Child Poverty Strategy

August 2011

Approved by the Success for All Children Group (insert date once approved)

INTRODUCTION

The Success for All Children Group – formally the Southend Children’s Partnership – produced the first Child Poverty Strategy in October 2009. The strategy was followed by a comprehensive action plan, to be delivered in 2010/11, detailing a range of cross partnership activity in addressing the six strategic aims of the strategy.

The new Southend Children & Young People plan produced for 2010-13 identified Lifting Children & Young People Out Of Poverty as one of 2 overarching priorities. The 2011/12 refresh of the plan ( ) contained a detailed child poverty needs assessment.

Nationally and locally, the economic climate has changed significantly since the Child Poverty Strategy was first produced, the 2010/11 action plan has been delivered and child poverty needs assessment can now inform this updated strategy.

The aim of the Success for All Children Group continues to be that all children and young people that live in Southend are able to take advantage of the opportunities that are here now and to enhance those opportunities for the future.

Our shared vision for children and young people is to:

  • Help them to raise their aspiration and achievement
  • Ensure they have the opportunities they need for inclusion
  • Facilitate their participation in decision-making that affects their lives
  • Provide excellent services and excellent outcomes

Addressing child poverty in Southend continues to be an overarching priority and the multi agency involvement in the Child Poverty Action Group demonstrates the understanding that the issue is wider that just Children’s Services and a willingness to work together to tackle it.

WHY IS CHILD POVERTY IMPORTANT?

There is significant research that demonstrates that a child’s cognitive, physical and social development can be adversely affected by growing up in poverty. This means that:

  • Children are more likely to have low aspirations
  • Children are less likely to succeed at school
  • Children are more likely to suffer poor health
  • Children are more likely to offend
  • Children are less likely to access a range of cultural and leisure activities
  • Children are more likely to be taken into care
  • Children are less likely to secure a good job as an adult

Poverty is one of the most important forces underpinning poor social, education and economic outcomes for children and tackling it will be a key contributor to narrowing the outcome gap between all Southend children and the most vulnerable.

The context of the current economic downturn means that reducing child poverty is more important than ever. At such times the poorest often get poorer. This creates an even stronger imperative to do more to help those families already living in poverty, as well as preventing other families from falling into poverty.

WHAT IS CHILD POVERTY?

There are a number of definitions of poverty but the most helpful overarching definition is:

“A child in poverty lives in a family with resources that are far lower than the average, with the result that that they don’t fully participate in society.”

DWP Child Poverty Strategy 2007

Similarly there are a number of ways of measuring poverty. The National Indicator (NI 116) defines child poverty as:

‘The proportion of children (aged 0-15) who live in families where out of work benefits are received’

However this alone would not capture the children living in families where ‘in work’ poverty is the problem. Therefore in order to get a fuller picture the following measure can be used in addition to the national indicator outlined above:

Relative low income – this measures whether the poorest families are keeping up with growth of incomes in the economy as a whole. This indicator measures the number of children living in households below 60% of contemporary median equivalised household income.

Both in work poverty and poverty among benefit claiming families are important. National research has shown that:

68% of children are at risk of poverty if both parents don’t work

18% of children are at risk of poverty if one parent works

3% of children are at risk of poverty if both parents work

STRATEGIC APPROACH

The first Child Poverty Strategy identified six key strategic aims based on national research, and learning from the three Beacon Local Authorities for tackling child poverty, Cornwall, Tower Hamlets and Newcastle and the research undertaken by the Centre for Excellence in Outcomes.

The first of these, setting the baseline for Southend in 2009/10, is no longer relevant. The Child Poverty Need s Assessment provides a clear picture of the current situation in Southend.

The Child Poverty Act 2010 introduced a requirement for local authorities to produce a local child poverty needs assessment. The 2011/12 refresh of the Southend Children and Young People’s Plan contains this needs assessment.

In updating this strategy, the Child Poverty Action Group have taken into account the needs assessment as well as reviewing the delivery of the 2010/11 action plan. The other 5 key strategic aims remain relevant and appropriate. The changing economic climate has meant that poverty is becoming a bigger and more relevant issue for a wider number of families. Anecdotal feedback from front line services working with vulnerable families indicates that some of the choices families are making around their finances are having a negative impact on their circumstances. For example entering into expensive door step loans and retail credit agreements without fully understanding the ongoing costs or implications. As such a new sixth key strategic aim of awareness raising and education has been included to ensure families and professionals are aware of and understand the range of community resources, support services and agencies available to help them make the best choices in managing their finances.

Our key strategic aims for action are:

  • Maximising income in and out of work
  • Removing barriers to work
  • Ensuring the provision of affordable housing
  • Mitigating the impact of poverty
  • Breaking the cycle of poverty
  • Awareness raising & education

An action plan detailing the various strands of activity is currently being drafted and will be monitored by the Child Poverty Action Group with termly updates to the Success for All Children Group.

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Success for All Children Group