Half of families at risk of poverty get no extra support

Just under half of all families at risk of poverty receive no State support apart from child benefit payments, according to a report.

The study, conducted jointly by the Children’s Research Centre in Trinity College Dublin and the Family Support Agency, also found that the recession was taking its toll on families, leading to domestic problems such as marital rows and failing relationships between parents and children.

The study is based on quantitative data collected during the first phase of the Growing Up in Ireland study between Sept 2007 and Jun 2008, involving 8,568 nine-year-olds and their families, and then focused on families whose household income categorises them as being at risk of poverty.