Human Resources

Human Resources The Early Years (0-7) / Y blynyddoedd cynnar

Income Poverty

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

Family Friendly Employers The promotion of family friendly employer working practices remains a priority to help more parents into work.

Visit the website to find out more

http://www.employersforchildcare.org/ Working Families

Human Resources Income Maximisation / Employment / Heb fod dan anfantais o achos tlodi

Income Poverty

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

Research indicates that benefit take-up is an issue within Wales Official figures show 44% of couples with children are paying out much more than they need to in council tax. HMRC state that in 2005-2006, 60,000 families did not claim their entitlement to Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit which amounted to £80m of unclaimed Tax credits. (central estimates)

Consider the feasibility of undertaking in work benefit-take up take up activities with working families on low incomes. Such activity should be multiagency involving experts from the voluntary sector.

http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/publications/publication-display.do?id=22235 http://www.entitledto.co.uk/default.aspx

Sustainable Procurement practices adopted by Councils and other public bodies can be utilised to support the local economy and worklessness.

Review sustainable procurement practices and explore potential to support the social aspect of sustainable procurement e.g. social contracts etc.

https://www.buy4wales.co.uk/UsefulResources/valuewalesp.html

In Work Poverty occurs due to low pay. In 2006 the Public sector accounts for 23% of all those in low pay in Wales. It should be noted that these are workers who are employed directly by the public sector and does not include staff, for example engaged in cleaning, who are employed by contractors working for the public sector.

Review HR processes (such as staff development) to ensure good practice with low paid workers by: targeting low-skilled workers and the low-paid for training and further education to support their progression to better-quality and better-paid jobs fostering family-friendly employment practices and supporting women returnees;

http://www.guidance-research.org/EG/LLL/lll2ABSD/

Human Resources Income Maximisation / Employment / Heb fod dan anfantais o achos tlodi

Income Poverty

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

The nature and degree of partnership working between Job Centre Plus and the local councils varies across Wales. To date only a small percentage of Council’s have signed up to the Job Centre Plus Local Employment Partnerships initiative (which aims to bring together Government and large employers to help 250,000 disadvantaged people into jobs within three years).

Consider the appropriateness of committing the Council to the Job Centre Plus’s Local Employment Initiative (the following public sector bodies have signed up to this Scheme Somerset County Council, Coventry City Council, Glasgow City Council, Middlesbrough City Council, NHS Wales, North Glamorgan NHS Trust, West Lothian Council, Birmingham City Council). Review HR policies to ensure that recruitment practices are inclusive and do not disadvantage vulnerable groups.

Local Employment Partnerships

Unemployment and worklessness in families are major factors in child poverty. Paid work is seen by the government as a route out of poverty, however the ability to achieve higher quality and sustainable jobs is also important.

Develop in partnership a cohesive local approach to reducing worklessness. That co-ordinates local resource, understanding, data and expertise. Consider the use of outreach services and IT solutions to assist in reducing Worklessness.

Joseph Rowntree Foundation : Local initiatives to help workless people find and keep paid work

Human Resources The Early Years (0-7) / Y blynyddoedd cynnar

Service Poverty

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

Basic Skills Improvement Develop robust approached to improving basic skills.

http://www.basic-skills-wales.org/bsastrategy/en/resources/early_years.cfm http://www.basic-skills-wales.org/bsastrategy/en/resources/early_years/family_programmes good_practicepack.cfm http://www.basic-skills-wales.org/bsastrategy/en/cross_phase/financial_literacy_homepage.cfm

Staff Training Research shows that children made more progress in settings which had staff with higher qualifications, especially those with a good proportion of trained teachers on the staff.

Consider developing robust workforce development plans for early years and play staff.

Equality Works Care Council for Wales http://www.wcs.org.uk/Managers_Guide.pdf

Human Resources Education and Learning Opportunities / Addysg

Service Poverty

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

Homework Policies Children from more advantaged backgrounds enjoy considerable out of school support in overcoming their problems that their disadvantaged peers do not receive. The latter are almost totally dependent on out-of-school homework clubs if they are to access such support.

Develop guidance on homework policies that take account of the difficult situation faced by children experiencing poverty and the support that can be made available to them.

http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/atoz/h/homework/ Homework Policies

Working with others Consider bringing in role models to show people from their own background that can be successful.

http://www.infed.org/biblio/role_model_education.htm http://www.teachers.tv/video/244

School Leadership Schools that successfully address educational inequalities have dynamic leaders who establish a ‘can do’ culture and value and motivate staff.

Further improve management and leadership development for educational staff especially within schools with a high proportion of free school meal entitlement.

The Extra mile : How schools succeed in deprived areas WAG school effectiveness framework

Human Resources Education and Learning Opportunities / Addysg

Service Poverty

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

Basic Skills Low levels of basic skills in work hamper the ability of employees to progress and perpetuates in work poverty.

Prioritise basic skills within your own organisations and encourage all partners to sign up to "Basic skills employer pledge". Complete and implement the action plan.

Basic-skills-Wales: employer_pledge

Basic Skills Lack of basic skills limit the ability of pupils to partake in educational and skills based activities. This limits employment opportunities

Work with the Basic Skills Cymru to develop a robust approach to developing Basic skills attainment at post 16.

Basic-skills-Wales: post_16 resource

Human Resources Income Maximisation / Employment / Heb fod dan anfantais o achos tlodi

Service Poverty

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

Living in social housing is a key risk factor associated with child poverty and worklessness

Consider the potential for housing services to work with tenants to address worklessness. For example Sheffield Council, housing services and the local Jobcentre Plus (JCP) are joined-up and in some cases even co-located and in other local authorities planning, regeneration and Section 106 agreements have been utilised to address issues of worklessness and skills.

TESCO Stockport Regeneration Partnership