Child poverty &self assessment

Geraldine MurphyPartnership Support Officer

WLGA Partnership Support Unit

Ross ChamberlainChild Poverty Solutions Coordinator

Save the Children (Wales)

Save the ChildrenOur vision is a world in which every child attains

the right to survival, protection, development and participation.

• Our mission is to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives.

• We work with and for children and young people to make sure that their voice is heard

What is child poverty?

• The 2020 target

• Measuring child poverty?• 32% of Children & Young People in

Wales live in Poverty, in households at 60% of median income or less (DWP: HBAI 2009-10,

http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/ p75)

• Severe child poverty

• 2008/09, cash figures are– £202 per week for a single adult with

two dependent children under 14; – £288 per week for a couple with two

dependent children under 14.

What is child poverty?

After income tax, council tax and housing costs have been deducted, where housing costs include rents, mortgage interest

• Child poverty is a multi faceted issue• It is more than not having enough money

to sustain a family• It is a breach of numerous children’s

human rights

What is child poverty?

As well as income poverty the Welsh Assembly recognises–Service Poverty, difficulty accessing e.g.

housing, health, education, leisure

–Participation Poverty, hard to access opportunities to articulate their interests, and to share in the shaping of the decision-making

What is child poverty?

Child poverty…

• It’s not children’s fault! • The UK is the 4th largest global economy and

has the 4th worst record in Europe• Well documented implications

• Mental and physical health• Life expectancy, accidents• Education, employment• Relationships, play & leisure• Future opportunities

Groups at risk• Lone parent families• Larger families (4+

children)• Families with someone

who has a disability or long term illness

• Workless and unemployed families

• Homeless families and young people

• Families where one adult works part time

• Families with mothers who have no qualifications

• Migrants and ethnic minorities, including the gypsy and traveller community

• Refugees and asylum seekers

Groups at risk

• Children and young people NEET

• Children and young people who are carers

• Children and young people who are in or leaving care

• Children and young people with special educational needs

• Children and young people living in low income households

• Children and young people living in social housing

• Children and young people living in temporary accommodation

• Economic as well as a social cost• In the UK £25billion per year is lost to UK

Exchequer and economy trying to mitigate the impact of child poverty.– £12 billion on ‘extra’ public services– £13 billion in future knock-on labour market costs:

GDP loss plus extra benefit payments

• Wales NHS between 2 and 2.6bn per year.

The cost of mitigating child poverty…..

The child poverty web

The Children & Families (Wales) Measure

• Public bodies detailed in the measure have a legislative duty to prepare and publish a strategy for addressing child poverty in Wales.

• This duty is discharged on the publication of a Children and Young People’s Plan.

The Children and Families (Wales) Measure

• Provides the legislation to take forward the Welsh Assembly Government’s child poverty commitment and to give greater support to families where children may be at risk.

Four parts:– Part 1: Eradicating Child Poverty– Part 2: Child Minding and Day Care – Part 3: Integrated Family Support Teams – Part 4: Miscellaneous and General (Play and Participation)

Child Poverty Strategy - three strategic objectives

• To reduce the number of families living in workless households

• To improve the skill level of parents and young people in low income families so that they can secure well paid employment

• To reduce the inequalities that exist in the health, education and economic outcomes for children living in poverty, by improving the outcomes of the poorest.

13 Broad aims1. To increase income for households including one or more

children with a view to ensuring that, so far as reasonably practicable, there are no households in the relevant income group;

2. Ensuring that, so far as reasonably practicable, children livingin households in the relevant income group are not materially deprived;

3. To promote and facilitate paid employment for parents of children;

4. To provide parents of children with the skills necessary for paid employment;

5. To help young persons take advantage of opportunities for employment;

13 Broad aims6.To support parenting of children 7. To reduce inequalities in educational

attainment between children;8.To help young persons participate effectively

in education and training; 9.To reduce inequalities in health between

children and between parents of children;

13 Broad aims10. To reduce inequalities in participation in cultural,

sporting and leisure activities between children and between parents of children

11. To help young persons participate effectively and responsibly in the life of their communities.

12. To ensure that all children grow up in decent housing;

13. To ensure that all children grow up in safe and cohesive communities.

Working with Children, Young People and Families Tackling Child Poverty: Guidance for

Communities First Partnerships

Discusses the core aims and what CF partnerships can do to contribute to their realisation.

Click here to view the document

Self Assessment

Why Self Assess? • We want to;

– assess the current organisational approach to reducing child poverty.

– identify and challenge the barriers preventing progress.

• The results represent your own judgement of how to improve the corporate approach to tackling child poverty in each of five performance attribute areas.

Use the information to:-

• Produce a snapshot report of where you think you are now–Inform your action planning to tackle

child poverty–Track organisational change over time

Click here for an example report

Performance Areas

• We will ask 6 questions under 5 areas of partnership activity, 30 questions in total.–Policy development–Leadership & corporate governance–Performance management–Partnership working–Capacity & resource management

• Policy Development - The organisation has a clear approach to delivering outcomes relating to child poverty reduction

Performance Areas

- Policies are clear and evidence based- Actually influence planning, delivery and monitoring- Are owned by the partnership

• Leadership and corporate governance -Leaders have a high level of awareness and understanding of child poverty and its impact on services for children and young people.

Performance Areas

- Active awareness and participation across the organisation- Senior level buy in - Learning from practice and accountability are welcomed

• Performance management - The organisation has a culture of performance management in addressing child poverty

Performance Areas

- The right objectives and indicators are set and embedded- Information gathering systems work- The data informs the delivery

• Partnership working - There are robust partnership arrangements in place to deliver on child poverty

Performance Areas

- Everybody understands the need for a partnership and their role within it - The vision is shared and work is joined up - Priorities, resources and budgets are aligned

• Capacity and resource management -Appropriate resources have been consistently matched with child poverty priorities

Performance Areas

- Child poverty is a resource priority- Funding, investing and procuring all support the child poverty

agenda- Children and young people are involved in allocation

decisions

On line Toolkit

Available bilingually

Scoring• Each performance attribute area has six statements

against which you will need to score your organisation.

• Scores are:1= No action taken to achieving key action yet2= Intending to develop3= Starting to develop4= Developing5= Developed and imbedding6= Achieving

This is an exercise…..

• We are not assessing a real partnership• You are going to learn how to do self

assessment• Can take the skills back to your partnership• Your ideal workshop participants would be…

Today Mathew I am going to be….

From a fictional communities first partnership called

Cwmtopia

Cwmtopia

• Where from?• Established for?• Has how many staff members?• Has how many partnership board members?• What is the relationship like between

partnership board and officers?

• Runs how many successful projects?• Are how well known and supported in the

local community? • Connected to LA? How?• Connected to CYPP? How?• Has partnerships with which other bodies?

Cwmtopia

The Workshop• 5 groups, 5 tables, 5 areas of work.• Each table has a facilitator.• Each table dedicated to one of the 5 areas of work.• Groups rotate through the tables so everybody gets

the opportunity to offer a view.• 20 to 30 mins per table.• Discuss and score each question.

• When you reach the table you started at– Your facilitator will work with the group to

review all the evidence under each question.– Decide a final score for each question based on

the group scores and your own review.– Decide WHAT key action for the partnership is

the evidence telling you.– Decide HOW you will embed that action.– Decide WHO is responsible for leading on it.

The Workshop

• Please elect your facilitator• Respond to each question using the flipcharts• You have 20 – 30 mins per table• Your own experiences inform the discussion

The Workshop

Scoring• Each performance attribute area has six statements

against which you will need to score your organisation.

• Scores are:1= No action taken to achieving key action yet2= Intending to develop3= Starting to develop4= Developing5= Developed and embedding6= Achieving