worse than other pupils at Key Stage 2 and 4

Attainment at Key Stage 2 (England), 2016 to 2020

Attainment at Key Stage 4 (England), 2016 to 2020

The Disadvantage Attainment Gap Index at Key Stage 2 and 4 (England), 2011 to 2020

Source: National curriculum assessments: key stage2, 2019 (revised) and Key Stage 4 performance

The Disadvantage Attainment Gap Index for Key Stage 2 and 4 is not part of the Educational Attainment indicator but provides evidence to support the measures. It shows if disadvantaged pupils are catching up or getting left behind. A disadvantage attainment gap of zero shows that disadvantaged pupils are performing as well as other pupils. The maximum possible gap is 10 or -10 if disadvantaged pupils perform better than other pupils.

For more information:

National curriculum assessments at key stage 2: 2020 (revised)

Key stage 4 performance

Indicator 9: Youth Employment

Around 11.6% (797,000) of young people aged 16 to 24 are not in education, employment or training (NEET)

Proportion of young people (aged 16 to 24) who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) (UK), 2007 to 2020

Source: Young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), UK: March 2021

The proportion of young people (aged 16 to 24) who are NEET in October to December 2020 was 11.6%, this has increased by 0.5 percentage points since last year. This is 5.3 percentage points lower than the peak of 16.9% in July to September 2011. The data is from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) which samples around 75,000 people each quarter and the estimates are seasonally adjusted.

Almost 6% of young people aged 18 to 24 haven’t been in employment or full-time education for two years

Proportion of young people aged 18 to 24 who have not been in employment or full-time education for two years or more (UK), 2006 to 2019

Source: Young people in long-term workless households, UK, 2006 to 2019

The proportion of young people (aged 18 to 24) who have not been in employment or full-time education for two years has risen slightly to 5.9% in 2019.

The data is from the Annual Population Survey (APS) that combines Waves one and five of the LFS with an additional booster sampler and contains around 300,000 individuals. A two-year threshold is used to eliminate those voluntarily spending time out of the labour market, for example those on a gap year.

For more information:

Young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), UK: March 2021

Young people in long-term workless households, UK, 2006 to 2019