Latest research highlights the reality of life for families raising disabled or seriously ill children
Our new research shows that UK families raising disabled or seriously ill children and young people are being driven further into debt and unable to meet vital extra caring costs.
The Cost of Caring 2025 reflects the responses of 2,300 UK families on low incomes raising disabled and seriously ill children, with 41% lone parent carers. It shows the continued daily impact of a non-stop caring load, with a struggle to afford essentials like food and heating.
Key findings
The research found that benefits are not keeping pace with the cost of living, with 2 in 5 (44%) of families reporting that they cannot meet day-to-day living costs, despite receiving disability benefits. More than 4 in 5 families (87%) have no savings at all, so can’t replace essential items when they break, like a washing machine or bed.
Parent carers provide the equivalent of an extra full-time unpaid caring role every single day, leaving just 7% able to work as much as they would like. Sixty per cent of parent carers said having no suitable childcare was a barrier to work, with one parent saying they had been on a waiting list for five years. This has a profound impact on household income and financial resilience.
Families are now living without the basics, with a resulting poorer quality of life. Over half of parents and carers (51%) report skipping or cutting the size of their meals. 1 in 3 (33%) can’t afford to keep their homes warm and 46% can’t afford necessary dental treatment. Basic toiletries are unaffordable for 1 in 10 parents and carers and almost 1 in 5 (17%) can’t afford over the counter or prescription medicine for themselves.
The stresses on parent carers have left over a quarter (28%) reporting probable clinical depression. 68% of children are negatively affected by their family’s financial situation, which impacts on emotional well-being, health, development, or education.
Cheryl Ward CBE, Group CEO of Family Fund, commented on the report:
“This report highlights stark findings, with no improvement since our 2022 survey. As caring costs increase for families, barriers to paid work as a route out of poverty remain unchanged, including a lack of suitable childcare. Until these challenges are addressed, families raising disabled and seriously ill children can’t escape the cycle of living in debt, going without essentials like food, clothing and furniture and experiencing poor mental health.”
Increasing demand for our support
More families than ever before are now applying to us for support: we provided more than 200,000 grants and instances of support to families in 2024-25.
“We’re supporting rising numbers of families each year with basic items like washing machines, beds, clothing and equipment,” continued Cheryl Ward CBE. “Parent carers are going to huge lengths to do the best for their children, regularly sacrificing their own well-being in the process.
“Families raising disabled children are at the sharpest edge of income instability. The Child Poverty Strategy provides an unmissable opportunity to listen to what families have to say and tackle the very real and pressing issues they face every day.”
Recommendations
The Cost of Caring 2025 research recommends that:
- the additional costs of disability – both financial and emotional – must be properly recognised in the support available to families
- policy must take into account that, for many families, increasing paid work is not a viable solution to poverty
- childcare and respite services must be available, affordable and tailored to children with complex needs
- the well-being of carers must be prioritised – without this, families risk reaching crisis point, with long-term social and economic consequences.