Separated families statistics

 
10/06/2025
1 min read

These statistics provide key insights into the lives of separated families in Great Britain, focusing on:

  • The number of separated families and children involved
  • The type and prevalence of child maintenance arrangements
  • The financial impact of child maintenance on households, particularly those with low income
  • Demographics of separated parents (age, gender, ethnicity, etc.)

Key Areas Covered

1. Total Number of Separated Families and Children

  • Estimates of how many separated families exist in Great Britain.
  • Includes the number of children in those families.

2. Child Maintenance Arrangements

  • Shows how many separated families have child maintenance arrangements.
  • Breaks down into:
    • Statutory arrangements (via Child Maintenance Service)
    • Non-statutory arrangements (private or informal agreements)

3. Child Maintenance Payments

  • Total child maintenance received by Parents With Care (the parent the child lives with most of the time).
  • Analyses payment amounts based on arrangement type.

4. Impact on Low Income Households

  • Evaluates how child maintenance helps reduce the number of children living in low income households.
  • Compares household income levels before and after child maintenance payments.

5. Demographic Profiles

  • Provides new tables that show breakdowns by:
    • Age
    • Sex
    • Disability status
    • Ethnic group
    • Marital status

Data is given for both Parents With Care and Non-Resident Parents (the parent the child doesn’t live with).

Changes in the 2023–2024 Release

Cost of Living Support

  • Additional government support payments (2023–2024) are factored into family income estimates.
  • This includes benefits like the Cost of Living Payments.

Correction to 2022–2023 Figures

  • Some Cost of Living Payments were previously omitted.
  • Revised figures now included, with differences of up to 1% in some metrics.

FRS Questionnaire Update

  • A revised survey question now better captures non-statutory arrangements.
  • Resulted in a small reclassification:
    • Some parents formerly marked as having no arrangement now shown to have a non-statutory arrangement.
    • Differences of up to 2% in some tables.

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