Children in low income families

<h3>About the dataset</h3> <p>This dataset uses information from the DWP benefit system to provide estimates of children living in poverty for wards in London. In order to be counted in this dataset, a family must have claimed Child Benefit and at least one other household benefit (Universal Credit, tax credits or Housing Benefit) during the year. The numbers are calibrated to the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) dataset used to provide the government's headline poverty statistics. The definition of relative low income is living in a household with equivalised* income before housing costs (BHC) below 60% of contemporary national median income. The income measure includes contributions from earnings, state support and pensions.</p> <p>Further detail on the estimates of dependent children living in relative low income, including alternative geographical breakdowns and additional variables, such as age of children, family type and work status are available from DWP's statistical tabulation tool Stat-Xplore. Minor adjustments to the data have been applied to guard against the identification of individual claimants.</p> <p>This dataset replaced the DWP children in out-of-work benefit households and HMRC children in low income families local measure releases.</p> <p>This dataset includes estimates for all wards in London of numbers of dependent children living in relative low income families for each financial year from 2014/15 to the latest available (2022/23). The figures for the latest year are provisional and are subject to minor revision when the next dataset is released by DWP.</p> <p> <br> </p> <h3>Headlines</h3> <p> <u>Number of children</u> </p> <p>The number of dependent children living in relative low income across London, rose from below 310,000 in the financial year ending 2015 to over 420,000 in the financial year ending 2020, but has decreased since then to below 350,000, which is well below the number for financial year ending 2018. While many wards in London have followed a similar pattern, the numbers of children in low income families in some wards have fallen more sharply, while the numbers in other wards have continued to grow.</p> <p> <u>Proportion of children in each London ward</u> </p> <p>Ward population sizes vary across London, the age profile of that population also varies and both the size and make-up of the population can change over time, so in order to make more meaningful comparisons between wards or over time, DWP have also published rates, though see note below regarding caution when using these figures.</p> <p>A dependent child is anyone aged under 16; or aged 16 to 19 in full-time non-advanced education or in unwaged government training. Ward level estimates for the total number of dependent children are not available, so percentages cannot be derived. Ward level estimates for the percentage of children under 16 living in low income families are usually published by DWP but, in its latest release, ward-level population estimates were not available at the time, so no rates were published. To derive the rates in this dataset, the GLA has used the ONS's latest ward-level population estimates (official statistics in development). Percentages for 2021/22 are calculated using the 2021 mid year estimates, while percentages for 2022/23 are calculated using the 2022 mid year estimates. As these are official statistics in development, rates therefore need to be treated with some caution.</p> <p> <u>Notes</u> </p> <p>*equivalised income is adjusted for household size and composition in order to compare living standards between households of different types.</p><h3>关于本数据集</h3><p>本数据集依托英国工作与养老金部（Department for Work and Pensions，DWP）福利系统的数据，为伦敦各市政选区估算相对低收入家庭中的受抚养儿童数量。纳入本数据集统计的家庭，需在当年度同时申领儿童福利金（Child Benefit）与至少一项其他家庭福利，包括通用信贷（Universal Credit）、税收抵免或住房福利（Housing Benefit）。本数据集的统计数值已校准至用于生成政府官方核心贫困统计数据的「低于平均收入家庭（Households Below Average Income，HBAI）」数据集。相对低收入的定义为：居住在住房成本前（BHC）等价折算收入低于当期全国收入中位数60%的家庭。收入统计范围包含薪资收入、国家补贴与养老金。</p><p>关于相对低收入受抚养儿童的更多估算细节，包括其他地理细分维度以及儿童年龄、家庭类型、就业状况等额外变量，可通过DWP的统计制表工具Stat-Xplore获取。本数据集已对数据进行小幅调整，以避免识别出单个福利申领人。</p><p>本数据集取代了DWP发布的「失业福利家庭中的儿童」以及英国皇家税务与海关总署（Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs，HMRC）发布的「低收入家庭儿童」地方统计指标报告。</p><p>本数据集包含2014/15财年至最新可用的2022/23财年期间，伦敦所有市政选区的相对低收入家庭受抚养儿童数量估算值。最新财年的数据为暂定数据，将在DWP发布下一版数据集时进行小幅修订。</p><p><br></p><h3>核心数据要点</h3><p><u>受抚养儿童数量</u></p><p>伦敦全市范围内的相对低收入受抚养儿童数量，从2015财年的31万人以下，升至2020财年的42万人以上，此后回落至35万人以下，远低于2018财年的数值。尽管伦敦多数市政选区的儿童数量变化趋势与此类似，但部分选区的低收入家庭儿童数量降幅更为显著，另有部分选区的该数值仍持续增长。</p><p><u>伦敦各市政选区儿童占比</u></p><p>伦敦各市政选区的人口规模、人口年龄结构均存在差异，且人口规模与结构会随时间发生变化。因此，为了实现选区间或跨时间的更具意义的对比，DWP同时发布了占比数据，但请注意下文关于使用此类数据的谨慎提示。</p><p>受抚养子女指16岁以下人群，或16至19岁且接受全日制非高等教育、或参与无薪酬政府培训项目的人群。目前暂无市政选区层面的受抚养儿童总人数估算数据，因此无法推导整体占比。通常情况下，DWP会发布16岁以下低收入家庭儿童的选区占比估算数据，但在其最新发布的报告中，因当时未获取到选区层面的人口估算数据，故未发布占比指标。本数据集的占比数据由大伦敦管理局（Greater London Authority，GLA）基于英国国家统计局（Office for National Statistics，ONS）最新的选区人口估算数据（处于开发阶段的官方统计数据）计算得出。2021/22财年的占比数据采用2021年年中人口估算值计算，2022/23财年的占比数据则采用2022年年中人口估算值计算。由于此类数据属于处于开发阶段的官方统计产品，因此使用时需保持谨慎。</p><p><u>备注</u></p><p>*等价折算收入（equivalised income）：为对比不同类型家庭的生活水平，会根据家庭规模与结构对收入进行调整后的数值。</p>