Families and Children Study
Encyclopedia
The Families and Children Study (FACS) is a longitudinal study
collecting information about families with dependent children in Great Britain
, managed by the Department for Work and Pensions
(DWP).
Topics covered in the FACS so far have been, for example, health and well-being, behaviour and childcare provision, use of local services, education and training, employment, family income, receipt of benefits and material deprivation. The FACS pursues amongst others the long term objective to eradicate child poverty within a generation within the Government’s Public Service Agreement. Other objectives include the evaluation of the Government’s work incentive measures, to compare living standards of families across Great Britain and across the income distribution, and to observe changes in the above.
The study is carried out by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions
(DWP). Other sponsors are the Department for Children, Schools and Families
(DCSF) and the Department for Transport
(DfT).
The sample includes about 7,000 families per wave and the FACS has effectively become a “true panel” with 1999 respondents being re-interviewed in the subsequent waves between 2000 and 2004. Additionally, new families have been included each year to increase the sample size and to allow representative cross-section as well as longitudinal comparison.
website.
(ESDS) website . Users will have to register in order to access the download section.
Longitudinal study
A longitudinal study is a correlational research study that involves repeated observations of the same variables over long periods of time — often many decades. It is a type of observational study. Longitudinal studies are often used in psychology to study developmental trends across the...
collecting information about families with dependent children in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, managed by the Department for Work and Pensions
Department for Work and Pensions
The Department for Work and Pensions is the largest government department in the United Kingdom, created on June 8, 2001 from the merger of the employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security and headed by the Secretary of State for Work and...
(DWP).
History
Originally, the FACS was known as the Survey of Low Income Families (SOLIF) which was set up in 1999 as a new survey for Britain’s lone parent families and low-income couples with dependent children. Six annual waves have been completed so far. From the third wave in 2001 onwards, the survey was renamed FACS and was extended to high-income families in order to represent a complete sample of British families.Topics covered in the FACS so far have been, for example, health and well-being, behaviour and childcare provision, use of local services, education and training, employment, family income, receipt of benefits and material deprivation. The FACS pursues amongst others the long term objective to eradicate child poverty within a generation within the Government’s Public Service Agreement. Other objectives include the evaluation of the Government’s work incentive measures, to compare living standards of families across Great Britain and across the income distribution, and to observe changes in the above.
The study is carried out by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions
Department for Work and Pensions
The Department for Work and Pensions is the largest government department in the United Kingdom, created on June 8, 2001 from the merger of the employment part of the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Security and headed by the Secretary of State for Work and...
(DWP). Other sponsors are the Department for Children, Schools and Families
Department for Children, Schools and Families
The Department for Children, Schools and Families was a department of the UK government, between 2007 and 2010, responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including child protection and education...
(DCSF) and the Department for Transport
Department for Transport
In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the English transport network and a limited number of transport matters in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland which are not devolved...
(DfT).
Methodology and scope
The main methods of data collection are face-to-face interviews as well as self-completion questionnaires. The mother is the main respondent but partners are interviewed, too, and in certain waves children aged 11 to 15 are also given questionnaires.The sample includes about 7,000 families per wave and the FACS has effectively become a “true panel” with 1999 respondents being re-interviewed in the subsequent waves between 2000 and 2004. Additionally, new families have been included each year to increase the sample size and to allow representative cross-section as well as longitudinal comparison.
Survey results
A list of publications that have used the FACS is available from the Economic and Social Data ServiceEconomic and Social Data Service
The Economic and Social Data Service is a national data archiving and dissemination service that was founded in January 2003. It is funded jointly by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Joint Information Systems Committee ....
website.
Re-using the data
The data and additional study information are available on the Economic and Social Data ServiceEconomic and Social Data Service
The Economic and Social Data Service is a national data archiving and dissemination service that was founded in January 2003. It is funded jointly by the Economic and Social Research Council and the Joint Information Systems Committee ....
(ESDS) website . Users will have to register in order to access the download section.