Over 40% of parent carers struggling with day-to-day expenses

Parent carers of medically complex children or those with disabilities report high levels of exhaustion, poor mental health, and extreme loneliness due to being unable to meet the vital extra caring costs.

Researchers from the charity Family Funs surveyed 2,300 UK families on low incomes raising disabled and seriously ill children. They found that 44% of families said they experience income insufficiency, meaning they cannot meet day-to-day expenses despite receiving disability benefits.

The Cost of Caring 2025 report also found that more than 4 in 5 families (87%) have no savings, so they can’t replace essential items like washing machines or beds when they break.

The research found that benefits are not keeping pace with the cost of living, with over half of parent carers (51%) reporting skipping or cutting the size of their meals. One in three (33%) can’t keep their homes warm, and 46% can’t afford necessary dental treatment.

Parent carers struggle with suitable childcare

Parent carers provide the equivalent of an extra full-time unpaid caring role daily, leaving just 7% able to work as much as they would like. Sixty per cent of parent carers said having no suitable childcare was a barrier to work.

The stresses on parent carers have left over a quarter (28%) reporting probable clinical depression. 68% of children are negatively affected by their family’s financial situation, impacting emotional well-being, health, development, and education.

Cheryl Ward CBE, Group CEO of Family Fund, said: “This report highlights stark findings, with no improvement since our 2022 survey. As caring costs increase for families, barriers to paid work as a route out of poverty remain unchanged, including a lack of suitable childcare. Until these challenges are addressed, families raising disabled and seriously ill children can’t escape the cycle of living in debt, going without essentials like food, clothing and furniture and experiencing poor mental health.”

Recommendations from the report

The Cost of Caring 2025 research recommends that:

• The additional costs of disability – both financial and emotional – must be properly recognised in the support available to families
• Policy must take into account that, for many families, increasing paid work is not a viable solution to poverty
• Childcare and respite services must be available, affordable and tailored to children with complex needs
• The well-being of carers must be prioritised—without this, families risk reaching crisis point, with long-term social and economic consequences.

Alison Bloomer

Alison Bloomer is Editor of Learning Disability Today. She has over 25 years of experience writing for medical journals and trade publications. Subjects include healthcare, pharmaceuticals, disability, insurance, stock market and emerging technologies. She is also a mother to a gorgeous 13-year-old boy who has a learning disability.

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