The FACS originally provided a new survey of Britain's lone-parent families and low-income couples with dependent children and later included families from a range of income backgrounds. The main objective was to compare the living standards and outcomes for children and families across the income distribution. The baseline survey in 1999 included over 4,000 families. There were annual waves of the survey until 2008, and additional participants were added to the cohort each year, as well as those who were reinterviewed from previous waves.