London’s Mayor, Sadiq Khan, has launched a major new initiative aimed at helping thousands of families on low incomes access financial support they are legally entitled to but too often miss
out on.
The Family Financial Resilience Partnership, backed by £2.2 million in funding from City Hall, will offer free and independent advice to families with children across 12 London boroughs. The programme is expected to help more than 17,500 families in its first year alone, unlocking up to £8 million in financial support that would otherwise go unclaimed.
The scheme brings together local councils, London Citizens Advice, and the London Legal Support Trust, with services delivered through Best Start Family Hubs and Children’s Centres. Funding will be used to train additional staff and expand capacity, ensuring families can access timely, high-quality advice close to home.
Families will be able to get help on a wide range of issues, including welfare benefits, housing, childcare costs, employment, disability support, and immigration matters. The aim is to remove barriers that prevent people from claiming support, whether due to lack of awareness, complex application processes, or limited access to advice.
The launch comes against a stark backdrop. New data shows that 35 per cent of children in London — around 700,000 — are living in poverty after housing costs, highlighting the urgent need for targeted support.
The Mayor said the new partnership builds on his ongoing efforts to help Londoners maximise their incomes. Over the past three years, City Hall’s advice services and income-boosting campaigns have already supported more than 130,000 people to claim over £94 million they were entitled to. Despite this progress, an estimated £4 billion in benefits still goes unclaimed across the capital each year.
“This programme is about making sure families get the help that’s rightfully theirs,” City Hall sources said, adding that even small increases in household income can make a “life-changing difference” for families struggling with rising costs.
The Family Financial Resilience Partnership also complements the Mayor’s wider cost-of-living measures. These include the expansion of free school meals for all primary school pupils in London’s state schools, saving families hundreds of pounds annually, as well as the Holiday Hope programme, which provides food, activities and support during school holidays. Free and discounted travel for children and young people has also been protected, ensuring access to education and opportunities is not limited by cost.
As living costs remain high, City Hall hopes the new scheme will play a crucial role in easing financial pressure on families and ensuring vital support no longer goes unclaimed.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I’m determined to help London’s families cope with the cost-of-living and put more money back into household budgets. That’s why I’m investing £2.2 million in the Family Financial Resilience Partnership to ensure parents and carers across the capital can access the support that they’re entitled to and make a significant difference to their finances. From providing free school meals to children in London’s state primary schools to helping young people with activities during school holidays and protecting free and discounted travel for children and young people, I’m committed to doing all I can to support London’s families as we build a better, fairer London for all.”
Minister for Employment, Diana Johnson MP, said: “Every child deserves the best start in life, and that begins with families having the support they need to build financial security. By bringing good quality advice directly into Family Hubs, we're meeting parents where they are and helping them tackle debt, boost their income, and access support that makes a genuine difference to their lives. Alongside our Child Poverty Strategy which will lift 550,000 children out of poverty, this kind of joined-up approach that will help us break the cycle where a child's background determines their future."
Deputy Mayor for Communities and Social Justice, Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard, said: “Too many Londoners are struggling to get by each month, and we know that those pressures fall hardest on single parents, families with disabled members and families from ethnic minority backgrounds. By funding the Family Financial Resilience Partnership, we are strengthening the support available to parents and carers in places where they already turn for help. Increasing access to high-quality advice in Family Hubs and Children’s Centres will help to tackle inequality at its roots and make a significant difference to the lives of London’s families.”
Nezahat Cihan, CEO of London Legal Support Trust, said: "We are proud to be a part of the Family Financial Resilience Partnership, fostering collaboration between local authorities, specialist and generalist advice organisations across 12 London boroughs, thanks to GLA funding. Through a new partnership approach of placing advisors in Family Hubs and family related settings, we aim to create a more integrated service that ensures families receive support in accessible, and familiar settings. We hope that this model will influence other localities to take a similar, partnership-led approach to Life-saving and crucial advice."
Jonathan Mogford, Chair of London Citizens Advice, said: “Across London boroughs, local Citizens Advice are key partners with Family Hubs. Citizens Advice has deep and trusted links into the diverse communities in London impacted by hardship and other problems, so we are delighted to work with the GLA to embed and link our services to Family Hub settings, strengthening the support available to families with children/young people. We build on strong foundations and a record of working with Family Hubs. By extending our partnership with specialist advice agencies in this way, we can ensure that families receive comprehensive advice for needs that are often complex and very wide-ranging.”
Councillor Edison Huynh, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Lewisham Council, said: “Family Hubs are a vital part of the infrastructure Lewisham have put in place to support our families. They offer a wide range of services including pre- and post-natal care for families with children aged between 0 and 19 (and up to 25 with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) but are also able to signpost families to services which support with financial advice, parenting, emotional wellbeing, youth provision and other services.” Photo by Raph_PH, Wikimedia commons.