A new report has found that the proposed reforms to UK disability benefits risk further disadvantage on families with a disability, especially amongst lone parent families where there is also a disability (either a child or adult within the family).

The research carried out by University of Glasgow Professor Morag Treanor, on behalf of Aberlour Children's Charity, One Parent Family Scotland and Trussell considered the levels of debt owed to public bodies, including the levels of debt experienced by disabled people and lone parent families.

In this report and in previous research Professor Treanor has shown how public debt, owed for example to councils and the DWP, pulls families deeper into poverty and exacerbates the debt crisis facing so many people in Scotland and across the UK.

Resulting in more and more low-income families finding it harder to make ends meet and unable to afford day to day essentials.

55% of children with a disability are in a lone parent family. Those lone parent families with a disability are most likely to depend on food banks and at a high risk of having fuel and energy debts/arrears.

There is evidence however that disability benefits provide a level of support and a protective blanket to disabled couple parent or lone parent families who might otherwise fall deeper and further into debt. This strongly indicates that disabled benefits are helping mitigate, to some extent, financial hardship and help prevent disabled families from plunging even further into debt.

The research recommends that the UK Government must not implement any changes to Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payments if they were to result in vulnerable and disadvantaged families being pushed into even deeper poverty.

They also state that any reforms to the welfare system must ensure that low-income families are adequately supported to help them provide for their children, prevent them falling into debt and align with other policies and actions to reduce child poverty.

Aberlour Chief Executive, SallyAnn Kelly OBE, said:

At Aberlour we believe reforming our welfare system is necessary especially if it helps people who are able to work get into employment. However, we are clear that reforms should always protect the most vulnerable and should be implemented in a manner that does not push more people into further and more entrenched poverty.

"This research suggests that this is exactly what could happen. We are urging the Government to think again and prevent this very harmful outcome by making changes that safeguard the most vulnerable families. Our research and work into public debt has outlined the struggles facing families and how the cost of living crisis is leading to millions of people lacking the means to pay for their basic needs and seeing them spiralling into debt, often to public bodies, as a consequence.

"If these reforms are introduced in their current shape this research strongly suggests that many of our most disadvantaged families will be pushed even deeper into debt. This must be avoided and we would urge the government to listen to what families are saying and make the necessary changes to their proposals - changes that will protect and safeguard families, provide additional support and avoid potentially catastrophic outcomes for millions of the most vulnerable people and their children.

Cara Hilton, senior policy manager for Scotland at Trussell, said:

The UK government’s plans to slash support for disabled people who most need our collective protection from hunger is cruel and irresponsible. This research clearly shows that the right support can help prevent disabled families from falling into hardship. Cutting it is ill-considered and will leave more disabled people at risk of needing a food bank.

“One of the key findings of this research is that people in disabled households are twice as likely to be referred to a food bank than people in households without a disability. If the government chooses to go ahead with cuts, these figures will only get worse. Trussell’s own analysis finds that 15,000 more people in disabled households in Scotland will be at risk of needing to use a food bank. But there is still time for the UK government to rethink and do what’s right.

Satwat Rehman, Chief Executive of One Parent Families Scotland said:

Many single parents, the majority of whom are mothers, are raising children alone and often without respite. When disability is also part of the equation, whether a child’s or their own, the pressures multiply. This report clearly shows that these families are at significantly higher risk of accruing public debts, including council tax, benefits overpayments and energy arrears.

“At OPFS, we regularly hear from parents forced to rely on credit cards to cover basic needs like food and heating. Debt is not a result of poor budgeting, it is a direct consequence of inadequate income and rigid, punitive welfare policies.

“With the UK Government poised to introduce cuts to disability benefits, this report is a timely reminder that welfare reform must work to support, not penalise, families. We urgently need reforms that stop pulling vulnerable families under: a just approach to debt recovery, an end to harmful Universal Credit changes, and a commitment to policies that give families the stability and dignity they deserve.

Read the full report.

Aberlour Annual Review 2021-22