Northern Ireland Assembly Flax Flower Logo

Session 2007/2008

Second Report

COMMITTEE FOR THE OFFICE OF THE FIRST MINISTER AND DEPUTY FIRST MINISTER

Interim Report on the
Committee’s Inquiry into Child
Poverty in Northern Ireland

TOGETHER WITH THE MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS OF THE COMMITTEE RELATING TO THE REPORT, WRITTEN SUbMISSIONS, MEMORANDA AND THE MINUTES OF EVIDENCE

Ordered by The Committee for the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to be printed 19 December 2007

Report: 07/07/08R (The Committee for the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister)

PUBLISHED BY AUTHORITY OF THE NORTHERN IRELAND ASSEMBLY BELFAST: THE STATIONERY OFFICE £20.00

Membership and Powers

Powers

The Committee for the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister is a Statutory Committee established in accordance with paragraphs 8 and 9 of the Belfast Agreement, Section 29 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 and under Assembly Standing Order 46. The Committee has a scrutiny, policy development and consultation role with respect to the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister and has a role in the initiation of legislation.

The Committee has power to:

Membership

The Committee has 11 members, including a Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson, and a quorum of five members.

The membership of the Committee is as follows:

Table of Contents

Section

1. Introduction

2. Consideration of Evidence

3. Conclusions

Appendices

1. Minutes of Proceedings

2. Request for Written Submissions

3. List of Written Submissions

4. Written Submissions

5. Research Paper Comparing Child Poverty Levels in Northern Ireland with Other Regions

6. Extract from the Public Service Agreement Framework

Introduction

Inquiry Terms of Reference

1. At its meeting of 4 July 2007, the Committee for the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister agreed to conduct an inquiry into child poverty. The terms of reference for the inquiry were agreed at the Committee meeting on 3 October 2007.

Terms of Reference for the Child Poverty Inquiry

The Committee will examine the current strategic approach to tackling child poverty in Northern Ireland.

Specifically the Committee will:

2. The inquiry was formally launched on 17 October 2007. Advertisements requesting submissions by 16 November 2007 were placed in the local newspapers on 22 October 2007. In addition, the Committee agreed to write directly to a number of interest groups to request submissions on each of the matters included within the terms of reference of the inquiry. A copy of this letter is attached at Appendix 2 to this report. The Committee Chairperson also wrote to the chairpersons of other statutory committees in order to obtain the views of government departments and committees.

3. On 17 October 2007, the Committee agreed to produce an interim report on its inquiry for the purpose of influencing the draft Programme for Government, Budget and Investment Strategy for Northern Ireland.

4. The focus of the interim report is on two key issues:

5. The interim report takes account of the written submissions received by the Committee, which are included at appendix 4 to the report. In addition, the report takes account of the Assembly Research Paper comparing child poverty in Northern Ireland with other regions. This paper was considered by the Committee at its meeting on 14 November 2007 and is included at appendix 5 to this report.

6. The interim report reflects the Committee’s initial consideration of the evidence presented to it and, although it does not offer definitive answers, the report seeks to highlight to the Assembly and the Executive some of the key issues that need to be taken into account when finalising the Programme for Government, Budget and Investment Strategy.

7. In the new year, the Committee will seek to develop detailed recommendations on how child poverty in Northern Ireland can be tacked effectively for inclusion in its final report. To inform its recommendations, the Committee will consider oral evidence from key stakeholders, as well as further research on potential solutions. In addition, the Committee is committed to hearing directly from children and young people on the impact of poverty and what they think should be done to tackle it.

Consideration of Evidence

Measurement of Child Poverty

8. In their submission to the Committee, the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) advises that the main vehicle for measuring child poverty in Northern Ireland is the Family Resource Survey (FRS) and the related publication, Households Below Average Income Series (HBAI) Northern Ireland.

9. OFMDFM has used data from the survey to calculate levels of child poverty in Northern Ireland in recent years. The level of child poverty is determined by setting a household income threshold below which a household is considered to be living in poverty. This is set at 60% of median income and is adjusted to take account of family size. That is to say, a child in a family with an income which is less than 60% of the median household income (adjusted for family size) is considered to be in poverty.

10. There are, however, two different approaches to measuring what is known as relative income poverty. It can be assessed either before housing costs are taken into account or after housing costs are taken into account. The Committee does not propose to discuss the relative strengths and weaknesses of these two approaches in this report.However, based on the evidence presented to the Committee in the Assembly Research Paper comparing child poverty in Northern Ireland with other regions, and in submissions from key stakeholders, it is clear that if valid assessments of progress in tackling child poverty are to be made, information on poverty levels both before and after housing costs should continue to be made available.

11. It is worth noting that the Department of Work and Pensions in England has recommended that in addition to measuring relative income poverty, absolute low income should also be measured to assess whether the income of the poorest families is rising. It also recommends that a combined measure of low-income and material deprivation should be developed to provide a wider measure of people’s living standards.

12.The Committee welcomes the approach advocated by the Department of Work and Pensions and recommends that it be adopted by OFMDFM. The Committee is particularly anxious that early action is taken to establish a baseline and system of measurement for the new target established by the Executive in relation to severe child poverty.

Child Poverty in Northern Ireland

13 Data on relative income poverty in Northern Ireland has only been available since 2002/2003. However, the target in the Programme for Government (PfG) 2008-2011 is to reduce the levels of child poverty by 50%, based on 1998/1999 baselines. OFMDFM has, therefore, had to model child poverty levels in Northern Ireland for 1998/1999. Table 1 sets out the estimated level of child poverty in Northern Ireland in 1998/1999 along with the actual level of relative income child poverty before housing costs for 2002/2003 to 2005/2006, as reported in the HBAI.

Table 1: Relative income child poverty before housing costs

Year Relative income poverty rate for children (%) 95% confidence interval1 Number of children living in poor households
1998/99
29
Not applicable
135,000
2002/03
25
+/-4.2%
108,000
2003/04
26
+/-4.3%
112,000
2004/05
25
+/-4.1%
107,000
2005/06
25
+/-4.3%
108,000

Source: OFMDFM, DSD HBAI NI.

14. The level of child poverty in 1998/1999 was estimated as being 135,000 children or 29% of the children living in Northern Ireland. This fell to 108,000 or 25% in 2002/2003 and has remained largely the same in recent years.

15. The Assembly Research Paper presented to the Committee compared levels of child poverty in Northern Ireland with those in other parts of the UK, as measured before housing costs are taken into account and after housing costs are taken into account. Table 2 indicates that when calculated before housing costs are taken into account, the levels of child poverty in Northern Ireland are higher than in England, Scotland and Wales.

Table 2: Number and % of children in poverty by UK nation and English regions, presented as 3 year running average (2003/04-2005/06), before housing costs.

Nation/Region Risk of poverty (%) Numbers
England
22
2,376,000
North East
28
140,000
North West
24
360,000
Yorkshire and the Humber
25
275,000
East Midlands
23
207,000
West Midlands
26
312,000
Eastern
16
192,000
London
26
416,000
Inner London
35
175,000
Outer London
21
210,000
South East
13
221,000
South West
17
170,000
Scotland
22
220,000
Wales
24
144,000
Northern Ireland
25
100,000

Source: HBAI 1994/95-2005/06

16. However, Table 3 indicates that levels of relative income child poverty in Northern Ireland, if calculated after housing costs are taken into account, are lower than in England, but higher than in Scotland and Wales.[1]

Table 3: Number and % of children in poverty by UK nation and English regions, presented as 3 year running average (2003/04-2005/06), after housing costs.

Nation/Region Risk of poverty (%) Numbers
England
29
3,132,000
North East
32
160,000
North West
31
465,000
Yorkshire and the Humber
30
330,000
East Midlands
27
243,000
West Midlands
32
384,000
Eastern
24
288,000
London
41
656,000
Inner London
51
255,000
Outer London
35
350,000
South East
22
374,000
South West
26
260,000
Scotland
25
250,000
Wales
28
168,000
Northern Ireland
27
108,000

Source: HBAI 1994/95-2005/06

17. In their submission to the Committee, Save the Children argue that, “The After Housing Costs Measure does not provide an appropriate comparison with GB, as the housing costs in NI have (in the past) tended to be lower than GB, while most other costs have been higher, including food, fuel, childcare and clothing.”

18. The Assembly Research Paper also compares poverty levels across Europe, using the only comparable measure available (the EU 60% median income measure before housing costs). The paper reports the difficulty of comparing child poverty across different regions, but nevertheless concludes that, “it would appear that the level of child poverty in Northern Ireland is above that in Great Britain and in the Republic of Ireland and well above the EU average.”

Severe Child Poverty

19. The Committee is very concerned at the level of severe child poverty in Northern Ireland. It is estimated that 44,000 or around 10% of children in Northern Ireland are living in severe child poverty. The Committee is also concerned that, according to research by Save the Children, reported in a number of the submissions received by the Committee, “despite hundreds of thousands of children being lifted out of poverty in GB over recent years, there was little change in the number of children experiencing severe child poverty.”

20. The Committee therefore welcomes the Executive’s commitment in the Programme for Government to work towards the elimination of severe child poverty and calls on OFMDFM to ensure that adequate resources are available to properly measure and assess progress towards this target.

Regional Differences in Levels of Child Poverty

21. The Committee was struck by the significant regional differences in levels of child poverty, as highlighted by Save the Children in its presentation to the Committee (Figure 1) and as detailed in the research paper to the Committee (Figure 2).

Figure I: Child poverty rate by parliamentary constituency (HBAI 2004-5)

report map

Figure 2: Percent of children living in household below 60% of median income by Local Government District (based on average of latest three years of data, with some LGDs combined due to small numbers)

Report Chart

22. The Committee recommends that OFMDFM and the Executive should carefully consider this analysis when developing its approach to tackling child poverty in Northern Ireland and in planning future investments and should ensure that the Executive’s strategies and plans take proper account of objective need.

23. The Committee also recognises the importance of identifying and tackling smaller areas of deprivation, which are often masked by more affluent surrounding districts.

The Response of the Draft Programme for Government, Budget and Investment Strategy to Child Poverty

Programme for Government Targets on Child Poverty

24. The number one priority for the Executive as detailed in PfG is Growing a Dynamic, Innovative Economy. However, PfG also states that, “Sustainable economic growth and increased prosperity will provide the opportunities and means to enhance quality of life, reduce poverty and disadvantage, increase wealth, health and wellbeing and build stronger, more sustainable and empowered communities.”

25. The second of the five priorities within PfG, Promoting Tolerance, Inclusion and Health and Well-Being, is directly relevant to the issue of child poverty. Indeed one of the key goals established under this priority is to reduce child poverty by 50% by 2010 and eradicate it by 2020.

26. This goal is further developed in the Public Service Agreements (PSAs) published alongside the Programme for Government. In particular, objective 1 of PSA 7 on Making Peoples Lives Better, which is attached at appendix 6 to this report, sets out the targets and actions designed to “take forward action to provide for measurable reductions in the levels of poverty and particularly child poverty.”

27. The principal targets set out in PSA 7, Objective 1 are to:

28. There is undoubtedly widespread support among the organisations that have made submissions to the Committee for the inclusion of these targets in the Programme for Government, though there is also a consensus that these targets are ambitious. Based on the data supplied by OFMDFM, achievement of the target to lift 67,000 children out of poverty by 2010 will require another 41,000 to be lifted out of poverty in about 3 years. By comparison, it is estimated that only around 27,000 children were lifted of poverty in the previous seven years.

29.Although the targets on child poverty within PfG and PSA 7 are ambitious the Committee considers that they should be retained.

30.To enable proper measurement and monitoring, the Committee recommends that either the phrase “work towards” should be removed from the PSA target on the elimination of severe child poverty or a specific target for the number of children to be removed from severe poverty by 2010 should be added.

31. The Committee shares the concerns of a number of the organisations that responded to the Committee on the lack of detail within PfG and the PSAs as to how the 2010 and 2012 targets are to be delivered. The targets present a particular challenge as a number of the levers available to government to tackle poverty, such as the tax and benefits system, are difficult for the Executive to influence.

32. Obviously, much of the detail on how child poverty in Northern Ireland is to be reduced will be included in the forthcoming anti-poverty strategy. Nevertheless, if resources and actions are to be skewed by departments towards tackling child poverty, PfG and PSAs should provide clear direction as to how departments intend to deliver on this.

33. A supporting target is included in PSA 7 on increasing the % of children receiving child maintenance. In addition, reference is made to actions and targets within other PSAs that are considered to be supportive of the objective on tackling child poverty, namely: “PSA 8 - deliver improvements to promote healthy lifestyles and achieve measurable reductions in health inequalities and preventable illness”, and “PSA 10 – reduce the gaps in educational outcomes by addressing the needs of disadvantaged and vulnerable children and young people.”

34. These targets are to be welcomed and if achieved will go some way to delivering the overall child poverty targets. It is the view of stakeholders that achievement of these targets alone will not be enough to remove 41,000 children out of poverty by 2010 and 44,000 out of severe poverty by 2012.

35.The Committee considers that as a first step the Executive should set out more clearly which aspects of PSA 8 and PSA 10 are expected to contribute to child poverty. In addition, given the strong evidence supporting the importance of accessible, affordable childcare in helping people into work, there would seem to be a justification for more specific short and medium-term targets on the expansion of affordable childcare and targeted interventions, such as Sure Start.

36.As an immediate step, the Committee recommends that the actions within PSA 7 be assigned specific target dates. Most importantly, a target date should be established for the agreement of a new anti-poverty strategy. The Committee also wishes to see a target date included for the establishment of a Ministerial Forum to drive delivery of that strategy.

37. In line with submissions from organisations such as Advice NI and the Citizens Advice Bureau,the Committee would also support the inclusion of further measures on benefit uptake and to improve the benefits process, including the establishment of more effective arrangements for influencing and holding to account UK-wide agencies with responsibility for benefits/tax-credits.

38. A number of organisations have made reference to the research commissioned by the Commissioner for Children and Young People on expenditure on Children’s Services in Northern Ireland. The Committee has not as yet had an opportunity to examine this research in detail. Nevertheless, the Committee would ask the Executive to consider carefully the findings of this research and to examine the case for increasing expenditure on children’s personal social services in Northern Ireland.

39. The Committee considers that there is an opportunity within the proposed delivery plans, to be published alongside the Programme for Government, to more clearly identify other targets and planned actions that the Executive expects to contribute to tackling child poverty. Submissions have identified that there are, for example, clear links between measures to increase employment, enhance the quality and pay of new jobs created as a result of inward investment, and to improve skills, and tackling poverty. There are also direct links with PSA 6 on Children and Young People. However, no action should be identified as contributing to child poverty within the delivery plan unless there is clear evidence that the measure proposed will positively impact on those groups at high risk of poverty.

40. A specific example of a proposal that should be reflected in the delivery plan as contributing to the battle against child poverty is that by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, which is outlined in the draft budget, “for a complementary raft of rural development anti-poverty measures aimed at capacity building in rural areas and targeted specifically at children, childcare and communities.”

41. Reference should also be made to the action in PSA 3 stating that, “Invest NI will consider projects that will bring specific benefits to areas of disadvantage.”

42. Crucially, as commented on by the Committee for Agriculture and Rural Development and the Committee for Enterprise, Trade and Investment in their responses to the Committee for the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister on the Programme for Government, such commitments need to be supported with SMART targets and actions that are deliverable in the short to medium-term.

43.The Committee recognises the importance of minimising the impact of rates and water charges on those on low-income. The Committee, therefore, calls on the Executive to ensure that the design of the affordability tariff for water charges and the systems being established to provide rates relief, take account of the targets for the reduction of child poverty.

Delivery Across Government

44. A number of stakeholders have suggested that there should be a central fund to provide resources for policies and programmes that demonstrate best practice in tackling child poverty. There does not seem to be any evidence in PfG or the draft Budget that such an approach is being planned by OFMDFM. In the draft Budget OFMDFM was allocated an additional £0.1 million per year to tackle poverty, but this is to be used to support the work of OFMDFM in championing the strategy.

45. The Committee is not in a position at this stage to offer firm views on the value of a central child poverty fund. However, in the absence of such a fund, the comments by stakeholders and by this Committee, in its response to the First Minister and deputy First Minister on the Programme for Government, in relation to the need for a robust system for measuring and assessing the contribution of each department to child poverty, are even more important.

46. In its response to the First Minister and deputy First Minister on the Programme for Government, the Committee recommends that, within the Programme for Government and Investment Strategy, and in forthcoming delivery and investment plans, further information should be provided on how the contribution of individual departments towards the cross-cutting themes of a better future and sustainability are to be assessed. The Committee also recommends that the forthcoming delivery and investment plans include a shortlist of the principal/high impact changes that each department plans to make over the next three years to contribute to the achievement of targets established by the Executive on a better future and sustainability.The shortlist of key changes planned by departments on the theme of a better future should include the principal measures to be undertaken to help reduce child poverty.

47.The Committee recommends that OFMDFM should have a role in assessing and challenging delivery plans to ensure the robustness of departmental targets and actions designed to contribute to the achievement of the cross-cutting themes of a better future, including measures which are highlighted as contributing to reductions in child poverty.

Investment Strategy

48. A number of the organisations that made submissions to the Committee recognise the important role that the Investment Strategy can play in helping to tackle child poverty. In particular, there would seem to be almost universal support for investment to deliver a major increase in the availability of affordable housing in Northern Ireland. This is seen as being a very important component of any medium to long-term strategy to tackle child poverty.

49.The Committee is very concerned at the increasing impact on low-income families of the shortfall that exists between housing benefit and the rents being charged in the private rented sector.

50. Organisations such as Dungannon Borough Council and Derry Children’s Commission have pointed out the regional variations in child poverty. The Committee considers that the Investment Strategy has an important role in delivering infrastructure improvements that will support efforts to tackle deprivation.

51. In its response to the First Minister and deputy First Minister on the Programme for Government and Investment Strategy, the Committee noted the absence of information on the geographic spread of new capital investments within the draft Investment Strategy.However, the Committee understands that additional information on the regional impact of investments will be published alongside the Investment Strategy and will expect to see evidence that the Investment Strategy is taking proper account of objective need.

Conclusions

52. The Committee for the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister agreed to undertake this inquiry because of Members’ concerns about the level, intensity and impact of child poverty. The evidence considered by the Committee in developing this interim report has confirmed the Committee’s initial concerns and highlighted the need for early action by OFMDFM and the Executive.

53. There can be little doubt that having more than 100,000 children living in poverty and 44,000 children living in severe poverty is unacceptable in the 21st Century. The Committee, therefore, welcomes the Executive’s commitment in the Programme for Government, and in the accompanying Public Service Agreements, to work towards eliminating child poverty by 2020, including lifting 67,000 children out of poverty by 2010, and to work towards the elimination of severe child poverty by 2012.

54. The Committee is, however, concerned that insufficient information is available within the Programme for Government, Budget and the accompanying Public Service Agreements on how these very challenging targets are to be delivered and calls on OFMDFM to ensure that more detailed information, including specific timescales for the delivery of relevant actions, are included in the Programme for Government and the forthcoming investment and delivery plans.

55. The Committee is unable at this stage to provide detailed recommendations to the Executive on what specific measures should be taken to deliver the child poverty targets. However, the submissions received by the Committee include a range of practical proposals for tackling child poverty in Northern Ireland.The Committee urges the First Minister and deputy First Minister, and the Executive, to examine the submissions included in this report and to use these recommendations to strengthen the short to medium-term targets and actions on tackling child poverty within the Programme for Government, Investment Strategy, Public Service Agreements and Delivery Plans.

Appendix 1

Minutes of Proceedings

Wednesday 20 June 2007
Senate Chamber, Parliament Buildings

Present: Danny Kennedy (Chairperson)
Naomi Long (Deputy Chairperson)
Martina Anderson
Tom Elliott
Dolores Kelly
Barry McElduff
Francie Molloy
Stephen Moutray
Jim Shannon
Jimmy Spratt
Jim Wells

In Attendance: Debbie Pritchard (Deputy Clerk)
Damien Martin (Assembly Clerk)
Joe Sloan (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Antonia Hoskins (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Lynda Mulholland (Clerical Supervisor)
Marion Johnson (Clerical Officer)

The meeting opened at 2.02 pm in Public Session

1. Apologies

None.

Mr Wells left the meeting at 3.23 pm

10. Any other business

The Chairperson briefed the Committee on his meeting with representatives of Save the Children and suggested that the Committee may wish to consider the suggestion that the Committee inquire into child poverty during discussion of its priorities at next week’s meeting.

The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 3.52 pm

[EXTRACT]

Wednesday 4 July 2007
Room 144, Parliament Buildings

Present: Danny Kennedy (Chairperson)
Martina Anderson
Tom Elliott
Dolores Kelly
Barry McElduff
Francie Molloy
Stephen Moutray
Jim Shannon
Jimmy Spratt
Jim Wells

In Attendance: Damien Martin (Assembly Clerk)
Joe Sloan (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Antonia Hoskins (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Lynda Mulholland (Clerical Supervisor)
Marion Johnson (Clerical Officer)
Eileen Regan (Senior Researcher)

The meeting opened at 2.03 pm in Public Session.

1. Apologies

Naomi Long

Mr Elliott left the meeting at 3.32 pm

7. Forward Work Plan

The Committee agreed to conduct an inquiry into child poverty and the Clerk was asked to develop draft terms of reference for consideration by the Committee after recess.

The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 4.20 pm

[EXTRACT]

Wednesday 19 September 2007
Room 144, Parliament Buildings

Present: Danny Kennedy (Chairperson)
Naomi Long (Deputy Chairperson)
Tom Elliott
Francie Molloy
Jim Shannon
Jimmy Spratt

In Attendance: Christine Darrah (Assembly Clerk)
Antonia Hoskins (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Lynda Mulholland (Clerical Supervisor)
Marion Johnson (Clerical Officer)
Eileen Regan (Senior Assembly Researcher)

The meeting opened at 2.04 pm in public session.

1. Apologies

Dolores Kelly, Stephen Moutray, Barry McElduff, Martina Anderson.

Mr Elliott left the meeting at 2.30 pm

10. Correspondence

The Chairperson also asked Members to consider holding some committee meetings outside Parliament Buildings as part of the proposed inquiry into child poverty.

The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 4.10 pm

[EXTRACT]

Wednesday 3 October 2007
Room 144, Parliament Buildings

Present: Danny Kennedy (Chairperson)
Naomi Long (Deputy Chairperson)
Tom Elliott
Dolores Kelly
Barry McElduff
Stephen Moutray
Jim Shannon
Jimmy Spratt
Jim Wells

In Attendance: Christine Darrah (Assembly Clerk)
Antonia Hoskins (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Carla Campbell (Clerical Supervisor)
Marion Johnson (Clerical Officer)
Fiona O’Connell (Researcher)

The meeting opened at 2.05 pm in public session.

1. Apologies

Francie Molloy, Martina Anderson.

5. Committee Inquiry into Child Poverty

The Committee considered and agreed the terms of reference for its inquiry into Child Poverty; Members also discussed the timescale for completion of the work and agreed that an interim report should be produced to inform final Programme for Government and budgetary consultations.

The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 4.04 pm

[EXTRACT]

Wednesday 10 October 2007
Room 144, Parliament Buildings

Present: Danny Kennedy (Chairperson)
Naomi Long (Deputy Chairperson)
Martina Anderson
Tom Elliott
Dolores Kelly
Barry McElduff
Francie Molloy
Stephen Moutray
Jim Shannon
Jimmy Spratt
Jim Wells

In Attendance: Christine Darrah (Assembly Clerk)
Antonia Hoskins (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
David Douglas (Clerical Supervisor)
Marion Johnson (Clerical Officer

The meeting opened at 2.02 pm in public session.

1. Apologies

None

5. Matters arising

Child Poverty Inquiry

The Committee was advised that advertisements would be placed in the newspapers in the near future inviting written submissions in relation to the Child Poverty Inquiry and that a detailed work schedule for the Inquiry would be tabled at next week’s meeting. Members agreed to request further information on the current status of the Lifetimes Opportunity Strategy.

The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 4.35 pm

[EXTRACT]

Wednesday 17 October 2007
Room 144, Parliament Buildings

Present: Danny Kennedy (Chairperson)
Naomi Long (Deputy Chairperson)
Martina Anderson
Tom Elliott
Barry McElduff
Jim Shannon
Jimmy Spratt

In Attendance: Christine Darrah (Assembly Clerk)
Antonia Hoskins (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Lynda Mulholland (Clerical Supervisor)
Marion Johnson (Clerical Officer)
Lynn Gray (Clerical Officer)

The meeting opened at 2.02 pm in public session.

1. Apologies

Dolores Kelly, Stephen Moutray, Jim Wells.

5. Child Poverty Inquiry Forward Work Programme

The Committee discussed and agreed the work schedule for the Child Poverty Inquiry which aimed to deliver an interim report by 14 December 2007 and to complete the inquiry by early March 2008. The Committee agreed a press release announcing the launch of the inquiry.

The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 4.40 pm

[EXTRACT]

Wednesday 24 October 2007
University Of Ulster, Magee Campus

Present: Danny Kennedy (Chairperson)
Martina Anderson
Tom Elliott
Dolores Kelly
Barry McElduff
Jim Shannon
Jim Wells

In Attendance: Christine Darrah (Assembly Clerk)
Antonia Hoskins (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Joe Sloan (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Lynda Mulholland (Clerical Supervisor)
Marion Johnson (Clerical Officer)

The meeting opened at 2.00 pm in public session.

1. Apologies

Naomi Long, Francie Molloy, Stephen Moutray, Jimmy Spratt.

4. Matters arising

Child Poverty Inquiry

The Committee agreed the list of organisations to which the Clerk would write inviting a written submission in relation to the inquiry into child poverty with the addition of St Vincent de Paul and the Salvation Army.

5. Evidence Session in relation to the Child Poverty Inquiry with Save the Children

Officials from Save the Children joined the meeting at 2.22 pm

Representatives from Save the Children Mrs Tennant and Mrs Monteith gave oral evidence to the Committee in relation to child poverty inquiry. Key issues covered included the extent of the problem, the impact, the current strategy and actions, relevant experience elsewhere and proposals for further actions. This was followed by an informative question and answer session.

Hansard recorded the evidence session for publication in due course.

Mr McElduff left the meeting at 2.50 pm

Officials from Save the Children left the meeting at 3.16 pm

The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 3.55 pm

[EXTRACT]

Wednesday 14 November 2007
Room 144, Parliament Buildings

Present: Danny Kennedy (Chairperson)
Dolores Kelly
Francie Molloy
Stephen Moutray
Jim Shannon
Jim Wells

In Attendance: Christine Darrah (Assembly Clerk)
Damien Martin (Assembly Clerk)
Antonia Hoskins (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Joe Sloan (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Lynda Mulholland (Clerical Supervisor)
Marion Johnson (Clerical Officer)

The meeting opened at 2.03 pm in public session.

1. Apologies

Martina Anderson, Tom Elliott , Naomi Long , Barry McElduff, Jimmy Spratt.

Mrs Kelly left the meeting at 3.03 pm

8. Child Poverty Inquiry

The Committee considered a research paper on Child Poverty and requested additional information in relation to the impact of including housing costs when calculating child poverty in Northern Ireland.

The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 4.07 pm

[EXTRACT]

Wednesday 28 November 2007
Room 144, Parliament Buildings

Present: Danny Kennedy (Chairperson)
Naomi Long (Deputy Chairperson)
Martina Anderson
Tom Elliott
Dolores Kelly
Barry McElduff
Francie Molloy
Stephen Moutray
Jim Shannon
Jimmy Spratt

In Attendance: Damien Martin (Assembly Clerk)
Antonia Hoskins (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Joe Sloan (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Lynda Mulholland (Clerical Supervisor)

The meeting opened at 2.05 pm in public session.

1. Apologies

Jim Wells.

5. Child Poverty Inquiry

The Committee considered proposals for taking forward its Inquiry and the development of its interim report before the Programme for Government / Budget / ISNI consultation period ends. The Committee agreed to schedule an additional meeting in week commencing 17 December to make final consideration and agree publication of its interim report.

The Committee agreed that the written responses received to date should be included in the draft interim report.

The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 4.17 pm

[EXTRACT]

Wednesday 05 December 2007
Room 144, Parliament Buildings

Present: Naomi Long (Deputy Chairperson)
Martina Anderson
Barry McElduff
Francie Molloy
Stephen Moutray
Jim Shannon

In Attendance: Christine Darrah (Assembly Clerk)
Antonia Hoskins (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Keith McBride (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Lynda Mulholland (Clerical Supervisor)
Marion Johnson (Clerical Assistant)

The meeting opened at 2.05 pm in public session.

1. Apologies

Tom Elliott, Danny Kennedy, Jimmy Spratt, Jim Wells.

7. Child Poverty Inquiry

A Senior Assembly Researcher briefed the Committee on measuring levels of poverty both before and after housing costs and answered Members’ questions.

The Deputy Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 3.50 pm

[EXTRACT]

Wednesday 12 December 2007
Room 144, Parliament Buildings

Present: Danny Kennedy (Chairperson)
Naomi Long (Deputy Chairperson)
Martina Anderson
Dolores Kelly
Barry McElduff
Stephen Moutray
Jim Shannon

In Attendance: Damien Martin (Assembly Clerk)
Antonia Hoskins (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Keith McBride (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Lynda Mulholland (Clerical Supervisor)
Marion Johnson (Clerical Assistant)

The meeting opened at 2.03 pm in public session.

1. Apologies

Jimmy Spratt, Jim Wells.

8. Child Poverty Inquiry

The Committee considered and agreed the framework for the Interim report on Child Poverty. Members agreed to publish the report in early January.

The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 3.58 pm

[EXTRACT]

Wednesday 19 December 2007
Room 144, Parliament Buildings
Unapproved Minutes of Proceedings

Present: Danny Kennedy (Chairperson)
Martina Anderson
Tom Elliott
Dolores Kelly
Stephen Moutray
Jim Shannon
Jim Wells

In Attendance: Damien Martin (Assembly Clerk)
Antonia Hoskins (Assistant Assembly Clerk)
Lynda Mulholland (Clerical Supervisor)
Marion Johnson (Clerical Assistant)

The meeting opened at 2.04 pm in closed session.

1. Apologies

Naomi Long, Barry McElduff, Francie Molloy, Jimmy Spratt

2. Child Poverty Inquiry

The Committee considered and agreed the draft interim report on Child Poverty.

Paragraphs 1-7, read and agreed

Paragraphs 8-51, read and agreed

Paragraphs 52-55, read and agreed

The Committee agreed that the following papers should be appended to the Committee’s report:

Minutes of Proceedings

Request for written submissions

List of written submissions

Written submissions

Research paper comparing child poverty levels in Northern Ireland with other regions

Extract from the Public Service Agreement

The Committee agreed to launch the report in early January.

The Committee ordered the report to be printed.

The Chairperson adjourned the meeting at 3.42 pm

[EXTRACT]

Appendix 2

Request for
Written Submissions

NIA Logo

Committee for the Office of the First Minister
and Deputy First Minister

Room 404
Parliament Buildings
Stormont
Belfast
BT4 3XX

Tel: (028) 9052 1903
Fax: (028) 9052 1083
Committee.ofmdfm@niassembly.gov.uk
Date: 1 November 2007

Dear Sir/Madam

Committee Inquiry into Child Poverty

The Committee for the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister has agreed to carry out an Inquiry into Child Poverty and I write on behalf of the Committee to invite you to submit written evidence on the issue.

The Terms of Reference for the Inquiry are as follows:

The Committee will examine the current strategic approach to tackling child poverty in Northern Ireland.

Specifically the Committee will:

I should be grateful if you would submit memoranda (guideline length 2000 words) in MS Word format by e-mail to:

Committee.ofmdfm@niassembly.gov.uk together with a single additional hard copy by post, addressed to me.

Submissions should be structured to reflect each element of the Terms of Reference and should arrive by16 November 2007. Written evidence submitted to the Committee should be kept confidential until published by the Committee.

Should you require any further clarification please do not hesitate to contact me on (028) 90521629.

Yours faithfully

Christine Darrah
Committee Clerk

Enc

Appendix 3

List of Written Submissions

List of Written Submissions
Received by 14 December 2007

Advice NI

Barnardo’s

Belfast Health Action Zone

Belfast Health and Social Care Trust

Children in Northern Ireland

Children’s Law Centre

Citizens Advice in Northern Ireland

Committee for Regional Development

Committee for Social Development

Council for Catholic Maintained Schools

Craigavon Borough Council

Department of Agriculture, and Rural Development

Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure

Department for Employment and Learning

Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment

Department of the Environment

Department of Finance and Personnel

Derry Children’s Commission

Derry City Council

Disability Action

Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council

Eastern Health and Social Services Board

Equality Commission for Northern Ireland

Institute of Public Health in Ireland

Lisburn City Council

NCH Northern Ireland

Newtownabbey Borough Council

North Eastern Education and Library Board

Northern Ireland Anti-Poverty Network

Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People

Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action

Northern Neighbourhoods Health Action Zone

Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister

PlayBoard

Rural Community Network

Save the Children

Shelter Northern Ireland

Southern Health and Social Services Board

Voluntary Sector Housing Policy Forum

Western Area Childcare Partnership

Western Health and Social Services Board

Appendix 4

Written Submissions
to the Committee

Written Submission by:
Advice NI

Background

1. Advice NI is a membership organisation that exists to provide leadership, representation and support for independent advice organisations to facilitate the delivery of high quality, sustainable advice services. Advice NI exists to provide its members with the capacity and tools to ensure effective advice services delivery. This includes: advice and information management systems, funding and planning, quality assurance support, NVQs in advice and guidance, social policy co-ordination and ICT development.

2. Membership of Advice NI is normally for organisations that provide significant advice and information services to the public. Advice NI has over 70 member organisations operating throughout Northern Ireland and providing information and advocacy services to over 150,000 people each year dealing with over 237,000 enquiries on an extensive range of matters including: social security, housing, debt, consumer and employment issues. For further information, please visit www.adviceni.net.

3. In relation to child poverty statistics Advice NI would refer to the information produced specifically for Northern Ireland by specialist organisations such as Save the Children[2]. Advice NI members do contribute to the alleviation of child poverty on a daily basis and this response is grounded this work.

Summary

4. There is always a balance to be struck between encouraging families in receipt of social security benefit to move into paid employment and providing adequate support for families while they are in receipt of benefits.

5. In our view the Government has taken a predominantly ‘work focused’ approach, concentrating primarily on ‘making work pay’ and using employment as the principal means of tackling child poverty. However, in taking this approach, there is a concern that families on benefits are being left behind. In the body of this response we have identified some areas where effective action could be taken to address this situation.

6. In general terms, just as Government would urge those on benefits not to have a phobia about working, Advice NI believes that Government itself should not have a phobia about seeking to improve the quality of life for those people and children reliant on benefits.

7. There is also a concern that child poverty remains an issue for the ‘waged poor’, with a particular focus being those in low paid employment. The significant problems being experienced by low income families regarding the administration of tax credits has served to push many families into overpayment situations and hardship through no fault of their own. Advice NI also believes that the rate at which the National Minimum Wage has been set has not lifted working families out of poverty and has contributed to people becoming reliant on a poorly administered tax credits system.

Comments – Support for families on benefit

8. Focussing on families in receipt of social security benefits, there are a number of areas which could be addressed which would impact directly on child poverty.

9. Benefit uptake is obviously an area that requires ongoing attention. The fact that uptake of means tested benefits remains worryingly low means that many families on benefits are actually existing on income which is below the poverty line. Benefit uptake is highlighted within the Programme for Government and Advice NI believes that this is an area where local initiatives can be devised and delivered to maximum effect. Advice NI believes that benefit uptake programmes which depend on the advice sector for delivery must be undertaken at a rate of remuneration which means that the service is deliverable and sustainable over the longer term.

10. In much the same way as winter fuel payments have gone some way to addressing the issue of fuel poverty among older people, there is an opportunity to directly impact upon child poverty by providing financial support at critical times of need. The Social Fund Maternity Grant is an example of this but we feel that this principle could be extended to cover other key life events involving children. Advice NI would advocate the extension of this support to in-work ‘waged poor’ households.

11. Obviously children should be adequately fed and clothed as a minimum requirement. Spending on food can be budgeted on a weekly basis but it is often more difficult for families on benefit to budget for clothing for their children. Clothing can be a substantial expense (particularly in this age of designer labels) and assistance towards the cost of clothing for children would be welcome. There are various options for how this might be implemented including (i) allowance becomes automatically available for all children whose parents are in receipt of the appropriate benefits; (ii) allowance becomes available for children over the age of five years of age whose parents are in receipt of the appropriate benefits; (iii) reduced allowance for younger children to take account of possibility of some clothing being passed from one child to another.

12. The list of exclusions for which a Community Care Grant application can be made, should in our view be reviewed, with a view to allowing access for assistance with educational need. At the very least there needs to be co-ordination between the educational authorities and Social Fund in order that sufficient resources are available for the poorest children in order that they can meet basic educational requirements for example in terms of a school uniform.

13. Advice NI has already engaged with the educational authorities in Northern Ireland regarding the take-up of both school uniform grants and free school meals for school age children. Advice NI advocates that free school meals should be available to all children –mindful that this approach would guarantee that all children receive an adequate diet; remove any stigma regarding means testing of school meals provision and maximise take-up.

14. The function of Budgeting Loans should be reviewed. Budgeting Loans can be offered to applicants and, as opposed to Community Care Grants, these Loans require repayment via deductions from benefit. These deductions further reduce the families already restricted income, therefore any family repaying a Budgeting Loan fall below the minimum standard set by government, namely the Income Support level. Whilst these Loans do provide financial support at zero per cent interest, the deductions can have a significant impact on the budget of these low income families.

15. The amounts awarded by the Social Fund should be reviewed. Where these amounts are insufficient to meet the full costs of the item in question, applicants can be forced to seek money from other sources to meet their needs particularly at key times of the year including Christmas and birthdays. Due to problems accessing credit, these can be disreputable sources such as money lenders, who can charge excessive interest.

16. The issue of lone parents aged 16 – 18 in receipt of Income Support requires attention in our view. The personal allowance for the claimant is reduced by up to £23.50. A similar situation exists for couples where one or both are aged under 18. In our view the allowance should be comparable to that of lone parents aged over 18 / couples aged over 18. Any differentiation is bound to impact upon the child/ren, particularly considering the amounts of money involved.

17. This issue is in relation to young parents, and surely such young people should be given as much support as possible, and not penalised for having children.

18. Benefits sanctions, for example failure to carry out a job seeker’s direction, impacts upon the whole family and again there needs to be a balance between ‘encouraging’ people to move into employment and ensuring that these people are adequately supported while on benefit. Previous Advice NI Social Policy Papers (‘New Deal for Disabled People’; ‘The Contributory Principle – On the Agenda or in the Firing Line’ and ‘Welfare Reform: Challenges, Choices and International Insight’ available on www.adviceni.net) indicate that the focus may be too heavily weighted in favour of moving people off benefits rather than firstly ensuring that people are adequately provided for on benefit. In our Welfare Reform paper we highlighted the plight of so-called floundering families in the USA:

“Welfare reform was successful because the US economy was good and because in-work supports – child care and health insurance – helped make work pay. With the downturn in the economy, problems with the US approach were highlighted as being the difficulty for welfare recipients to secure continuous employment (often a focus on ‘take the first job’ and not the ‘best job match’). There was also a very significant issue related to ‘floundering families’ – with a significant increase in single mother households without work and without access to welfare (number has almost doubled since 1990).”

19. We would argue that often the issue is not as straight forward as moving people into employment. There needs to be an acceptance that some people will need further assistance and support to gain the skills necessary to move into employment and that there should be a ‘job match’ between the job and the potential employee.

Comments – Support for working families on low incomes

20. The introduction of tax credits for working families has not been without significant problems and has pushed many families into debt and hardship due to creating overpayment situations. Advice NI has facilitated an online eConsultation on the issue of tax credits (http://www.adviceni.net/econsultation/default.asp ) and produced a report with a number of recommendations to improve the situation. Whilst improvements have been made, there remains a significant amount of work to be done. In terms of families living in Northern Ireland, Advice NI believes that there should be local contact points within HMRC in order to resolve any problems that arise for tax credit claimants.

21. From a Northern Ireland perspective, Advice NI would summarise the ongoing tax credit issues as follows:

22. Obviously the impact of making work pay would have a greater impact with a higher National Minimum Wage and such a step would not only make work more attractive, but might also directly reduce Government spending by reducing spending on tax credits, Housing Benefit and could indirectly reduce social security spending by making work a more attractive option.

23. In relation to child poverty, a move into paid employment can have a positive impact. However, where there are children in the household, the issue of affordable childcare provision is obviously important. It might be argued that where one partner is working the other partner could look after the children but this may not necessarily be possible: (i) in lone parent situations; (ii) the other partner may wish to move into employment; (iii) Government policy is now focussing on moving both benefit claimants and their partners into employment. The provision of affordable childcare is obviously an area where local initiatives could be developed – which could directly impact on the child poverty issue.

24. Linked to the childcare issue, there may be a real opportunity for individuals to set themselves up as childcare providers – from a ‘start your own business’ perspective. With this in mind, there should be a review of the process for registering childcare providers. A more straightforward process might have the two-fold impact of (i) increasing childcare provision and (ii) being a business opportunity for families on benefit.

Child Support Agency reforms

25. In relation to child maintenance, the introduction of the proposed Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission (C-MEC) may provide the opportunity for children to become the focus of attention. In the past the issue of child maintenance was viewed with scepticism by both parents-with-care and non-resident parents. Parents-with-care on benefits saw their benefits reduce when they pursued child maintenance leading them to believe that the Government was only interested in reducing benefit expenditure rather than supporting children in any meaningful way. The new arrangements may address this issue but as yet there is no detail as regards any proposed maintenance disregard.

26. The issue of C-MEC delivery mechanisms raises issues similar to those around the centralisation of the tax credit system. Advice NI believes that local delivery mechanisms in terms of information provision, collection and debt recovery may maximise the effectiveness of the proposed Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.

27. As a general point in terms of consultation, Advice NI would ask OFMDFM to consider using the tried and tested Advice NI eConsultation service. Clients who have used the service to date include the Department for Social Development (Advice & Information strategy), Department for Social Development (Housing Affordability), the Consumer Council (Bank Charges) and the Oireachtas (Joint Committee on Communications, Marine & Natural Resources). The benefits of the service include:

Further information on the Advice NI eConsultation service can be found at http://www.adviceni.net/econsultation/default.asp .

15 November 2007

Written Submission by:
Barnardo’s NI

Introduction

Barnardo’s NI is the largest children’s charity in Northern Ireland. In addition to policy influencing, we also provide over 45 distinct services in NI, last year working with a substantial number of children and their families in communities across Northern Ireland. We work with disabled children, young people who are at risk of offending, children in care and families in need of support.

Barnardo’s vision is that the lives of all children and young people should be free from poverty, abuse and discrimination. We therefore welcome the opportunity to contribute to the Committee for the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister’s Inquiry into Child Poverty.

1.0 The extent, intensity and impact of child poverty in Northern Ireland

While we recognise the need for further evidence in relation to the persistence of poverty in Northern Ireland, the extent and impact of child poverty throughout the UK have been well documented within a broad range of statistical and research publications[3]. Government must improve practices of producing and maintaining up-to-date data, however the considerable research activity in recent years has aimed to address the general lack of statistics and other data on child poverty in Northern Ireland. Therefore, rather than reiterate much of this information of which the Committee is no doubt aware, it is Barnardo’s intention for the purposes of the current inquiry to focus on three key areas in which we believe child poverty should be tackled more effectively and where there is a significant impact on children and young people.

1.1 Early Years

The disparity in educational attainment throughout primary and secondary schooling between children and young people with more affluent status compared to those from poorer backgrounds has been clearly demonstrated in research carried out by the Department of Education[4]. However this educational disadvantage is also apparent from an early age in that pre-school children with a lower economic status have less cognitive and behavioural abilities[5] than pre-school children from higher socio-economic backgrounds[6].

Considering the links between poor education and unemployment with poverty, Barnardos believes that in order to effectively address social inequality it is vital that government supports families and agencies working with pre-school children by demonstrating an increased commitment to early years intervention. This is even more important given that social and emotional skills learned between birth and the age of five years affects subsequent performance in both the school and workplace[7].

Furthermore, the key finding from brain research is that the brain is uniquely constructed to benefit from experience and from positive care giving during the first years of life[8]. Significantly, the brain develops earlier than the rest of the body;

By age three the brain has formed 1,000 trillion connections; about twice as many as adults have.

Early experience determines how the neural circuits in the brain are connected. (Bertenthal and Campos, 1987) and children who are played with, spoken to and allowed to explore stimulating surroundings are more likely to develop improved neural connections which aid later learning (Kurr-Morse and Wiley, 1997)[9]. These recent findings from brain research emphasise how crucial the first five years of life are. In this time neural pathways are formed and disposition toward learning is established. French and Murphy (2005) comment:

' Sylva (1993) having reviewed the evidence about the impact of early learning on children’s later development, concluded that the impact of early education is found in all social groups but is strongest in children from disadvantaged backgrounds’[10].

It is therefore Barnardo’s view that rather than waiting for children to reach school age, it is essential that, from birth, children receive the best possible start in life. Indeed by investing financial resources in programs for very young children, including interventions such as the Perry Preschool program, research suggests that society benefits in the long term through an increase in skilled workers, and a reduction in crime, violent activity and poverty[11]. The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study, for example, published its research spanning 40 years in November 2004 in which the measured benefits of the programme are highly significant[12]. This long term study shows the effects of a high quality early years care and education programme with children and their parents on low income three and four year old children. At age 40, adults who had participated in the High/Scope programme were shown to have higher earnings, be more likely to stay in employment, have higher academic achievement and to have committed fewer crimes than those in the non-programme group. Although schools and teachers are important, early and ongoing engagement with parents is the key to successful interventions and subsequent changes in society[13].

Government must also consider the important role of play for children’s social, emotional and physical development, especially in their very early years. Through our many services, Barnardos continually provides play opportunities and promotes the value of play in many areas, for example in early years settings, a range of parent education and parent support services including parents from minority ethnic backgrounds, parents in prison and school aged and other young mothers, and for children with disabilities and complex health care needs. Unfortunately, current play and leisure provision for children and young people in Northern Ireland is generally inadequate and often inaccessible, particularly for children experiencing poverty[14].

Good Practice

At Barnardos, we know that young children learn from direct experience. In order to affect change for children we need to support parents in the parenting role. It is important, however, that alongside working with parents, every effort is made to ensure young children do not lose out on positive experiences at this crucial stage in their development. Barnardo’s Northern Ireland has been providing services to the youngest and most disadvantaged members of our society for over thirty years. These services provide a wide range of experiences for young children.

High/Scope Approach

Throughout all early years work in Barnardo’s Northern Ireland the High/Scope Approach discussed above in relation to Early Years is implemented. Using this Approach ensures positive outcomes for children both in the short and long term. In addition to parents, High/Scope provides valuable training for early years teachers, pre-school practitioners, Sure Start projects, those working with under-threes, foster carers, and childminders.

Barnardo’s believes that the High/Scope approach is a valuable tool in helping combat poverty and promoting social inclusion in the most disadvantaged communities of Northern Ireland and would recommend its implementation on a broader scale. The following two examples give an indication of the current range of early years work in Barnardo’s Northern Ireland and we would warmly welcome Committee representatives to visit these and any of our other services.

Travellers Pre –school

Barnardo’s NI has long acknowledged the particular difficulties experienced by the Traveller community, including poor living conditions, inadequate housing, long term unemployment, poor health and poor educational attainment. We have provided an early years service to the Traveller community in Belfast since 1990 of which the main aim of the Traveller’s Pre-School is to promote the inclusion and integration of Traveller children into mainstream education. As a formal recognition of the high quality service being delivered to children and their families within the Traveller community, Traveller’s Pre-School has recently achieved High/Scope Accreditation from the High/Scope Ireland Institute, the first early years service in Barnardos NI to receive this award.

Parent & Infant Project (PIP)

The PIP model was built on key evidence about childhood development that linked factors such as the early development of language, development of social and personal skills and infant mental health. The overall aims of the service are to enable young children to achieve their potential according to their abilities and develop socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually; and to establish an environment where parents will be facilitated in recognising and meeting the needs of their children. With a central ethos of early intervention, the main objectives of this outreach based project are to promote and support very early learning in children aged 0-3 years; to offer parent support and education; to help parents to recognise and meet the needs of their children; to increase parents’ confidence in their own knowledge; and to improve the self esteem of the adult and child through enabling and valuing the proficiency of both.

1.2 Disability

In Northern Ireland, 21% of adults have at least one disability and 6% of children are affected by a disability, of which almost 4% are living with two or more disabilities[15]. Current poverty statistics, which underestimate levels of poverty in households affected by disability, indicate that over a million children living in poverty in the UK are affected by disability while a quarter of all poor children have a disabled parent[16].

There is evidence to suggest that families affected by a disability, whether of a parent or child, are at greater than average risk of persistent poverty. Research shows that disabled children and their families in the UK experience particularly high levels of economic and social disadvantage[17]. It is estimated in the region of 55% of families with a disabled child are either living at or on the margins of poverty and have more chance of living in poverty than other disadvantaged social groups, including lone parent families[18]. The risk of poverty is especially high for the half a million children who live in households that contain both disabled adults and disabled children[19].

Incomes in households with disabled children are likely to be low because these families experience considerable additional costs, face multiple barriers to employment, and problems accessing disability benefits. For example, although the cost of bringing up a disabled child is three times as much as for a non-disabled child, parents in such families are less likely to work and when they do they are more likely to be in low-paid employment. Inaccessible services and poor service provision for families affected by disability compounds problems on a daily basis, and generates high levels of stress and ill-health[20]. The situation is often particularly serious in families affected by disability if it is also a lone parent household and/or there are three or more children.

These are all issues which need to be urgently addressed, especially considering the impacts on child poverty in Northern Ireland which has the highest levels of households with disabled people in the UK. Better administrative processes and increased take up of disability living allowance has been identified as just one measure to improve the lives of disabled children and help reduce child poverty[21]. If the Government wants to ensure that targets to eradicate child poverty are met then it is essential in Barnardo’s view that in addition to greater access to preventative and support services, more must be done to ensure that disabled children and those caring for them receive the disability benefits to which they are entitled. It is also essential that parents who so often act as full-time carers for their disabled children receive appropriate support that enables them to access well-paid and permanent employment.

Disabled children themselves face significant barriers to education, training and employment without the necessary preventative and support services. Recent research on education and employment amongst disabled young people found that despite similar aspirations, the experience of disabled and non-disabled young people diverged sharply in early adulthood[22]. Analysis of the data from studies of children born in 1970 and in the early 1980s revealed that three-fifths of non-disabled young people got the education or training place or job they wanted after finishing compulsory education, whereas just over half of disabled youngsters said the same. As they got older the gap between the proportion of disabled and non-disabled young people out of work widened:

Recommendations arising from this research include a focus on transforming the actual opportunities available to disabled young people, for example, through ensuring continuity of support (including funding, equipment and personnel), especially in the transition from secondary to further education; opportunities to return to education, focusing on acquiring higher qualifications, not just basic skills; and work placements related to each young person’s expressed interests.

1.3 Employment and Learning

Young people making the transition from education to employment now face many more challenges and obstacles than ever before mainly as a result of changes in traditional family structures and a rapidly changing labour market. Those young people who do not stay on at school or in further education or training have fewer opportunities than in previous years.

The term ‘NEET’ is now used to describe young people aged between 16 and 18 (inclusive) who are not in education, employment or training, however Barnardo’s discusses this issue as being relevant to young people aged between 16 and 21 years of age. Many of the characteristics associated with poverty are also associated with young people referred to as NEET. These typically include poor educational attainment, persistent truancy, teenage pregnancy, use of drugs and alcohol, looked after children, disability, mental health issues and crime and anti-social behaviour[23]. The proportion of NEETS has increased from 154,000 in 1997 to 206,000 in 2006[24]. In England, 7% of all 16 year olds are NEET, rising to 11% of 16 year olds from the lowest social groups, 13% amongst those with a disability, 22% amongst those excluded from school, 32% among persistent truants and 74% amongst teenage mothers[25]. In 2005, 6.3% of 16-24 year olds in Northern Ireland were classified as being unemployed, however the percentage of young people classified as NEET is estimated as being twice as high[26].

Barnardo’s believes that the massive potential amongst young people who are NEETS is in danger of being overlooked if those responsible for the education and welfare system do not address what is becoming an increasing issue of concern. The Westminster government has recently revealed plans to raise the school leaving age to 18, although there is no immediate intention to introduce this in Northern Ireland. While we can see the obvious benefits in ensuring education, training or apprenticeship for many NEETS, this will only work in practice if it is actually meeting each individual’s need and that other mechanisms are also put in place for those young people that actually want to, or cannot afford not to, go out to work at 16. For various reasons, not all young people within this age group are able to live in a stable and secure family environment and we would have concerns about the poverty implications if they were unable to enter formal employment until the age of eighteen.

Having NEET status not only impacts on young people’s life chances but from a public policy perspective there are also a range of social and financial implications. Young people who are NEET are at risk of poverty and social inclusion but it has also been suggested that being NEET,

'..may also perpetuate a worklessness culture that can be passed onto future generations of young people and result in NEET status being reinforced in families and communities across generations’[27].

It is therefore crucial that effective strategies are in place in Northern Ireland to ensure young people are in appropriate employment or learning. This age group should also be given priority in the ‘Lifetime Opportunities’ Anti-poverty Strategy, with a very specific focus on targeting those aged between 16-21 years.

As highlighted in the Strategy, employment for people of working age is the best route out of poverty. However, given the high levels of low pay in Northern Ireland alongside the lack of affordable housing, childcare and fuel for heating, it is also important to consider that an increasing number of people experience ‘in-work’ poverty. This is of particular relevance in relation to younger people aged between 16 and 21 years old who are more likely to earn less and for whom the minimum wage is lower than for adults. While we welcome the minimum wage in principle, Barnardo’s believes that this must be regularly reviewed and increased in order to ensure income protection for young people. In our view, it is discriminatory to pay younger people between 16 and 21 years lower wages for doing the same job as someone older, simply on the basis of age. Research has also highlighted the inadequate level of welfare benefits for young people and accessible information in relation to these, and also the need for more effective training of frontline benefits staff[28].

2.0 Consider the approach taken when formulating the current strategy including the extent of the engagement with key stakeholders

Barnardos does not wish to comment other than to welcome the fact that following a fairly lengthy process, the current strategy has been developed into a much more child focused document. However, we have outlined our main ongoing concerns and recommendations throughout this paper.

3.0 Assess whether the existing strategy is capable of delivering the key targets for 2010 and 2020

While Barnardos welcomes the commitment in the Strategy to eliminate poverty, we are concerned that in its current format it will be unable to deliver the key targets within the specified timeframes, and that the targets themselves are limited in their scope. The absence of targets that are generally not Strategic, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant and Timely (SMART) is a notable gap.

We would refer you, for example, to the three areas we outlined at Point 1 in relation to Early Years, Disability and Employment/Learning, which we believe need to be given greater priority within the Strategy if the main target of ending child poverty by 2020 is to be a realistic one.

(1) EARLY YEARS – For example, we suggest that targets and indicators are reworked to include emphasis on universal access to high-quality, creative and innovative early years programmes and pre-school provision; and to include early and ongoing engagement with parents; positive parenting etc.

(2) DISABILITY - With regards to our previous points on disability, we suggest for example, the development of targets and indicators that address welfare benefits access, service provision and the widening gaps between disabled and non-disabled young people’s participation in employment as they move into early adulthood

(3) EMPLOYMENT AND LEARNING – For example, we suggest the development of targets and indicators specific to young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) and aged between 16 and 21 years of age; also to include preventative and support structures - potential young people NEET identified before they leave school; regular review of attendance, behaviour and attainment; monitoring of ‘at-risk’ pupils, for example, looked after children; extended schools activities; counselling and home support services; family learning and parent contact work; use of specialist outreach teams; use of social work and youth and community work staff.

4.0 Examine whether the implementation mechanisms, resources and monitoring arrangements currently in place are adequate to ensure delivery of the key actions/ targets.

Also with reference to our previous points, we have some concerns in relation to the practical and effective implementation of the Strategy. Without appropriately developed targets, action plans or agreed financial resources it is difficult at this stage to assess the adequacy of the implementation mechanisms, resources and monitoring arrangements.

5.0 Identify and analyse relevant experience elsewhere in terms of policy interventions and programmes

Considering that the UK figured seventh from the bottom of a league table comparing child poverty across 26 wealthy nations[29], Barnardo’s would strongly recommend that cognisance is paid to the experiences of other nations, including their child poverty national strategies, social policies and other interventions[30].

We also suggest continued monitoring and awareness of how child poverty is being tackled by the Welsh and Scottish governments. Finally, it would be useful to keep appraised of ongoing research in the relevant areas, some of which is cited in the footnotes of this paper, with particular attention paid to findings and recommendations on ‘What Works’ and areas of ‘Good Practice’.

6.0 Consider what further actions could be taken to tackle child poverty with particular focus on those that would be deliverable by the devolved administration.

There are clearly many other areas where action to tackle child poverty is required both outside and inter-related to those that we have chosen to discuss here. We enclose for your information our recent child poverty briefing, ‘It doesn’t happen here: the reality of child poverty in Northern Ireland’, which provides a concise overview of the issues and a number of key recommendations for action by the Northern Ireland Executive.

Concluding Comments

Barnardos welcomes the chance to contribute to the OFMDFM Committee inquiry into child poverty. We would also like to take this opportunity to extend a formal invitation to Committee representatives to visit Barnardo’s services, particularly those relevant to our work in Early Years.

20 November 2007

Written Submission by:
Belfast Health Action Zone

Background

The Belfast Health Action Zone (HAZ) is a partnership of public, private, voluntary and community sector organisations working together to tackle inequalities in health and broader social exclusion. The HAZ functions by:

The HAZ experience

The HAZ focuses on a broad social model of health based on the twin pillars of partnership and participation. Whilst the title is ‘Health’ Action Zone the practice has been to take an inclusive approach to addressing areas of need. HAZ has sought to focus efforts on issues or settings of greatest need where collaboration can bring greatest benefit (development pathways). Each of these work programmes or ‘development pathways’ is led by a different partner within the HAZ Partnership but engages a wide range of other organisations in the process. Examples relevant to Child Poverty include:

Five Major Challenges

HAZ experience suggests that there is still much work to be done to effectively tackle inequalities in health and that the health and wellbeing of those who are most disadvantaged in Belfast is characterised by five common features:

Accordingly it is suggested that concerted action is required with commonly agreed goals for the next ten years so we might work toward:

1.Aspiration: Children in disadvantaged areas of Belfast can be shown to exceed their expectations of educational achievement in spite of disadvantage; and, communities’ aspirations can be shown to be more positive.

2.Poverty: A measure of relative poverty is adopted and used to set targets to ensure that people in disadvantaged areas of Belfast can be shown to suffer no greater disadvantage than across Northern Ireland as a whole.

3.Achievement: An increase in the number of school leavers with qualifications in all disadvantaged areas of Belfast can be demonstrated, to equal the average for Northern Ireland as a whole.

4.Safety: Fear of crime can be shown to be significantly reduced.

5.Good Relations: Greater respect and tolerance can be demonstrated within and between communities taking account of the changing nature of the population and including ethnic minority groupings.

Each of these goals will need clear targets. It is recognised that targets can be somewhat narrow and that these measures need to be supplemented by other broader indicators. Shorter-term milestones and indicators for each of these challenges need to be developed and agreed over the coming period.

HAZ suggests that if progress is made in each of these areas there will be considerable improvement in health and wellbeing and a reduction in the wider inequalities gap including poverty.

How will this be achieved?

The experience of HAZ has pointed to the centrality of employment, educational achievement, health and wellbeing and community engagement. It is proposed that work should continue to:

HAZ would also strongly suggest to the Committee that agreed goals to which all Government Departments and their agents are committed to delivering is probably the single most important action that Government could consider.

HAZ recent analysis of need has pointed to the centrality of education as a means of impacting on poverty (copy attached for your ease of reference).

What would improvement look like?

Clearly much work is already underway, however it is also true that we could accelerate effective practice. Improving the impact of resources, money and people could be further demonstrated in a number of areas.

One of the major problems in addressing inequalities is engaging those people who are hardest to reach, often also those in greatest need. Strategies for community empowerment have helped give a voice to local communities that feel threatened, vulnerable or disadvantaged and this capacity building should continue to be supported.

Neighbourhood Renewal and Strategic Neighbourhood Action Planning (SNAP) offer a key approach not just to listen to local people but to engage and build up detailed profiles of local needs and aspirations. These initiatives could be drawn together to become more effective.

The idea of One Stop Shops can be expanded. Models such as the new Health and Wellbeing Centres which link health and social services with library and leisure services could be enhanced to embrace housing, educational support, welfare rights advice, access to specialist services and so forth. In the future, planning any new public facility could consider multiple users rather than sectoral interests e.g. schools could also incorporate community access to leisure services and health services.

A radical shift in how services are developed and delivered as part of a truly integrated process could be expanded so that:

Achieving these aspirations will also require a re-think on how Government departments operate and coordinate with each other as well as a requirement on all agencies to link their working practices and processes with each other.

Although confidence in Belfast is growing and there is an increase in small and medium sized businesses, the economic underpinning that is required to tackle disadvantage is still a long way from being in place.

Although there may be an improving economic climate in the city it is not impacting on those who are suffering the greatest disadvantage. The key to tackling economic change may be a combination of aspiration and education so that citizens can take advantage of the opportunities available in the future.

There is a need to develop coordinated approaches for communities and, in particular, families experiencing difficulty. For example, some people face multiple problems such as lack of education and life skills, low self esteem, disjointed personal relationships, lack of opportunity, lack of information and have been affected by the long-term impact of the ‘troubles’. Comprehensive, locally based holistic strategies taking all of these issues into account offer a more effective means of support.

Possible Priorities for Next Phase HAZ Work

A number of priorities are currently under consideration which will build on existing work and will include:

Children and Young People

1. Use schools and communities as settings for development of new services and approaches together with the community and other partners.

2. Strengthen the development of integrated services for children and young people with the lessons examined for relevance to other issues.

Communities and Neighbourhoods

1. Develop an integrated approach to meeting the needs of ethnic minority groups including Travellers.

2. Expand and develop Neighbourhood approaches to local planning and development working closely with local communities.

3. Develop new approaches to families or communities at particular risk, building on the integrated services for children and young people initiative.

4. Seek to build community relations by working with communities and partner organisations to advance joint understanding and practice at local level.

Thematic Approaches

1. Adopt a coordinated approach to thematic areas of work such as mental health (including suicide prevention), sexual health and wellbeing, and drugs and alcohol.

2. Support efforts to develop a coordinated approach to community safety and fear of crime.

Employment & Employability

1. Enhance opportunities for public service providers to address employability through increased access to employment schemes.

There is now a comprehensive consultation process underway to engage in debate about the final shape of any future priorities for the HAZ.

A way forward

We believe that there has never been a more appropriate time to address the challenge of inequality in Belfast - including the challenge of poverty. Reform of the public sector and local government, together with new local political governance, presents an unparalleled opportunity when all of the key players, embarking on a change process, can embrace a radical new approach. Leadership will be central at such an exciting time.

Belfast is a great city - it can be an even better place to live. It has marvellous natural resources of which the greatest is its people. HAZ has had nine years of experience of practice in this endeavour. Some of this has been successful, but a great deal is still to be done. Child poverty, like inequality is a complex issue with multiple contributing factors. The answer lies in a holistic, joined up approach with agreed targets across Government monitoring to chart progress over time, a clear accountability mechanism, and integrated delivery of programmes on the ground.

23 November 2007

Health Action Zone Council Members

Belfast City Council

Mr Richard Black OBE

Independent Chairperson

Belfast City Council

Ms Marie Therese McGivern

Director of Development

Belfast City Council

Ms Suzanne Wylie

Head of Environmental Health

Belfast Education & Library Board

Mr David Cargo

Chief Executive

Belfast Health & Social Care Trust

Mr William McKee CBE

Chief Executive

Belfast Metropolitan College

Ms Joanne Jones

Principal Lecturer

Belfast Metropolitan College

Mr Brian Turtle

Director

Belfast Regeneration Office

Ms Elaine Wilkinson

Director

Business in the Community

Mr John McGregor

Director

Council for Catholic Maintained Schools

Mr Jim Clarke

Deputy Chief Executive

Department for Employment and Learning

Ms Harriet Ferguson

Regional Manager, Belfast Area

Department for Social Development

Mr Declan McGeown

Director, North Belfast Community Action Unit

East Belfast Partnership

Ms Maggie Andrews

Partnership Manager

EHSSB/ Health & Social Care Authority

Ms Anne Lynch

Director of Planning

Greater Shankill Partnership

Mr Jackie Redpath

Chief Executive

North Belfast Partnership Board

Mr Murdo Murray

Chief Executive

Northern Ireland Housing Executive

Ms Mary McDonnell

Housing & Health Coordinator

Probation Board for Northern Ireland

Mr Andrew Rooke

Assistant Chief Officer

Queen’s University, Belfast

Dr Mike Morrissey

Researcher

Social Security Agency

Mr Mervyn Adair

Director of Operations

South Belfast Partnership Board

Ms Anne McAleese

Chief Executive

University of Ulster

Vacant

Vacant

West Belfast Partnership Board

Mr Noel Rooney

Chief Executive

Written Submission by:
Belfast Health and Social Care Trust

Children’s Social Services

Relative poverty is associated with lack of choice and opportunity. Children in households which experience persistent or intermittent episodes of relative poverty face substantial barriers to a realisation of their potential in both social and economic terms.

This is particularly evidenced in the fields of education and health. As a consequence of their material disadvantage, children face major potential. All the key educational indicators evidence the link between relative poverty and poor outcomes.

As a result, an intergenerational disinvestment in the value of education is woven into the value-base of individual families and given expression in a cultural marginalizing of educational achievement across communities.

While Children from poor families do achieve educationally, their numbers relative to more affluent sectors of the population are significantly small.

Education in this context incorporates both academic and non-academic attainments. The hierarchical infrastructure underpinning selection has critically impacted upon the status of vocational education. Children from poor families are doubly disadvantaged. Their potential is not realised within an educational framework which promotes academic excellence and undervalues vocational skills.

As society becomes increasingly individualised and success calibrated in terms of material measures, the cycle of advantage and status is reinforced.

For poor children ambition is subsidiary to need. Children internalise the importance of pragmatism and shape their horizons within parameters which are constrained by the imperatives of little money. Within communities in which the relatively poor merge with more affluent neighbours and in which corporate values and experiences are no longer shared, poor children experience the realities of difference and attendant detachment.

The sense of failure experienced by cohorts of children in relative poverty merges with disengagement and marginalisation for those without sufficient resilience or whose individual family circumstances compound a predisposing vulnerability.

In those communities which are universally disadvantaged their perception of exclusion is confirmed in structural deprivation which contributes to immobilising apathy, fatalism and powerlessness.

The links between dysfunctional parenting and relative poverty are complex and not transparent. While relative poverty compounds individual disadvantage and undermines coping resources and resilience, there is no absolute connectivity.

Relatively poor parents are neither dysfunctional nor inadequate. They have ambition and hopes for their children but are unable to provide financial supports or to access the informal social and employment networks which provide mediating pathways and opportunities for more affluent families.

Poor children are neither deviant nor failing. Their circumstances in many instances inhibit their potential and ambition.

Relative poverty erodes choice, inhibits capacity for innovation and initiative undermines resilience and compromises personal responsibility and accountability.

Services to support those in relative poverty need to promote user involvement, resilience, esteem self-worth, personal responsibility, empowerment and choice. They should be targeted while non-stigmatising, encouraging education and training and maximising community and informal networks.

Maternity Services

The Royal Jubilee (RJMS) and Mater Maternity Services are part of the Belfast HSC Trust. The RJMS provides tertiary referral obstetric, gynaecology and neonatal services for the population of Northern Ireland and, with the Mater Maternity Unit, a full range of services for the local population of Belfast including a fully integrated maternity service. We welcome the opportunity to contribute to this consultation process.

For the majority of women in Northern Ireland pregnancy and childbirth are normal life events. The impact of poverty however on women during their pregnancy is well documented with the associated detrimental impact on outcomes for both the mother and baby. The incidence of teenage pregnancy is higher in this group. Women living in disadvantaged or minority groups are less likely to access maternity services early, or maintain contact throughout their pregnancies and subsequently this impacts on the ability of the service to respond to their needs. This may be further complicated by the raising numbers of families moving to Northern Ireland from other countries e.g. Eastern Europeans, with a limited command of the English language and a poor knowledge of how to access services.

The health of the mother herself may have been adversely affected during her own life, from conception through to adulthood. Poor housing, poor diet, increased incidence of smoking, drugs and alcohol abuse all contribute to increase in premature labour, and higher than average perinatal and infant mortality rates. Increasing numbers of women accessing services are known to social services. Domestic violence and disruptive relationships are also linked to the spiral of poverty. Mental health problems are often manifested during pregnancy or following birth.

The levels of breastfeeding among women from socially disadvantaged groups are lower. The outcomes for their own and their children’s health are worse than for the population as a whole.

Midwives, doctors and other professionals working in maternity services have to consider and plan for the effects these problems may have on the woman’s ability to care for her baby. A Multidisciplinary team approach, during the antenatal and postnatal periods is essential to provide basic care and support for the mother and family. Accurate and prompt communication is a key factor in the provision of maternity services with emphasis on the needs of the vulnerable and disadvantaged women with a clearly documented care plan, which should be developed with the woman.

Several of the maternity units in Northern Ireland have established Maternity Services Liaison Committees (MSLCs) where service commissioners, providers and users work together to plan a comprehensive range of services that will meet the needs of women in their area. These partnerships include other organisations and voluntary groups including for example, Sure Start, Women’s Aid, Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities (NICEM), Tiny Life, National Childbirth Trust, the Stillbirth & Neonatal Death Society (SANDS), the Twins and Multiple Birth Association (TAMBA), the Miscarriage Association, the Association for the Improvement in Maternity Services (AIMS) and others. It is only through ensuring there is real multi agency working that the risks can be mitigated.

Children with Disability

The Bamford Review clearly highlights and illustrates the correlation between social deprivation and the prevalence of mental health difficulties. People with mental health problems consistently identify personal finances as a major source of difficulty and distress. Amongst the issues highlighted are the impact of poverty and social exclusion on mental health and well being and the ways in which stigma, discrimination and the impairments experienced by people including children and young people with mental health problems impact on access to and management of personal finances.

The Review also highlights that those living on incomes below the average wage are twice as likely to develop mental illness as those on average or higher incomes. Surveys of adults and children with mental health problems confirm that the majority of individuals live in households with low incomes.

As Northern Ireland has a higher level of socio economic deprivation there is evidence which the Trust’s experience would confirm that the prevalence of mental health problems and disorders in children and young people is greater than in other parts of the United Kingdom. There is also clear evidence that children with a physical disability are at a significantly higher risk of developing mental health problems.

The experience of professional staff working within the Trust providing Mental Health and Disability Services to children and adolescents also endorses the evidence that such problems and disorders are clearly linked to deprivation and poverty. Such children are often exposed to a wide range of problems associated with social and educational disadvantage and experience would suggest that Looked After Children and abused children are particularly vulnerable. This is borne out by caseloads within Child & Adolescent Mental Health and Disability Services.

It is also evident that young people requiring Mental Health or Disability Services can experience varying degrees of social exclusion and often do not enjoy the same opportunities as others in relation to services such as education, training, employment and resources. This, from our experience, can perpetuate the cycle of deprivation and poverty and its consequences.

Child Health

In relation to child health it is essential we raise awareness of child poverty amongst professionals and ensure they have adequate skills to recognise signs of poverty and to signpost families to assistance. This would span all areas of acute and community child health and all professionals therein. We have an opportunity to highlight concerns about families within our daily business to ensure children reach their development potential unhindered by poverty.

We don’t only look at the health issues but the holistic issues of child development within a social context, and this is all our responsibility not social services alone .Our service group in the Belfast Trust will promote this as a core principle.

15 November 2007

Written Submission by:
Children in Northern Ireland

1. Summary

2. Introduction

2a. Children in Northern Ireland (CiNI) is the regional umbrella body for the children’s sector in Northern Ireland. CiNI represents the interests of its 114 member organisations, providing policy, information, training and participation support services to members in their direct work with and for children and young people. CiNI has recently opened up its membership to colleagues in the children’s statutory sector recognising that the best outcomes for children are increasingly achieved working in partnership with all those who are committed to improving the lives of children and young people in Northern Ireland. CiNI is a member of the Child Poverty Coalition lead by Save the Children which has recently formed to campaign for an end to child poverty in NI.

2b. CiNI welcomes this opportunity to submit written evidence to the Committee on its Inquiry into Child Poverty. We would be happy to follow up with oral evidence to the Committee. We would also be keen to facilitate and support relevant members in delivering oral evidence to the Committee.

3. General Comments

Draft Programme for Government and Draft Budget 08-11

3a. CiNI welcomes the Executive’s commitment to take action to tackle child poverty. While we note the targets set - to work towards the elimination of severe child poverty by 2012 and to work towards the elimination of poverty in Northern Ireland by 2020, including lifting 67,000 children out of poverty by 2010 - it is extremely concerning that these challenging targets are not backed by a commitment of significant resources and indeed actions and activities which can begin the process of tackling child poverty.

3b. In fact recent research evidence demonstrates quite starkly the significant level of under investment in local children and young people when compared to children and young people in neighbouring jurisdictions. The NICCY Research on Public Expenditure on Children and Young People[32] (2007) highlighted significant disparity in spend on children’s personal social services. The expenditure per child in Northern Ireland on personal social services in Northern Ireland is £287. In Scotland it is £513; in Wales £429.10; and in England it is £402.

3c. CiNI would strongly advocate that the Executive give due regard to the findings of the NICCY research when making its final budget decisions. We would welcome a formal response from the Executive on the weighting it has attributed to the research findings when making its final budget decisions. Specifically we would urge the DHSSPS to explicitly demonstrate in its final budget outcome the steps which it is taking to address the level of underspend on children’s personal social services in NI.

3d. We understand that negotiations are currently ongoing within departments on how overall budget allocations will be distributed over competing spending areas. However we are concerned that with only a short number of months left in their current funding cycle (March 2008) many vital early intervention and prevention services for children and families have not received any confirmation or reasurrance that further funding will be forthcoming post March 2008. Those services funded via the Executive Programme Children’s Fund, and the Children and Young People’s Priority Funding Package and indeed those seeking funding under the recently annouced Supporting Families Package, appear to be quite vulnerable when set against acute hospital budgets and the salary inescapables within health and social services. We believe the Executive’s commitment to tackling child poverty would be fundamentally undermined should any of these services disappear post March 2008. In fact if these services were to disappear already vulnerable families would be pushed further into poverty and left disillusioned and disenchanted by the promises made by their own local politicans. The disappearance of services would also result in the haemorrhaging of knowledge, skills and expertise from the children’s sector. CiNI would urge the Committee, in leading on this inquiry into child poverty, to act now to protect, maintain and indeed further development existing early intervention and prevention intiatives which are already showing positive indications of their contribution to tackling child poverty in NI.

3e. In light of the Executive’s commitment to ending child poverty and given that child poverty is a significant cross-cutting issue which will require all government departments to work together, CiNI believes that the Committee should urge the Junior Ministers, who have responsibility for children and young people’s issues, to lobby their Executive colleagues to set up a cross cutting ring-fenced package that would allow for the development and piloting of creative, innovative evidence based approaches to tackling child poverty. Successful approaches should then be mainstreamed across departmental baseline budgets to ensure that they will be sustained in the long-term across the lifespan of the 10 Year Strategy.

4. Terms of Reference

4a. In our written evidence CiNI does wish to reflect on the extent, intensity and impact of child poverty and also consider the approach taken to engaging with stakeholders, however in the main we have considered the further actions that could be taken to tackle child poverty with particular focus on those that would be deliverable by the devolved administration.

Child Poverty in NI

4b. CiNI would highlight the recent figures from the Households Below Average Income report 2005-6 (After Housing Costs) which indicate that 29% or 122,000 children live in poverty in NI. CiNI would also highlight Save the Children’s analysis of severe child poverty which used a mixed measure and Family Resources Survey data 2004-5 and revealed that 10% of children in NI or 44,000 children live in severe poverty.

5. Engagement with Key Stakeholders

5a. CiNI notes and agrees that the largest gap in information about child poverty is the voice of children themselves[33]. We would strongly advocate for the real and meaningful engagement of children and young people who are experiencing or have had experiences of poverty in the ongoing development, implementation, monitoring and review of strategic policy to tackle child poverty in NI. We would highlight that this is required in line with the Government’s obligations under Article 12 of the UNCRC and section 75 of the NI Act 1998.

5b. CiNI would specifically advocate that the OFMDFM Anti-Poverty Unit pro-actively engage with the OFMDFM funded Participation Network[34]. The Participation Network provides a free service to statutory agencies, local government and government departments providing training and consultancy, sign-posting and resources to support these agencies in developing their capacity to involve children and young people, including children and young people experiencing poverty, in the development of policies and services that affect them. We would highlight that the Participation Network is a vital resource in supporting and enabling Government and its agencies to effectively engage with children and young people experiencing poverty when taking forward work to advance the development and implementation of a comprehensive strategic approach to tackling child poverty.

5c. CiNI would also highlight the DE’s ongoing work to establish a NI Network for Youth. The Network, and indeed all participative structures for children and young people from local level to regional level, must be open to and inclusive of the voices of marginalised children and young people, including children and young people living in poverty.

6. Further Action on Child Poverty

High Level Strategic Action on Child Poverty

6a. CiNI would strongly advocate that the OFMDFM Junior Ministers with responsibility for children’s issues must actively ‘champion’ the government commitment to end child poverty. There is a real need for a high profile public awareness raising and education campaign to highlight the reality of child poverty in NI. This campaign must demonstrate the impact of poverty on all aspects of a child’s life at home, at school and in the community, and the impact it has on a child’s enjoyment of their rights as set forth in the UN Convention on the Rights.

6b. The Ministerial Sub-Committee for Children should be re-convened as expediently as possible and bring together all of the Executive Ministers, including the NIO Minister responsible for policing and youth justice issues, as well as immigration issues, to consider and agree on the cross-government action that is needed to meet the targets set in the draft Programme for Government.

6c. Furthermore we would advocate that the entire Executive and Assembly must give renewed impetus to implementation of 10 Year Children and Young People’s Strategy. Its implementation structures must include representation from those working with and for children, young people and families experiencing poverty. The annual Strategy Action Plan must be revised and updated in consultation with stakeholders including children and young people living in poverty.

6d. CiNI also notes that the NI government has contributed to the GB and NI consolidated 3rd and 4th periodic report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on the extent to which it has implemented the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. In its most recent Concluding Observations delivered 2002, the UN Committee, while welcoming the government commitment to end child poverty, also noted the lack of an effective and coordinated poverty eradication strategy and recommended that the government undertake all necessary measures to the “maximum extent of available resources” to accelerate the elimination of child poverty[35]. Clearly the UN Committee will question the Government on the extent to which it has implemented this recommendation and will wish to know how effective Lifetime Opportunities, the NI Anti-Poverty and Social Inclusion Strategy, has been to date and indeed what resources, action and activities have been targeted toward tackling child poverty. CiNI would strongly advocate that the Executive and Assembly give due regard to the reporting process and the UN Committee’s current and future Concluding Observations, and make a formal commitment to action the Concluding Observations, using them to inform the development of child-rights centred policies and programmes to tackle child poverty which can be jointly delivered, monitored and reviewed by all government departments.

6e. CiNI would advocate that a comprehensive strategic approach to tackling child poverty must ensure that children, young people and their families who are experiencing poverty get the additional support they need to access mainstream universal services. It must also include targeted action directed toward groups of children whose experience of marginalisation makes them particularly vulnerable to experiencing poverty.

Action on Child Care

6f. CiNI with the Women’s Support Network chairs the Early Years Strategic Alliance, a group of organisations from across the child care and women’s sectors, that have come together to promote and raise awareness around key issues of concern for children in their early years and their families. The Alliance has produced an Early Years Manifesto of key messages which it has presented to the DE to inform its development of a child rights centred Early Years Strategy. CiNI believes that if pro-actively responded to and integrated within the new Early Years Strategy these messages would make a significant contribution to an early intervention and preventative approach to tackling child poverty. A copy of the manifesto is attached with this submission of written evidence.

6g. CiNI would highlight in particular the link between child poverty levels and the absence of accessible, high quality, affordable and age appropriate childcare to meet demand across NI, preventing parents accessing and taking up education, training and employment opportunities. DHSSPS (2005) data reveals that the number of registered childminder and day care places in NI equates to 1 place for every 6.4 children under 4. All of the Assembly Committees should use their influence to ensure that a single department takes responsibility for all aspects of childcare, joining together the current responsibilities which fall across DHSSPS, DENI and DEL and also noting DARD’s development of a rural Child Care Strategy. As part of this strategic approach a regional childcare information system must be developed and implemented to ensure that parents are able to access child care that best meets the needs of their child in a timely and appropriate manner. Action is required to address the shortage of registered childminders[36] and this should be addressed through establishing a Childminder Start-Up Package, putting in place mandatory pre-registration training for prospective childminders and addressing the registration issues that are hindering the development of childminding. Equally the Executive and Assembly must support those parents, mostly mothers, who choose to stay at home to care for their children in their early years by enabling them to access appropriate home based and group based support services. Furthermore the strategy must address the absence of an appropriately resourced strategic direction for school age childcare which recognises and provides for the vital role played by voluntary school age childcare initiatives.

Action on Disability

6h. CiNI with Disability Action NI jointly chairs the Children with Disabilities Strategic Alliance. CiNI would highlight that where a family has a member with a disability the risk of poverty is higher[37]. Yet children with disabilities have failed to receive the priority focus which has been given to children with disabilities in England. The CSR process in England was informed by a Children and Young People’s policy review and an element of this included a review of disabled children’s services. Subsequently there was a very successful outcome from the CSR process with £340m ring-fenced for disabled children’s services. Under the Barnett Formula NI should receive a consequential of £11.4m for disabled children’s services. The Executive and Assembly must ensure that this money is ring-fenced for disabled children’s services when it enters the NI block. In order to determine how this money could be most effectively spent the Assembly must carry out an inquiry into disabled children’s services to determine the extent of the current gaps in provision and to ensure that monies are directed to address levels of unmet need. We know from those delivering services on the ground that there are significant gaps relating to transition services, respite and short break provision, early intervention and family support.

7. Conclusion

Finally CiNI welcomes this opportunity to provide written evidence to the Committee to inform its inquiry into Child Poverty. We look forward to engaging further with the Committee as it takes forward the inquiry process. We trust that this written evidence will be useful in informing the Committee particularly as it makes it representations to the Executive on the draft Programme for Government and Draft Budget.

16 November 2007

Written Submission by:
Children’s Law Centre

1. The Children’s Law Centre

1.1 The Children’s Law Centre is an independent charitable organisation established in September 1997 which works towards a society where all children can participate, are valued, have their rights respected and guaranteed without discrimination and every child can achieve their full potential.

1.2 We offer training and research on children’s rights, we make submissions on law, policy and practice affecting children and young people and we run an advice/ information/ representation service. We have a dedicated free phone advice line for children and young people and their parents called CHALKY and a youth advisory group called Youth@clc. Within our legal, advice and representation services we deal with a range of issues in relation to looked after children and the care system generally. We also produce a series of leaflets, written in conjunction with children and young people in youth@clc, for children and young people detailing children’s rights and the law in a number of areas, one of which is with regard to looked after children.

1.3 Our organisation is founded on the principles enshrined in The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, in particular:

1.4 From its perspective as an organisation, which works with and on behalf of some of our most vulnerable and socially excluded children and young people, both directly and indirectly, the Children’s Law Centre is grateful for the opportunity to make this submission to the Committee for the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister on the Inquiry into Child Poverty.

2. The Extent, Intensity and Impact of Child Poverty in Northern Ireland

2.1 25.2% of the population in Northern Ireland is in the 0-17 year age bracket; the proportion of children in the equivalent age group across the four jurisdictions is 21.9%.[38]

2.2 44,000 (10%) of children in NI are living in severe poverty.[39]

2.3 29% or 122,000 children in NI are living in poverty.[40] In addition, once rates and water charges are introduced, it is likely that the levels of poverty will rise considerably.

2.4 Save the Children’s report “Britain’s Poorest Children” (2005) found that, despite hundreds of thousands of children being lifted out of poverty in GB over recent years, there was little change in the number of children experiencing severe child poverty.[41]

2.5 Traveller children under 10 years experience much death rates ten times higher than other children in Northern Ireland.[42]

2.6 Infant mortality rates for children in deprived electoral wards is 23% higher than the Northern Ireland average.[43]

2.7 In 2005-06 nearly 7000 families with dependent children presented as homeless – this figure has increased 50% over the past ten years.[44]

2.8 In 2004-05 12% of children entitled to free school meals achieved no qualifications, compared to an average of 4.9%.[45]

2.9 In a recent UK-wide poll on child poverty one of the questions asked was ‘Do you think that ending child poverty should be a high priority or a low priority?’ Across the UK 70% of people said that it should be a high priority. In Northern Ireland, 92% said that child poverty should be a high priority for government[46].

2.10 The poll also showed a much higher level of debt in Northern Ireland connected to the high cost of bills during winter, with 63% expecting to go into debt (or further into debt) as opposed to a UK average of 28%.

2.11 Children born to poorer families in the north of Ireland are more likely to be smaller and to die at a higher rate than those born to better off families[47].

2.12 Children living in poverty are 15 times more likely to die as the result of a house fire, five times more likely to die in accidents and four times more likely to die before the age of 20.[48]

2.13 Suicide rates among 15-24 year olds are almost three times higher in the lowest income groups than in the other groups combined.[49]

2.14 In the north of Ireland, the fifth of the population who are most well off have a life expectancy among the best in Europe. For the poorest fifth it is closer to that in Eastern European countries.[50]

2.15 It has been estimated that about 2,000 lives could be saved each year in the north of Ireland if those living in the Council areas with the highest death rates (the poorest areas) enjoyed the same level of health as those living in the Council areas with the lowest death rates (the best-off areas)[51]

2.16 Young people aged 16 and 17 have no automatic right to social security benefits and also receive a lower level of income support and jobseekers allowance than adults over 25, regardless of the fact that they may be living independently.

2.17 Many young people in NI are in part-time employment as a result of economic necessity. Young people under 16 have no right to the minimum wage and those aged between 16 and 18 receive a lower rate of the minimum wage even though they may be living independently, working full-time and doing the same job as their older colleagues.

2.18 The Northern Ireland Childminding Association (NIMCA) has noted that “the right of families to have access to affordable, quality childcare is fundamental to Northern Ireland’s future economic prosperity, to tackling child poverty, and to achieving the best possible outcomes for all children”[52], yet a major issue currently exists in Northern Ireland in relation to access to quality, affordable and age appropriate childcare to meet demand. The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland has found evidence that affordability and availability were the main problems in relation to childcare for working parents.[53] A review of, Children First, the Northern Ireland Childcare Strategy published in 1999 found that, over the five years of the strategy, the number of childcare places increased by only 5.7%.

2.19 Despite the existence of working family tax credits,[54] many families living in poverty cannot afford childcare for their children. In 2002-2003 almost one in four children (23%) in severe poverty did not have access to an after schools’ club, compared to one in ten (10%) of all children.[55]

2.20 Poverty in Northern Ireland is considerably more concentrated than in Britain. 25 out of 566 wards (4.4%) have concentrations of child poverty in excess of 75% compared to 180 out of 10,000 wards in Britain (1.8%) with child poverty rates of 50% to 70%.[56] In the Derry City Council area two thirds of the 30 wards have child poverty rates in excess of 50% and only three have rates less than 25%.[57]

2.21 Benefit levels are too low to enable a family to rise above poverty. For example, a couple with four children dependent entirely on benefits, and claiming all of the benefits they are entitled to, survive on a weekly income of £289, which is £128 below the government’s own poverty threshold.[58]

2.22 There is a clear link between low pay and child poverty. 41% of children living in poverty are living in couple families with at least one adult in work and 6% in lone parent families with work.[59] Income levels in Northern Ireland are also lower relative to the other three jurisidictions. In 2006 median incomes for all employees in Northern Ireland were £40 per week less than in Scotland, England and Wales and mean incomes were £59 lower. This income deprivation is compounded by the higher costs of living in Northern Ireland relative to the other three jurisdictions; these costs include food, fuel, transport as well as essential goods and services such as childcare, insurance and banking.

2.23 The Young Life and Times Survey in 2006 explored the experiences and views of children and young people living in poverty. 27% of ‘not well off’ children and young people said that they were not satisfied with what they had achieved at school; those who self-described as not well off were 50% more likely to say they were bullied; many expressed concerns at the degraded state of their environment, hardly surprising given that poor children are more likely to live in areas blighted by social problems such as vandalism, drug dealing and crime generally.[60]

2.24 Research has found that severely poor children in Northern Ireland are more likely than non-poor children to be living in accommodation that has mould, damp walls and floors and rot in window frames and floors.[61]

3. Consider the approach taken when formulating the current strategy including the extent of the engagement with key stakeholders

3.1 There has been minimal involvement of children and young people experiencing poverty in developing the Strategy. OFMDFM need to address this in line with their statutory obligation under section 75 to directly consult with those who will be impacted upon by the Strategy and also in line with its obligations under Article 12 of the UNCRC which places an obligation on Government to ensure that all children have an opportunity to have their say on all matters affecting them and to have their views taken into account. Children and young people must be meaningfully involved and directly consulted with in all stages of the development of the Action Plan, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Strategy.

3.2 It is clear that addressing child poverty involves the adoption of a cross-sectoral approach which focuses on tackling every aspect of child poverty. There must be a much greater emphasis on strong co-ordination across Government Departments to ensure a ‘joined up’ approach to tackling child poverty.

4. Assess whether the existing strategy is capable of delivering the key targets for 2010 and 2020

4.1 Lifetime Opportunities needs to be properly resourced and adequate ring-fenced funding, which is not allocated through a skewing of resources, must be secured through Cross-Departmental budget allocations. While Lifetime Opportunities prioritises child poverty within the Strategy we do not believe that, as it stands, the Strategy will deliver for children in poverty – there needs to be a development of policies and programmes that will tackle the root causes and impacts of child poverty and a comprehensive Action Plan needs to be developed to deliver on these targets. The Action Plan must be driven by an effective Ministerial-led Poverty Forum and strong political leadership and it must be consulted on openly and transparently. Outcome focused indicators should also be developed to monitor the impact of the Strategy on those children and young people living in poverty. Both the Action Plan and the Strategy should be monitored regularly to ensure that they reflect the main issues affecting children living in poverty in Northern Ireland and that they are sufficiently specific, prioritising children in poverty and comprehensively addressing child poverty.

5. Examine whether the implementation mechanisms, resources and monitoring arrangements currently in place are adequate to ensure delivery of the key actions/targets

5.1 As yet it is unclear how Lifetime Opportunities will be resourced, targets to eradicate child poverty have not been agreed and an Action Plan to deliver the Strategy has not been developed. At this stage we do not believe that the implementation mechanisms, resources and monitoring arrangements currently in place are adequate but we are hopeful that the development and adoption of adequate implementation mechanisms, resources and monitoring arrangements will be one of the outcomes of this Inquiry. The Children’s Law Centre is happy to work with Government to develop adequate structures for delivery.

6. Consider what further actions could be taken to tackle child poverty with particular focus on those that would be deliverable by the devolved administration

6.1 Lifetime Opportunities needs to be properly resourced with the commitment of adequate ring-fenced funding, secured through Cross-Departmental budget allocations rather than through a skewing of resources. The UNCRC Committee urged the Government to take all necessary measures to the maximum extent of available resources to accelerate the elimination of child poverty.[62]

6.2 An effective Ministerial-led Poverty Forum with strong political leadership should be set up immediately to develop the Action Plan, implement the Strategy and secure cross-sectoral support for a comprehensive set of actions to eradicate child poverty.

6.3 A cross-sectoral shared action plan must be developed and consulted on openly and transparently as a matter of urgency to tackle child poverty. Targets must be SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound) and must address the root causes of child poverty. The action plan must have commitment and support at the highest level of Government and sufficiently senior child poverty champions should be appointed across Government to work with partners on child poverty cross-sectorally and to take the Strategy and associated actions forward.

6.4 The devolved administration should introduce of a duty to poverty proof or poverty impact assess all policies, proposed legislation and budget lines, including high level policies such as the draft budget and investment strategy.

6.5 There needs to be substantially increased investment of additional resources in education in the most impoverished wards in Northern Ireland, for example, better school nutrition, after schools clubs, more pre-school education places, school-based breakfast clubs, school based health services etc. Targets must be established and outcomes closely monitored to ensure improved educational attainment and levels of health among children in our most deprived wards.

6.6 There needs to be a substantial commitment of additional resources to the lowest income and highest deprived wards to ensure that those living in the poorest areas enjoy the same level of healthcare as those living in the best-off areas. Targets must be established and outcomes closely monitored to save the lives of those in the lowest income wards.

6.7 More affordable, good quality social housing is required as a matter of urgency.

6.8 The Government needs to address the growing levels of debt caused by irresponsible lending and take actions such as the regulation of doorstep lenders and interest rates.

6.9 The fact that young people aged 16 and 17 have no automatic right to social security benefits and also receive a lower level of income support and jobseekers allowance than adults over 25 and have no right to the minimum wage under 16 and a lower rate aged 16-18 is clearly a contributing factor to child poverty. We recommend that the Government take account of the UNCRC Committee recommendations in aiming to address the issue of child poverty which states that the Government should review its legislation and policies concerning benefits and social security allowances for 16 to 18 year olds and also reconsider its policies regarding the national minimum wage for young workers in light of the principle of non-discrimination.[63] While these recommendations are outside of the remit of the devolved Government, our local politicians should lobby at Westminster to ensure that the review of these policies takes place to ensure compliance with its international obligations but also to meaningfully address all of the factors of child poverty.

6.10 Inadequate benefit levels must be addressed. Again, while this is outside the remit of the devolved administration, local politicians should again be exerting their influence and lobbying at Westminster for an increase in benefit levels so that those living on benefits are not automatically living in poverty. Benefit levels should also be linked to average earnings to address low income employment.

6.11 The Government needs to spearhead a campaign to change public attitudes towards poverty and remove the stigma associated with living in poverty so that children and young people living in poverty are not further socially excluded through bullying etc.

6.12 Additional targets must be set in the Action Plan for children living in severe poverty and targets which apply to specific groups of children and young people, for example Traveller children and young people[64].

6.13 More affordable, quality childcare must be made available to working parents.

15 November 2007

Written Submission by:
Citizens Advice in Northern Ireland

Recommendations

Tax credits

Tax Credits are a method of assisting low income families financially whether they are in employment and/or have children. The system has experienced problems since its introduction in 2003 (see appendix 1) regarding administration and overpayments. Further pressure needs to be placed on HMRC to assist families who are not receiving their correct award or who have been put under financial pressure through overpayments that were raised through official error.

Childcare

Families receiving working tax credit can obtain a childcare disregard applied to their earnings. Certain types of childcare are not recognised by the HMRC if they are not registered by the DHSSPSni. Informal childcare provided by a customer’s relative for example is not recognised. We recommend the committee investigate the possibility of a ‘relatives providing childcare’ scheme which would make it easier for relatives through a tailored registration scheme for relatives. The current process to be a registered childminder can take anything from 3 months to one year and is currently not standardised across Health and social care trusts. Evidence from the Northern Ireland Childminding association suggests that there is a shortage of childminding in Northern Ireland

Debt

Consumer Debt is a major problem in Northern Ireland for low income families as many people are forced to take out credit and loans as a way of paying utility bills and managing other household expenses. Many CAB clients have been subject to irresponsible lending from creditors and would need assistance in dealing with debt. (see appendix 2) CAB has given evidence to the competition commission and produced a number of reports on the impact of debt. Our message is to reiterate tighter regulations on financial institutions who lend and encourage the financial sector to review its’ practices to provide a better, more transparent service to customers

Disability Benefits

Appellants who appeal against a decision to disallow Disability Living Allowance are experiencing delays in appeal hearings being listed. In one case a DLA claim was disallowed for a child with Downs Sysndrome and the parent appealed in July 2007. Client was informed that she would have to wait a minimum 8-10 months for case to be listed due to delays. This prevents the carer accessing carers allowance and other passports such as the disabled child premium on her tax credits. This leaves the family in extreme financial hardship. We recommend that DLA cases for children should be prioritised as the current backlog is unacceptable.

Housing

Housing and access to housing is an increasing problem with a large number of families on the waiting list for social housing. Coupled with this the increase in house prices has made it extremely difficult to purchase housing and placing higher pressure on income with larger mortgages. In the private rented sector many CAB clients are experiencing difficulties with housing benefit shortfall. This is because most private rented dwellings cost more than the allocated housing benefit and even the discretionary payments. We recommend that a review of housing benefit for the private rented sector would target many vulnerable families who have to pay the shortfall in housing benefit from their income particularly those reliant on means tested benefits.

School expenses

CA carried out an online survey in July 2007 and amongst the findings, 80% of respondents felt that school costs were difficult to meet. Uniform grants are available only for secondary and special education subject to certain criteria. We recommend that the library boards should consider extending these grants to primary schools and adopt a more flexible approach to funding school uniforms. The department should also investigate the possibility of increasing the actual grant which is currently £68 for up to age 15 and £73 for aged 15 and over.

Income Support

Approximately 2,500 Parents who received income support for their children prior to the introduction of child credits in 2003 have still not migrated to the new tax credits system. Of these parents, many with dependents over 16 will be financially penalised as the Educational Maintenance Allowance received by dependents in approved training is treated as the parent’s income and taken into account in full when assessing entitlement to Income Support. These families should be migrated to the new tax credits system where the Educational Maintenance Allowance is totally disregarded as income.

DWP Research

The Department for Work and Pensions commissioned a detailed report on what it would take to reach the 2010 child poverty target and how much more could be achieved through the welfare to work programmes and what contribution various reforms could make. The report examines delivery of particular benefits and work related opportunities. An executive summary is attached which would be of particular interest to the Committee.

Background Information

Citizens Advice is the largest advice charity in Northern Ireland working against poverty, meeting the information and advice needs of some 260,000 people per year. Citizens Advice has formal links to National Citizens Advice in England and Wales and close working relationships with Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS). Together the three Associations constitute the biggest advice network in Europe, with 60 years experience of providing advice and information to the public.

The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) network is very finely tuned to the targeting of social need and, with its regional spread, modern integrated IT infrastructure and skilled staff, represents an efficient and cost effective arena for the delivery of information and advice to the most socially vulnerable people in Northern Ireland.

Access, inclusiveness and principles

Advice is provided on a huge range of issues by trained, specialist advisers across both main communities and to minority groupings, from 30 main offices and from some 120 other outlets within the framework of 4 principles. The advice given is:-

Commitment to Equality

Citizens Advice has been actively involved in the promotion of equality in Northern Ireland for many years and is an active member of the Equality Coalition. Numerous responses on behalf of CAB have been made to a variety of Equality Impact Assessments, Draft Equality Schemes, Screening documents and proposed legislative reform. Citizens Advice strives to ensure that individuals do not suffer through lack of knowledge of their rights and responsibilities or of the services available to them, or through an inability to express their needs effectively and equally. Citizens Advice endeavours to exercise a responsible influence on the development of social policies and services, both locally and nationally for the good of all of society. Citizens Advice has also built up a number of partnerships with other organisations also working towards the promotion of equality of opportunity.

This Citizens Advice submission is based on the experience and evidence gained in from CAB advisers dealing with 264,743 enquiries between April 2006 and March 2007. CAB provided information, advice and advocacy to clients experiencing problems in the following areas:

Benefit uptake

In 2006 the Social Security Agency (SSA) commissioned a number of benefit take up contracts from the voluntary advice sector. These covered areas such as Pension Credit and Female Pensioners over 80 and were highly successful with a value for money figure of £21 claimed for every £1 of expenditure by the Agency – representing an annual benefit pay out of £6.6m to people in social need.

Citizens Advice has warmly welcomed this change in the Agency’s service delivery which combines intelligent use of the SSA’s own databases with the skills, knowledge and infrastructure that Citizens Advice brings to the table in dealing with socially vulnerable people. The combination makes a significant contribution to the Northern Ireland Anti Poverty Strategy, with a business model which is easy to understand, capable of verification by the Agency and clearly delivering help directly to people who need it.

IN 2007, Citizens Advice was again successful in tendering for benefit take up contracts from the SSA one of which is targeted onChild Poverty, and involves benefit check ups for a target group of 5,000 families with children. The SSA will have verified the outcome of this tender by March 2008, and it will be of particular interest to the committee.

Northern Ireland Statistics

16 November 2007

Written Submission by:
Committee for Regional Development

  1. Further to your letter of 1 November 2007 seeking responses to the Inquiry into Child Poverty, the Committee is pleased to make the following points in response to your request.
  2. On the surface it may appear that regional development has little direct relationship to tackling child poverty. However, the Committee is of the view that issues such as road, rail and bus and other modes of public transport infrastructure, together with water reform, can all have positive and negative impacts on the rate and experience of child poverty.
  3. A substantial amount of our public transport is road based and access to health and social services, employment, education and training and cultural and sporting activities depends on an adequate, sustainable, safe and effective road network. The absence of such opportunities and services exacerbates poverty and social exclusion.
  4. Like roads infrastructure, a good quality, integrated network of bus and rail transport services is key to underpinning economic development, and access to education, employment, leisure and social services. Investment in public transport also brings environmental benefits, in the form of reduced carbon emissions, landscape, air and noise pollution. Failure to adequately resource public transport has an adverse effect on the environment, heightens social exclusion, and may jeopardise the recent and much welcomed positive economic growth.
  5. Children, especially those children living in households in poverty, are often dependent on public transport for access to education, training and leisure opportunities. This dependence is underlined in the case of children living in poverty in rural areas across Northern Ireland, and those children living in poverty who have a disability. In such instances, rurality, in terms of scarcity of good quality service, and disability, in terms of accessibility, can serve to reinforce the experience of living in poverty.
  6. Finally, the proposals outlined by the Executive in its statement of response to the Independent Water Review Panel’s (IWRP) Strand One Report on the Review of Water and Sewerage Services, make provision for the introduction of domestic charges for water from 2009/10 onwards. These charges would be additional to the current rates bills. At the time of writing the Executive had not commented on the basis for charging, however the IWRP had suggested that charges should be on the same basis as rates, capital values.
  7. The Executive has deferred comment on any proposed affordability tariff pending the completion of additional research by the IWRP. This research should be published for discussion and consultation in late December 2007 / early January 2008. However, the Committee had expressed its concerns in relation to the impact such charges will have on the household economy of thousands of households across Northern Ireland who are currently in or near poverty.
  8. The Committee would bring the points above to your attention and suggest that the issues of rural child poverty and poverty for those children with disabilities would feature in your Inquiry. The Committee would further suggest that in the course of your Inquiry you might want to seek inputs on water poverty and child poverty from Professor Paddy Hillyard of the IWRP, or contact Advice NI for briefing on their work in relation to the impact of water charging on debt management and household indebtedness.

29 November 2007

Written Submission by:
Committee for Social Development

1. The Committee for Social Development welcomes the Committee for the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister’s inquiry into child poverty and is grateful for the opportunity to respond. It is clear that there is no single solution to the eradication of child poverty therefore the Committee would wish to comment on a range of issues, some of which fall outside the remit of the Department for Social Development.

Measuring child poverty

2. The Committee understands that the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) Report is the main method of measuring child poverty in Northern Ireland and sets a household income threshold below which a household is considered to be living in poverty. The Committee does not believe that an income only measure gives an accurate account of the levels of child poverty or severe child poverty and would wish to see a mixed measure employed to include relevant deprivation measures. Accurate measurement of child poverty is crucial to tackling the issue effectively and has a particular relevance for accessing funding to help meet the government’s targets of halving child poverty by 2010; eradicating severe child poverty by 2012; and eradicating child poverty by 2020.

3. Research has shown that poverty makes people’s lives shorter and harsher than need be. Poverty is not just about being on a low income and going without – it is also about being deprived of good health, education and housing, basic self-esteem and the ability to participate in social activities, which undoubtedly has a cost to individuals as well as to society as a whole.

Key findings of the Household Below Average Income Report 2005/06

4. The Committee is concerned to note that 29% of all children in Northern Ireland After Housing Costs are living in poverty and finds it disturbing that, in the four years it has been measured in Northern Ireland, the child poverty rate has not decreased.

5. The report also shows that children have a higher risk of being in poverty if they live in a family:

6. Government promotes work as the best way out of poverty. Research has shown that the main cause of poverty is inadequate income, arising primarily from unemployment and inadequate wages and benefits. However, paid work is not, on its own, a guarantee of being free of poverty. Low wages, part-time work and not having two adults in work in a couple household all increase the risk of experiencing poverty.

Affordable and accessible childcare

7. The provision of affordable and accessible childcare is essential to help those bringing up a young family enter or return to work. The Committee expressed some concern in relation to the shortage of registered child-minders in certain areas and the effect this may have on enabling parents to access the childcare component of Working Family Tax Credit (WFTC). Parents in the affected areas often have little choice but to use family members who are not registered and therefore do not qualify for the childcare component of WFTC.

Benefit uptake

8. In the Department for Social Development’s 2007/08 benefit uptake programme, one of the exercises specifically targets child poverty. The Department has written to 5,000 clients targeting both children with a disability and large families in receipt of benefit. This is a test exercise to see what impact social security benefit uptake may have on the child poverty issue and the Committee looks forward to the considering the results of that exercise in June 2008.

9. As part of its benefit uptake programme, the Committee would wish to see the Department for Social Development, in consultation with organisations such as Save the Children, consider alternative methods to try to contact the hard core/hard to reach families living in poverty.

Fuel poverty

10. Lifetime Opportunities, Government’s Anti-Poverty and Social Inclusion Strategy, includes a key target to ensure that, by 2020 every child lives in a decent and safe home which is warm. The Department for Social Development’s Fuel Poverty Strategy aims for the eradication of fuel poverty in vulnerable households by 2010 and in all households by 2016.

11. The Committee believes that the Department’s target is an extremely ambitious one, mainly because Government has limited influence on fuel prices. The Committee would wish to see greater efforts being made by all relevant Departments, and in particular the Department for Social Development, to highlight the inadequacy of the Winter Fuel Allowance and urge the Department for Work and Pensions to assess the level of winter fuel payments on a regular basis so that they do not devalue over time.

Tackling poverty in disadvantaged areas

12. Tackling poverty in disadvantaged areas is delivered through People and Place - A Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal. Its aim is to improve the quality of the lives and life chances of people living in our poorest communities by tackling inequalities in the core issues such as health, education, employability and skills, crime and community safety.

13. Neighbourhood Partnerships have been established in 36 Neighbourhood Renewal areas to act as vehicles for local planning and implementation of the Strategy. The Committee is currently consulting with all the Partnerships to ascertain how effectively this Strategy is being implemented and will be mindful of the issue of child poverty in its deliberations.

22 November 2007

Written Submission by:
Council For Catholic Maintained Schools

Summary:

The Council in responding to the Committee’s call for evidence, considered that its response should focus on the potential of the draft Programme for Government and its associated draft proposals to impact on child poverty. Council believes that high level strategic decisions and supporting policies are the best way of addressing any major structural issue such as child poverty.

The evidence is derived from an educational perspective reflecting Council policy and the extensive experience of Council officers. It also emphasises the importance of partnership working to achieve outcomes which cannot be adequately delivered by any department or sector working on its own. Council believes that there is a significant demand for capacity building in policies, processes and infrastructure generally, and specifically in addressing child poverty. Council would want to ensure that Government supports connected and coherent policies and removes any political, structural or policy based blockages, to achieving the desired outcomes.

1.0 Introduction

1.1 The Council for Catholic Maintained Schools believes strongly that education is not an end in itself. The benefits of education, especially for those living in social disadvantage are more likely to be achieved when it interacts with other public, voluntary, community and private services to effect real, positive and enduring change which improves the lives of individuals and thereby society as a whole.

1.2 The Council believes that education and all public services should be imbued with the ethos of social justice which requires policies which ameliorate disadvantage and encourage capacity building for individual and communities. This should apply especially to the development of our young people living in relative poverty.

1.3 The Council is disappointed that despite the raising of standards in education the extent of poverty in Northern Ireland is at its current level and that the differentials within society continue to increase rather that narrow. It believes that many useful processes and strategies have been developed, often on the basis of short-term projects, but that few of these have been mainstreamed and that many emerging cross-departmental and cross-sectoral partnerships have been stifled by ‘red tape’ and an over zealous and risk averse system of accountability.

1.4 The Council considers that there is a sufficient body of information on the nature and extent of child poverty and this is not be a priority for this submission. It believes that consideration of impact should take account of the family and community history of young people to determine the extent to which structural conditions arising from Government policies have impacted positively or negatively on the levels of child poverty. Similarly research should be conducted into the benefits derived from partnership working at both Departmental and sectoral level, the reasons for the failure of some attempted partnership working and the degree to which narrow Departmental processes, culture and accountability practices contributed to such failures.

2.0 Educational Perspective

2.1 There is clear and unambiguous relationships between poor educational achievement and social disadvantage. These difficulties are exacerbated when there is a generational dimension. Evidence based on an analysis of performance data suggests that the gap in achievement between communities which exhibit high levels of social deprivation and those which do not is increasing. This factor is reinforced when levels of income, unemployment, economic inactivity, incidence of chronic illness and life-expectancy are taken into account. Government needs to objectively assess the extent to which the comparative failure of previous policies and approaches is related to the appropriateness of the policies, the processes and procedures used to implement them and their connectedness to other policies to create a coherent strategy.

2.2 If Government is serious about creating ‘A Peaceful, Fair and Prosperous Society’ as the Programme for Government claims, then one might expect to find a series of connected strategies which are underpinned by policies which first build capacity and then sustain it. At the heart of such policies one would expect to find education. Every study of successful re-generation has education as a pivitol area working alongside other key departments of Government and other partners. It is disappointing that the draft PSA targets neither indicate a significant, joined up approach to helping young people or their families build capacity nor adequately or consistently show how education can work effectively with other services to address the broader issues around poverty.

2.3 In the Draft Budget – 2008-11, under the section dealing with the proposed budget allocation to the Department of Education, one of the key challenges is ‘to raise overall educational achievement while reducing the gap in achievement between the highest and lowest attainers, and ensure that all young people leave school with basic skills in literacy, numeracy and Information and Communication Technology’. The Council welcomes the sentiment of the first part of this statement but has some reservations as to how it might be addressed. It has some concerns about the lack of ambition in the second part.

2.4 In relation to the first, the Council would pose the question as to how this growing gap can be reversed when one of the main reasons for it, the continuation of academic selection, is not addressed in the Programme for Government. It would appear that political considerations, rather than the promotion of a rational, social and economic imperative, is a major obstacle to addressing this key issue. Council would also suggest that the level of funding to schools and the funding formula with respect to the Social Deprivation factor should be reconsidered.

2.5 The Council believes that the current system of education permits failure and then spends significant resources in trying to deal with it. Council would prefer a strategy which has at its core the prevention of failure with the emphasis and resources focussed on where the greatest long-term impact might be. Council would prefer to see a cross-departmental multi-disciplinary strategy aimed at the 0-7 age group to include family and community support as part of this, and a process which for some children, including many from socially deprived backgrounds, might extend to the end of primary education. Progress through the school should be based on the child achieving a series of ‘learning thresholds’ to ensure the appropriate mastery of key literacy and numeracy concepts, knowledge and skills. For some pupils this may mean that they will repeat all or part of a school year or that they may be identified for and provided with special needs support on the judgement of a teacher using a range of agreed standardised, diagnostic assessments, rather than the long and expensive administrative statementing process. A mechanism would have to be found for accessing the additional resources and managing these to ensure that progress is made and the child returned to the mainstream. The critical factor here is that the child is ready to learn appropriately and is supported with fit for purpose interventions which are remedial in nature and intended to be time bound. Council believes that the prevention of failure should deliver the vast majority of children into post-primary education with the skills of numeracy and, particularly, literacy which will allow them to fully engage with the key stage three curriculum. The development of the Pupil Profile, the Entitlement Framework, and the new assessment arrangements in the Revised Northern Ireland Curriculum should support such an approach.

2.6 Council is of the view that a system of ‘value added’ needs to be developed to determine the performance of schools rather than the use of achievements at GCSE and other qualifications which take no account of the intake profile of the school and the influence of the school on achievement.

2.7 The Council regards these changes of approach as essential to giving young people the opportunity to benefit more fully from the education system, become more socially competent and more work-ready through a motivating engagement with education. This approach will require an additional resource over a six to ten year period in the early years of education, mainly the 0-7 range, but for some extending to the end of primary education. The approach will become increasingly self-financing as each cohort moves through the system with less need for remedial intervention.

2.8 Approximately one third of all schools are now part of the ‘Extended Schools’ initiative but there is little preparation for teachers to be prepared for the environment in which these schools operate. Council considers that initial teaching training should do more to prepare emerging teachers for the circumstances in which many of them will teach. This should also be an area of focus in Continuing Professional Development (CPD). Finally, Council would like to see the Professional Qualification for Headship (PQH) develop bespoke modules to encourage aspiring leaders to develop many of the very specific skills required to work in socially disadvantaged areas.

2.9 Council accepts that the impacts of social disadvantage leading to poverty are deep rooted in many communities in Northern Ireland and that the culture of education is not embraced by many parents, particularly those who have not had a positive experience of education or who have not benefitted from it in career terms. It is with this group in particular that other agencies including community and voluntary organisations, have a role to play in a partnership approach to dealing with poverty generally and child poverty specifically. Initiatives such as ‘Extended Schools’ which have the capacity to involve other providers and community groups are of significant value.

3.0 A Partnership Approach

3.1 The Council is disappointed that the Programme for Government, its draft PSA Framework and the draft budget did not promote in any significant way the achievement of a number of key outcomes on a cross-departmental basis. The ‘Delivering on Priorities’ section of the Programme for Government refers to the PSA’s as ‘addressing key cross-cutting issues and challenges. The PSA’s therefore cut across departmental boundaries and many of the outcomes are interdependent’. In principle, this is to be welcomed but when the PSA’s are examined in detail there is only minimal evidence of this approach, particularly with respect to reducing poverty.

3.2 The Council will, in due course, make a formal response to the PSA Framework but it is useful to refer here to some to illustrate the potential while it might still be possible to influence final decisions. The examples below focus on the PSA’s as they are, not as they might be, and refer in the main to those areas where better outcomes might be achieved with more connected approaches or where aspect of co-operation have not been exploited.

3.2.1 In PSA 6 ‘Children and Family’ there is a useful involvement between OFMDFM and DG but no mention of DHSSPS or DSD in objective 1 ‘Improve the Outcomes and Life Chances of Children and Young People’. Council considers that effective working of education through Neighbourhood Renewal and in a range of health and social services areas is critical to creating the best opportunity for young children to have their needs met in a complementary rather than a piece-meal manner. There is a very clear link to PSA 10 ‘Helping our Children and Young People to Achieve Through Education’ particularly in objective 1 which deals with early intervention and PSA 7 ‘Making Peoples’ Lives Better’. Council believes that the objectives from these PSA’s should be combined into a single high level PSA.

3.2.2 PSA 10 objectives 2 and 3 are probably intended to address elements of a general raising of standards which may have an incidental impact on poverty. Council believes that the relationship to reducing poverty needs to be much more overt. These objectives need to be directly linked to an 0-7 strategy involving local health professionals, those responsible for neighbourhood renewal, the communities, the private sector and the Strategic Investment Board in designing and building community focussed facilities which exploit the connectivity between all relevant services to achieve better outcomes in a more efficient manner. These objectives need to be redrafted alongside PSA 6 objective 1, and all of PSA’s 7 and 19 to create a super PSA owned jointly by at least DE, DSD, DSSPPS, DEL, DETI and OFMDFM.

3.2.3 PSA’s 1 and 2 refer to economic development through ‘Productivity Growth and Skills for Prosperity’ but neither provide any indication of ‘social economy’ type approaches or direct action to address the exclusion, real or imagined, of those with poor educational attainment, limited work skills or a family history of work and employment aversion. The targets outlined at PSA 2 objectives 2 and 3 are too general to be meaningful to the specific task of addressing poverty.

3.2.4 The Council considers that for economic drivers to be the key to closing the gap, there must be a strategy to build capacity at the lower end of the market as well as at the PhD level. The workforce skills deficit is not confined to urban communities but it is most apparent there. Steps need to be taken to improve access to work at both a physical and psychological level. There is a genuine fear in some disadvantaged communities familiar with the influence of paramilitarism of going beyond ‘safe’ boundaries to access work or other services. This must be challenged but also managed. It is unlikely that much private sector investment will be drawn to ‘interface’ areas so physical access through the transport system will need to be considered. However DETI must also recognise that much local employment is at best Small Medium Enterprise (SME). The PSA in 3 does make some reference to support these at objective 2 but this is not sufficiently focussed on the most socially disadvantaged. Government needs to consider how meaningful work experience for young people can be encouraged, possibly through grants or tax breaks to these SME’s.

3.2.5 The most obviously connected PSA’s are PSA 12 objective 1, which recognises the interactivity of departments to achieve outcomes based on reducing differentials, and PSA 7 ‘Making Peoples’ Lives Better’. This is welcomed by Council largely because they link to PSA’s 3 and 9. However, there is also a need to link to PSA’s 10 and 19 in order that the capacity to achieve ‘measurable reductions in health, education and employment difficulties’ can be realised. The concept of a ‘sustainable community’ requires the retention of capacity in the area by choice and most current indicators suggest that when individuals are advantaged, even marginally, in terms of employment or educational qualifications, they leave that community thereby rendering it even more disadvantaged and further extending the social and economic gap. Council, having been associated with many attempts at community regeneration or renewal, is concerned that there now needs to be learning from these failures. Only a high level commitment to a multi-disciplinary, integrated and funded programme will achieve sustainability. Such a programme needs to have shared outcomes which are entirely owned by each Department and other interests, against which each will be held accountable for the whole not the part. Council therefore welcomes the proposal under PSA 6 objective 1 to re-establish the ministerial sub-group on Children.

3.3 The Council commends organisations such as the Belfast Health Action Zone for its attempts to forge effective cross-sectoral working around key aspects of disadvantage. These approaches need to be mainstreamed and supported at a policy level, if Government is serious about addressing poverty.

3.4 The Council, the South Eastern Education and Library Board and the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust have been working together over recent months to explore opportunities for effective collaboration. Agreement has been reached to consider the development and joint planning of a new type of educational provision which would be more closely linked to the community and other statutory providers aimed at creating ‘centres of excellence’. These would be designed to raise educational attainment and promote social inclusion by focussing on the 0-7 age range to:

4.0 Conclusion

4.1 The Council for Catholic Maintained Schools has a strong commitment to equality and social justice as drivers towards a peaceful, fair and prosperous society. It therefore fully supports the eradication of child poverty. It welcomed the ten year strategy for children and young people in Northern Ireland 2006-2016 ‘Our Children and Young People – Our Pledge’ but expressed concern that it did not have an implementation strategy. It is hoped that the working through of PSA 7 will in time create that plan.

4.2 Chapter 7 of the Draft Budget 2008-11 comments on Equality, Good Relations and Anti-Poverty Initiatives. What becomes obvious is that Statutory Equality Obligations exemplified in Section 25 and Schedule 9 do not deal with social disadvantage. In effect there is no imperative in screening any of the Programmes for Government and associated proposals to ensure that the issue of child poverty or anything else to do with social deprivation is covered. This is a matter which needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency.

4.3 Council is concerned that the current implementation mechanisms, resources and monitoring arrangements in place for a range of policies which impact on child poverty, including Lifetime Opportunities, are too narrowly focussed on single Department activities and a risk averse accountability procedure. It is clear from the experience of officers that a more integrated, multi-disciplinary approach is required with shared outcomes and combined accountability for the whole enterprise.

4.4 The Council had hoped that the Programme for Government, its draft budget, draft PSA targets and the draft Investment Strategy would provide a coherent set of proposals to build capacity across the public sector to create the conditions to address social and economic weaknesses in Northern Ireland. It is disappointed that the draft strategies appear to be highly aspirational with traditional (but not always relevant or appropriate) targets and on absence of policies to build capacity, to instigate significant change or to break cycles of deprivation which impact on such areas as child poverty. All the documents avoid providing a process to achieve the aspirational outcomes. Council hopes that the consultation process will lead to all or at least some of these deficiencies being addressed. If not then the risk is that Northern Ireland’s dependency culture will continue and the competitive edge will be further blunted with the greatest impact being experienced by the weakest in society.

4.5 The Council would prefer to see a smaller number of high level PSA’s with fewer objectives and targets but with implementation strategies and delivery processes identified. These should be aimed at all relevant departments with a requirement that the outcomes or objectives of the PSA’s are jointly owned and that all relevant departments are accountable for full delivery. This would over time create a more connected public service which might lead to more meaningful and accountable partnerships with other service providers. This would appear to Council to be the best means of achieving more efficient and effective service delivery and better outcomes for children and others.

4.6 The Executive has set itself a clear target with respect to reducing and ultimately eliminating child poverty. This cannot be done with the policies of the past or with any further reliance on a benefits culture. It is clear that Northern Ireland has a limited capacity at its social and economic foundations. These must be strengthened by policies which build capacity in individuals, families and communities. Government’s greatest challenge is to confront its own prejudices for the greater good. It is clear to this Council, for example, that the continuation of academic selection both further distorts the connectivity between the education service and the needs of our economy and continues to advantage the already advantaged and a few in disadvantaged communities while further disadvantaging those who are left behind. This reinforces the sense of an ‘underclass’ and makes more difficult the problem of removing child poverty. This issue cannot be ignored, if Government is serious about creating that peaceful, fair and prosperous society.

16 November 2007

Written Submission by:
Craigavon Borough Council

Introduction

Craigavon Borough Council thanks the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister for the opportunity to respond to the Committee Inquiry into Child Poverty. We welcome the fact this important issue is being addressed by the Northern Ireland Assembly and hope that appropriate policies are put in place to eradicate Child Poverty in Northern Ireland by 2020 in line with United Kingdom targets.

Craigavon Local Government District (LGD) according to the 2005 Measure of Deprivation has an Extent of 23%, this means that 23% of the Craigavon population live in the most deprived Super Output Areas (SOA) in Northern Ireland.

The Income Scale shows that there are 16,499 people in Craigavon LGD experiencing Income Deprivation, while the Employment scale shows that a total of 7,880 people in Craigavon LGD experience employment deprivation.

On the Average SOA Rank measure Craigavon LGD has a rank of 11 out of 26 LGDs. On the Income Scale measure Craigavon LGD has a rank of 5 out of 26 LGDs.

Within Craigavon LGD the most deprived Super Output Area is Drumgask 2 (ranked 41 in NI) and the least deprived Super Output Area is Knocknashane 2 (ranked 824 in NI).

In Craigavon LGD 24.7% of the population are aged under 16 compared to 23.6% in Northern Ireland. The Aghagallon and Drumgask Wards have a high proportion of their population aged under 16 measuring 29.3% and 33% respectively .

Examine the extent, intensity and impact of child poverty in Northern Ireland

The latest Households Below Average Income survey for 2005 – 2006 shows that the proportion of children living in poor homes has risen from 51% to 56% in the last 2 years.

In general children are achieving more and better grades however some groups of children and young people are not keeping pace with others. Disadvantaged children in receipt of free school meals are achieving significantly less in terms of qualifications as do children from a minority ethnic background.

The proportion of children that live in over-crowded conditions has reduced from 14% in 1992/93 to 6% in 2004/05. However, in some places poor housing conditions still persist, most notably in the private rented sector.

Children’s educational prospects reflect the disadvantages of their families.

Northern Ireland has the highest child poverty rate in the UK with 25% of children at risk of Poverty.

Consider the approach taken when formulating the current strategy including the extent of the engagement with key stakeholders.

The UK’s Social Inclusion Strategy is rooted in an understanding that work is the best route out of poverty for people of working age.

In Northern Ireland it is targeted through New Targeting Social Need, Neighbourhood Renewal Strategies and A Shared Future document.

There is recognition in the Lifetime Opportunities Policy that there is a need to target distinctive social need at different times in people’s lives from early years through to childhood, adult working life and later years.

Throughout the document there is recognition that education, health and housing are key factors in poverty in general.

Assess whether the existing strategy is capable of delivering the key targets for 2010 and 2020.

By 2010 absolute low income rates should be reduced by 7% and relative low income rates to 12%. The government’s commitments are to halve child poverty by 2010; - to eradicate child poverty by 2020 and over the longer-term to achieve a child poverty rate among the best in Europe.

Child poverty has risen in the last two years from 51% to 56% thus the existing strategy does not appear to be capable of delivering this target.

Examine whether the implementation mechanisms, resources and monitoring arrangements currently in place are adequate to ensure delivery of the key actions / targets.

The amount and quality of employment and substitute childcare services for many years has been lower in Northern Ireland than in Great Britain and this means that work as the route to ending poverty is a more frail policy strategy in Northern Ireland than in Britain (Horgan, 2004).

Need for joined up thinking regarding education, children and families.

Need for direct action on low income and poor housing combined with improving educational opportunities for poor children.

Need to break the cycle that children growing up in poverty do worse in education, and those with low educational qualifications go on to form the poor families of the future.

Identify and analyse relevant experience elsewhere in terms of policy interventions and programmes.

Scandinavian countries there are systems of comprehensive family support (which compensates families for the costs of children) and family friendly labour markets (which make it easy for mothers to combine paid work and motherhood).

The Austrian and German systems of paid apprenticeships play an effective role in keeping poverty rates among young adults extremely low. They reduce long term poverty and reduce the risks of poverty associated with life events such as leaving home.

Nordic policy places emphasis on helping people into paid work. This is then complemented by a wide range of social policies aimed at redistributing income to reduce the inequalities that have arisen from the market. Nordic social legislation does not just target resources towards particular problem groups but is designed to include the entire population.

An element of the drive for high employment has been the focus on promoting gender equality. Expenditure has been directed specifically at enabling a combination of work and parenting while also stimulating a more equal share of responsibility for childcare between men and women.

Day care is universal in Denmark, Finland and Sweden, where, in theory every child is entitled to a place.

Consider what further actions could be taken to tackle child poverty with particular focus on those that would be deliverable by the devolved administration.

Barriers to employment – low wages and lack of child care particularly for lone parents.

Tackle areas where educational attainment is low particularly for the Travelling Community and Ethnic Minorities.

Compounding factors of Child Poverty:

Health Inequalities: for example low birth weight babies are more likely to develop learning disabilities.

Housing: Children living in temporary and / or overcrowded accommodation find it harder to engage with the educational process.

Labour Market disadvantages: unequal chances in the workplace, even among people with similar qualifications e.g. women who work part time earn on average 41% less per hour than full – time male workers.

Over a quarter of children in poverty are well over a year behind the average child in terms of school readiness.

Difficulties faced by disadvantaged and unqualified young people after leaving education will persist as long as young people become alienated from the school system. Solutions require education to become more relevant to them as they pass through school, and to change their perception of education from a system that is against them to one that provides support.

Introduce free at the point of delivery, good quality universal childcare with a view to extending the Sure Start Programme.

Reduce the disproportionate burden of taxation on poorer families.

Continued improvements in work life balance.

Improved benefits system making it easier for people to learn about and access the benefits they are entitled to.

An approach that increases both employment rates and the rewards from paid work is required.

More emphasis is needed on improving the skills agenda, training, placement in suitable jobs, and job progressions and advancement.

More research is needed to determine future provision for the Craigavon area on the increase in ethnic minority families and the impact on health and education given the increase in numbers of ethnic minorities.

Work by the Craigavon District Policing Partnership and Craigavon Community Safety Partnership has indicated a problem with underage drinking and there needs to be more research undertaken to determine if there is a link between this fact and child poverty.

30 November 2007

Written Submission by:
Department of Agriculture
and Rural Development

Context

1. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) has had an auxiliary role to play in addressing child poverty in rural areas under successive Rural Development Programmes, and considerable potential exists as a facilitator and advocate on rural issues to other Departments.

The Rural Development Programme 2007-2013

2.1 The Rural Development Programme 2007-2013 (RDP) and complementary publicly funded measures are the main vehicles through which DARD can assist in the fight against child poverty. The approach taken in the new RDP 2007-2013 will be three-pronged, aiming to improve rural areas’ economic competitiveness, protect the environment, and strengthen the countryside socially.

2.2 The quality of life measures in the Programme (Axis 3) are designed to strengthen the social and economic infrastructure of the entire rural community. In essence, they are the successors of key measures of the Rural Development Programme 2001-2006.

2.3 While the 2001-2006 programme focused on women, young people and farm families, the new RDP will be wider, with a range of commitments to key Government cross-cutting equality strategies. The Northern Ireland multiple deprivation measure allows DARD to identify rural poverty at a very local level and will influence the scoring of local strategies, thus allowing funding to be targeted at those most in need. It is intended that new Local action groups (public/private/voluntary partnerships lead by local government) will take their cue from the multiple deprivation measure when disbursing 50% of their funds.

Historic and Ongoing Programme Interventions

3.1 The RDP 2001-2006 was a major policy initiative, worth £80 million, which aimed to develop rural areas, with a focus on disadvantage, thereby contributing to the economic, environmental, social and cultural wellbeing of the rural community in Northern Ireland. Finance came from national Government funds and EU structural funds programmes and Community initiatives. Funding of over £6.5 million was granted to some 170 projects likely to have a positive impact on child poverty. The following are examples of projects with clear equality and anti-poverty benefit funded under the RDP 2001-2006, which may be described as the forerunner of Axis 3 in the incoming RDP.

3.2 The lack of childcare is a major issue for people in rural areas, especially women, and has a knock-on effect on employment and training opportunities and therefore levels of child poverty. The RDP 2001-2006 also provided:

Anti-Poverty Strategy

4.1 Lifetime Opportunities is the Government’s Anti-Poverty and Social Inclusion Strategy for Northern Ireland. Within the strategy there was broad consensus on the need to prioritise child poverty, maintain a focus on promoting social inclusion and set long-term targets, with resources allocated to meet them.

4.2 There are four target groups in this strategy: early-years children; children and young people; working-age adults; and older citizens.

4.3 DARD’s early-years goal is to ensure that every child should have a chance to develop its full potential in infancy, in a nurturing environment regardless of social background. We aim to provide opportunities through the RDP 2007-2013 for young children in rural areas to benefit from projects and schemes such as accessible rural transport, day-care provision, crèches, and initiatives that also support their parents, as well as seeking to improve their overall quality of life. In addition, DARD aims that by 2020 the Government will support every local authority to identify and address gaps in provision of services for early-years children in rural areas.

4.4 DARD’s goal for children and young people is to ensure that they all experience a happy and fulfilling childhood, in a safe environment, while being equipped with the education, skills and experience to achieve their potential as citizens of tomorrow. We aim to provide opportunities for children and young people of all ages in rural areas to benefit from the RDP through projects and schemes such as improving access to ICT, increasing accessibility through rural transport routes and positively benefiting the lives of farm families as well as seeking to improve their overall quality of life.

Children and Young People’s Strategy

5.1 There is evidence that, despite significant investment by the Government over many years, insufficient progress is being made to improve the lives of the most marginalised and disadvantaged children and young people. The aim of the Children and Young People’s Strategy, which was launched in June 2006, is to ensure that by 2016 all children and young people are fulfilling their potential. The strategy sets out what will be done over the course of the next ten years to bring about improvements in the lives of Northern Ireland children and young people, with a focus on high-level outcomes and effective measures and indicators of progress.

5.2 A Children and Young People’s Action Plan currently being developed will monitor the progress of departmental actions against a set of performance indicators. The strategy states that “we will know that we have achieved our shared vision for our children and young people if, after ten years, we can report progress which indicates that our children and young people are:

5.3 Although children and young people are targeted in the Anti-Poverty Strategy, the fact that they have a separate strategy of their own reflects the importance that the Government attaches to this equality group. There is also an independent Commissioner for Children, Patricia Lewsley, who will be instrumental in monitoring the effectiveness of the strategy and assessing how we do. As you are probably aware, DARD is currently developing a rural childcare strategy, and this is a key interest of the Minister.

5.4 Our formal target in the action plan is that at least 5% of RDP programme funds will go on achieving the “contributing positively to community and society” target for children and young people in rural areas.

5.5 DARD is currently working with the Participation Network, an organisation that facilitates direct engagement with children in order to determine their needs. We intend to do this for the strategies that will emerge from the prospective local action groups (LAGs) implementing the RDP.

Rural Childcare

6.1 Because the lack of childcare is a major issue for people in rural areas, especially women, and has a knock-on effect on employment and training opportunities and therefore levels of child poverty, .DARD intends to press for a rural childcare strategy to be developed. This will require cross-Government working, but, importantly, also needs to be developed with stakeholders and practitioners – those who have knowledge and experience of the issues and problems that must be addressed.

6.2 For that reason the Department established a Rural Childcare Stakeholder Group. Once the group’s final report has been received, the Department intends to use its findings to influence other Departments to help develop a cross-cutting rural childcare strategy.

Rural Childcare Stakeholder Group

7.1 The above group was set up in July 2007 by the DARD Minister Michelle Gildernew MP MLA. The remit of the group is to consider the difficulties associated with rural childcare and to prepare a paper by the end of January 2008 that will highlight those difficulties and possible solutions.

7.2 The group is chaired by Siobhán Fitzpatrick of NIPPA, the early-years organisation. The remainder of the group is made up of representatives from various organisations with an interest in or knowledge of childcare issues, including representatives from other relevant Departments (OFMDFM, DE, DHSSPS).

7.3 The group has met five times so far and is concentrating on rural circumstances, looking at issues such as accessibility and transport difficulties, childcare models that are already working in rural areas, and the cost of childcare. Its report is expected to suggest solutions to current problems that will make a difference to the lives of rural families and children.

7.4 One of the most important emerging findings of the group is likely to be the isolation of some rural communities regarding accessibility to facilities that others take for granted, i.e. rural broadband, affordable and accessible childcare, and transport for children to and from school.

7.5 Some excellent childcare centres are available, but they are operating with financial difficulties. Some are servicing a debt, and they do not have any spare funds to pay for small extras that would improve the quality of the care for the children, for example, updating play equipment and hiring temporary help to allow further training for permanent staff.

Linkages to the Other Strategies

8.1 Other Government strategies that support children and rural issues, such as OFMDFM’s ten-year overarching strategy for children and young people 2006-2016 and the Department of Education’s Early Years Strategy for ages 0-6, are being linked to the group’s work.

8.2 Early-years and Sure Start representatives sit on the stakeholder group, which ensures linkages to the Government’s anti-poverty and social inclusion strategy for Northern Ireland.

Funding

9.1 The draft Programme for Government identifies £10 million to tackle poverty and social exclusion in rural areas over the next three years.

9.2 It is intended that some of this funding will be used to help DARD address rural poverty and social exclusion issues, including childcare. Once the recommendations of the Rural Childcare Stakeholder Group are known, DARD will consider how they can be implemented.

9.3 In addition to this funding, as explained earlier in this submission, childcare initiatives will also be welcome to bid for a share of the significant funds available under the 2007-2013 Rural Development Programme.

14 December 2007

Written Submission by:
Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure

Dept for Culture, Arts and Leisure - rec'd 03.12.07.pdf

Written Submission by:
Department for Employment and Learning

1 Departmental Aim

Strategic Objectives

2 Department’s key areas of activity

3 Key Business Areas in Department for Employment and Learning (DEL)

Corporate Services: Minister’s Private Office/ Office of the Permanent Secretary/Central Management, Press Office, personnel, staff welfare, staff training, departmental records, statistics / research and evaluation.

Strategy and Employment Relations: Strategy and Equality covering compliance with S75 statutory duties, Co-ordination Unit and in particular the Department’s linkages with interdepartmental strategies; Employment and Industrial Relations, Including responsibility for relevant legislation and sponsorship of the Labour Relations Agency; the NI Certification Office; the administration of the Office of Industrial and Fair Employment Tribunals; the Industrial Court; and the Redundancy Payments Service; Migrant Workers Unit (facilitating the interdepartmental strategy)

Higher Education: Development of policy for the planning, funding and administration of higher education. Also, policy for student loans and awards, education maintenance allowances and for the payment of postgraduate awards.

Further Education: Development of policy for the planning, funding and administration of further education, including the reconfiguration of the Further Education Sector in line with the FE Means Business Review. Also responsible jointly with the Department of Education for the policy and curriculum for the 14-19 age group.

Skills and Industry: Responsibility for the NI Skills Strategy that sets out a vision for skills in Northern Ireland in 2015 and focuses on raising the skills levels of the workforce, enhancing the quality of those entering the workforce, and addressing the employability of those not in employment. This includes Careers and Information, Advice and Guidance policy and delivery and the policy and administration of Training for Success (Professional and Technical Provision replaced Jobskills from September 2007), Bridge to Employment and Management Leadership programmes and also for sector development and the associated Sector Skills Councils.

Preparation for Work: Responsibility for the administration and delivery of the New Deal programmes; Steps to Work initiatives; the Disablement Advisory Service; Pathways to Work targeted at Incapacity Benefit recipients; Progress2Work (NI) to assist with overcoming major barriers to employment resulting from problems associated with homelessness and substance misuse, an offending background, and other community based employability initiatives such as LEMIS (Local Employment Intermediary Service) designed specifically to engage with unemployed and economically inactive people in Northern Ireland’s most disadvantaged areas, and help them equip themselves for work.

Employment Service (part of Preparation for Work Division): the delivery of the public employment service through frontline teams in the network of 35 Jobs & Benefit Offices and JobCentres . A pivotal function of the Service is its local engagement with employers and the availability of “online” vacancy filling services to assist business and jobseekers alike.

4 Context of DEL’s work

DEL’s Contribution to the Programme for Government is summarized as follows:

PRIORITY: Growing A Dynamic, Innovative Economy

Actions: Increase by 300 the number of PhD research students at local universities by 2010

Introduce a new programme to increase the commercialisation of university and college research by 2010.

Goals: Increasing the employment rate from 70% to 75% by 2020

Ensuring by 2015 that 80% of the working age population is qualified to at least GCSE level or equivalent.

Increasing the number of adult learners achieving a qualification in literacy, numeracy and ICT skills by 90,000 by 2015.

Increasing by 25% the numbers of students, especially those from disadvantaged communities, at graduate and postgraduate level studying Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM subjects) by 2015.

PRIORITY: Promote Tolerance, Inclusion And Health And Well-Being

Actions: Introduce in 2008 a new Employment and Support Allowance to enable those unemployed due to ill-health or disability to return to work.

Put in place by 2010 a careers advice service to meet the needs of people with disabilities.

In carrying out its business DEL will contribute to the following Public Service Agreements (PSAs):

Productivity Growth - Improve Northern Ireland’s manufacturing and private services productivity

Skills for Prosperity - Ensure our people have the right skills to deliver economic prosperity now and in the future and increase skills and career choices in STEM subjects

Increasing Employment - Increase employment levels and reduce economic inactivity by addressing the barriers to employment and providing effective careers advice at all levels

Children and Family - To ensure that children are cared for, live in safety, are protected from abuse, receive the support they need to achieve their full potential, become more independent and grow into well adjusted adults, taking their place in the community

Helping our Children and Young People to Achieve Through Education - Encourage all our children to realise their potential by improving access to formal and non formal education and provision tailored to the needs of disadvantaged children and young people.

Housing, Urban Regeneration and Community Development - Promote decent, energy efficient, affordable housing and regenerate disadvantaged areas and towns and city centres, and support community development to create environments which enhance quality of life and contribute to well-being

Investing in the Health and Education Estates - Take forward a programme of investment to provide a modern fit-for-purpose health and education estate in line with best practice and ensuring value for money

5. Relevance of DEL’s work to the issue of the eradication of Child Poverty

The Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) is committed fully to the efforts to tackle poverty in all its forms. It is widely acknowledged that the best route out of poverty is via work, and in particular increasing household income is crucial to the eradication of poverty. DEL’s primary role in this is to ensure that people have the necessary skills for entry into employment, and where necessary re-employment, and by so doing to maintain earnings capacity and the ability of individuals to break out of the constraint low paid jobs.

6. Improvement in household income generally has a direct bearing on child poverty and it is in this context that the DEL’s core business has the capacity to exert most influence. In its Public Service Agreements DEL has committed to a range of targets contributing to the anti-poverty agenda, namely an increase in the employment rate in Northern Ireland; specific targets relating to those assisted into employment by DEL’s programmes and services; improvement in skill levels of the working age population including the essential skills of numeracy and literacy; and an increase in the percentage of those in the working age population qualified to level 2 and level 3.

7. In delivering against these targets DEL has a range of key delivery instruments for skills, including numeracy and literacy skills, and for helping people into work. Those specifically targeted at children and young people (up to age 18, or age 21 in the case of Looked After Children) aim to ensure that they make informed decisions about their future working life, have the necessary support to access and participate in education training or employment and have every opportunity to maximize their potential. Measures are in place to provide additional support to address particular barriers to employment.

8. The following paragraphs outline the key interventions that DEL has in place to address improvements to employability.

Skills

9. The Skills Strategy is the overarching strategy within the Department for Employment and Learning (DEL) and sets out a vision for skills in Northern Ireland in 2015.

The Strategy focuses on:

Sixteen projects/strands are being taken forward under the following four themes:

In addition there are four underpinning strands being taken forward relating to funding, communication, research and evaluation, and performance measurement.

Careers and Guidance Services (All Age)

10. Careers Services delivered by DEL’s Careers Advisers located across Northern Ireland are available to young people and adults in a range of contexts (education, training, employment and unemployment). The Department also currently contracts with the Educational Guidance Service for Adults (EGSA) and the learndirect Helpline for learning guidance services for adults. The Careers Service has developed a Careers specific interactive website (www.careersserviceni.com) that provides a useful self-help tool for both young people and adults, including parents.

11. The Careers Service has developed an all age Careers Education and Information, Advice and Guidance (CEIAG) strategy jointly with the Department of Education that will enable all citizens in Northern Ireland to become effective career planners. The strategy incorporates proposals for the development of a differentiated service delivery model, the development of an evidence based approach, client entitlement and the development of a clear commitment towards young people and adults vulnerable to social exclusion. The closing date for responses is14 December 2007. The document is available from the Careers Service website and the websites of both Departments.

Preparing People for Work (all-age service)

12. The Department contributes strongly across the entire skills range. It works with the Further Education Colleges and Universities to support the development of essential skills right through to the provision of support for PhD students. Qualification achievement targets are in place and are monitored for year on year rate of improvement. As shown above the Department’s all-age Careers Service has an important role to play here in providing information and guidance for those wishing to avail of it. The Department has a wide range of programmes available, for example New Deal, Bridge to Employment, Progress2Work, Training for Success, to help people progress and prepare for work. The Jobs and Benefit Offices are the primary gateway for all individuals to access DEL employment and training programmes.

Essential Skills

13. There is a direct causal link between levels of deprivation and the incidence of poor numeracy and literacy skills. In October 2002, in response to the findings of the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), which showed that almost 25% of adults in Northern Ireland perform at the lowest levels of literacy competence as compared with economic competitors such as Belgium (18%), Germany (14%), Netherlands (11%), and Sweden (8%), the Department launched the Essential Skills for Living Strategy and Action Plan. This was The Strategy aims to support 46,000 adults to improve their literacy and numeracy skills by 2007, of whom 18,500 will have achieved a qualification. This support is designed to enable them to improve their overall quality of life, their personal development, and their employment opportunities.

Training for Success (DEL’s primary offer for young people)

14. The Training for Success professional and technical training provision replaced the former Jobskills programme from September 2007. There are, however, a number of trainees who are still completing their training under Jobskills. Entry to Training for Success is gained through the network of local JobCentres or Jobs and Benefits Offices. Prior to entering training, each unemployed applicant receives in-depth assessment and guidance from DEL’s Careers Service. The Job-Ready strand of Training for Success is designed to enable participants to progress to higher level training, further education or employment by providing training to address personal development needs, including essential skills training.

15. Whilst in training on Job-Ready participants receive £40 per week allowance, plus travelling expenses if applicable. Contributions towards lodgings and/or childcare costs may also be paid. On apprenticeship training individuals are in paid employment from day one, and so receive a wage agreed with the employer.

Supporting Job Seekers

16. The Department’s network of JobCentres and Jobs and Benefits Offices (the latter jointly run with the Social Security Agency) are the key portal to services relevant to job seekers or job changers. Vacancies are advertised here and specialist advice and support is available. Staff play a key role in matching clients to employment opportunities and there are also self service options available via kiosks providing access to www.jobcentreonline.com that contains details of job vacancies in Northern Ireland and throughout the EU.

Local Employment Intermediary Service (LEMIS) (adult service)

17. This service complements the work of JBOs and is designed to address the needs of those furthest from the labour market in areas presently suffering from high levels of unemployment/low employment, namely Belfast , Strabane and Londonderry. LEMIS providers are local organisations with detailed knowledge of the issues facing the communities in which they operate. LEMIS support provides tailored assistance to help clients to overcome their barriers to employment, along with confidential advice, mentoring and referral to specialist advice where necessary.

Finance

18. The costs associated with education and training are a concern for low income families. DEL, through Student Finance Branch, works closely with other stakeholders including Education and Library Boards, Student Loans Company, Higher Education Institutes and National Union of Students – Union of Students in Ireland (NUS-USI) to ensure that students and their families are fully informed of the financial and other support/advice available to mitigate the costs of higher education.

19. Repayment of a Student Loan is linked to the level of a graduate’s income, and so the individual will only repay when they can afford to do so and there is no requirement to repay if their income is below the threshold of £15,000 per annum. In addition, all outstanding debt is written off after 25 years. There is also specific support available through Support Funds (which are funded by DEL and administered directly by the Institutions) to those students who encounter particular financial difficulties.

20. Concessionary fees are available, for example, in FE for those in receipt of benefits and there are a range of allowances payable to those participating in employment and training programmes. Childcare allowances are also payable where appropriate to address this potential barrier to participation.

DEL Commitment

21. The Committee will wish to be aware that the Department for Employment and Learning is committed fully to providing the means to ensure that those currently outside the labour market have access to help and support they need to acquire the necessary skills and qualifications to enable them to enter or re-enter the labour market and thus contribute to the rate of growth in the economy in Northern Ireland. It is by this means that DEL is making its contribution to the eradication of poverty and in particular, child poverty in Northern Ireland.

3 December 2007

Written Submission by:
Department of Enterprise,
Trade and Investment

Background

DETI’s key objective is to encourage the development of a high value added, innovative, enterprising and competitive economy leading to greater wealth creation and job opportunities for all. Although Departmental actions are generally not aimed directly at children, DETI activity has the potential to impact significantly on issues affecting poverty levels and therefore child poverty.

Key areas of activity are as follows:

Invest NI

Invest NI works to increase wealth in Northern Ireland by using its expertise and resources to accelerate the creation and growth of businesses within its client base. Since 2002, Invest NI has provided almost £638m of support, bringing total investment of 2.6bn and supported over 15,300 new businesses.

During 2006/07, a total of £450 million was committed to projects, of which £100 million represented offers of assistance from Invest NI. 57% of total assistance was offered to projects in areas which DETI has designated as ‘disadvantaged’ based on the income and employment domains within Noble’s 2005 NI Measure of Multiple Deprivation.

In terms of inward investment, both new and reinvestment continues to play a major role in the development of the Northern Ireland economy by broadening the industrial base, stimulating the introduction and development of new industry sectors, technologies and skills and by creating quality employment opportunities. Since 2002, Invest NI has secured 166 inward investments, bringing total investment of almost £1.1 billion – promoting over 13,000 new jobs, securing 10,500 others. The 69 first time investors will generate over £150m in annual wages.

As part of the Department’s commitment to Lifetime Opportunities, the new anti poverty and social inclusion strategy launched by the previous administration in November 2006, Invest NI has undertaken to target 75% of first-time inward investment projects towards disadvantaged areas to ensure that all areas can benefit from sustainable economic growth. In 2006/07, Invest NI secured 17 first-time internationally mobile investments promoting 2,559 new jobs for Northern Ireland, 76% of which are to locate in disadvantaged areas.

Energy Costs

DETI has responsibility for the energy market in Northern Ireland and, as outlined in the DSD-led fuel poverty strategy, is contributing towards the eradication of fuel poverty by working towards a cost-competitive energy supply in a number of ways, including:

In addition, the Environment and Renewable Energy Fund has provided £7.925m of support to DSD in 2007/08 for energy efficiency and renewable energy measures. This includes additional funding for warm homes as well as renewable energy technologies in NIHE properties; housing associations; and low income private households in fuel poverty.

Keypad metering is delivering sustainable benefits to vulnerable and disadvantaged customers in Northern Ireland. As a result of the introduction of NIE’s new “keypad” prepayment meter, 198,000 NIE customers are benefiting from a 2.5% discount on the standard domestic tariff. Some 50% of domestic natural gas customers have been provided with “pay as you Go” meters mostly in the Greater Belfast and Larne licenced area.

A grant of £5.6m is being used to defray the 2007/08 Energy Efficiency levy. This intervention will fund energy efficiency projects in non-commercial premises and has reduced NI electricity tariffs by 1% below what they otherwise might have been in the period November 07-Sept 08. The projects funded by this grant should enable some 1,020 households to be taken out of fuel poverty.

Debt Advice

To help tackle the problems associated with financial hardship, DETI has taken action to provide those experiencing consumer indebtedness with a comprehensive support service. A contract involving the provision of 12 advisors to give face-to-face debt advice in local advice offices throughout Northern Ireland will run through to March 2008.

30 November 2007

Written Submission by:
Department of the Environment

Background:

The Minister has considered the request and can advise that the Department has no specific role in relation to child poverty. The Department does have actions contained within the Children and Young Peoples’ Strategy relating to road safety and environmental education for children. However, these actions are targeted at all children, including those in disadvantaged areas and do not lend themselves specifically to the issue of child poverty.

Current Position

The Department has no specific role in relation to child poverty but is supportive of OFMdFM’s intention to carry out an inquiry into the subject.

13 December 2007

Written Submission by:
Department of Finance and Personnel

Dept of Finance & Personnel rec'd 10.12.psd

Written Submission by:
Derry Children’s Commission

Derry Children’s Commission is an Interagency Partnership involving children, young people and parents in equal partnership with the key organisations in the statutory, voluntary and community sectors who deliver services for children in the Derry City Council area.

Our mission is to promote and protect the rights of the child and ensure that children are seen and heard in public decision making in the local area and beyond. The Commission currently has representation from Derry City Council (officers and elected members), Western Health and Social Care Trust, NSPCC, NWRC, Greater Shantallow Area Partnership, Newbuildings Community Association, Liberty Consortium, St Columb’s Park House and Parents as Partners.

We work with six children and young people’s reference groups including young people who face additional challenges in realising their rights. Derry Children’s Commission is a highly innovative project which gives local expression to the developing National and International recognition of Children’s Rights.Our area of benefit is the Derry City Council area. The level of child and family poverty in the Derry City Council area is among the highest in the UK.

The extent, intensity and impact of Child Poverty in Northern Ireland

The approach taken when formulating the current strategy including the extent of engagement of key stakeholders

Assess whether the strategy is capably of delivering the key targets for 2010 and 2020.

Examine whether the implementation mechanisms, resources and monitoring arrangements currently in place are adequate to ensure delivery of the key actions and targets

Identify and analyse relevant experience elsewhere in terms of policy interventions and programmes

The UNICEF reports ‘Child Poverty in Rich Countries’ in 2005 and ‘Child Poverty in Perspective:an overview of Child Well Being in Rich Countries’ in 2007ask why some countries are doing a much better job at tackling child poverty than others. In the 2007 UNICEF report the UK was ranked bottom and Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark were ranked top in relation to indicators of child well being. This is an indicator of where to look for good practice initiatives beyond the UK perspective. Following an in-depth analysis of government policies, spending and poverty rates in OECD countries, the 2005 report concludes that ‘In all countries poverty levels are determined by some combination of the same three forces- social trends, labour market conditions and government policies.

The report emphasises the capacity of governments to reduce child poverty rates and demonstrates that higher government spending on family and social benefits is clearly associated with lower child poverty rates.

Consider what further actions could be taken to tackle child poverty with particular focus on those that would be deliverable by the devolved administration

19 November 2007

Written Submission by:
Derry City Council

1. Preamble

1.1 This submission is being made on behalf of Derry City Council, 98 Strand Road, Derry, BT48 7NN.

1.2 The Council’s Corporate Plan 2006-2009 set out its vision of “A vibrant, prosperous region with equality of opportunity for all” and strategic objectives in relation to increasing the prosperity of people living in the area, building inclusive communities where no-one feels alienated or marginalised and creating strong , confident communities able to participate in the social , cultural, economic and environmental regeneration of their areas. Tackling the issue of child poverty in our society is a key requisite of achieving the above objectives and the vision for the North West region.

1.3 The issue of child poverty is of particular priority given that the population in the council area is made up of a higher proportion of children and young people than the NI average - 29.3% of the population is aged 18 years and under, compared to 26.3% for NI as a whole (based on the mid year estimates for 2006) and that according to research carried out by the Save the Children Fund (2007), children have a 34% risk of living in poverty if they live in the West of Northern Ireland.

2. Executive Summary

Findings

2.1 According to research carried out by the Save the Children Fund (2007), children have a 34% risk of living in poverty if they live in the West of Northern Ireland. Specifically in the Derry City Council area 36% of children are living in poverty compared to an average of 24% of children in NI. (Poverty defined as family income of less than 60% of the GB median income after housing costs – HBAI Report 2004/5).

2.2 As a result of suffering from deprivation, evidence indicates that there will be an adverse impact on the physical and mental health, educational attainment, employment prospects and thus quality of life of people living in the Derry City Council area.

2.3 At a regional level, it is noted that spending on children in NI is much lower than other parts of the UK. The NICCY/DFP/OFMDFM research showed that 14% of the personal and social services budget was spent on children in NI compared with 24% in England and 26.1% in Wales.

2.4 International research shows that higher government spending on family and social benefits is clearly associated with lower child poverty rates. In addition, there also evidence to show that child poverty can be tackled most effectively when there is a high degree of cross-sectoral working.

Conclusions

2.5 It is considered that the current fragmented, uncoordinated approach to tackling child poverty is unlikely to deliver the targets set.

2.6 It is also clear that failure to address the issue of child poverty in our society will greatly impede the attainment of the overall aim of the Programme for Government 2008-2011 i.e. “To build a peaceful, fair and prosperous society in NI, with respect for the rule of law”.

Recommendations

2.7 In order to more effectively tackle child poverty, there are a number of key issues which must be addressed:

3. Examine the extent, intensity and impact of child poverty in Northern Ireland

Extent

3.1 According to recent research[65]there are 100,000 children living in officially defined levels of poverty in communities across Northern Ireland.

3.2 In the Derry City Council area 36% of children are living in poverty compared to an average of 24% of children in NI. (Poverty defined as family income of less than 60% of the GB median income after housing costs – HBAI Report 2004/5).

Intensity

3.3 According to research carried out by the Save the Children Fund (2007), children have a 34% risk of living in poverty if they live in the West of Northern Ireland.

3.4 Specifically in the Derry City Council area, in 2006, 32.9% of the post primary school population were entitled to free meals compared to the NI average figure of 18.9%. In the same year, median gross weekly earnings for all employees in the council area as 17.5% lower than the NI average - £267.80 as compared to £324.70. Figures also indicate that a greater proportion of the population in the area claim income support benefit (19.1% in Derry City Council area compared to 10.8% for NI overall – 2004 figures).

3.5 The 2005 Measures of Deprivation, indicates that the Derry City Council area ranks third in terms of overall average score, but more specifically it ranks second in relation to income, employment and local concentration of deprivation.

3.6 At a regional level, it is noted that spending on children in NI is much lower than other parts of the UK. The NICCY/DFP/OFMDFM research showed that 14% of the personal and social services budget was spent on children in NI compared with 24% in England and 26.1% in Wales.

Impact

3.7 The recent report “Health and Social Care Inequalities Monitoring System : Second Update Bulletin 2007” clearly illustrates the impact of deprivation on health. This report highlights that the proportion of the younger population (aged 0-15 years) in deprived areas (26%) was higher than in NI generally (24%). It also provides evidence of :

3.8 Research also indicates that :

(Source: An end in sight? Tackling child poverty in the UK 2001)

4. Consider the approach taken when formulating the current strategy including the extent of engagement with key stakeholders

4.1 It is vital that children, young people and parents who are living in poverty are engaged with directly. Specifically, we would emphasise the importance of engagement with children young people and parents from areas of high child poverty such as those within the Derry City Council area.

4.2 As part of the consultation on ‘Lifetime Opportunities’ the Northern Ireland Anti Poverty Strategy, Derry Children’s Commission held a series of workshops with young people living in poverty. The young people involved in the ‘Pitch Out Poverty’ workshops subsequently put questions to representatives from the Central Anti Poverty Unit of OFMDFM and performed a short drama depicting the educational and employment barriers they experienced as a result of poverty. The suggestions from young people are documented in the ‘Wise Up To Child Poverty’ Report which is enclosed with this submission. This engagement was distinctive in that it was focused on young people living in poverty who have experienced the barriers directly rather than with a general consultative youth panel. Young people living in poverty who experience significant barriers are less likely to engage with general youth participation structures than their better off peers. It is vital therefore that engagement processes are implemented on a local level with young people, that trust is established and that time is given to the process of seeking their views. The option of ‘parachuting in’ with consultation or only engaging with existing youth participation structures is unlikely to effectively reach those young people who are actually living in poverty.

4.3 The Council welcomes the establishment of the Poverty and Social Exclusion forum following the ‘Lifetime Opportunities’ strategy, however whilst the Council recognises the importance of a regional overview, we would like to see better representation from the west on this forum and direct representation from young people and parents living in poverty, (given the higher prevalence of poverty and child poverty in the west of Northern Ireland).

5. Assess whether the existing strategy is capable of delivering the key targets for 2010 and 2020

5.1 Currently there is a range of strategies / programmes such as Neighbourhood Renewal, Extended Schools, Free School Meals, nTSN, Investing for Health and the NI Anti-Poverty Strategy which should contribute positively towards tackling child poverty.

5.2 Whilst there is limited information available to establish the effectiveness of these initiatives to date, there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that initiatives such as Extended Schools have been driven by time and expenditure constraints as opposed to social outcomes and may also have missed their anticipated target groups e.g. children from families where the parent(s) are not working/ have disabilities are less likely to be to avail of breakfast clubs. It is also noted that the average overall ranking (3rd) according to the Noble Deprivation Measures for the Derry City Council area have not changed between 2001 and 2005, and the change in the average deprivation score for the council changed by less than 10% over this 4 year period (as was the case for the 1st and 2nd place council areas – Strabane and Belfast).

5.3 It is considered that this fragmented, uncoordinated approach to tackling child poverty is unlikely to deliver the targets set and that it is hoped that new community planning powers will enable councils to facilitate the coordination and monitoring of activity and resources at a local level so as to enhance community outcomes.

5.4 The Council would also note that under the previous Assembly, there was ring-fenced monies in the Executive Fund for children. The lack of availability of such funding will undermine the capacity of the existing strategy to deliver the key targets for 2010 and 2020.

6. Examine whether the implementation mechanisms, resources and monitoring arrangements currently in place are adequate to ensure delivery of the key actions/targets

6.1 In terms of the existing implementation mechanisms, resources and monitoring arrangements, it is important to differentiate between the regional and local dimensions.

6.2 At a regional level, the NIAPS has no resourced, cross departmental/sectoral, regional action plan and the resourcing mechanisms currently in place put pressure on quick spend, decreasing the likelihood of achieving long-term outcomes. There also appears to be no effective cross departmental data monitoring and reporting arrangements in place to establish progress on outcomes. Indeed, the current focus of monitoring seems to more focussed on numbers and finances as opposed to improved outcomes for vulnerable children and their families. It is also noted that short term funding initiatives such as the Children and Young Peoples Fund whilst important may not be effective in addressing long term targets.

6.3 At the local level, it is hoped that new Community Planning powers for councils will facilitate rigorous, local accountability which is not currently in place.

7. Identify and analyse relevant experience elsewhere in terms of policy interventions and programmes

7.1 The UNICEF reports ‘Child Poverty in Rich Countries’ in 2005 and ‘Child Poverty in Perspective: An overview of Child Well Being in Rich Countries’ in 2007 ask why some countries are doing a much better job at tackling child poverty than others. In the 2007 UNICEF report the UK was ranked bottom and Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark were ranked top in relation to indicators of child well being. This is an indicator of where to look for good practice initiatives beyond the UK perspective.

7.2 Following an in-depth analysis of government policies, spending and poverty rates in OECD countries, the 2005 report concludes that ‘In all countries poverty levels are determined by some combination of the same three forces- social trends, labour market conditions and government policies. The report emphasises the capacity of governments to reduce child poverty rates and demonstrates that:

7.3 In NI a child’s educational attainment is directly linked to father’s educational status. Denmark has broken that link showing that by investing in children it is completely possible to break the link.

7.4 Derry Children’s Commission recently hosted a delegation from the Netherlands particularly looking at child heath, physical activity, safety and mobility. The correlation of child ill health, high child accident rates and deprivation is well documented. One of the very notable differences in the Netherlands approach was the degree of cross-sectoral working. One initiative demonstrated public health working together with roads engineers, educationalists, the local authority and planners to address child heath and safety issues in a deprived community.

8. Consider what further actions could be taken to tackle child Poverty with particular focus on those that would be deliverable by the devolved administration

8.1 It is essential that a resourced, cross departmental and cross sectoral regional action plan is prepared and that this plan should be supplemented by a number of local action plans, corresponding to the existing or new proposed council boundaries.

8.2 Each of these plans should define responsibilities for delivery and include clear, time-bound outcome objectives. Responsibility for co-ordinating and monitoring progress in terms of actions, commitment of resources and in achieving outcomes at the local level should be the responsibility of the local council. Such monitoring would facilitate an integrated approach and help ensure that existing strategies are effective in terms of targeting, engagement, impact and long-term outcomes eg Extended Schools Strategy. There would also be benefits in regard to more effective joint working , pooling of resources and expertise, capacity building and supporting co-ordinated, partnership and community development approaches to tackling poverty and inequality.

8.3 Overall responsibility for the monitoring of the regional plan should lie with the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister.

8.4 Consultation on the regional and local action plans should include direct and real engagement with those who live in poverty and key local stakeholders, thus giving them the opportunity to be involved in identifying and addressing need and contributing to the integrated action plans.

8.5 The target dates of 2010 and 2020 clearly indicate that poverty cannot be eradicated overnight. In the interim period, whilst progress is being made towards the Programme for Government objectives, it is essential that all action plans contain measures that will lift children from the day to day experiences of poverty and improve the quality of their lives. In this context, it is important to note that healthy eating, participation in sport, music, play and all other activities are less likely to be experienced by children living in poverty.

8.6 Action plans should also make specific provision for the most vulnerable groups ie; Traveller Families, Migrant Workers, Children with a Disability, Children at Risk, Children in Care, Young Parents and Children with Mental and Emotional Health difficulties.

8.7 It is also essential that an effectively resourced community infrastructure is in place so as to engage those most vulnerable and most likely to be living in poverty and ensure better targeting, value for money, user involvement and lasting impact and outcomes.

8.8 Equality Impact Assessment and Poverty Proofing of government policies and plans should be carried out.

8.9 If the Executive is to be successful in tackling child poverty dedicated ring-fenced funds must be identified within the Budget 2008-11.

4 December 2007

Appendix 1

The recent report“Health and Social Care Inequalities Monitoring System: Second Update Bulletin 2007” clearly illustrates the impact of deprivation on health. This report highlights that the proportion of the younger population (aged 0-15 years) in deprived areas (26%) was higher than in NI generally (24%). It also provides evidence of:

The link between deprivation and poor health

A higher proportion of the population in deprived areas (27%) than in NI generally (21%) indicated that they had a limiting long term illness. This was also true for the proportion that stated that their health was ‘not good’ (deprived areas – 16%, NI - 11%).

The link between deprivation and higher mortality rates

In 2006, a person aged under 75 years of age living in the most deprived areas was 40% more likely to die than a similar person living in NI overall.

The link between deprivation and higher infant mortality rates.

In 2006, the infant mortality rate was higher in deprived areas with 6.5 infant deaths per 1000 live births than in NI overall (5.3 infant deaths per 1000 live births).

The link between deprivation and higher teenage birth rates

In 2006, the teenage birth rate within deprived areas was 28.9 births per 1000 females compared to 12.4 in non-deprived areas.

The link between deprivation and low immunisation take up rates.

Figures for 2004/5 and 2005/6 indicate that the take up for immunisation of children under 2 years of age is generally lower in deprived areas.

The link between deprivation and lower dental registration rates

In June 2007, the standardised dental registration rate in deprived areas was 13% lower than that for NI generally.

The link between deprivation and higher hospital admission rates.

In 2006/7, the standardised admission rate for all in-patient admissions was 20% higher in deprived areas than the NI SAR. The emergency admission rate was 28% higher.

The link between deprivation and higher suicide rates.

Crude suicide rate figures for 2006 indicate that there were 16.8 suicides per 100,000 population in deprived areas compared to 10.1 in non-deprived areas.

The link between deprivation and childhood obesity.

In 2005/6, obesity levels among P1 children in deprived areas were higher (5.9%) than in non-deprived areas (4.9%).

Written Submission by:
Disability Action

Introduction

1 Disability Action is a pioneering Northern Ireland charity working with and for people with disabilities. We work with our members to provide information, training, transport awareness programmes and representation for people regardless of their disability; whether that is physical, mental, sensory, hidden or learning disability.

2 More than one in five (300,000) people in Northern Ireland has a disability and the incidence is higher there than in the rest of the United Kingdom. Over one quarter of all families here are affected.

3 As a campaigning body, we work to bring about positive change to the social, economic and cultural life of people with disabilities and consequently our entire community.

4 Our network of services is provided via our Headquarters in Belfast in three regional offices in Carrickfergus, Derry and Dungannon.

5 Disability Action welcomes the opportunity to respond to this inquiry.

Extent of Disability Among Children in Northern Ireland

6 The NISRA Disability Survey, the most recent research has found that amongst the very youngest within Northern Ireland’s households, the prevalence of disability is notably higher amongst boys than amongst girls. Around 8% of boys aged 15 and under were found to have a disability, compared with 4% of girls of the same age.

7 In relation to multiple disability the most common number of disabilities for children is 1, with just over 2% of children having a disability within one area only. However, a notable number of children across Northern Ireland (almost 4%) are living with two or more disabilities.

8 Chronic illness, learning difficulties, social or behavioural difficulties, intellectual difficulties and difficulties with breathing are the most prevalent disabilities reported for Northern Ireland children. Many children with chronic illness are living with asthma and have associated breathing difficulties, illustrating the interaction between these two particular categories.

9 The prevalence of disability amongst children living in households varies from a low of 5% in the East of Northern Ireland (Antrim, Ards, Ballymena, Banbridge, Craigavon, Down and Larne) to 8% within Belfast.

Disabled Children Living in Poverty

10 The most recent government statistics (released August 2007) showed that 124,000 children are living in poverty, this represents 29% of all children in Northern Ireland an increase of 5% on the previous year’s figures. There are no figures currently available on the prevalence rates of poverty among disabled children.

11 However, disabled children are more likely to experience child poverty and they are more likely to be worse off as adults. Reports from Northern Ireland are scarce and data is not current, therefore Disability Action relies on information from the Office of Disability Issues (UK) which the Committee should extrapolate for Northern Ireland and which shows that:

Quintile distribution of income for households with and without disabled children

Chart 2.eps

12 There can also be wider impacts on their families, with many parents spending time “fighting the system” rather than enjoying time with their children and leading to increasing stress and a greater likelihood of family separation or breakdown.

13 There is anecdotal evidence that families from higher socio-economic groups are more likely to be able to navigate the system than poorer families. This may mean there is a reinforcement of multiple sources of disadvantage for other families.

14 Levels of stress may also differ between different black and minority ethnic groups in the population. (A study showed that South Asian families with children with significant disabilities had higher levels of stress than any other social group).

15 In relation to the strategy contained in Lifetime Opportunities Disability Action believes that the processes, timescales and content are at the very least weak.

16 Whilst not arguing at this point for a re-write of what should be the framework for tackling child poverty in Northern Ireland, Disability Action firmly proposes a significant review of its content in particular the current targets which are too general and non-specific.

Conclusion

17 Disability Action has prepared this short and general brief on poverty and disabled children and is happy to prepare further more specific evidence for the Committee’s attention.

26 November 2007

Written Submission by:
Dungannon and South Tyrone
Borough Council

“Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the
health and well-being of oneself and one’s family, including
food, clothing, housing, medical care, education…”
(UN Declaration of Human Rights 1948)

Children most at risk of low income and poverty in Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough,
Households Below Average Income (DSD 2005/06)

1. Introduction

Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council is located in the South West of Northern Ireland. Its population is approximately 54,000. The main population centre is Dungannon with a population of 11,139, with Coalisland as its second town. There are 10 villages and 33 settlements. The area has experienced the fastest growth in the region over the last 5 year period, in 2005/06 its growth rate was 3.1% compared to 1% for Northern Ireland.

As part of its civic leadership role it is advocating on the serious issue of Child Poverty; which is not only evident from recent statistics but from experiences on the ground.

2. Summary of Issue

The recent DSD Households Below Average Incomes (HBAI) NI, 2005/06 identified Children living in Dungannon were most at risk of low income. In Dungannon, almost two-thirds of children fall into the bottom two fifths of households living on low income (BHC), (DSD Households Below Average Incomes NI, 2005/06).

These statistics have been substantiated by organisations who are working to address poverty in the area. Councillors are also hearing first hand experiences of poverty and its impacts within their local communities.

Council as part of its civic leadership role is advocating to government to undertake a review of the area and to look at future action to help make a difference to the lives of people living here.

3. Examine the extent, intensity and impact of child poverty in Northern Ireland

Extent and Intensity of poverty in Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough

3.1 Child Poverty West of the Bann

Of all the Local Government Districts (LGDs) people living in the West of the region are most at risk of living on a low income. (DSD Households Below Average Incomes NI, 2005/06).

3.1.2 Data on household income indicates that the highest household incomes are in the Rural East area reflecting the transfer of earnings generated within Belfast by commuters – with the lowest incomes in the Rural West. (NI Executive Draft Budget 2008 – 2011).

3.1.3 Children living West of the Bann are more likely to be experiencing poverty

Figure 6: Child poverty rate by parliamentary constituency (HBAI 2004-5)

Report Map.eps

3.2 Child Poverty in Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough

3.2.1 Children living in Dungannon were most at risk of low income. In Dungannon, almost two-thirds of children fall into the bottom two fifths of households living on low income (BHC), (DSD Households Below Average Incomes NI, 2005/06).

3.2.2 The majority of employment in Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough is food, engineering and manufacturing, concentrated on low wage income.

3.2.3 11920 people live with Income deprivation in Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough, approx. 23% of population (NI Multiple Deprivation Measure)

3.2.4 Dungannon house prices in 2006 were higher than the NI average, £178,296 compared to £174,178.Source: (UU Survey: District Housing Plan Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough 2007).

3.2.5 The average rental level in Dungannon town is between £150 – £170 per week, in outer villages and areas it is on average £120 – £140 per week.

3.3 Migrant Workers and Ethnic Minorities

3.3.1 The groups with the highest poverty risk are: Ethnic minorities and migrant workers; travellers; young people especially aged 16-18, lone parent families; families of ex-prisoners; people with low or no educational qualifications; long term unemployed; people living in disadvantaged communities; people living in border areas. (Northern Ireland Anti Poverty Network).

3.3.2 Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough has the highest number of migrant workers and population growth across the region, as referenced previously. The migrant population is approximately 10% of the population of 54,000 (estimate 2007). This figure is deemed low as other evidence would suggest, 22% of families registered with Sure Start are migrant workers, and 40% of births in the area in 2006/07 were to migrant worker families. Given that families are only one group of migrant workers the % population figure may be much higher. This is a unique situation and one which brings its own issues for child poverty.

3.3.3 Approximately ¼ of the population is under 16 years of age. Mid Year Estimates 2005

3.3.4 According to NI Census 2001 46% of Dungannon households had one or more persons with a limiting long term illness. NI Census 2001

3.4. Benefits and Low Income

3.4.1 If a family is living entirely on benefits, it is likely to be living in poverty. (Save the Children).

3.4.2 Around half of all children in poverty in NI are living in households where at least one parent is in paid employment - low wage. (Save the Children).

3.4.3 9% of the Dungannon population live in the most deprived Super Output 4 Areas in NI (9th out of 26 LGDs’)

3.4.4 In 2004 10.4% of adults and 24.3% children under 16 were living in Income Support Households, compared to 8.8% and 23.3% for the NI average. Source: Income Support Claimants 2004 (Social Welfare Statistics &Consultancy Branch, DSD)

3.4.5 Industry in the Borough is mainly traditional manufacturing, therefore the majority of the workforce population relies on low wage incomes.

3.5 Housing

3.5.1 Bad housing makes children sick. Children living in cramped, often emergency accommodation experience disturbed sleep, poor diet, hyperactivity, bedwetting and soiling, aggression and higher rates of accidents and infectious disease. And the effects are long lasting. Shelter (2006), Toying with their future.

3.5.2 There are 802 people on the housing waiting list in Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough with 556 of these people in housing stress – June 2007.

3.5.3 Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough in its entirety has now been registered an area of HMO, the first outside of Belfast, Derry and Coleraine, due to migration. This brings major issues of fitness standards and rental abuse.

3.5.4 6.6% of Households in Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough are without central heating or without sole use of bath/shower/toilet or without both compared to 5.3% NI average. Of 16259 households in Dungannon 8.4% of homes were unfit. NI Census 2001/2001 House Conditions Survey

3.5.5 In 2004 there were 597 new dwelling starts. 12 of these were for Housing Associations, representing 2.0% of total new build, compared to 7.8% for Northern Ireland. Source: New Dwelling Starts 2004 (DRD).

3.6 Education

3.6.1 Children entitled to free school meals are more than twice as likely to achieve no qualifications (12%) compared to the NI average (5%). DENI – Northern Ireland School Leavers Survey 2004/5.

3.6.2 The % of the post primary school population entitled to free school meals (2006) is 21.3% compared to 18.9% for NI Source: School Census 05/06 (DE).

3.6.3 In a recent consultation undertaken by Council with a number of local schools, teachers emphasised the additional pressures and importance of more support for integration and teaching of new migrant worker children.

3.7 Experienced Impact of Child Poverty - Isolation

Experience of isolation from organisations working at the local level:

3.7.1 ‘Lack of English/Information means that children and Young People do not

3.7.2 access services and thus do not feel part of the community’ (SHSSB BME Consultation).

3.7.3 ‘Lack of after hours childcare (outside of the standard 9-5pm) means parents have to leave children in appropriate childcare feeling isolated and without adult supervision’ (SHSSB BME Consultation).

3.7.4 ‘Because childcare places are expensive parents become unemployed as they have to look after their children as such they do not get the opportunity to learn English or integrate with other children’ (SHSSB BME Consultation).

3.7.5 ‘There is a greater need for homework clubs for young people to help them interact outside school and also as both parents work after school hours’ (SHSSB BME Consultation).

3.7.6 ‘There are an ever increasing number of housing developments on the edge of rural towns and villages that are housing new families who then don’t have the local knowledge or connections which further isolates them and can lead to real problems with depression’ (Sure Start Dungannon).

3.7.7 ‘Local charities are experiencing an increase in the number of crisis situations. We currently respond to more and more calls per week, and increasing migrant worker families seeking help’ (SVDP).

3.7.8 ‘Affordable transport is a key issue which is required not only to support work, but access to key services, social and leisure facilities across both rural and urban locations’ (Sure Start).

3.8. Experienced Impact of Child Poverty - Depression

Experience of depression from organisations working at the local level:

3.8.1 ‘We were called to a house were a women only had a packet of rice in her cupboard and did not know where to turn to for help’ (SVDP)

3.8.2 ‘Often when crisis calls are made it is at a time when there is no money for rent or food and families are experiencing a threat of homelessness’. (SVDP)

3.8.3 ‘SVDP can do so little, provide some necessity food, clothing and small emergency money £30 - £40, people should not be allowed to reach such a crisis point in their lives; mainstreamed support is needed’ (SVDP)

3.9 Experienced Impact of Child Poverty - Family/relationship problems and breakdowns.

Experience of family/relationship problems and breakdowns from organisations working at the local level:

3.9.1 ‘We are aware of many families where both parents work one during the day whilst the other works in the evening or overnight. This puts strain on their relationship and is not good for their children’ (Sure Start).

3.9.2 ‘Don’t see any other option but to share the childcare due to cost of outside childcare’ (Sure Start).

3.9.3 ‘Daughter who is 3 years old didn’t get into playgroup this year, which leaves the situation very difficult’ (Sure Start).

3.9.4 ‘Day-care is very expensive and if you are running late they make you pay extra, which is hard on an already limited budget’ (Sure Start).

3.10 Case studies

A number of case studies are also available for information, providing real evidence of experiences and impacts of poverty on the ground. Information on these can be provided if required.

4. Consider the approach taken when formulating the current strategy including the extent of the engagement with key stakeholders

It is critical that the review of child poverty takes account of real experiences. Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council would like to facilitate a session with the Committee of OFMDFM in Dungannon to allow this interaction and strengthen its evidence base.

Council is aware that engagement has taken place in the development of strategies and plans – Lifetime Opportunities and the NI 10 Year Children’s Strategy and Action Plan. These plans are very good in terms of objectives but are lacking in terms of delivery.

There is also a need for local plans that take account of local need. The Southern Area Children and Young people’s Services Plan does not link to ‘Lifetime Opportunities’ and does not take account of poverty and prioritising resources. Whilst it does address some areas which will help alleviate the impacts of poverty it does not take account of the underlying strategic causes such as low disposable income. The Partnership to oversee delivery of the Plan is voluntary as is its commitment to delivery of actions.

Overall the development of strategies to address poverty are fine, the key element missing is delivery. There would seem to be either a lack of resources for departments to reprioritise or a lack of commitment to deliver on poverty.

5. Assess whether the existing strategy is capable of delivering the key targets for 2010 and 2020

As stated above existing strategies and targets are fine, it is delivery that is missing. Also as mentioned previously there is concern that the ‘Lifetime Opportunities’ Strategy and NI and Sub Regional Children’s Strategy are not interlinked.

There is also a focus on short term solutions. Whilst these are important the main underlying problems need also to be addressed. For example in Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough some of the main issues are reliance on low income economy and high rental values. Whilst organisations such as Sure Start can link into plans and deliver actions relating to supporting families to deal with child and relationship issues, support in planning and encourage integration, it can not address the bigger causes of child poverty such as income or rent.

In dealing with poverty too much emphasis is placed on Neighbourhood Renewal. The two neighbourhood renewal areas designated in Dungannon and Coalisland. These areas which were identified on the basis of the Noble index of multiple deprivation by DSD are not recognizable, coherent communities, as pockets of deprivation in their vicinity have been omitted. The level of funding earmarked by DSD is insignificant in terms of reducing deprivation.

Whilst there is some benefit in terms of project based activity It is not addressing mainstreaming of services and is therefore having limited impact. We must move away from short term projects and look at a different way of targeting mainstreaming of services and seeking real commitment from Government.

“In addition to Neighbourhood Renewal the implementation and development of Sure Start programmes has taken place since 2000. There are currently two programmes in the Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council area. Clogher Valley Sure Start (Augher, Clogher, Fivemiletown, Ballygawley, Aughnacloy) and Dungannon Sure Start (Dungannon Town, Moygashel, Granville, Coalisland South). It has only recently expanded to Coalisland South with funding from the Children and Young Peoples Funding Package, which has also provided for a pilot programme for two year olds and an increase in daycare to facilitate parents to access education/training and potential employment. These programmes and recent initiatives have delivered positive outcomes.

The Goal of Lifetime Opportunities for Early Years (0to4) is “to ensure that every child should have a chance to develop their full potential in infancy regardless of social background.” Sure Start programmes will continue to play their part in delivering on this goal. The additional funding available from the CYPFP will also make a positive contribution but the key issues of housing affordability, of low wage economy and affordable / flexible childcare will remain outside this control.

Child Poverty also happens outside of the Sure Start and Neighbourhood Renewal areas which mean that these children, parents and communities are excluded. Work must take place to mainstream these initiatives and address the issues that remain outside their remit.”

6. Examine whether the implementation mechanisms, resources and monitoring arrangements currently in place are adequate to ensure delivery of the key actions/targets

Given that child poverty continues to rise, it would seem that the current implementation mechanisms, resources and monitoring are not adequate to deliver the actions/targets. The main issue would seem to be that there is no commitment from departments to reprioritise resources.

In a recent study ‘An Exploration of the impact of Rural Isolation on Poverty and Disadvantage in Families with Children in the Sothern Investing for Heath Partnership area’, a number of organisation were asked how they provide services to respond to the challenge of equitable rural service delivery and poverty. Comments included ‘Our Service is there for all’, ‘We deliver our services equally’ Council has had similar answers from departments. This view of equality or targeting TSN is misleading and leadership is required to move departments forward if the existing strategies and action plans are to be delivered.

If a real difference to child poverty is going to be made adequate resources are required. Departments continually state they do not have the additional funding. It is also important that Government through OFMDFM centralise funding to undertake value added activity to seek to alleviate child poverty. It is also critical that all departments identify actions and areas that are value added and target driven to show real commitment.

A monitoring group should be established including a wide range of stakeholders to regularly monitor progress of the named strategies and plans on child poverty.

Data collection is important, however this does not need to become an exercise in itself. Leadership from one department is required and a commitment from all departments to gather and share relevant information. There also needs to be an updated monitoring form, as it is not appropriate to tick a white or black box to help determine diversity needs.

7. Identify and analyse relevant experience elsewhere in terms of policy interventions and programmes

England

8. Consider what further actions could be taken to tackle child poverty with particular focus on those that would be deliverable by the devolved administration

1. Given the unique situation of Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough with regard to child poverty figures and new communities, we are seeking OFMDFM Committee to hold a session on child poverty in Dungannon.

2. The current Executive budget needs to address child poverty as a priority, and allocate additional resources, as current resource reallocation is not working.

3. Seek action and commitment to the Anti-Poverty and Social Inclusion Strategy – Lifetime Opportunities; to identify actions, allocate responsibilities, and measure progress through a review group of stakeholders. Similarly, with the recent document ‘Unmet Needs of Children in NI’.

4. Ensure local Children’s plan’s ‘Southern Area Children and Young people’s plan’ includes Lifetime Opportunities, and wider strategic causes of child poverty with cross departmental commitment to action.

5. Establish a taskforce in areas of extreme child poverty and with unique situations to other areas to address a local plan of action, with a commitment from other Departments or allocated resources.

6. Seek a commitment from Government on short-medium term actions:

(i) Provision of adequate preschool places.

(ii) Provision of appropriate childcare to accommodate a diverse group.

(iii) Provision of after schools support for children.

(iv) Provision of adequate dental care for NHS and vulnerable groups.

(v) Provision of outreach community healthcare workers.

(vi) School transport for young children to help safety and access.

(vii) DSD to formally intervene in housing rentals, and to review the gap between housing benefit support and rents.

7. Commitment from Government to medium-long term actions:

(viii) DETI/INI to address economic deprivation and reliance on low income employment (contributor to child poverty), by looking at regionally dispersed R&D, knowledge based industry and public sector employment.

(ix) DSD to prioritise the provision of social and affordable housing in areas of poverty.

List of Stakeholders Consulted

1. Sure Start Dungannon

2. Southern Health and Social Care Trust - Promotion of Wellbeing

3. Southern Health and Social Services Board – Children’s Services Planning

4. Save the Children

5. Northern Ireland Anti Poverty Network

6. St Vincent De Paul

16 November 2007

Written Submission by:
Eastern Health and Social Services Board

  1. This submission has been drafted by the Personal Social Services Directorate, of the Eastern Health and Social Services Board.
  2. The Governments anti-poverty and social inclusion strategy for Northern Ireland: Lifetime of opportunities sets out targets for early years and for children and young people aged 5-16.
  3. The early years section emphasises a broad and balanced pre-school curriculum to age 6, parents having access to a range of information and services, and improvements in rural early years services.
  4. The targets for children aged 5-16 stressed improvements in educational attainment and in improvements to mental health and well being.
  5. The wider strategy stressed improved access to employment for disadvantaged groups and an end to area deprivation.
  6. We consider that whilst the range of actions and targets set out in this strategy are important there remains a significant aspect to the elimination of childhood poverty that is not addressed.
  7. The link between poverty and poor outcomes for children is well known. The 2006/07 report from Ofsted, (The Annual Report of Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, 2006/07), highlights the links between low education attainment and economic disadvantage. It states: “The relationship between poverty and outcomes for young people is stark”. However the relationship and the factors involved are complex and range beyond income level and simple factors for example lone parents.
  8. Over the past few years the Child and Young Persons Committee (CYPC) has taken time to identify and critically appraise detailed evidence from a wide range of sources, addressing the problems of poor outcomes for children and young people. What follows is a brief summary of the interventions and approaches, Eastern Area Family Support Strategy, that proposes a course of action to address the task of achieving better outcomes for all vulnerable children, and as a consequence a reduction in inter-generational poverty.

  9. Background:

  10. Within the population there are children and groups of children who require additional family support because of the adverse circumstances or multiple disadvantages they face whilst growing up.
  11. From research we know that large portions of the population are disadvantaged as a result of challenges such as unemployment, chronic illness and disability or living in a lone parent family. Whilst the evidence would indicate that children who live, for example, in a lone parent family have a higher chance of experiencing poorer outcomes both during childhood and as an adult, there are also many children who have a similar upbringing but who do not suffer the same long-term negative consequences.
  12. The work of the “Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study Team” in the United States has started to provide a better understanding of how a range of adverse experiences in childhood result in poorer outcomes for children in later life and the mechanisms for this. The ACE Study reveals a powerful relationship between the emotional experiences of children and their later physical and mental health as adults, as well as helping to explain the major causes of adult mortality in the United States.
  13. The ACE Study has identified nine factors that lead to poorer outcomes for children as adults if they are exposed to them within their family. Given an exposure to one category, there is an 80% likelihood of exposure to another category. The strength of this research has been in mapping the impact of multiple disadvantages rather than studying each issue separately, as rarely do children and families experience just one type of disadvantage – for example, a child does not grow up with a parent with a substance misuse problem or experiencing domestic violence in an otherwise well-functioning family.
  14. An adverse childhood experience is defined as growing up in a household as a child or young person with one or more of the following:
  1. The greater the number of adverse childhood experiences the greater the likelihood that as an adult the individual will present with a range of health problems and emotional disorders, ultimately resulting in an earlier death. For example, an individual who has experienced adverse childhood experiences in four categories is 390% more likely to have chronic heart disease compared to an individual who has not experienced any. Similarly, an individual who has experienced adverse childhood experiences in four categories is 460% more likely to be depressed with a 1,220% increase in attempted suicide. The two most powerful findings from the study are that adverse childhood experiences.
  2. Are vastly more common than recognised or acknowledged, and have a powerful relation to adult health a half-century later.
  3. The above concept is a key aspect of progressing an early intervention approach by ensuring that those children living in adverse circumstances are identified at the earliest possible stage.
  4. Another key component of early intervention is to identify and provide support to children and young people who are already struggling to achieve reasonable outcomes. Examples would include young people who are missing school or who are performing poorly within school, young people on the fringes of offending, or young people who are leading unhealthy lifestyles through smoking, drinking or early sexual activity. Such children and young people are also considered to be vulnerable in the context of this strategy.
  5. Children with complex health needs and/or disabilities also need to receive family support services as vulnerable children or children in need. Research would indicate that the earlier the identification of a child’s need for additional support or specialist services the better the outcomes for the child concerned.
  6. The CYPC after much discussion, which considered children and young people in a wide range of vulnerable circumstances, felt that the following groupings contained those children who were most vulnerable to experiencing long term and significant difficulties:
  1. The CYPC also accept that there are other factors which contribute to adverse childhood experience, including single parenthood, poverty, isolation, ethnicity, overcrowded living and young parenthood.

  2. Approach:

  3. Adverse life events contribute to serious long-term outcomes for some children. However, research would indicate that other children faced with similar adverse events appear to emerge relatively unaffected. This capacity to resist or recover from adversities is generally called resilience.
  4. A review of the research into resilience and its role in Child Care Services compiled by Tony Newman* stresses that whilst there is no doubt that the identification of risk factors leads to substantial improvements in a child’s health and well being, improving the outcomes for vulnerable children is not simply a matter of eliminating or reducing risk factors but also of promoting resilience.
  5. Risk factors are cumulative; the presence of one increases the likelihood that more will emerge. Where this cumulative chain of adversities is broken most children are able to recover from even severe exposure to adversities in early life. However, where adversities are continuous and extreme child resilience will be very rare unless the adversities are moderated by factors external to the child.
  6. Therefore, to be successful in maximising outcomes for children living in adverse circumstances, including poverty, supportive interventions should begin as early as possible in the child’s life and must be continuous.
  7. Examples of key factors in promoting resilience include:
  1. The adoption of a high-level outcomes approach raises a question in relation to child protection services. Traditionally child protection has focused upon harm caused to children by adults, rather than self harm or the harm caused by risk taking behaviour. Children or young people considered at risk of abuse by adults become the centre of a full multi-agency assessment and service response. Children and young people who do not fall within this category generally receive a patchier, less cohesive response.
  2. A high-level outcomes approach would suggest that the crucial element for consideration is the outcome for the young person. If a child or young person suffers harm it is an equally poor outcome for them regardless of the cause. Therefore a child or young person who is at risk of self-harming is in as great a need of safeguarding as one who is at risk of abuse by an adult. As such the service response should be equivalent.
  3. This approach does not imply that children and young people at risk of abuse should receive a different or lesser response than they currently receive or that other children and young people who are in need of ‘safeguarding’ should automatically be brought into the current child protection system. The issue is about developing a whole child multi-agency response to all children and young people who require safeguarding.
  4. This requires universal and community based services that both identify, and provide additional support to, vulnerable children and children in need. This would be a co-ordinated approach that provides a continuum of support services for all children, and additional support services for vulnerable children from birth to adulthood. This will involve infrastructure services, universal children’s services, adult services and community based support services in a formal locality plan.
  5. A co-ordinated approach to children who are at risk or who have complex needs. This requires a single multi agency strategic and service development plan to agree priorities, plan service responses and measure performance. At an individual case level there would be a lead professional from the most relevant agency able to access a menu of support services across agencies to respond to the particular needs of the child/young person. Tier 1/2 services would also allow priority access to promote inclusion, develop resilience and maximise outcomes.
  6. Complex issues require strategic inter-departmental vision and joined-up approaches consistently applied. This approach would coordinate and link together the following programmes/government funding initiatives/interventions.
Infrastructure Services Trust family support services
Adult Services: Drug/Alcohol/Mental Health Child protection services
Primary Care e.g. GP’s Health Visitors Disability support services
Surestart Fostering/adoption
Home Visiting Residential care
Lifestart Education welfare services
Faith groups support services SEN services
Early years services Child and adolescent psychology
Focused support groups e.g. Prison Link Hospitals
Sports/Recreation clubs Supported accommodation
Breakfast clubs Probation
School nurses Youth justice agency services
Extended schools Offender programmes
After schools clubs Youth justice centres
Community centres
Homework clubs
Summer schemes
Community safety partnerships
Community development
Youth Services
F.E. colleges
Diversionary schemes
Restorative justice schemes
  1. This co-ordinated approach to service delivery for all children will lead to better outcomes for the most vulnerable and provide more opportunity for them to extract themselves from inter-generational poverty.

22 November 2007

Written Submission by:
Equality Commission for Northern Ireland

Introduction

  1. The Equality Commission welcomes the opportunity to provide evidence to the Committee for the Office of the First and Deputy First Minster into their enquiry into child poverty. We consider that equality is a pre-requisite for good relations and we consider equality is a pre-requisite for the eradication of poverty. Therefore it is essential that the anti-poverty strategy recognises the interdependence of good relations and equality of opportunity.
  2. The extent of poverty and its relationship with inequality in Northern Ireland is well documented. The Bare Necessities Report concluded that Northern Ireland has higher poverty rates than Ireland and GB, “.. as the scale of poverty is a reflection of widening income inequalities. Northern Ireland is not only characterised by high poverty levels but also by considerably higher levels of income inequality than Britain.”[66] Furthermore this research showed that 38% of children live in households that have low incomes and lack three or more basic necessities.
  3. The recent conflict in Northern Ireland had a significant impact on children and young people. Horgan[67] has drawn attention to growing evidence that the conflict has had a traumatising effect on far larger numbers of children and young people than was formerly acknowledged. Research for the NI Commissioner for Children and Young People and by the Social Services Inspectorate[68] has highlighted a serious shortage of mental health services, both community and hospital based, for children and young people in Northern Ireland, during a time when suicide rates for young people are high.
  4. An additional effect of the conflict has been an increasing tendency towards social segregation on sectarian grounds, particularly in housing[69].
  5. The cost of bringing up children in Northern Ireland is significantly higher than in Britain:
  1. It is clear that there are a range of issues arising from the particular circumstances of children and young people in Northern Ireland that the strategy needs to address.
  2. This enquiry is timely given the draft Programme for Government’s commitment to, ‘reducing child poverty by 59% by 2010 and eradicating it by 2020.’ The Commission has also recently launched its ‘Statement on Key Inequalities in Northern Ireland.’ Whilst we acknowledge that much progress has been made, some inequalities remain to be addressed. In identifying six broad areas: educational underachievement, employment, access and availability of health and social care, housing and communities, participation in public life and the impact of prejudice, we have been guided by evidence of persistent inequalities that have not been notably improved by either legislation or by other public policy interventions.
  3. The Commission welcomed the publication of Lifetime Opportunities: Government’s Anti-Poverty and Social Inclusion Strategy for Northern Ireland. Our previous and detailed comments on the development of the final strategy reflected our role as an advisory body and our experience of enforcing the range of anti-discrimination and equality legislation.
  4. Given the terms of reference for the enquiry outlined and our role, our comments relate to; the approach taken and engagement with key stakeholders; whether the existing strategy is capable of delivering key targets for 2010 and 2020 and to examine implementation mechanisms.

General Issues

  1. However prior to commenting on the specific points above the Commission considers that in the first instance the articulation of an explicit official definition of poverty is a valuable tool in the fight against poverty against which progress can be clearly measured. Therefore we recommend the development of a clear definition of poverty.
  2. Secondly it is of vital importance that the strategy explicitly addresses social need arising out of the conflict. Poverty and conflict cannot be disassociated from each other and it is important that that this is built into the strategy. Northern Ireland is coping with the effects of many years of violence and for some communities their experience of poverty is compounded and sustained by continued sectarian conflict. Importantly too, in particular areas, the effect of past conflict, can result in chill factors in relation to employment and restrict mobility.
  3. Finally the Commission commended the strategy, for identification of rural and gender proofing alongside Section 75 commitments. However, we were disappointed that the strategy does not recommend or develop a system of poverty proofing. The Commission considers that the strategy would be strengthened by a commitment to establish a system of poverty proofing. This would act as a tool in the implementation of the strategy in ensuring that the targets in the strategy are achieved. It would also assist departments to assess the impact of their spending on anti-poverty measures, ensure that policies do not inadvertently produce greater inequalities and ensure that future policies are developed in a way that benefits people living in poverty.

Approach Taken and Engagement with Key Stakeholders

  1. The Commission accepts that one of the best ways out of poverty is through paid work for those who can and we welcome approaches to removing barriers which prevent people from re-entering the labour market which in turn will impact on child poverty. Of course poverty is not just a problem for those outside the labour market but is a very real experience for those in low paid work. Job seekers who are ‘poor’ often enter the workforce in a way that will, in the long run, concentrate their experience of poverty. The job oportunities that are available to those who are long term unemployed and /or are unskilled, are rarely likely to lift them out of poverty. Such jobs as are available are likely to be poorly paid, may be temporary and are also potentially most likely affected by an economic downturn. Looking at the profile of those in low skilled/low paid jobs – women, disabled people, migrant workers – it is not unexpected that these groups experience a disproportionate degree of poverty.
  2. It is necessary to examine the profile and quality of employment opportunities available to those in poverty to ensure that coming off benefits is worthwhile. In many circumstances despite initiatives such as Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit, the benefit of taking low skilled, low paid, insecure employment is very marginal. One of the frequent barriers to employment has been shown to be poor levels of literacy and numeracy. Lower levels of literacy are positively correlated with poverty and unemployment.
  3. It is important that there is joined up thinking in government on the issue of poverty and the associated initiatives to address it. Education and training are core elements in getting people out of poverty and enabling them to have true equality of opportunity.
  4. Ending inequalities caused by discrimination will also lead to a reduction in the numbers in poverty. The Commission accordingly emphasises the importance of its work and that of Government in addressing unlawful discrimination in the fight against poverty.
  5. In relation to engagement with key stakeholders the Commission is currently revising its guidance for public authorities on consulting children and young people in light of the recent consultation exercise. ‘Lets Talk: Let’s Listen’, outlines the importance of consulting with children and young people and reinforces the importance of Section 75 in relation to children, with particular emphasis on the good relations duty.
  6. Consultation with children and young people has the potential to complement other initiatives to encourage active citizenship, widen and deepen participation in the democratic process and assist public authorities to comply with the range of their human rights responsibilities.

Delivery of Key Targets

  1. The Commission in its work on the Comprehensive Spending Review, (CSR) recognised that this was an opportunity to make progress against persistent inequalities by aligning resources with priorities. We commended the strategy as it focused on outcomes that are linked to the life chances of individuals and groups and the potential of the draft Programme for Government to impact on these individuals and groups. However we are aware of the limitations of the current performance measures and feel that there is a lack of clarity in the document about how the targets will be built into departmental actions and targets in the PfG.
  2. The targets accompanying PSA 7: Making People’s Lives Better, in relation to child poverty ‘to work towards eliminating severe child poverty by 2012,’ does not give any indication of how this will be achieved. However the goals in the strategy and associated targets to ‘end child poverty by 2020…’ were much less ambiguous in intent. Given that the NI Assembly does not have legislative remit to increase benefits such as Child Benefit, which can impact on levels of child poverty, we feel that this lack of information at this level is cause for concern.
  3. The Public Service Agreement (PSA) Framework accompanying the Programme for Government has identified under PSA 10, two specific targets to reduce gaps in educational outcomes but there is no specific reference to groups or identification of where the disadvantage occurs. To break the cycle of child poverty, reducing the gap in educational outcome is essential. For example the Commission identified Traveller education as a priority area for its work on the CSR and would have expected to see targets in relation to Travellers. The Commission has initiated a series of roundtables with key stakeholders in education with a view to positively influencing outcomes for Traveller children in education.
  4. In terms of action planning the Commission has been working on the range of single strand strategies, PSI initiatives and other high level policies with an impact on equality and good relations, including the anti-poverty strategy.
  5. Our interest in action planning across these strategies sits within the wider context of modernizing government service through regulatory regime of targets and performance business.
  6. Therefore we wish to see coherence across these policy areas and associated action plans outlining the issues which address the strategic aims; linked to clear targets and benchmarks and; transparency in terms of indicators which reflect achievements in each of the action areas. For example it is important that there is read across and vice versa from the strategies covering gender, race, children and young people and A Shared Future, as they have the potential, in conjunction with Lifetime Opportunities, to contribute to the elimination of child poverty by 2020, something that is in all our interests.
  7. The Commission welcomes the link made between the investment strategy goals, and the recently published Programme for Government. This is particularly pertinent as opportunities in the processes, such as, procurement to secure equality and sustainable development objectives, should be developed. Improvements in our infrastructure can work towards further economic stability and growth, which in turn can impact on child poverty in Northern Ireland.

Implementation Mechanisms

  1. There is still much to test on this strategy through implementation and accountability for actions to achieve the targets, and ultimately to ensure positive actions for children and young people. For example indicators should give particular insight into reasons for progress (or indeed lack of progress) with individual outcomes. For example paragraph 107 of the strategy refers to the need for services for disabled children and those from ethnic minority groups; the indicators should reflect this.
  2. The Commission has consistently called for a specific budget allocations associated to this strategy. Taking education as an example, PSA 10: Helping Our Children and Young People to Achieve Through Education, refers to providing early intervention at pre-school level and reduce the gap in educational outcomes for disadvantaged and vulnerable children and young people. The associated actions and targets do not, for example, refer to additional teachers and support staff for those schools in Neighbourhood Renewal Areas; or an increase in funding for youth programmes. The Draft Budget merely refers to providing additional funding for teaching principals. The Commission would prefer to see tangible actions and targets that can make real change to those children and young people in poverty.

16 November 2007

Written Submission by:
The Institute of Public Health Ireland

Introduction

The Institute of Public Health in Ireland

The Institute of Public Health aims to improve health on the island of Ireland, by working to combat health inequalities and influence public policies in favour of health. The Institute promotes cooperation between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in research, training, information and policy.

The Institute congratulates the Northern Ireland Assembly Committee on convening this inquiry on child poverty in Northern Ireland and welcomes the opportunity to contribute our views and experience on this important issue.

In Northern Ireland, children born into poverty are four times more likely to die before the age of twenty than non-poor children1. The Institute is gravely concerned regarding the impact of child poverty on the health of Northern Ireland’s population. We believe that the Inquiry should seek to better understand the profound impact of child poverty on the health of children in Northern Ireland and reduce child poverty by seeking opportunities to optimise and protect the health of disadvantaged children

Summary

1. Examine the extent, intensity and impact of child poverty in Northern Ireland

1.1 An in-depth understanding of the extent and nature of child poverty in Northern Ireland will contribute to designing effective measures to improve the life chances of children born into disadvantage.

1.2 A comprehensive assessment of the extent and nature of child poverty as well as a review of issues with measurement in Northern Ireland has been recently conducted2. We concur with the recommendation to develop a clear set of definitions on the reporting and analysis of child and family poverty in Northern Ireland. This Inquiry could reasonably deliver on this recommendation by delivering a clear statement on the issue and proposing mechanisms to enforce standard definitions across government departments and their publications.

1.3 We consider that core measures of child poverty should include measures based on income as well as those based on combined income and deprivation and measures capturing information on children in severe poverty.

1.4 Consideration should be given to producing a dedicated regular bulletin compiling information on the extent, intensity and impact of child poverty in Northern Ireland. This bulletin would keep the issue on the political and public agenda as well as fostering understanding and action across the full range of government departments and other sectors. Such a bulletin could present up-to-date information on (i) core measures of child poverty as per the standard definitions proposed by the Inquiry (ii) outcomes for children living in poverty across the domains of health, education, social inclusion, housing etc. linked to, but not exclusive to, the indicators proposed in Our Children and Young People – Our Pledge A Ten Year Strategy for Children and Young People 2006-2016.1

1.5 There are no rich children in poor families. The issue of child poverty is intimately linked with wider societal issues such as changes in family structures and family policy, employment levels, demographics and the macro-economic climate. The Inquiry’s examination of the extent, intensity and impact of child poverty in Northern Ireland must be conducted within the wider context of poverty dynamics in the region. This will entail examination of the macro- economic environment and specifically issues such as levels of unemployment, low-paid employment and the rising numbers of families described as ‘working poor’. Best evidence on projected changes in demographics and family structure (e.g rising numbers of lone parents; immigration) must also be considered in order that efforts to tackle child poverty are developed within an appropriate context.

1.6 A quality information system for child poverty in Northern Ireland must perform at a level where it can

(i) report on the current state of child poverty in Northern Ireland accurately and in a way that is actively and appropriately communicated to many sectors

(ii) allow for comparisons on an all-island, UK and European basis

(iii) provide timely reporting on key outcomes for poor children across a number of domains

(iv) monitor changes in the prevalence and nature of child poverty and it’s outcomes

(v) be meaningfully integrated with information on the wider dimensions of poverty affecting families

(vi) be forward-looking and able to signal potential challenges and opportunities as the child poverty agenda moves forward

(vii) provide for some examination of the intergenerational transmission of child poverty

(viii) report directly on government targets and indicators as articulated in strategy and policy documents

1.7 Families move in and out of poverty over time – this dynamic state requires dynamic research methodologies. Poverty may be related to a short spell of parental unemployment or changed family circumstances, or it may be recurrent or persistent for all of the childhood years3. The consequences of poverty on these children are quite different and ameliorating child poverty for these groups will require different approaches. The Inquiry is encouraged to consider some of the limitations of data derived from cross-sectional surveys in its examination of child poverty in Northern Ireland. Meaningful analysis of data from the Northern Ireland Longitudinal Study could provide better insight into the dynamics of child poverty in the region.

2. Consider the approach taken when formulating the current strategy including the extent of the engagement with key stakeholders

2.1 It is our understanding that Lifetime Opportunities4 and Our Children and Young People represent the over-riding strategies addressing child poverty in Northern Ireland. The Inquiry is invited to consider mechanisms to ensure that the action plans related to these strategies are co-ordinated and remain committed to addressing child poverty in an intensive way from the outset.

2.2 A considerable level of consultation and engagement was undertaken in the development of both strategies. These strategies are essentially high-level documents which set out the broad strategic areas of action to tackle child poverty, rather than detailed proposals for action. Children and families living in poverty and the groups that represent them have a particularly useful role to play in translating policy into action at regional, local and community level. Community involvement in the development and implementation of action plans allied to these strategies is therefore recommended.

2.3 The emphasis on early years in Lifetime Opportunities is particularly welcome as evidence shows that poverty affecting newborns, babies and infants has profound effects on health and well-being. Consultation with pregnant women and health and social service providers for pregnant women and new mothers should be included as action plans are developed.

2.4 Some, but not all, of the indicators presented in Our Children and Young People are currently being monitored in terms of the different outcomes experienced by children born into disadvantage. The commitment to monitor inequalities in issues such as teenage pregnancy, infant mortality and education should be sustained with the support of the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency and other data providers and the possibility of monitoring all the outcomes according to inequalities and the relationship with child poverty should be explored.

3. Assess whether the existing strategy is capable of delivering the key targets for 2010 and 2020

3.1 Data from 2005/2006 suggests that the proportion of children living in poor homes has risen in the last two years, despite government plans to eradicate child poverty. The reduction of child poverty by 2010 and the elimination of child poverty by 2020 are ambitious targets. Consideration should be given to the development of a clear strategic framework accompanied by a series of 5 year action plans proposing time-bound actions to be undertaken by each government department, starting with the period 2010-2015.

3.2 The targets pertaining to ‘early years’ and ‘children and young people’ in Lifetime Opportunities are commendable and if achieved, will certainly contribute to the reduction of child poverty and its consequences for disadvantaged families. However, it is unclear how these commitments, some of which are drawn from commitments made in a range of other relevant policies, fall short of presenting a coherent and clear strategic framework for tackling child poverty in the region. The Inquiry is advised to consider the development of such a framework to enhance and add focus to the commitments made in Lifetime Opportunities. Such a framework would propose how to reduce child poverty through tangible changes in policy, services, research and information, monitoring and outcomes over the period to 2020.

4. Examine whether the implementation measures, resources and monitoring arrangements currently in place are adequate to ensure delivery of the key actions and targets.

4.1 The implementation of Lifetime Opportunities is currently unclear as action plans allied to the strategy have yet to be articulated. The Inquiry is in a unique position to work with the Central Anti-Poverty Unit to link together aspects of information, policy and outcomes to develop a cohesive action plan to address child poverty in the coming decade.

4.2 It is our understanding that the effectiveness of Lifetime Opportunities will be monitored and evaluated through the Ministerial Poverty Forum, the Central Anti- Poverty Unit, the cross-departmental Equality and Social Need Steering Group and that annual reports will be produced. Similarly, we understand that the effectiveness of Our Children and Young People will be monitored through the Minister for Children and Young People and the Ministerial Sub-Committee on Children and Young People in conjunction with a Strategy Planning and Review Group supported by a parent’s advisory group, practitioners group and research and information group. This signals a rich commitment to monitoring progress but there is clearly a need to rationalise and co-ordinate these varied monitoring mechanisms between strategies.

4.3 The Inquiry’s attention is drawn to the example of the State of the Nations Children5 report produced as part of the monitoring of the Childrens Strategy in Ireland. This report provides a comprehensive picture of children’s well-being across the domains of material well-being, health, education, criminal justice, play and environments. This allows for international comparisons and highlights strengths and weaknesses in childrens wellbeing.

5. Identify and analyse relevant experience elsewhere in terms of policy interventions and programmes

5.1 Ireland set a ten-year target to tackle child poverty by 2007 as part of the initial National Anti-Poverty Strategy. The most recent data produced through EU-SILC indicates that there has been a modest fall of 3 or 4 % in the proportions of children in child poverty despite an economic boom, lower unemployment and increases in child benefit. In Ireland, good levels of child income support by international standards are not resulting in low levels of child poverty by international standards. It is generally accepted that Ireland’s poor record on child poverty and poor outcomes in terms of health and education for disadvantaged children is caused in part by a lack of resourcing and development in services which impact on poor children. The child poverty debate has therefore moved from a sole focus on incomes to include an equal emphasis on building infrastructure for children in poor families so that poor children can enjoy improved housing, neighbourhoods, schools and health services while they are on a low income.6 The Inquiry may wish to consider the experience in the Republic of Ireland at this stage to learn from the experience of government departments and other sectors in attempting to meet child poverty targets.

6. Consider what further action could be taken to tackle child poverty with particular focus on those that would be deliverable within the devolved administration

6.1 The Inquiry should consider commissioning in-depth analysis of social and fiscal policy to see what can be done to improve incomes for households with children examining parental earnings, social welfare and child benefit/child tax credits. Such analysis should also assess the relative contribution of adult welfare payments which contribute a larger component of family income that child income transfers do – adult welfare rates may have considerable leverage to raise children out of poverty.

6.2 The Inquiry should seek to develop methods to enhance the current strategy commitments to remove obstacles facing low-skilled women in accessing education, training or employment. The Inquiry should take particular care to examine the position of the ‘working poor’ and issues of low pay and insecure employment. We question the benefit to children of parents working long hours on low pay with limited promotional prospects.

6.3 Additional actions are needed to help families manage their finances and budget and to cope with debt.

6.4 There needs to be better commitments in terms of children with disabilities in terms of improving their life chances and reducing poverty in families caring for disabled children.

6.5 While the effect of child poverty on health is well documented, the effect of childhood illness on poverty in Northern Ireland requires further research. Childhood illness creates a poverty trap for children and their families. When a sick child is absent from school, academic achievement suffers, as can a child’s mental and emotional development and peer relationships. Sick children place a substantial financial and emotional strain on families, with many parents opting for unpaid leave from employment in addition to meeting the costs associated with health care. Irish research shows that there is little financial assistance for non-medical costs and financial strain is most acute for families caring for children with lengthy and/or multiple admissions.7

6.6 Babies born to lower socio-economic status families are at an increased risk of being born earlier and/or born smaller. These babies are more likely to be stillborn or die in infancy. For survivors, the increased risk of lifelong physical, intellectual or sensory disability and associated behavioural difficulties can limit their overall potential and perpetuate intergenerational cycles of poverty. In Northern Ireland, women in the least skilled occupations were substantially more likely to smoke throughout pregnancy (29%) than women in the highest social class (11%).Although teenage birth rates have fallen in all areas of Northern Ireland, the rate in deprived areas has remained 70% higher than in Northern Ireland as a whole (28.6 per 1000 women as compared to 16.7 per 1000 women).The development of supportive social and fiscal policy for pregnancy in conjunction with effective interventions to reduce smoking among disadvantaged women will contribute to a fairer start for babies born into disadvantage. Explicit commitments should be made within government policy to achieve equitable birth outcomes (birth weight, congenital anomaly and early life mortality) for babies born into families from different socio-economic backgrounds. The future design of maternity/ antenatal services and social policy for pregnant women should contribute to the reduction of inequalities in birth outcomes and have a social inclusion focus. Effective interventions to reduce teenage pregnancy and improve birth outcomes for babies born to teenage mothers should be developed and resourced. Improved accessibility and early uptake of antenatal services for socially excluded women, and for teenagers and ethnic minority women in particular have an important role to play but are not prioritised within the current strategies8.

6.7 Consideration should be given to reducing the severity and the duration of child poverty as well as the numbers of children living in poverty.

6.8 Progress with the achievement of existing policy commitments to tackle socio-economic inequalities in childhood obesity and breastfeeding should be monitored.

6.9 A long-term research programme to monitor inequalities in child health should be agreed and this should encompass monitoring outcomes for vulnerable children, such as those in care.

6.10 The success of current policy and programmes aiming to provide accessible child care and early education for disadvantaged families should be monitored on an ongoing basis.

6.11 Households in Northern Ireland experience higher rates of poverty, unemployment and low-paid employment than other households in the UK. As Northern Ireland also has a higher proportion of children, it is therefore unsurprising that rates of child poverty exceed those recorded in the rest of Britain. The Inquiry should seek to secure funding for tackling child poverty from Westminster that reflects this situation i.e. funding to tackle child poverty should be allocated on a basis of need across the countries and regions of the UK. It is estimated that £3.8 billion needs to be invested across the UK in child poverty to reach the 2010 target9. The Inquiry is encouraged to consider what level of top-line investment is required in Northern Ireland.

16 November 2007

References

1 Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (2006)Our Children and Young People – Our Pledge. A Ten Year Strategy for Children and Young People in Northern Ireland 2006-2016.

2 Eithne McLaughlin and Marina Montieth (2006) Child and Family Poverty in Northern Ireland. A report prepared for the Equality and Social Need Division, OFMDFM.

3 Brian Nolan, Richard Layte, Christopher T Whelan and Bertrand Maitre (2006) Day In Day Out Understanding the Dynamics of Child Poverty. Combat Poverty Agency.

4 Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (2006) Lifetime Opportunities – Governments Anti-Poverty and Social Inclusion Strategy for Northern Ireland.

5 Office of the Minister for Children. State of the Nations Children. Government Publications 2006.

6 Combat Poverty Agency (2007) Welfare Policy and Poverty.

7 Eithne Fitzgerald (2004) Sick Children, Money Worries. Children in Hospital Ireland.

8 Institute of Public Health in Ireland (2006) Unequal at birth. Inequalities in the occurrence of low birthweight babies in Ireland.

9 Barnardos Northern Ireland (2006) It Doesn’t Happen Here. The reality of child poverty in Northern Ireland.

Written Submission by:
Lisburn City Council

I wish to advise that, having considered this matter, the Council would state that, rather than tackling poverty per se, the focus should be on the behaviour which leads to child poverty, ie unemployment, educational failure and family breakdown. The Council would refer your Committee to an exercise undertaken in the state of Wisconsin, USA, to eradicate poverty.

4 December 2007

Written Submission by:
NCH Northern Ireland

About NCH

  1. NCH is one of the UK’s leading children’s charities, helping children achieve their full potential. Through our services we support some of the UK’s most vulnerable and excluded children and young people and facing difficulties such as poverty, disability and abuse. We believe all children and young people have unique potential and that they should have the support and opportunities they need to reach it.
  2. In addition to the £1.6 million already invested in Northern Ireland, NCH plans to invest a further £1.4m in developing and providing services for vulnerable children, young people and families across Northern Ireland many of whom are in or at risk of living in poverty. Working closely with children’s services planning processes across the statutory, voluntary and community sectors, we currently provide services to over 2,000 children, young people and their families in Northern Ireland with services operating in each of the four health and social services boards (see Appendix 1 for a list of services and solutions we provide here and elsewhere in the UK).
  3. NCH believes all children should have equal access to opportunities to fulfil their potential in our society. Poverty is the biggest barrier that stands in the way of this, so we are passionately committed to the UK Government’s aim: in our view no other policy has such potential to transform the lives of the UK’s most vulnerable children. Until the goal is achieved, Governments across the UK must act to address the inequality that children from families on low incomes experience in almost every aspect of their lives.
  4. We welcome the UK Government’s commitment, now explicitly referenced in the NI Executive’s draft Programme for Government (2008-2011), to eradicating child poverty in a generation, by 2020. NCH is an active member of the campaigning group, End Child Poverty, to keep the UK Government to its pledge. While we acknowledge some progress has been made in GB it is clear that more dramatic and determined action will be required if the goal is to be achieved. We believe the three elements of a successful strategy for ending child poverty are:

1. The extent, intensity and impact of child poverty in Northern Ireland

  1. In NCH’s response to the Committee on the Programme for Government’s consideration of “Lifetime Opportunities – Government’s Anti-Poverty and Social Inclusion Strategy for Northern Ireland” (January 2007), along like others, we raised concerns around how child poverty is being defined, measured and monitored in Northern Ireland.
  2. Like Save the Children (24/11/07)[76] we would draw the OFMDFM Committee attention to the latest government (HBIA) statistics which show almost one in three (29%) of all children in Northern Ireland are living in poverty (AHC) which equates to around 122,000 children. We are very concerned both at the high level of extent and the fact that the child poverty rate has not decreased over the four years it has been measured in Northern Ireland.
  3. Research shows that children in Northern Ireland are more likely to live in low income households[77] than adults and some children are at much higher risk of poverty that others including children living in a family where : there are no working adults (67% risk); the mother is under 25 years old (54% risk); there is only one resident parent (44% risk); there are four or more children (44% risk); there is at least one disabled adult (36% risk); they live in the West (34% risk) and ; there is at least one disabled child (32% risk).[78]
  4. If the aim of ending child poverty is to be achieved in the UK, significantly increased benefits and tax credits will need to be directed towards families at the bottom of the income distribution and those at risk of living in poverty. We are particularly concerned about the growing number of parents in low-paid work whose families are still living in poverty – a UK wide issue. While work may be the best route out of poverty for some families, for others, particularly those with a disabled parent, work is not an option and the UK Government/NI Executive must ensure sufficient resources are available to support them.
  5. Of particular concern are findings from research by Save the Children which show that, despite lifting hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty in GB over recent years, there has been little change in the number of children experiencing severe child poverty[79] and that around one in ten children in Northern Ireland living in severe poverty (around 44,000 children)[80].
  6. NCH is pleased to see the NI Executive’s draft Programme of Government (PfG) includes a priority of addressing child poverty with specific targets set out in the draft PSA Framework (Number 7, Objective 1) of a) ‘working toward the elimination of severe child poverty in Northern Ireland by 2012’ and b) ‘working toward the elimination of poverty by 2020 including lifting 67,000 children out of poverty by 2010. However, delivering on such ambitious targets requires a clear strategy / action plan backed up by significant resources which is not reflected in the draft Budget or accompanying documentation.
  7. We support the call for inclusion of measures within the NI HBAI reporting mechanisms so the NI Executive/Assembly will be able to annually monitor progress against such targets in terms of the proportion and number of children in Northern Ireland living in severe child poverty. Monitoring needs to track numbers of children living in or at risk of living in poverty.
  8. Poverty impacts on all aspects of a number of areas in a child’s life including Income (particularly for those living in families dependent on benefits or in low paid employment), Education (the impact of socio-economic disadvantage starts early and may continue throughout the child’s years education, poor parents struggle to meet additional education costs), Health (along a range of indicators such as diet and nutrition, dental health, physical environment, emotional well being, stress and mental and sexual health), Home and neighbourhood (such as major increases in the number of homeless families presenting to the NIHE and high costs of heating) and Play and social development (going without play and safe places to go impacts on the quality of life of a child or young person).[81]

2/3. The approach taken formulating the current strategy and whether the existing strategy is capable of delivering the key targets to 2010 and 2020

Lifetime Opportunities

  1. While NCH responded to the invitation of the Programme for Government Committee of the Transitional Assembly’s to help review of the draft Lifetime Opportunities anti-poverty and social inclusion’ strategy in January 2007, we are unsure as to the current status of this strategy.
  2. We understand the outcome of Review in January 2007 led to a number of recommendations being been put to the current Executive and subject to a further review but the Strategy has as yet to be considered by the Executive. Like other groups, we are deeply concerned at the delay in reviewing the Strategy since, under Direct Rule arrangements, to be considered as one of four key priorities of the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007.
  3. The draft Programme for Government, Budget and Investment strategy seem to have been issued without reference to an agreed anti-poverty strategy to guide how child poverty targets and actions will be taken forward and included in the budget. It is imperative that an action plan must now be developed, setting out a full set of programmes and policies to deliver on these targets as part of the 2008-11 and subsequent budgets.

Taking a Joined-Up Approach to Tackling Child Poverty in Northern Ireland and limitations of the Draft PfG, Budget and Investment Strategy

  1. In our view, such a child poverty action plan and associated budget lines should link explicitly with the implementation of the cross-departmental 10 year children and young people’s strategy. Significant ongoing investment is needed to address the policy objectives and fund support services in the Priority Children and Young People’s Funding Package (2006-2008) which is focused on addressing educational deficits and improving outcomes of vulnerable children and young people in Northern Ireland.
  2. We believe targets and policy measures in the draft PfG and Investment strategy need to be ‘child poverty proofed’ with a view to ensuring a consistent and joined-up approach is being taken ‘across government’ and these are monitored to ensure they contribute in tackling child poverty in Northern Ireland. In our view, such an approach needs to encompass children and families who are at ‘high’ risk of living in poverty in Northern Ireland.
  3. Thus, reducing and eliminating child poverty in Northern Ireland and the affects this experience has on such children, young people and their families in the short, medium and long term will require significant and sustained action and investment across a wide range of policy measures. Actions need to be ‘joined up’ under the lense of tackling child poverty and inequality in Northern Ireland and link explicitly to the ‘whole child’, children’s rights and outcomes based approach adopted within the Children and Young People 10 year strategy. In this way monitoring progress against tackling child poverty could be aligned with assessing progress against achieving better outcomes for children and young people in Northern Ireland using a range of key indicators.
  4. Top priority on tackling child poverty should be a focus on maximising ‘poor families’ income through tax credit and social transfer/benefit measures across a range of spheres. A child poverty proofing led approach should ensure that one set of ‘benefits’ will not be ‘cancelled or off-set by losing another benefit to avoid re-creating ‘poverty traps’. The primary policy objective should be guided by relevant UNCRC provisions and articles to ensure that no child or young person in the UK is living below the poverty line and has a decent standard of living (irrespective of family circumstances and/or who carers for them). While many such actions may fall within the domain of UK Government and Treasury, the NI Executive should hold the UK government to account in relation to progress in this area.
  5. However, many potential measures and actions lie within the remit of devolved government in Northern Ireland. In our view, a priority should also be given to measures aimed at ‘breaking the cycle’ of poverty though enabling children and young people to fulfil their potential and ensuring they, and their families, have access to a wide range of timely, non-stigmatising public services. This will require investment in frontline advice and support services including early intervention and prevention initiatives across a range of areas which impact on children’s lives and experiences including early years, family support, education and training, mental and emotional health and well-being, home and neighbourhood, play and development.
  6. The child poverty strategy / action plan for Northern Ireland needs to be truly ‘whole-child’ in nature and link with a wide range of children’s policy developments cutting across all government departments such as Investing in Health, Bamford Review, Care Matters and Families Matter, Early Years and Extended Schools strategies and other education and youth service reforms, Urban Regeneration, Rural Development, Neighborhood Renewal, Homelessness, Supporting People and Social Housing and Benefit Advice/Take-up strategies to name but a few.
  7. The draft NI Investment Strategy is also relevant to tackling child poverty and overcoming inequality through investing in those currently trapped into cycles of poverty to help grow our economy in a sustainable way.

4. Examine whether the implementation mechanisms, resources and monitoring arrangements currently in place are adequate to ensure delivery of the key actions / targets

  1. In the absence of an agreed Strategy, targets, action plans or budget, the only conclusion can be that the current arrangements are not adequate.

5. Identify and analyse relevant experience elsewhere in terms of policy interventions and programmes

  1. We have much to learn when looking elsewhere for possible interventions to reduce child poverty. Research shows that countries with the lowest rates of children living in poverty (like those in the Nordic region) allocate the highest proportion of their gross national product to social expenditure, particularly family and other related social transfers[82]. While responsibility for social transfers falls mainly to the Westminster government, the NI Executive can also have a major impact through developing and resourcing a comprehensive range of actions designed to tackle child poverty.
  2. Moreover, as the recent NICCY report shows, Northern Ireland has fared much less well on spending on children compared to other regions in the UK particularly in relation to under-spend on personal social services and specifically the Surestart programme. This is of particular significance since under resourcing Surestart and development of children’s centres in Northern Ireland can (directly) hinder progress with regard to tackling child poverty.

6. Consider what further actions could be taken to tackle child poverty with particular focus on those that would be deliverable by the devolved administration

  1. There are no simple answers or solutions to ending child poverty or children and young people’s unique experiences of it. In our view, the three elements of a successful strategy for ending child poverty are: tackling income inequality; providing children with opportunities to fulfil their potential, and ; offering them excellent public services.
  2. Thus, a wide range of policies and approaches will be required, involving a wide range of sectors and actors: these all need to join up. We support the suggested range of solutions made by Save the Children in their submission to the Committee under the headings of Income, Education, Health, Home and Neighbourhood and Play and Development.
  3. Tackling child poverty in Northern Ireland should be a high priority and a cross cutting action plan needs to be developed and supported in the NI Executive’s current /successive PfGs, Budgets and the Investment Strategies. More focused and detailed work is needed which should incorporate the views, experiences and solutions offered up by those directly affected by poverty in Northern Ireland including children and young people.
  4. NCH is committed to tackling child poverty in the UK will work in partnership with service users and others to help develop solutions and to achieve this key objective. Appendix 1 provides for some information about NCH and some of our ‘policy solutions’ in this area. In line with our strategy and key priorities we want to ensure the most vulnerable children and young people in Northern Ireland have greater access to:

16 November 2007

Appendix 1 - NCH and Child Poverty - Some Solutions

http://www.nch.org.uk/

  1. NCH helps children achieve their full potential through providing support services to some of the UK’s most vulnerable and excluded children and young people who face difficulties such as poverty, disability and abuse. NCH helps over 178,000 children involved in nearly 500 projects across the UK. We also promote social justice by lobbying and campaigning for change. NCH is the leading UK provider of family and community centres, children’s services in rural areas, services for disabled children and their families, and services for young people leaving care.

  2. NCH services in Northern Ireland currently include:

NCH’s UK Wide Growing Strong Campaign

  1. Growing Strong is a UK wide campaign launched recently to highlight the huge impact emotional wellbeing has on young people’s futures. We want to ensure that every child and young person has the self-esteem, resilience and social skills they need to succeed in life. We particularly want the most disadvantaged children and young people in the UK to have the inner strength to overcome the difficulties they face http://www.nch.org.uk/getinvolved/index.php?i=484
  2. The poor emotional wellbeing of children in the UK has a negative impact on them, their families and the whole of society. Without good emotional wellbeing, children and young people cannot meet life’s challenges successfully. Poor emotional wellbeing is an important factor behind current social problems in the UK. In particular, it affects social mobility. Policies to tackle social exclusion, deprivation or lack of social mobility will not succeed if we don’t address the issue of emotional wellbeing.
  3. Children are most vulnerable at times of change – moving from primary to secondary school, becoming teenagers, going through disruptions in their family life, dealing with death or serious illness in the family. With the right support, they can get through these difficult times. Without it, these setbacks could become serious – particularly if they are already vulnerable.

NCH ‘Dare to Care -give your time to help end child poverty’

  1. As part of ‘Dare to Care’ campaign, NCH aims to recruit 1,000 volunteers between October 2007 and March 2008 to help end child poverty. In February 2008 we’re running a themed month called ‘Time for Money’ and, as part of this, we’ve designed some new volunteer roles. These roles offer one to one support for our service users by helping them to develop new skills and confidence all linked to managing money such as

NCH / Barclays Financial Futures Initiative

  1. Barclays is investing £1.8 million to support NCH’s work with families, young people and socially excluded groups, to help them improve their money management skills and raise awareness of Child Trust Funds. Over three years, we will work together on a project called ‘Financial Futures’, which we estimate will touch the lives of around 160,000 young people and their families. Barclay’s, are keen to take part in the Dare to Care ‘give time to end poverty’ volunteering initiative.

Written Submission by:
Newtownabbey Borough Council

Newtownabbey_1.psd
Newtownabbey_2.psd

Written Submission by:
North Eastern Education and Library Board

1 Context

“The North Eastern Education and Library Board has a vision of developing and delivering world class Education, Library and Youth Services, the Board will aim to help everyone realise their potential and contribute to a caring inclusive and progressive society.” ( NEELB Corporate Plan )

The Board’s vision is underpinned by four key strategic themes that provide a comprehensive framework for the planning and delivery of services:-

2 In line with government policy to address underperformance and educational disadvantage, the Board targets its efforts on tackling deprivation and social cohesion as well as bringing people together in a manner to promote mutual understanding and respect for diversity. In distributing funding to schools through an approved formula the Board also takes into account the agreed mechanisms relating to the calculation of free school meals. Within the Board’s area some 9,329 pupils have an entitlement to Free School Meals and some 4,126 pupils have an entitlement to a Uniform Allowance. The overall criteria for these two areas of entitlement includes annual taxable income of less than £14,495.

3 The NEELB delivers a range of statutory services through a number of core processes. Collectively these services have a direct and indirect impact on the quality of life experienced by the children and young people living within the North Eastern Education and Library Board. Many of the services presently provided attempt to address issues relating to under achievement and poverty eg

The Youth Work Curriculum Development NI, based in the NEELB, provides curriculum material, training and resources for staff relating to Personal and Social Development, Participation, Acceptance and Understanding of Others, and Testing Values and Beliefs. The Strategy for the Delivery of Youth Work in Northern Ireland 2005-2008 (DE) has 2 key themes related to child poverty and young people’s development – Effective Inclusive Youth Work and Participation.

Providing Advice and Support eg Education Welfare Service

The following brief commentary outlines how this service attempts to support parents at risk of being in, or falling into, the poverty trap. The Board’s Education Welfare Service responds to referrals from schools, parents and other agencies in respect of concerns which impact upon a child’s ability to attend school and therefore engage in learning. As a result, the children referred to the service are deemed vulnerable to social exclusion and services are delivered to assist these pupils engage in beneficial education. The most recent statistics with regard to this show that in the 2006/07 school year there were

The Education Welfare Service works with children across the continuum of ‘in need’ and ‘at risk’, for example children on the Child Protection Register, Looked After Children, School Age Mothers, Young Carers and children and families who are in need of additional support in order for them to benefit from education.

Education Welfare Officers are acutely aware of the relationship between poverty, non school attendance and vulnerability to social exclusion. A sample of referrals to one Education Welfare Service team evidenced that approximately 70% of referred children experienced poverty for example when benefit money ‘ran out’ towards the end of the week, with some parents stating that they were unable to send their children to school. In the view of the Board, the financial pressure experienced by the majority of our service users can result in a poorer uptake in education provision.

The potential detrimental outcomes, where there are patterns of disrupted attendance can result in disengagement from learning which ultimately impacts upon future life chances.

These are important services in meeting the needs of society and, in particular, in helping the needs of the most marginalised groups in society. The Board also undertakes regular surveys to determine the effectiveness and appropriateness of its services in meeting the needs of those it charged with serving.

4 Education has a crucial role to play in trying to help schools and individuals to break the cycle of deprivation and the NEELB has played a key role in providing leadership in a range of initiatives targeted at schools in areas of deprivation. The following are examples of some of the most recent initiatives.

The Extended Schools Programme is of particular significance since it aims to break the cycle of deprivation and underachievement at local level.

The following brief commentary outlines the development of Extended Schools in the Board’s area. A detailed report on these developments has been lodged with the Department of Education

5 The Board’s statutory services also deliver a wide range of services in partnership with a range of other statutory and voluntary bodies. This approach is common practice and yields benefits to all parties and those receiving the service. Examples of partnerships are

Many of these multi agency approaches have evolved in response to local needs over many years and many of them are dependent on short term funding.

Of particular significance is the work of the Northern Area Children and Young People’s Committee, which provides a framework for a wide range of statutory and voluntary organisations to work towards the aim of improving the well-being of vulnerable children and young people.

The four Children and Young Peoples Committees have agreed a common set of outcome proposals for children and young people in Northern Ireland

1 All children and young people have a stable upbringing

2 All children and families live in safe, supportive communities.

3 All children and young people live free from poverty.

4 All pregnant women, new parents and babies thrive.

5 All children are ready for learning and school.

6 All children and young people enjoy and succeed during school years.

7 All children and young people are involved in decisions that affect them.

8 All children and young people make a positive contribution that is valued.

9 All children and young people make a safe transition to adulthood.

6 Implementation Structures

a) Multi Agency working is an aspirational concept with many benefits for those in receipt of service delivery but it is an extremely costly concept in terms of strategic planning and diverts staff into multi agency planning at the expense of delivering their core function of service delivery to the public.

Serious consideration must be given to the real benefits of complex multi agency working with a cost benefit analysis undertaken for such activities

b) Many of the very effective working initiatives which exist at present between agencies to address issues relating to deprivation are based on short term funding. This is a flawed concept and needs to be the subject of urgent review

c) In seeking to put new funding mechanisms in place it is important that there is a gradual shift in policy otherwise the impact at local level could be very serious in terms of service delivery to those in greatest need

d) At times there appears to be a lack of a coherent strategic approach from government with different departments implementing policies which are contradictory eg the emphasis on the need to rationalise school provision when rolls are seriously in decline while simultaneously another government department is investing considerable finance into the area and publicly stating that these same schools are at the core of community renewal in that area

e) There is an urgent need for a much greater coherent strategic approach at government level in terms of early years issues and the need for greater engagement of parents with schools and their local community

Policy Intervention

a) The NEELB has long argued for the Department of Education to give serious consideration to the concept of whole service schools, particularly in those communities with greatest need. The Board remains of the view that this is an issue worthy of urgent investigation with exemplars of good practice readily available

b) The NEELB is also of the view that the energies of those in schools should be concentrated on raising educational standards. It is important that schools are adequately funded to enable them to concentrate on the key issues facing them, with a reduction in the number of educational initiatives, which hold out the carrot of short term additional funding.

16 November 2007

Written Submission by:
Northern Ireland Anti-Poverty Network

Enclosed is a submission to the Child Poverty Review from the Northern Ireland Anti-Poverty Network. I would like to thank the committee for the opportunity to submit evidence on such an important issue as the growing level of child in Northern Ireland. I would also like to express my willingness to make an oral presentation to the committee on this matter in partnership with the New Policy Institute representative Peter Kenway. I look forward to hearing from you in this regard.

The majority of the focus of this submission is on income (state benefits and wages) as a major contributor to child poverty. There is a key role here for Northern Irelands elected Westminster representatives to lobby for an increase in both areas as a matter of urgency.

This submission contains data sourced from a variety of independent academic and government studies. I would like to take this opportunity to call for a joined up approach across all government departments to really address Child Poverty in Northern Ireland.

I would also like to emphasise the key issues we hear referred to time and again by families living in poverty; the crucial importance of affordable housing, the essential need of accessible health services and an education system which provides appropriate supports to enable children from low income families to plan and work toward a route out of poverty.

The costs of borrowing for families living in poverty across NI makes it more and more difficult to try to make ends meet just to cover the basics such as housing and household bills.

The submission finishes with some specific recommendations and key among them must be the essential need to talk with and listen to families living with poverty. They know the policies and actions that do and do not work and are a key part of the solution to such a complex issue.

23 November 2007

NI Anti-Poverty Network - written submission-1.psd

NI Anti-Poverty Network - written submission.pdf

NI Anti-Poverty Network - written submission.pdf

NI Anti-Poverty Network - written submission.pdf

NI Anti-Poverty Network - written submission.pdf

NI Anti-Poverty Network - written submission.pdf

Explanatory Notes

Second slide page 1

Income figures on this slide refer to NI.

Income rates for UK are:

Single adult two children (£223. UK)

Couple with two children (£301. UK)

Additional notes:

Poverty is normally measured by using relative income poverty lines. This involves working out average household incomes in a country. A poverty line is then set which is a percentage of that average income. Commonly these poverty lines range from 40-70% of household income. This gives an overall picture of the risk of poverty but the figures can also be broken down by age, gender, household type and employment status to give a more detailed picture of who is at greatest risk. People falling below 60% of median income are said to be “at risk of poverty”.

There have been moves away from measuring poverty on the basis of income alone. Northern Ireland now measures poverty in terms of relative income [60% of the national average] and deprivation.

Relative income & deprivation

Deprivation indicators are now included in the annual Family Resources Survey, carried out by Government in Northern Ireland and across the UK. These are based on families’ ability to afford:

According to research carried out by NIAPN & STC for the Poverty Awareness Programme-Budgeting for Poverty, we identified that a family of four living on the poverty line is £15,912. That’s £1508. of a difference and they still experience real hardship as you can see if you visit our website. So imagine what its like on one and a half thousand pounds less.

Top slide page 2

Applicable Amount for Lone parent aged under 18, one child

£35.65

£47.45 child addition

£16.43 family premium

Total - £99.53

Applicable Amount for Lone parent aged 18 or over, one child

£59.15

£47.45 child addition

£16.43 family premium

Total - £123.03

Applicable Amount for Couple aged 18 or over, two children

£92.80

£47.45 child addition

£47.45 child addition

£16.43 family premium

Total - £204.13

Applicable Amount for Lone parent aged 18 or over, two children

£59.15

£47.45 child addition

£47.45 child addition

£16.43 family premium

Total - £170.48

Additional information: Households at greatest risk of poverty in NI:

Households that have experienced relationship separation have the highest rate of poverty 54%, followed by divorced 46% and then single households

Inequality is the central issue in the Northern Ireland poverty debate. The simple fact is that the rich are getting richer and the poor are staying the same. Not only is the gap between top and bottom earners soaring in cash terms but the well off are getting higher per centage increases than the low paid.

Second and bottom slide page 3

According to the Monitoring Poverty & Social Exclusion Report 2006 (MOPSE) Northern Ireland has….The wider poverty picture helps paint a scene for NI, it tells us low pay is common among full time employees, particularly women, that NI has a population with serious health issues and people with disabilities, that there are high numbers of people without paid work and in receipt of benefits and that fuel poverty is extreme.

If we look closely this tells us many NI children live in cold, hungry households, many will have caring responsibilities and there will no extra income for essential items such as having their full school uniform or three meals a day.

Additional information:

In Northern Ireland educational attainment for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds provide particularly stark facts…..

“The effects of this underachievement are felt throughout the lives of those we are failing - our working-age economic inactivity rate is the highest in the UK. People who are economically inactive are more than twice as likely to have no qualifications – and the roots of this rest in their schooling. That is how the cycle of failure begins. ……The NI selective system of education does not allow those from disadvantaged backgrounds a chance of a decent education. In fact, only 7% of pupils in grammar schools are from disadvantaged backgrounds, compared to 28% in secondary schools. Over the last 3 years an average of only 5% of pupils from the Shankill got a grammar school place. I simply do not believe that this is because they lack talent. And the most disadvantaged pupils are only around half as likely to achieve 5 good GCSEs as the least disadvantaged. Not only is this a tragedy for those whom the system is failing, but it’s an economic disaster for Northern Ireland as a whole.” (Maria Eagle Minister for Education NI 2006)

The Impact - top slide page 4

People in debt identify two main reasons for their financial difficulties: insufficient income – mainly through job loss, relationship breakdown or giving up work as a result of sickness or disability.

Debt is strongly associated with age and income, so the younger and poorer the household the greater the likelihood for financial difficulty. Together rent and household bills account for two thirds of all single debts. Berthoud and Kempson, 1990; Kempson, 2002)

The Impact - bottom slide page 4

Families living with poverty and social exclusion live daily with food poverty, fuel poverty, low wage employment and low benefit levels.

All these result in poor health and a lower life expectancy. Social isolation is common, alongside educational failure.

It is a stark fact that families Experiencing Poverty also face a much higher cost of living as they cannot access the credit or payment benefits more affluent people take for granted.

Long term experience of poverty often results in people feeling excluded and powerless. This affects the hopes and dreams they enjoy and contributes to high levels of anxiety just trying to make ends meet.

The grinding worry associated with long term poverty can also make the future look bleak, as the cost of living keeps on rising but wages and benefits stay the same.

This can lead to depression and health problems and in the long term greater dependency on essential services. It costs our society more in the long run not to deal with poverty now.

Low income also means less supports for life

Specific Actions – last three slides page 5 & 6

Written Submission by:
Northern Ireland Commissioner
for Children and Young People

The Office of Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY) was created in accordance with ‘The Commissioner for Children and Young People (Northern Ireland) Order’ (2003) to promote and protect the rights and best interests of children and young people in Northern Ireland. Under Articles 7(2)(3), NICCY has a mandate to keep under review the adequacy and effectiveness of law, practice and services relating to the rights and welfare of children and young people by relevant authorities.

At NICCY, we have been making our views known to Government on a number of poverty related issues and have been at the forefront of highlighting the inadequate provision of resources for children’s services. In March 2007 we urged all candidates in the Northern Ireland Assembly elections to use existing and new resources creatively to tackle the blight of poverty that affects children and young people in Northern Ireland. We also launched a report into expenditure on children’s services making a series of recommendations to Assembly Members and Ministers to improve current service provision, including child contingent support.

From the outset NICCY would like to express concern that the report of this inquiry will not be available to inform the program for government and budget for the next three years. NICCY has noticed major policy gaps within the Program for Government and Draft budget that will have a negative impact on child poverty. We urge the committee to ensure that all recommendations from this inquiry are given due consideration when preparing the final program for government.

Examine the extent, intensity and impact of child poverty in Northern Ireland

Extent and intensity

NICCY is aware that other organisations who have already prepared submissions to the Inquiry, have given specific and detailed statistics on the geographical breakdown child poverty rates; therefore we have decided not to repeat those statistics here.

However, it is worth noting that the Northern Ireland Executive, by its own admission[84] has stated that people living in the west of the Province have lower incomes, and that average weekly gross earnings in rural areas are below those in urban areas. Therefore, it follows that inequalities need to be addressed to ensure that regional variations in income are not leading to poverty and to an adverse impact the health and well-being of children and young people.

Research for OFMDFM in 2006[85] presented a series of statistics on child poverty based on various measures. Using income only, between one fifth and one quarter of all children in Northern Ireland are living in low income households. Using a consensual poverty measure (income and deprivation) almost two fifths of children is considered poor. Using the Department of Work and Pensions measures 14% of children in Northern Ireland are living in absolute low income poverty. This reinforces the need for OFMDFM to develop an agreed and comprehensive way to measure child poverty.

Horgan (2005) points that higher child poverty rates in Northern Ireland are coupled with a higher cost of bringing up children. The costs of essential services such as childcare and fuel in Northern Ireland are considerably higher than in the rest of the UK. This results in parents not having the ability to provide a nutritious diet which impacts on their health and obesity rates.

Irrespective of how poverty is measured, it is NICCY’s view that the figures detailed above, are shocking and unacceptable figures, and we urge immediate action across departmental accountabilities to address the root causes and impact of poverty on children and young people.

Impact

There are many impacts of poverty on children. It is notable that the effect of poverty on children begins even before a child is born, as can be seen by low birth weights and higher infant mortality rates. In 2006 the Infant mortality rate in deprived areas was 6.5 infant deaths per 1000 live births; this was higher than the rate of 4.9 in non deprived areas.[86] Children born into poor families, begin life at a considerable disadvantage.

It is also worth noting that the teenage pregnancy rate in deprived areas is 28.9 per 1000 live births; this is considerably higher than the rate of 12.4 in non deprived areas[87].

Poverty can permeate every aspect of a child’s life, from the opportunities they are afforded to take part in play and recreation facilities to poor health outcomes and low educational achievement and employment prospects. Given, therefore the complexities of the issues, there is a need for a multi dimensional solution focussed approach in response.

Research has shown that people living in poverty make dietary choices based on their finances. ‘When you go to the supermarket you buy the cheapest loaf, you don’t go for the bread that’s supposed to be better for you. And fruit is dearer than biscuits, so you don’t end up buying as much of it’.[88] The nutritional needs of children living in poverty are not being met because their parent’s budget does not stretch to fresh fruit and vegetables. In addition, there needs to be a clear education approach to the benefits of healthy eating, so that the nutritional aspects of healthy food can be shared.

In essence poverty excludes children from fully participating in society at all levels, this is shown in research in 2006 by the New Policy Institute, which found that child poverty has a negative impact on both health and educational attainment. For example

Child poverty does not just affect a person’s childhood but it has a negative impact on the life choices that are available to them, at all stages of their life.

In research completed by Queen’s University on behalf of NICCY by Kilkelly et al (2004), children and young people of all ages and from all areas across Northern Ireland voiced their views on the impact of poverty on their area.

In my area you won’t go one day without seeing a stolen car and being asked if you want to buy drugs. There is an awful lot of anti-social behaviour and loads of fights. Neighbours fighting over something stupid and being left in hospital. There is graffiti, underage drinking and loads of fights and a lot of burnt out cars.” (Boy aged 15)

“It is all over the news that more people - young adults – are being attacked and stabbed due to alcohol. Drugs are being sold on your street corners and you can’t walk anywhere without people doing drugs and abusing aerosols etc. As a kid you would want the best for your kid and that wouldn’t be on the agenda” (Boy aged 14 years)

The quotes from children and young people clearly show that children and young people want to live in a safe and clean environment.

The Executive and Assembly need to acknowledge the wider effects of growing up in poverty such as crime social and economic constraints

At the beginning of this section, we referenced impact at birth, and sadly we know that suicide rates in deprived areas are substantially higher than the Northern Ireland Average.[89]

Consider the approach taken when formulating the current strategy including the extent of the engagement with key stakeholders

The current anti Poverty strategy emerged following a review of the New Targeting Social Need (NTSN) policy which aimed to tackle poverty and social exclusion. It is NICCY’s view that the NTSN policy has being driven through largely separate departmental programmes, with little evidence of a joined up approach at departmental level being reflected in coordination of services at a local level. Critically strategic objectives were missing and those objectives which were set, reflected departmental priorities rather than any overall Government commitment to reducing poverty. Monitoring arrangements therefore, did not serve to adequately reflect and measure progress against the broad objective of reducing poverty and social exclusion.

At consultation stage the Anti Poverty Strategy did not include any focus on child poverty and did not contain any reference to children and young people as a priority group. This was an unacceptable omission and indicated that children and young people were less of a priority. However, we are pleased to acknowledge that the final strategy did focus on early years and child and young people as two distinct groupings.

NICCY understands that some children and young people were involved via the Derry Children’s Commission in the development of the strategy pre consultation. However we believe that there should have been a more co-ordinated and stratified effort to ensure children and young people from across Northern Ireland were involved in a more substantial way. We would strongly urge the Inquiry Committee to pro actively seek the views of children and young people in the course of its work. Children and young people are very capable of sharing experiences of living in poverty.

Assess whether the existing strategy is capable of delivering the key targets for 2010 and 2020

While the Anti Poverty strategy is attempting to fully address the issue of child poverty at two key stages in the lives of children and young people, in its current state NICCY does not believe that the strategy can deliver on the key targets of 2010 or 2020. It is our view that the targets set are vague and are difficult to measure; we further believe that the strategy is simply addressing the effects not the causes, and that this leads to a sticking plaster response, rather than a holistic approach addressing fundamental issues leading to child poverty.

The strategy while not as robust as it should be is a starting point for positive action. What needs to follow is a comprehensive action plan; this action plan should take each target and break it into smaller interim goals that are time bound, and can be measured at regular intervals.

The anti poverty strategy states that children in lone parent households and persons with a disability are at a high risk of poverty. In other words, those most at risk of poverty are those who are unable to work or who can only work outside the home if public services such as childcare and accessible transport are greatly improved. The anti-poverty strategy however continues to see work as the best route out of poverty, ignoring the reality of situation as outlined in the strategy.

The Anti Poverty strategy needs to be amended to include actions to improve public services and higher benefit levels, and increase the uptake of benefits for those who cannot work or cannot find employment.

Examine whether the implementation mechanisms, resources and monitoring arrangements currently in place are adequate to ensure delivery of the key actions/targets

It is NICCY’s view that the Draft Program for Government and Budget in its current form will not deliver on its key targets in relation to child poverty. While the Draft Program for Government includes a commitment to tackling poverty, essential actions and resources are not contained within the Draft Budget to support this action.

For example, the budget for the Department of Social Development reduces monies to the Housing Executive and Associations, therefore families will be force to continue to pay the shortfall in their housing benefit in the private rented sector. There is also a lack of a dedicated focus on improving the economy and creating jobs in areas suffering from high unemployment and high rates of child poverty. Again we would draw the Inquiry’s attention to the situation in the West of the Province, where only last weeks, announcements about the closure of Seagate, with significant job losses in the Limavady area, will have an impact on the families in that part of Northern Ireland. We would encourage creative approaches to the economies development, particularly in areas of deprivation.

The main targets of the anti poverty strategy are reflected in Our Children and Young People- Our Pledge strategy, to half child poverty by 2010 and eradicating it by 2020. However the action plan for the first two years of the children’s strategy does not set any interim targets or actions specifically aimed at tackling child poverty, or halving the figure by 2010. It is unclear how this strategy is linked to the work of the Children and Young People Unit at OFMDFM and with the ten year strategy for children and young people. Without a shared agenda or timetable between these two strategies NICCY does not see how the 2010 can be delivered.

Identify and analyse relevant experience elsewhere in terms of policy interventions and programmes

The UNICEF report on child poverty[90] Sweden, Norway and Finland had the lowest rates of child poverty while the UK ranked fourth. By examining the policies in the Nordic Countries the report put forward the following critique explaining why their rates for child poverty are among the lowest.

‘Nordic policy places emphasis on helping people into paid work. This is then complemented by a wide range of social policies aimed at redistributing that have arisen from the market. Moreover, unlike many industrialized countries that target resources towards particular problem groups, Nordic social legislation is designed to include the entire population.

All the Nordic countries provide generous maternity leave allowances that go unmatched elsewhere. In addition, Nordic countries have legislated in favour of extended parental leave schemes which allow one parent to care for a child at home until the age of three, without losing their job. Day care is universal in Denmark, Finland and Sweden where, in theory, every child is entitled to a place.

The impact of such measures is reflected in high female labour force participation rates that averaged over 70 per cent in 1997. This is a most significant aspect of Nordic policy. For research reveals both a strong link between high female employment and low child poverty, and a corresponding link between comprehensive levels of family policy and high employment among women.

Above all, it is clear that family focused social policy is deep-rooted in Nordic culture and that the principle of social entitlement is highly institutionalized, enjoying wide support among the electorate.’

Family friendly policies have proven to reduce child poverty in other countries. NICCY believes it is necessary to introduce similar policies here, which focus on the family so that employment is an option for all parents. In addition, the success of such initiatives as this will only be successful if the issue of low wages is also addressed.

NICCY would also recommend creative management of situations where work is not always possible because of barriers e.g. difficulties arranging child care, and in deed in some instances, the appropriateness of children being cared for outside the family; and the type of work available.

Research[91] has shown the need for and success in investment in skills development early in a young person’s life, in fact from early years.

Skill remediation programs for adults with severe educational disadvantages are much less efficient compared to early intervention programs; so are training programs for more mature displaced workers. At current levels of investment, cost-effective returns are highest for the young. NICCY would commend this research in terms of showing the importance of investing in early years, and skills development programmes in education.

NICCY would recommend a holistic approach is taken to reduce child poverty, this should include for example: family friendly policies, economic regeneration, simplifying of benefits systems, and help with take-up of benefits; investments in skills developments, and education programmes. These should all form key parts of the anti poverty action plan.

Consider what further actions could be taken to tackle child poverty with particular focus on those that would be deliverable by the devolved administration

The concluding observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child 2002 stated that ‘the Committee urges the State party take all necessary measures to the “maximum extent of … available resources” to accelerate the elimination of child poverty;’[92]

NICCY would urge the Committee of OFMDFM to ensure the actions outlined in any revised anti poverty are underpinned by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The following Articles should be given particular consideration in this Inquiry

Article 2 - The right to protection against discrimination, the rights of the UNCRC must be respected for all children equally.

Article 3 - The best interests of the child must be a primary consideration in decisions made by legislative bodies or administrative authorities

Article 4 - The State has an overarching obligation to translate the rights of the Convention into reality

Article 6 - The State has an obligation to ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and development of the child

Article 12 - States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child.

Article 18 & 26 - The right for additional support to be given to parents including social security.

In conclusion NICCY makes the following recommendations to the Committee.

Targets set by the Government in the Anti Poverty Strategy must be reviewed and improved by all Government Departments; interim targets need to be set, that are monitored on a regular basis. The Executive must ensure that adequate resources are allocated to fully implement the Anti Poverty Strategy. All government departments must work together to develop, implement and monitor action plans in line with the strategy. These plans should be both department specific, but should be joined to ensure greatest impact.

21 November 2007

Written Submission by:
Northern Ireland Council
for Voluntary Action (NICVA)

NICVA

As the umbrella representative organisation for the voluntary and community sector in Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (NICVA) has over 1,000 members. Full members, of which there are 945, are independent voluntary and community organisations. NICVA also has 78 subscribers to NICVA services. These include all District Councils in Northern Ireland and some statutory bodies which have interest in or relationship with the voluntary and community sector.

NICVA is an independent body with charitable status and is a company limited by guarantee. The organisation is owned by its members who elect the board of trustees or Executive Committee. NICVA offers comprehensive advice to member organisations on charity law, funding, finance, personnel and policy matters. With a dedicated communications team, NICVA works to ensure the sector is represented at every level, and that the voice of the sector is facilitated through the media and into the corridors of power.

1. The extent, intensity and impact of child poverty in Northern Ireland

1.1 NICVA has worked extensively with voluntary and community organisations over the last three years in an attempt to develop an anti-poverty strategy for Northern Ireland. We welcomed the publication of Lifetime Opportunities, but stressed that it needed to have an action plan and budgets attached. NICVA is very concerned that this document now has no status and we can find no evidence of budgets dedicated to the eradication of poverty in the current draft Programme for Government and Budget.

1.2 During the time that we and others have been campaigning for an effective strategy to tackle poverty in Northern Ireland, the situation for children in poverty has been worsening as worrying statistics issued during the summer indicate. ‘Households Below Average Income 2005-06’ (Department for Social Development) showed that the proportion of children living in poor homes has risen from 51% to 56% in the last two years. This is based on the proportion of children living in the bottom two quintiles of the income distribution. For each of the last four years the figures are:

2002/03 51%
2003/04 51%
2004/05 54%
2005/06 56%.

1.3 The local figure of 56% compares unfavourably with the child poverty figure of 49% in Britain.

1.4 The impact of child poverty in Northern Ireland has been well documented in reports by NICVA member organisations (eg A 2020 Vision, Save the Children). It is important to stress that poverty is not just about incomes; the impact can be seen in many other areas eg poor children are far more likely to under-achieve at school, to suffer poor health and to be living in worse conditions than better-off children.

2. Consider the approach taken when formulating the current strategy including the extent of the engagement with key stakeholders

2.1 It follows from the comment above that we must have an effective cross-cutting approach to poverty that involves all government departments. An effective strategy must involve children affected by poverty and their families, young people’s organisations and community groups in both urban and rural areas. Neighbourhood Renewal and other strategies must make the elimination of poverty in both rural and urban areas a priority. It must also have clear actions that will make a difference and firm and unambiguous targets to ensure we are making adequate progress or, alternatively, need to formulate additional policies and actions in order to end poverty.

2.2 We believe that the consultation with key stakeholders on Lifetime Opportunities, the anti-poverty strategy launched by the Secretary of State a year ago, was satisfactory.

2.3 Another issue about the ‘approach’ to a strategy to eliminate child poverty is that we must remember that there are many causes for poverty which require very many solutions. We need to take account of children in low-wage households, children in families depending on benefits and children who are in care. Low income is an important cause of poverty but there are also issues arising from issues such as drug and alcohol misuse, health and disability issues and many other factors. Again, this reinforces our call for a broadly-based, inclusive strategy that involves all departments.

3. Assess whether the existing strategy is capable of delivering the key targets for 2010 and 2020

3.1 NICVA’s firm view is that we do not have the sort of over-arching strategy that will deliver the elimination of poverty. The fact that child poverty has increased over the two latest years for which statistics are available is a clear indication that existing policies and actions are not working. In order to end child poverty, children must no longer be living in poor households, which means tackling adult poverty. This means well paid jobs for adults, along with training and support to allow adults to access them, a decent education system which does not leave almost a quarter of the working age population with no qualifications, decent housing, adequate access to public transport, especially in rural areas, and good health. In addition to this, we need adequate supports for those who are unable to work. Lifetime Opportunities focused too much on work as a way out of poverty, as this is not available as a route for everyone, particularly those who are sick or disabled, or whose caring responsibilities prevent it. Children living in these households also need to be lifted out of poverty. Even where parents are in work, the prevalence of low wages does not guarantee this as a route out of poverty.

3.2 In addition, any strategy must be adequately resourced. There is no indication in the recent Draft Budget that provision has been made for funding an anti-poverty strategy.

3.3 When we talk of an over-arching strategy we mean that all levels affecting poverty must be pulled. For example, economic inactivity has remained stubbornly at its existing levels for many years despite government’s wish to reduce them. This is a complex issue which we cannot do justice to in a short memorandum. One of the issues is that the boundaries between activity and inactivity, or between seeking employment and not seeking employment, are not as rigid as we might imagine. If we make jobs more attractive, provide good quality, affordable childcare and improve public transport, more people are likely to consider entering or re-entering the workplace.

3.4 Our economic vision is for a high value-added, knowledge-based economy with rewarding employment. In line with this, we believe a special effort must be made to attract back into education, training and employment people with low levels of confidence, skills and qualifications. This will significantly boost the incomes of poor families. Community education has a very important role in this task which must be encouraged.

3.5 A central part of strategy is resources and we believe the Executive and Assembly must consider the costs and benefits (including opportunity costs) of all areas of its budget. To take just one example, is the spending on New Deal being used effectively to get people off benefits and into work or could the money be better spent elsewhere?

4. Examine whether the implementation mechanisms, resources and monitoring arrangements currently in place are adequate to ensure delivery of the key actions/targets

4.1 As we understand it, the Executive has not yet adopted an anti-poverty strategy. Therefore it is not yet clear how any such policy might be implemented. As there is no existing action plan, it is impossible to say whether the implementation mechanisms and monitoring arrangements are adequate. Under point 3 above, we have indicated our concern that resources are not being made available for the elimination of poverty.

4.2 We believe that radical thinking will be needed to ensure we provide integrated services for all children and their parents. The Executive has moved towards a single telephone number for public services; we believe this can be taken further with ‘one-stop shops’ for all children’s services, perhaps developed through community planning and including public transport services.

5. Identify and analyse relevant experience elsewhere in terms of policy interventions and programmes

5.1 Our member organisations can contribute a lot of evidence on this point eg community health services in Sweden, anti-poverty measures in Denmark and France and childcare and other children’s services in Scandinavian countries generally.

5.2 There are examples of good practice much closer to home. An URBAN project in the Shankill area offered holistic care to mothers and children right through from conception to school-going age and brought together a range of services in one package. Evaluations showed the initiative was very successful but it ceased when EU funding ended. We believe that the learning from this project should be taken on board and that similar initiatives should be launched in disadvantaged areas in Northern Ireland.

6. Consider what further actions could be taken to tackle child poverty with particular focus on those that would be deliverable by the devolved administration

6.1 We believe the new Executive and Assembly should adopt a radical approach to all areas of policy and spending to ensure they are contributing to the fight against poverty. To give just a few examples:

The National Minimum Wage is a reserved matter and the Assembly cannot decide to increase the amounts payable. However, it can take a view on the need to reduce poverty by increasing the amount paid and can make its view known to the Treasury. Likewise, it can call for an increase in the amount spent on child benefit.

16 November 2007

Written Submission by:
Northern Neighbourhoods Health Action Zone

Within the Northern Health and Social Services Board area, the regional Investing for Health Strategy provides the main strategic framework within which partners are working collaboratively, through the Northern Investing for Health Partnership (NIfHP), to improve health and wellbeing and to reduce inequalities in health.

It is recognised that one of the key factors contributing to inequalities in health is poverty, and through the implementation of the Health Improvement Plan partners within the Northern Health & Social Services Board area are working collectively to address this issue.

Currently, there are a number of publicly available strategic documents and resources which relate to tackling poverty, including child poverty, which are utilised by the ‘Health Improvement/ Public Health’ team within the NHSSB.

These include:

The Health Action Zone has not commissioned any specific research into child poverty within our geographical area, to avoid duplication with the above resources.

3 December 2007

Written Submission by:
The Office of the First Minister
and Deputy First Minister

Examine the extent, intensity and impact of child poverty in Northern Ireland.

The Measurement of Child Poverty

The draft Programme for Government 2008 – 2011 commits to:

“Work towards the elimination of poverty in Northern Ireland by 2020 including lifting 67,000 children out of poverty by 2010”

The measure of child poverty referred to here comprises relative income poverty. This is defined as the proportion of children living in a household whose income is less than 60% of UK median household income, before housing costs, equivalised using the modified Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) scale.

On this measure, 25% of children in Northern Ireland lived in income poor households in 2005/06 compared to 22% of children in the UK as a whole. The child poverty gap between Northern Ireland and the UK as a whole widens if the income poverty threshold is raised from 60% of UK median household income, to 70% of UK median household income. On that basis, almost two in five children (39%) in Northern Ireland live in households below this threshold, compared to 33% of children in the UK as a whole.

Ultimately however, a range of poverty measures will be used to track change in relation to child poverty including: relative income poverty; a mixed measure, combining material deprivation and low income which provides a wider measure of people’s living standards; and absolute poverty reflecting whether the very poorest families are seeing their incomes rise in real terms.

Child Poverty in Northern Ireland 1998/99 – 2005/06

The vehicle for measuring child poverty is the Family Resources survey (FRS) and the associated publication Households Below Average Income Series (HBAI) NI. The FRS / HBAI has been in place in GB since the early 1990’s but was only introduced to Northern Ireland in 2002/03.

The baseline for the draft PfG target to halve the numbers of children in poverty is 1998/99. Given that the FRS was not available in Northern Ireland in that period, it was necessary to model child poverty levels in 1998/99. OFMDFM published estimates of child poverty for Northern Ireland in the period 1998/99 in March 2007[93]. These estimates have since been updated reflecting methodological changes in the interim and these revised estimates will be published shortly. Estimates for child poverty in 1998/99 reported here are those most recent revised estimates.

Table 1: Relative Income Child Poverty Before Housing Costs

Year Relative income poverty rate for children 95% confidence interval2 Number of children living in poor households
1998/99
29
Not applicable
135,000
2002/03
25
+/-4.2%
108,000
2003/04
26
+/-4.3%
112,000
2004/05
25
+/-4.1%
107,000
2005/06
25
+/-4.3%
108,000

Source: OFMDFM, DSD HBAI NI.[94]

Modelling of child poverty estimated that in 1998/99 the relative income poverty rate for children on a before housing cost basis was 29% representing approximately 135,000 children living in income poor households.

Actual data from the first years HBAI NI 2002/03 estimated relative income child poverty on a before housing cost basis to be 25%. In other words one quarter of children (approximately 108,000) in Northern Ireland lived in households whose income was less than 60% of the UK median income level.

Between 2002/03 and 2005/06 it is evident that there has been no statistically significant change in the rate of child poverty and, as has been the case in Great Britain over the same period, the levels of child poverty have remained broadly stable.

Current poverty rates published by the Department for Social Development utilise the UK median. On the basis of a Northern Ireland median, as would be expected, the rates of child poverty are substantially reduced. That is, when the Northern Ireland population is compared against a Northern Ireland median benchmark, the extent of income inequality is much reduced in contrast to comparisons of the Northern Ireland population against a UK median benchmark.

Table 2: Relative Income Child Poverty Using Both a NI and a UK median Before Housing Costs

Year
Northern Ireland relative income poverty rate for children based on:60% of Northern Ireland median
Northern Ireland relative income poverty rate for children based on:60% of UK median
2002/03
20
25
2003/04
20
26
2004/05
19
25
2005/06
19
25

Who is most at risk of child poverty?

The risk of poverty is defined as the proportion of a specific group that is classified as in low income poverty and this risk of poverty varies by demographic and socio-economic characteristics of households. Examples of households in 2005/06 that are at particular risk of child poverty and, in order of risk, include:

On that basis, whilst 25% of all children in Northern Ireland live in income poor households, the poverty risk of children that live in households renting privately, for example, is much greater.

How are income poor children distributed within different households?

Whilst the risk of child poverty varies clearly with social and demographic characteristics of households, the numbers of children in poverty in these different types of households is determined by the incidence of those households in the population as a whole.

For example, whilst the poverty risk of children living in lone parent households (36%) is higher than that for children living in couple households (22%), a much higher proportion of income poor children (65%) live in couple households compared to lone parent households (35%). This picture of the risk and concentration of poverty reflects the demographic realities that there are many more couple households with children in the entire population than there are lone parent households.

Households that comprise a significant proportion of those in poverty include;

Children in households that:

So, for example, three quarters of relatively income poor children live in households that have no savings, whilst 35% of income poor children live in lone parent households. It is important to note that this picture is again influenced by certain demographic realities.

Absolute child poverty

As mentioned above, another measure of child poverty which will be monitored over time is absolute child poverty benchmarked at the income values for 60% of UK median household income in 1998/99. Figure 1 below details the change to absolute low income in Northern Ireland over the period 2002/03 to 2005/06.

Figure 1 Absolute Low Income Poverty 2002/03 – 2005/06

OFMDFM response_Chart 1.eps

Source: DSD, HBAI NI

On that basis, in 2002/03, 23% of children were poor compared to the 1998/99 baseline estimate of 29%. Since 2002/03 there has been a statistically significant decrease in absolute child poverty from 23% to 16%. In other words, the poorest children in our society have seen their household incomes rise in real terms, after adjustment for the effects of inflation, from 1998/99 to 2002/03 and between 2002/03 to 2005/06

The Impact of Child poverty

The direct impact of income poverty on the ability of households to provide goods or services for children commonly assessed as a necessity was provided by the report “Bare Necessities: Poverty and Social Exclusion in Northern Ireland” and through subsequent research commissioned by OFMDFM[95].

On the basis of 33 items which were considered as a necessity including items related to food, clothing, participation and activities, developmental and environmental items, 47% of children were found to lack one or more necessities whilst 29% lacked two or more. Furthermore, the research found that over one fifth of children (22%) in Northern Ireland lacked 3 or more necessities whilst 16% lacked four or more.

The broader impacts and legacies for children born into relative income poverty are well researched and documented.

In education for example, children living in income poor households are often at a significant disadvantage to those not in poverty. For example:

The proportion of pupils not entitled to free school meals who achieved two or more A levels or equivalent (50%) was much higher than that for pupils entitled to free school meals (22%). Of those entitled to free school meals, girls continue to outperform boys in terms of highest level of qualification achieved, with 23.0% of girls achieving 3 or more A levels or equivalent, compared to 13.5% of boys.

School leavers not entitled to free school meals are more likely to continue their education with 70% entering institutions of Higher or Further Education compared to 46% of leavers who were entitled to free school meals.

Table 3 below indicates the gap in attainment between those children entitled to free school meals and all pupils in respect of attaining no qualifications. Between 1992/93 to 2004/05, roughly twice the rate of pupils entitled to free school meals leave education without any qualifications compared to all pupils.

Table 3 Pupils Leaving Education with No Qualifications

OFMDFM response_Table.eps

Source: DE,

Note due to technical difficulties no data is available for 2002/03

In relation to health there are numerous examples of the impacts of deprivation on children and the legacy of that impact as they grow to adulthood.

Consider the approach taken when formulating the current strategy including the extent of the engagement with key stakeholders

Formal Consultation Process

During the development phase of ‘Lifetime Opportunities’ Government’s Anti-Poverty and Social Inclusion Strategy two periods of public consultation were undertaken.

The Phase 1 consultation ran between April and October 2004 and Phase 2 between July and August 2005.

103 formal written responses were received during the first consultation and 63 during the second.

During both consultations a number of public seminars were held at various venues across Northern Ireland. The majority of these seminars were organised and facilitated on behalf of OFMDFM by the Northern Ireland Anti Poverty Network (NIAPN), a voluntary organisation which lobbies on behalf of people experiencing poverty. NIAPN’s involvement in these seminars helped to ensure that some of the most difficult to reach groups were both represented and had their views expressed during the consultation process.

In November 2004, as a follow on to the first consultation, the Queen’s University Institute of Governance hosted a key ‘Chatham House rules’ seminar attended by a range of key stakeholders including representatives of political parties, to both discuss the strategy proposals and seek to inform the debate around the development and future direction of the policy.

Views of Children and Young People

Children and young people were also afforded the opportunity to participate in the process, through a specially organised workshop in conjunction with the Derry Children’s Commissioner. This event allowed a wide range of children and young people from areas of disadvantage within Derry to offer their views on the development of the strategy and helped identify the real issues facing children and young people experiencing poverty and social exclusion.

Further Consultation

In October 2006 at the latter development stages of ‘Lifetime Opportunities’ OFMDFM officials further engaged with key stakeholders and established a ‘Critical Friends’ advisory group which comprised representatives from the voluntary and community sector (including Save the Children), academics, officials from the Department of Work and Pensions and other devolved administrations.

Key Issues - Child Poverty

Throughout the two public consultations and the subsequent meetings with ‘Critical Friends’ a strong view was expressed that in light of the UK Government’s commitment to halve child poverty by 2010 on the way to eradicating it by 2020, there was a need for comparative targets to be set within any new Northern Ireland strategy. These views were further reflected within formal written submissions made by organisations such as Save the Children.

Taking account of the views expressed during the various consultation stages ‘Lifetime Opportunities’ identifies its two overall objectives as being to;

‘Lifetime Opportunities’

Since its launch on 13th November 2006 ‘Lifetime Opportunities’ has been both debated by the Northern Ireland Grand Committee on 12 December 2006 and considered and assessed by the shadow Executive’s Programme for Government Committee in December 2006/January 2007.

It is hoped that the NI Executive Committee in line with its statutory duty under Section 16 of the St Andrews Agreement NI Act 2006 will soon consider the formal adoption of an anti-poverty strategy for NI.
As part of this process the OFMDFM Committee will be presented with proposals for its consideration and comment.

Consultation on the 10 Year Strategy for Children and Young People

We were also informed by the consultation process on the 10 year strategy for children and young people.

Child poverty and particularly social exclusion and multi-faceted need, was consistently identified as a key theme in the lives of children and young people throughout the development phase of the 10 year strategy. In acknowledging this, the strategy includes the outcome ‘Economic and Environmental Well-being’.

Assess whether the existing strategy is capable of delivering the key targets for 2010 and 2020.

‘Lifetime Opportunities’ and its associated targets have still to be formally considered by the Executive Committee in line with its statutory duty under Section 16 of the St Andrews Agreement NI Act 2006, to adopt a strategy setting out how it proposes to tackle poverty, social exclusion and patterns of deprivation based on objective need.

It is the intention of Junior Ministers to bring forward a 12-month work programme to set annual targets and actions. This wil be brought to the Committee for consideration in the new year.

Examine whether the implementation mechanisms, resources and monitoring arrangements currently in place are adequate to ensure delivery of the key actions/targets

Monitoring and Evaluating Progress

When ‘Lifetime Opportunities’ was launched it was highlighted that the effectiveness of the strategy would be monitored and evaluated through a range of mechanisms:

The Ministerial led Forum, which had responsibility for overseeing the process and monitoring progress made against the strategy’s goals, objectives and targets, was formally established in early 2007 and met for the first and to date only time, on 8th March 2007. Recognising that government cannot deliver on its own and needs to work in partnership Forum membership consisted of relevant stakeholder groups including local politicians, employers, representatives of trade unions, the statutory, voluntary and community sectors, social economy and individuals experiencing poverty and social exclusion.

The Central Anti-Poverty Unit (CAPU) within the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister is responsible for monitoring and evaluating the overall impact of the Anti-Poverty and Social Inclusion Strategy. This Unit also provided the secretariat to the Ministerial Poverty Forum.

An Inter-departmental Equality and Social Need Steering Group which is chaired by a senior official in the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister was identified as being the principle mechanism for co-ordinating, monitoring and evaluating across departments and Agencies.

It was further proposed that on the completion of the Comprehensive Spending Review, policies needed to take the strategy forward, including new policies, the resources and Public Service Agreements for meeting the commitments within the strategy would be published. Progress against agreed indicators would be published periodically thereafter.

In delivering the 10 year strategy for children and young people, Northern Ireland Departments will also deliver a wide range of initiatives and programmes that impact positively on child poverty and exclusion issues.

The setting of specific actions and targets on an annual basis will help significantly to assess progress.

Identify and analyse relevant experience elsewhere in terms of policy interventions and programmes

British Irish Council (BIC)

The Social Inclusion Strand of the British Irish Council has been a valuable opportunity for officials to exchange information on programmes, services and statistics in each administration and to share good and innovative practice through meetings and visits.

The report to the Social Inclusion Ministers of the British Irish Council administrations will be presented to Ministers at a ministerial meeting in April 2008. The work will outline lessons learned on the theme of child poverty with a particular focus on lone parents. Work on this theme took place between the Social Inclusion Ministers’ meeting in Edinburgh in March 2006 and the end of 2007.

This report will:

Promoting Social Inclusion (PSI)

Promoting Social Inclusion (PSI) was a key component of New TSN policy aimed at tackling social exclusion of vulnerable groups in society. It was retained in the current proposals for a broader Anti-Poverty Strategy.

PSI involves Departments working together and with partners outside Government to improve and enhance the circumstances of those at risk of social exclusion by identifying and tackling factors that could contribute to social exclusion and which would best dealt with in a co-ordinated way. It also involves consideration of positive initiatives to facilitate and encourage social inclusion. The PSI approach recognises that tackling the ongoing social exclusion of some vulnerable groups requires inputs from a range of Departments and other public sector providers.

A Promoting Social Inclusion (PSI) Working Group on Lone Parents was established in September 2006 in recognition of the fact that lone parent families make up around a quarter of all families with dependent children and are more at risk of being in poverty than any other household type. It is estimated that between a third and half of lone parent families here are living in poverty affecting around 46,000 children.[96]

The starting point of the PSI group was to examine research undertaken in GB and NI which identifies various barriers impeding lone parents returning to and/or entering paid work. Key themes arising from research together with existing policies and programmes have been examined in more detail in consultation with lone parents and their representative organizations. The emphasis being on what works well, gaps in provision and where things could be done more effectively.

Recommendations arising from this work are nearing completion, if accepted these recommendations are expected to make a major contribution to the reduction of child poverty.

The 10 year strategy for children and young people aims to narrow the gap between disadvantaged children and their peers also through a range of actions to improve the lives and prospects of disadvantaged children and young people and give them the best start in life.

Child Poverty – A view on the approach being taken by the Department for Work and Pensions

In June 2006 Lisa Harker, was engaged to provide independent advice on possible new approaches to what was seen as the Department for Work and Pensions number one priority – tackling child poverty. Ms Harker was viewed as having a wealth of experience working as a policy adviser, researcher and writer, specializing primarily in issues related to families, poverty and social exclusion

The subsequent report entitled‘Delivering on Child Poverty: what would it take?’ was presented to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in November 2006.

Within her report Lisa Harker advises that whilst it had not been possible for her to undertake a thorough review of the Department’s strategy she was able, within the timeframe allocated, to provide some guidance on:

The Report reflects her view that although the Government has made significant progress on tackling child poverty, further changes will be necessary if the goals of halving child poverty by 2010 and eradicating child poverty by 2020 are to be reached.

The Report recommends that help for parents looking for work should be more focused on the needs of the whole family and access to childcare and flexible working arrangements should be improved. The author reflects the view that parents need help, not only to find work, but to also gain the skills they need to advance in employment. Support must also be open to a wider group of families – including the partners of those already in a job.

At the report’s launch in November 2006 Lisa Harker stated that “I believe that by ensuring that welfare-to-work support is more attuned to the needs of all families and the demands of the labour market, the Department for Work and Pensions could help more families find an effective and sustainable route out of poverty.”

Lisa Harker’s Report is available via the Department for Work and Pensions website - http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/dwp/2006/harker/#harker

4 December 2007

Written Submission by:
PlayBoard

Introduction

“If you’re poor you have no money, no food, no toys, no parks” Child aged 6, Craigavon

PlayBoard is the leading agency for children and young peoples play in Northern Ireland. We campaign to ensure that every child has access to high quality, free and inclusive play opportunities.

PlayBoard’s mission statement is Working for the child’s right to play.

Children and young people should not be deprived of PLAY, an essential childhood experience, simply because parents and carers are living in poverty. It is essential for those children who live in poverty to experience quality play.

Undoubtedly Play and Social Development are global issues in terms of a child’s right of access. Play is one of, if not the most, central component in a child’s life, it is essential for a happy childhood. Play is the culture of childhood; it is well documented that play is important for all aspects of child development, social, emotional, physical, intellectual and creative. Play encourages independence, confidence, creativity and self esteem; it helps develop social interaction and life skills. Over all it enhances quality of life.

Play is a cross cutting social policy issue. It is fundamental to healthy and happy childhood and both challenges and informs our understanding of children. Good play opportunities can help improve the quality of life and safety in neighborhoods, tackle obesity, promote health and well being, and support holistic development.

1. Examine the extent, intensity and impact of child poverty in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has the youngest population of any region in the UK: approximately 400,000 children and young people are under the age of 18. That equates to 27% of Northern Irelands residents. Of those, almost 40% live in households that are in the bottom 30% of total household income. Latest figures from the department of Social development suggest 29% of children in Northern Ireland are living in poverty an up ward, and indeed, worrying trend from last years estimated figure of 24%.

Experiences of children and young people in NI:

If normal play experiences are absent throughout a child’s life (Play Deprivation) that child is more likely to become highly violent and anti social. Inability to engage in play can only result in behavioral instability, neurological dysfunction, unhappiness and a lack of mental well being in affected children. Children are at risk from play deprivation across the board and in particular in disadvantaged areas. Therefore children from less-well of backgrounds are at risk from high levels of play deprivation.[97]

1.1 Access to provision

Children and families living in poverty have limited or no access to provision and activities that require payment such as swimming lessons or play care provision.

There may also be limited provision in the area they live such as shops and play spaces.

This lack of facilities may result in children experiencing limited mobility, and limited opportunity to be independent of a parent or adult.

This in turn will have a limited effect on children in many different ways including their physical, mental and emotional development.

Limited opportunities therefore can have both short and long term effects on the lives of children and young people.

Children in rural areas are even further isolated and opportunities outside of school may be limited. Quite often for rural children friends need to be ‘imported’ or services bought in, for those children living in poverty these are not viable options open to them.

1.2 Stress

Those living in poverty can experience a large amount of stress. Which can increase the already negative environment for the children and families. Children can also be stressed in this environment. According to a study of education in England primary school children and their parents are suffering from deep anxiety about modern life.

In NI evidence shows that we struggle with a range of social anxieties linked to poverty, including:

Play can help to address some of these anxieties as it can be a source of socialization and comfort.

1.3 Ability of parents to cope

It is widely recognised that parents are the first educators of children and that children learn coping mechanisms from their parents. Children in homes where there may be abuse of substance as a way to cope will in turn experience this abuse which will have a long lasting negative impact on a child.

Children may also be in a situation where there is an abusive relationship and limited capacity for a parent to improve this situation.

If we isolate our children they are not an integral part of our society and will not feel a sense of belonging. They should be seen and not heard within their communities. Children and young people can go from being disadvantaged to disenfranchised and this may in some cases lead to challenging behaviors. For older children this may spiral out of control possibly resulting in Anti Social Behavior Orders. This in itself creates a financial drain on resources.

1.4 The environment

The environment has a big impact on how children see their community. In an area with limited provision, where there are derelict buildings and little resources put into the upkeep of the area there will be limited pride in the area. This in turn feeds into how a child sees their place in the community, society and the opportunities available to them.

Free play in the environment allows children to manage risks, to problem solve and to learn independence.

1.5 Play as Informal Education

Our current education structure in Northern Ireland does not adequately allow children to access quality play opportunities within the school day.

Play gives informal environments to develop social skills,

2. Consider the approach taken when formulating the current strategy including the extent of the engagement with key stakeholders.

It is unacceptable that Play is absent from Lifetime Opportunities.

PlayBoard as an NGO and the leading agency for children and young peoples play in Northern Ireland would welcome an opportunity to consult further on the strategy.

As a children and young people’s organization recurrently engaging in meaningful consultation and participation with children, we would recommend a greater effort to engage directly with children and young people.

PlayBoard would recommend a more outcome focused approach. Involvement of all stakeholders, in particular children and young people is of paramount importance.

3. Assess whether the existing strategy is capable of delivering the key targets for 2010 and 2020.

It is our understanding that the financial resources required to achieve these targets have not been adequately addressed within the recently published Programme for Government.

There is a requirement for an investment strategy and a budget to match an action plan to deliver on these targets.

4. Examine whether the implementation mechanisms, resources and monitoring arrangements currently in place are adequate to ensure the key actions/ targets.

If an agreed strategy was adopted and appropriately consulted on, then targets action plans and budgets would follow.

Appropriate monitoring and evaluation mechanisms could then be put in place.

5. Identify and analyse relevant experience elsewhere in terms of policy interventions and programmes.

The provision of school aged childcare and play care is essential to the regeneration and renewal of communities and is a crucial intervention that contributes to breaking the poverty cycle. Quality childcare is instrumental to the infrastructure and development of a modern country – as essential as roads and transport – enabling parents to work and offering new opportunities for children.

School aged childcare policy and subsequent funding has had a chequered past. The sector and infrastructure has been developed through investment such as PEACE, NOF and more recently DHSSPS through the Children and Young People’s fund.

Policy responsibility for Early Years transferred from the Department of Health (DHSS&PS) to the Department of Education (DE) on 1st November 2006. Prior to that date the DHSS&PS had policy responsibility for Early Years and DE had responsibility for the Pre-School Education Expansion Programme. The School Aged Childcare sector, currently receiving top up funding from the Children and Young People’s Package through DHSS&PS, did not move to DE along with Early Years.

The new Early Years Strategy will focus on children from birth up to foundation years of primary, 0-6yrs. PlayBoard have queried why the broader age range has not been accounted for, as in Children First 0-14, Children and Young People’s Strategy 0-18. The response has been that as with other jurisdictions the strategy will be based on the OECD report “Starting Strong, Early Childhood Education and Care”, however the age range for that report is 0-8 years.

Due to the School Aged Childcare sector not having moved to DE and concerns surrounding the lengthy timeline in which this age range may have to wait to be reviewed may result in the investment to date, both human and financial, that has underpinned the development of infrastructure and a professional play work workforce being negated.

6. Consider what further actions could be taken to tackle child poverty with particular focus on those that would be deliverable by the devolved admistarion.

In consultation with children, membership and staff the key actions are follows:

Conclusion

Play is one of the most important central components of a child’s life.

It is fundamental to healthy and happy childhood and both challenges and informs our understanding of children. Good play opportunities can help improve the quality of life and safety in neighborhoods, tackle obesity, promote health and well being, and support holistic development.

In tackling poverty the provision and recognition of play is a key driver. All children are morally and legally entitled to play within their own community.

Every child in Northern Ireland is entitled to quality play experiences and it is the government’s role to ensure that no children are excluded.

15 November 2007

Written Submission by:
Rural Community Network

1. Background

1.1Rural Community Network [RCN] is a regional voluntary organisation established by community groups from rural areas in 1991 to articulate the voice of rural communities on issues relating to poverty, disadvantage and equality. We are part of the widerRural Community Development Networking Infrastructure (RCDNI) with the twelveRural Support Networks covering the whole of rural Northern Ireland. The RCDNI has a membership of over 800 members.

1.2 As the regional rural voluntary organisation for rural communities, RCN focuses its work in two core areas:

2. Acknowledging Rural Child Poverty

Around 35% of Northern Ireland’s population live in rural communities with 19% living in poverty. 24% of the rural population is aged under 16 compared with 23% of the urban population. [source: Family Resources Survey Urban Rural Report 2004-2005]

The recent Save the Children Report Annual Child Poverty Report 2007 identified that there are greater child poverty rates in small/medium sized towns than in large towns or cities, particularly in the west.

Table: Child Poverty Rates (%) in Northern Ireland (2004/5)

Before Housing Costs After Housing Costs
Belfast Metropolitan Area
21
22
Urban East
28
27
Urban West
29
31
Rural East
16
16
Rural West
27
23
All Children in NI
24
24

Source: DSD, FRS data

3. Triggers into Rural Child Poverty

Regardless of whether a child is living in an urban or rural area, the consequences of poverty are similar such low income, poor educational attainment, poor health, low quality housing, fewer choices. However, the causes of poverty are often different in rural areas and therefore the solutions need to be different.

RCN argues that any anti-poverty strategy should show an understanding of rural poverty by highlighting:

Graph 1: By Local Authority

RCN_Chart.eps

3. Some Possible Solutions

Rural Childcare

The provision of quality, flexible and accessible childcare is a significant barrier to finding and taking up work in rural areas and disproportionately affects women and lone parents. Participation of women in quality, full time jobs would make a significant impact on child poverty. DARD are sponsoring the development of a rural Childcare Strategy [to be published @ January 2008]to examine both the gaps and possible solutions, some of which DARD can respond to and others more the responsibility of other departments.

It is important that this inquiry strongly recommends that the rural Childcare Strategy is fully examined with recommendations taken on board by those departments responsible.

Rural Transport

School buses currently cannot pick up children to deliver to day-care or nurseries, nor can they deliver children to after-schools provision, despite the fact that they might be passing the children on the road or passing the After-Schools club. This means that children in rural areas are having greater difficulty in accessing day-care or after-schools provision which in turn means that the principle carer, usually the mother, cannot access employment.

We recommend that this Inquiry approaches DENI to examine this issue.

Sure Start

The Rural Childcare Stakeholders’ Forum has identified that some children living in Sure Start areas are missing out on the support and services provided by Sure Start as they are accessing provision outside of Sure Start areas. This is not the principle of Sure Start which is about following the child.

We recommend that this Inquiry approaches DENI to ensure that that there is greater linkage and coverage between rural Sure Start areas.

Digital Divide

Despite BT’s claim of 100% Broadband coverage, there are still areas that cannot access Broadband. This means that the potential of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to help address deficiencies in rural services cannot be realised impacting on poverty levels.

We recommend that this Inquiry highlight the digital divide that is still a reality for some rural communities.

Local Action Groups – Rural Development Programme

The Local Action Groups will be responsible for delivering @£100 000 million of the new Rural Development Programme. Based on a social partnership model, these will be managed by clusters of local Councils. The participation and engagement of children and young people in these structures is critical placing children and young people at the heart of rural development and sustainable rural communities. The Participation Network are currently working with DARD on this.

This Inquiry to recommend that children and young people are actively supported, and encouraged to fully participate in the Local Action Groups and the local action planning process.

Vulnerable Children & Young People – Creative Eye Programme

TADA Rural Support Network has developed an important model of engaging with vulnerable young people in rural areas during the summer developing creative skills. The Creative Eye Programme also invests in a shared space between young people coming from different experiences and abilities as well as giving them a stake in their communities.

4. Life-Time Opportunities – Anti Poverty Strategy

We are concerned that Life-Time Opportunities has not as yet been approved by the Executive and has not adequately shaped spending priorities in the draft Budget and Programme for Government.

Whilst we welcome the rural targets in Life-Time Opportunities, we are concerned that they are not specific, measurable, actionable or time-bound.

This Inquiry to recommend that Life-Time Opportunities is approved by the Executive with appropriate budgets attached to the key targets and the Ministerial Forum re-instituted. We would also recommend that the rural targets are thought through and made more specific.

5. Sustainable Rural Communities

Child Poverty exists in rural communities as it does in urban areas. The demographic and economic events associated with children entering and escaping poverty are however, often different. Taking account of these differences is critical if child poverty is to be effectively addressed in rural areas.

16 November 2007

Written Submission by:
Save The Children

Introduction

Save the Children is an international non-governmental organisation working in over 50 countries worldwide to create a better future for children. All of our work is underpinned by a commitment to making a reality of the rights of children enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

In Northern Ireland Save the Children works through a variety of partnership approaches to support community level action on children’s issues; facilitates children and young person-led initiatives; undertakes independent research and policy analysis and promotes children’s rights through public education and fundraising activities. Child poverty is one of our two main priorities in the North of Ireland, and we have engaged intensively in advocacy around the development of Lifetime Opportunities, the Northern Ireland Anti-Poverty and Social Inclusion Strategy.

Save the Children welcomes this opportunity to contribute to the Committee for OFMDFM’s Inquiry into Child Poverty in Northern Ireland as we believe that this is a timely opportunity to focus on developing recommendations to eradicate child poverty by 2020. Potentially the Inquiry could:

1. Examine the extent, intensity and impact of child poverty in Northern Ireland.

1.1 Extent

The annual Households Below Average Income reports (HBAI) are the UK government’s main vehicle for measuring child poverty across GB, and more recently, the UK.[105] In particular, it sets a household income threshold below which a household is considered to be living in poverty. This is set at 60% of the median income, and is equivalised to take account of family size.

The HBAI Report’s main method of poverty analysis uses an income only After Housing Costs (AHC) measure, where housing costs such as rent, mortgage interest payments, rates and ground rent have been removed. This is intended to reflect the money a household has to exist on, after housing costs have been paid, and to take into account the wide variation in housing costs across households and geographically.

There are a wide range of other measures of child poverty. The DWP consulted widely on the measurement of Child Poverty in 2003 and recommended the use of a mixed measure (combining income and deprivation) to be used alongside the income only measure and deemed that poverty would only be reducing if all figures were moving in the right direction. While data has been collected for the mixed measure since 2004/5 in Family Resources Survey, statistics from this measure have yet to be provided in analysis of child poverty. It is expected that next year’s report will be the first to report on the mixed measure. Other research has used mixed measures of child poverty in Northern Ireland.

Interestingly, the HBAI After Housing Costs measure is the only one in which Northern Ireland child poverty figures are lower than the UK average. In all other cases, Northern Ireland child poverty rates are higher. Arguably the After Housing Costs measure does not provide an appropriate comparison with GB, as the housing costs in NI have (in the past) tended to be lower than in GB, while most other costs have been higher, including food, fuel, childcare and clothing.

According to the most recently published HBAI statistics almost one in three (29%) of all children in Northern Ireland are living in poverty (AHC). This equates to around 122,000 children.

This year saw slight changes of HBAI methodology, which need to be taken account of when comparing with previous years data. However, irrespective of equivalisation scale used, the 2005/6 data showed a higher level of child poverty than previous years, with an increase of 4% or 3% depending on the scale used.

It is not clear whether this represents a statistically significant increase in the proportion of children living in poverty. However, what is clear is that the child poverty rate has not decreased over the four years it has been measured in Northern Ireland.

Figure 1: Child Poverty rate (AHC) using McClement’s scale (ie previous methodology)

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Source: HBAI 2002/3 – 2005/6

Figure 2: Child Poverty rate (AHC) using OECD scale (ie new methodology)

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Source: HBAI 2002/3 – 2005/6

Children in Northern Ireland are more likely to live in low income households than adults.

Figure 3: Poverty rates by age group (AHC).[98]

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Children have a higher risk of being in poverty if they live in a family:

Lone parent families are the household type most at risk of being in poverty.

Almost half of lone parent families are living in poverty (AHC) compared to one in five couples with children or pensioner households.

Figure 4: Proportion of households in poverty (AHC) by family type.[100]

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Almost half of poor children live in families where at least one of the adults is in paid work.

Figure 5: Breakdown of children in poverty by household employment.[101]

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1.2 Intensity

Save the Children’s report Britain’s Poorest Children (2005) found that, despite hundreds of thousands of children being lifted out of poverty in GB over recent years, there was little change in the number of children experiencing severe child poverty.[102] Our recent report Under the Radar: Severe Child Poverty in the UK (2006) analyses the 2004/5 Family Resources Survey data and finds that one in ten children in Northern Ireland is living in severe poverty – this equates to 44,000 children.

Save the Children is calling on the NI Executive to set targets for the eradication of severe child poverty in Northern Ireland. In order to monitor progress, the NI HBAI report should include a measure of the proportion and number of children in Northern Ireland living in severe child poverty.

As well as studying depth of poverty, intensity can also be examined using persistence of poverty. The study of persistent poverty involves tracking the same group of people over a four year period to identify those who stay in poverty at least 3 out of 4 years. While for many poverty is a transient state, unfortunately for a small group poverty is a long term state and these children suffer the greatest impact of poverty. To date it has not been possible to study persistent poverty in NI due to a lack of data. However, since 2001 the Northern Ireland Household Panel survey has been collecting data which can be used for this type of analysis for the first time. There are now enough waves of data available to enable the study of persistent child poverty in NI and research is currently being carried out by Save the Children with partner ARK, at Queens University which will be available in early 2008.

1.3 Impact

There are many dimensions to poverty that affect not only a child’s current living standard, but also their prospects in the longer term and into adulthood. Whilst low income is important to poverty, it is not the only dimension. A child’s quality of life is also important. Access to education, decent housing, good quality health service, a safe environment – as well as income – all affect the quality of a child’s opportunity.
DWP, 2003

Poverty impacts on all aspects of a child’s life. Here we will briefly look at three areas:

1.3.1 Child poverty and income levels

If a family is living entirely on benefits, it is likely to be living in poverty. At around 30% Northern Ireland has the highest levels of working age population not in paid work of any region across the UK. Benefit levels are set below the poverty line (60% of the median income). For example, a couple with four children living entirely on benefits live on a weekly income of £289, £128 below the poverty line for that family type.[103] However, benefit levels are higher than the severe child poverty threshold, so if a family is in receipt of all benefits they are entitled to, they should not be experiencing severe poverty.

It is important to note, however, that around half of all children in poverty in Northern Ireland are living in households where at least one parent is in paid employment. In-work poverty is as big a challenge as poverty linked to economic inactivity. Northern Ireland has high levels of low pay – indeed it has the highest levels of low pay for full time workers of any region of the UK.[104]

Save the Children commissioned a survey of families living on low incomes across the UK to explore how they manage financially, with fieldwork carried out in June and July 2006. In total 1,580 parents were surveyed, including a representative sample in Northern Ireland. The results showed life below the poverty line as a daily struggle to make ends meet. Eight-five percent of respondents said that they had found it difficult to make ends meet over the previous year, and sadly six in ten said that they felt that they would never have enough money to make ends meet.

Strikingly, 85% said that they were proud of the way they managed their finances, and the most common coping mechanism appeared to be parents going without basic essentials. More than nine in ten (91%) said that they regularly go without basic things themselves in order to make sure that their children were provided for.

Two-thirds of parents (66%) said that they struggled to find a job that paid enough for their family to live on, and a similar proportion said that childcare costs made it difficult to work. However, while the costs of childcare is a key problem, many find it difficult to access quality childcare. A review of the Northern Ireland Childcare Strategy found that, over the lifetime of the Strategy (1999-2004), the number of childcare places had only increased by 5.7%. In 2004 there was only one childcare place for every 6.4 children under four.

1.3.2 Impact of child poverty on children’s educational experience

In Northern Ireland, educational disadvantage begins at an early age. According to Department of Education research, pre-school children from higher socio-economic backgrounds in Northern Ireland already show signs of higher cognitive and behavioural abilities than children from poorer backgrounds. Young children living in areas of high deprivation score less well on verbal skills, early number concepts and general cognitive skills.

The impact of socio-economic disadvantage continues to be apparent throughout the child’s years at primary school. Test scores and attainment gaps between nigh and low socio-economic status children continue to widen with the most significant increase between the ages of 5 and 10. By age 11, children attending schools with higher levels of deprivation are less likely to have reached level 4 at key stage 2, compared with 11 year olds on average. The gap continues to grow throughout secondary level education, and by GCSE level, children entitled to free school meals are more than twice as likely to achieve no qualifications (12%) compared to the NI average (5%). Worryingly, as the following figure indicates, there appears to have been little progress in narrowing the gap in educational attainment and, if anything, in recent years the gap has grown.

Figure 6: Proportion of children achieving no GCSEs.[105]

Save the Children_Chart.eps

Factors affecting the educational experience of children in poverty include:

On 21 November Save the Children and JRF published a research report by Goretti Horgan of the University of Ulster on the impact of poverty on primary school children’s educational experience. It found that …

1.3.3 Impact of poverty on children’s health outcomes

Even before birth, the impact of poverty on maternal health results in higher levels of infant mortality and low infant birth weight. The rate of infant mortality is one third higher in deprived wards than in non-deprived wards and the gap appears to have increased over recent years.

According to DHSSPS, children born into poverty are four times more likely to die before the age of 20 than non-poor children. They are fifteen times more likely to die as a result of a housefire and five times more likely to die in accidents.[107] The impact of deprivation on health continues into adulthood, with those living in deprived wards living on average 2.5 years less for women, and 3.1 years less for men than the NI average.

Poverty impacts on children’s

1.3.4 Child poverty and its impact on home and neighbourhood

Bad housing makes children sick. Children living in cramped, often emergency accommodation experience disturbed sleep, poor diet, hyperactivity, bedwetting and soiling, aggression and higher rates of accidents and infectious disease. And the effects are long lasting. Evidence suggests that children in poor housing are directly and adversely affected later in life, even if their housing conditions subsequently improve.
Shelter (2006), Toying with their future.

For thousands of children in NI, having a place you can call home cannot be taken for granted. In 2005/6, 6,805 families with dependent children presented as homeless to the NI Housing Executive. This was an increase of more than 50% from 1995/6.

Spiralling house prices make it practically impossible even for families on good incomes to afford to buy, and there is a serious shortage of social housing. Many families living on low incomes have no choice but to opt for private rented accommodation because they have no prospects of being offered social housing. In most cases, the rent is higher than the housing benefit received, resulting in the family having to find a shortfall of £10 or £20 or more per week from an already restricted budget. Too often this can lead to real hardship.

The costs of heating is higher in Northern Ireland than any other region in the UK.[108] The 2003-4 Family Spending Survey found that spending on a family home in Northern Ireland was 43 percentage points higher in NI than the UK average. 24% of the population in Northern Ireland are living in fuel poverty and this rises to 50% of households with an annual income of less than £10,000.

1.3.5 The impact of child poverty on play and social development

Play is a vital part of childhood and in the very early years is the major source of a child’s learning. It is through play that children can develop their language and social skills, express their emotions, develop their imagination and creativity. It is also crucial to a child’s health and development and this is best supported by access to a wide variety of play experiences and opportunities. Having good play provision and well-designed safe play areas for children can contribute to a sense of wellbeing and security in their surroundings.

Play, culture and leisure activities ans social interactions with peers remain essential for wellbeing and social development as a child becomes a teenager. Doing without these opportunities and experiences because of poverty can have a major impact on the quality of life of a child or young person. Indeed, when young people are consulted about their priorities, play and social development regularly top the lsit.

However, for many children in Northern Ireland, especially those in poverty, access to and the affordability of good play and leisure provision can pose a major problem, cutting them off from a world of fun, adventure, learning, development and wellbeing. Being excluded from social participation can also have detrimental effects on a child or young person’s sense of self-worth and belonging.

2. Consider the approach taken when formulating the current strategy including the extent of the engagement with key stakeholders

2.1 The development of Lifetime Opportunities

Lifetime Opportunities came out a review of New TSN, commissioned by the NI Executive in 2001. Deloitte and Touche were commissioned to produce an official evaluation of New TSN, and in addition a number of academics and voluntary sector agencies also added their assessments of its success.

The official evaluation found that the New TSN policy had been ‘successfully mainstreamed’ into planning and implementation of government programmes and the budgeting process. However, it lacked strategic focus, was more focused on process rather than outcomes, and needed to broaden its scope. Of most concern perhaps was the finding that there was no evidence that the skewing of resources was having an impact on people living in poverty.

The findings of the academics and NGOs reiterated these criticisms and made strong arguments for change:

It was decided that a new strategy needed to be developed. The Central Anti-Poverty Unit went out to public consultation twice in developing its plans through 2004 and 2005. However, this was a less than ideal policy development process. Both consultations spanned summer periods, and the duration of the second was less than 12 weeks, which is standard good practice. Of particular concern was the lack of consultation with children and young people – only one meeting occurred at the request of the young people. Furthermore, an Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) was not carried out on the Strategy, against the advice of the Equality Commission.

On receiving the second consultation document , a number of groups felt that their comments to the first consultation process had not been taken account of. Key concerns included the lack of focus on child poverty, the lack of budget for implementing the Strategy, and the lack of strategic leadership in setting targets and directing Departments in developing actions. There were strong concerns that the Strategy would become merely New TSN with a few add-ons.

In order to take account of some of the concerns the Central Anti-Poverty Unit set up a ‘Critical Friends’ group made up of representatives of civic society, representatives of DWP, devolved administrations in Wales and Scotland and Combat Poverty Agency. Through this process, and due to added pressure emerging from the St Andrews Agreement, the Strategy was completely re-drafted, and the action plan was put on hold. The Strategy was published by the then Secretary of State Peter Hain on 13 November 2006.

Reflecting on this process, despite the five years between the start of the review of New TSN in 2001 and the publication of the Strategy in 2006, the final document was completely and hastily reworked in the final month or two prior to its launch. While this resulted in a better, more focused document, a number of the key concerns remain including the lack of ring fenced budget, the ability of departments to coordinate actions, as well as the suitability of a number of targets. In addition, without any timetable for publishing actions plans, it is not clear how practically the Strategy will be implemented.

2.2 Assessing Lifetime Opportunities

Given the length of time Lifetime Opportunities was in development Save the Children would recommend that, rather than starting entirely afresh, the Executive retains the positive aspects of the Strategy, while making a number of improvements.

The positive aspects to be retained include:

1. A strong focus on child poverty. Two of the four lifecycle groups focus on child poverty.

2. The commitment to eradicate child poverty in Northern Ireland by 2020.

Tony Blair made a historic commitment in 1999 to eradicate child poverty across the UK by 2020. ‘Eradication’ has since been defined as reaching levels of around 4%. Save the Children has been arguing for a need for a NI-specific commitment to be set as, since the population in the North of Ireland represents only around 2.5% of the UK population, all our children could live in poverty and the UK target be met. We were delighted to see this commitment stated in Lifetime Opportunities.

3. The establishment of a Ministerial-led Forum

Save the Children has been concerned at the lack of political leadership in tackling child poverty. Indeed, we believe that this is reflected in much of the Strategy, which is too much a result of negotiation with departments rather than strategic thinking. However, an effective Ministerial-led Forum has the potential to contribute joined-up, strategic thinking in developing a coherent set of actions to eradicate child poverty.

4. Commitment to involving people experiencing poverty

There is a commitment within Lifetime Opportunities to engage people experiencing poverty in the implementation of the Strategy. This must, of course, include children and young people and the engagement must happen in a meaningful and inclusive manner.

As indicated above, we believe that the weaknesses in the Strategy are largely a reflection of a lack of both political leadership and strategic direction in its development. This has impacted in various ways on the Strategy, most critically the targets, as they are the most important part of the document in that they will form the basis for developing the Lifetime Opportunities Action Plan.

While Save the Children welcomes the high level targets of halving child poverty by 2010 and eradicating it by 2020, the lower level targets need to be reviewed. The targets are a result of an administrative negotiation exercise with Departments based on what is already being delivered, as opposed to being set by the Minister on the basis of a robust analysis of the roots and impacts of poverty. We believe that they are inadequate for four reasons:

1. They are, on the whole, not SMART (ie Strategic, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant and Timely).

2. They are too general – and mostly don’t prioritise children in poverty. Much of the children’s sections look more like a Children’s Strategy as opposed to a Strategy intended to deliver change for the poorest children.

3. Too many relate to social inclusion more generally, rather than child poverty.

4. There are serious gaps – for example, there is only one health target for younger children, and this focuses on breast-feeding.

Save the Children is deeply concerned at the limitations of these targets, and recommends that they be replaced by a new set of targets by the Executive based on recommendations from the Ministerial-led Forum.

3. Assess whether the existing strategy is capable of delivering the key targets to 2010 and 2020.

In January 2007 the Programme for Government Committee of the Transitional Assembly reviewed the Strategy, and invited submissions from groups. This resulted in a number of recommendations which have been put to the current Executive. With the return of devolution, the Executive committed to reviewing the Strategy over the summer recess. However, the Strategy is yet to be considered by the Executive, with the earliest date for this being December 2007.

Along with many other groups, Save the Children is deeply concerned at the delay in reviewing the Strategy. Peter Hain, when he launched the Strategy, had stated that it would be one of the four priorities of the Comprehensive Spending Review. The draft Budget and Programme for Government have been released without an agreed anti-poverty strategy in place.

It should be remembered, of course that the responsibility of meeting the 2020 target is not only held by the NI Executive, but also the Westminster government, which holds responsibility for taxation and setting benefit levels. The Northern Ireland Assembly should hold Westminster to account on these issues.

4. Examine whether the implementation mechanisms, resources and monitoring arrangements currently in place are adequate to ensure delivery of the key actions / targets

In our oral evidence to the Inquiry we stated in reference to this that:

‘In the absence of an agreed Strategy, targets, action plans or budget, the only conclusion can be that the current arrangements are not adequate. This may be reviewed following publication of the draft Programme for Government, Budget and Investment Strategy.’

The following day the three documents were released by the Executive. We were pleased to hear assurances that ending child poverty would be a key priority and to see three targets to reduce child poverty contained in the Public Service Agreements annex to the draft Programme for Government. The first two targets: ‘Work towards the elimination of poverty in Northern Ireland by 2020 including lifting 67,000 children out of poverty by 2010’ largely mirror the UK government’s targets, but focussing them on Northern Ireland. Previous commitments were to contribute to the UK targets which, given the size of Northern Ireland’s population, could be achieved with no change child poverty levels in the North of Ireland. These targets could be improved, however, by removing the slightly hesitant phrase ‘work towards’ and rewording with more conviction thus:

‘To halve child poverty in Northern Ireland by 2010 (using a 1998/9 baseline), on the way to eliminating child poverty in Northern Ireland by 2020.’

It should be noted that the 2010 target, which mirrors targets for the rest of the UK is based on a 1998/9 baseline. Unfortunately, unlike GB, there is not equivalent Family Resources Survey data for Northern Ireland. This the figure included in the draft target refers to an estimate of the number of children living in poverty at that time, calculated to be around 135,000 children. Using this estimate, the number of children who will need to be lifted out of poverty by 2010 is 54,000. This averages at around 11,000 children a year from the latest data in 2005/6 to 2010/11.

The other child poverty target included in the draft Public Service Agreements focuses on severe child poverty: ‘Work towards the elimination of severe child poverty by 2012’. While again we would suggest re-writing it to remove the hesitancy suggested by the phrase ‘work towards’ we strongly commend the Executive for including a target for severe child poverty. This is the first such target for any part of the UK or Ireland, and suggests a commitment to focus action on the poorest children, rather than targeting solely those who will be easiest to lift over the poverty threshold.

Thus, with these minor suggestions as to how these targets might be reworded, Save the Children was pleased to see the targets on child poverty included in the Public Service Agreements. However, three things are needed to ensure an end to child poverty: targets, actions capable of lifting children out of poverty and resources. Unfortunately there is little evidence of the latter two. It would appear that the implementation mechanisms, resources and monitoring arrangements have not been put in place to deliver on the targets. The only actions listed associated with meeting the child poverty targets are ‘Continue the roll-out of the Benefit Uptake Strategy’ and vague commitments to increase economic activity rates.

The Committee for OFMDFM should request information from each department on the actions and budget they have allocated towards ending child poverty as it is not possible to determine these from the draft documents released by the Executive. This would also be important in providing a baseline against which future years can be measured.

We understand that recently Direct Rule ministers commissioned an analysis of departmental budget spend on tackling poverty and this was revealed to be around £2 billion of the total block budget. Having seen the assorted list of actions included by departments in the draft Lifetime Opportunity action plan, and in the absence of seeing the content of the report, we would caution against this figure being taken at face value. Criteria must be set to establish whether an action is considered to be contributing towards the child poverty targets, including:

Despite these difficulties, it is important that the actions and budget allocation associated with ending child poverty be established, not least to allow the Committee to assess whether, when reviewed together, they are adequate to meet the three targets. This may also help to allay the concerns of many that the programmes funded under the Children and Young Person’s funding package have not been adequately included within the departmental budgets. Indeed, the Direct Rule ministers, in delivering this £100 million package aimed at tackling disadvantage associated with child poverty, set a challenge to our locally accountable Executive to find the necessary resources to meet their child poverty targets.

Despite consensus that tackling child poverty will require a cross-cutting approach, the relevant Public Service Agreements are associated with only three departments: OFMDFM, DHSSPS and DSD. It overlooks DARD’s role in implementing the Regional Development Programme with its child poverty element; the role of DE in developing an early years strategy and reducing educational inequalities; the role of DOE in planning and resourcing the capacity of local people, including the poorest children and their families, to participate in community planning; the role of DEL in taking forward the skills agenda; DETI’s role in increasing the number of decently paid jobs; DRD’s public transport remit; DCAL’s responsibility for increasing access to the arts and sport; DFP’s remit for rating and water charging policies and SIB’s remit to promote procurement of infrastructure programmes that encourage departments to ‘take advantage with contractors in each major procurement opportunity to progress the Executive’s wider economic, social and employment objectives’. The PSA document also fails to link the child poverty targets with the Children and Young People’s Strategy.

The Investment Strategy will also be very relevant in tackling child poverty. It must demonstrate that investment will work to overcome inequality. Only by investing in those who are currently trapped into cycles of poverty and economic inactivity will we be able to grow our economy in a sustainable way. We need all of the children and young people currently in education to be developing the skills to actively engage in the economy in the future – both to allow sustainable growth and to ensure we can provide for our ageing population.

Finally, in reviewing current mechanisms, it is important to consider whether socio-economic status might be included as an additional category to Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. Indeed, it is a striking absence, limiting the effectiveness of the associated equality legislation. The development of a Single Equality Bill will be an important opportunity to correct this.

5. Identify and analyse relevant experience elsewhere in terms of policy interventions and programmes

It is useful to look elsewhere for possible interventions to reduce child poverty. Certainly, when we compare the levels of child poverty in the UK with other wealthy nations, it becomes clear that we have much to learn. A report published by UNICEF in 2005 comparing child poverty across 26 wealthy nations found that, across a range of indicators, the UK came seventh from the bottom of the league table. At the top of the league table were Denmark and Finland, with child poverty rates of 2.4% and 2.8 respectively, around a sixth of the levels found in the UK and Ireland.

As the 2005 UNICEF report ‘Child Poverty in Rich Countries 2005’ concluded, much of the success of the Nordic countries has been largely a result of implementing family focused social policies. The countries with the lowest rates of children living in poverty allocate the highest proportion of their gross national product to social expenditure, particularly family and other related social transfers. The report also found that in Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Belgium child poverty rates were below 10% and that at least 10% of GDP was allocated to social spending associated with reducing child poverty. In these countries the proportion of benefits was highest for pre-school children.

Figure 7: Family and other related social transfers as a per cent of GDP, and child poverty rate.[109]

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While much of the responsibility for social transfers falls to the Westminster government, the NI Executive can also have a major impact through developing and resourcing a comprehensive range of actions designed to tackle child poverty. The recent NICCY report into spending on children in Northern Ireland compared expenditure on children across the UK. When analysing spend on Sure Start it stated:

‘Sure start is a clear example of where allocations to particular programmes vary along with regional priorities. Regional funding deviations for this particular programme appear to have stifled the development of Sure Start in Northern Ireland, particularly in relation to children’s centres and this might hinder progress with regard to tackling child poverty.’ (p63)

Usingfigures contained in the report, the 2006-7 spending on Sure Start in Northern Ireland was considerably lower per head of population than either Scotland or Wales.

Figre 8: Spend on Sure Start in NI, Scotland and Wales 2006-7.[110]

  NI Scotland Wales
Funding 2006-7 £9.3 million £56.4 million £54 million
Mid year population estimates 2006 1,742,000 5,117,000 2,966,000
Spending 2006-7
on SS by head of population		 £5.34 £11.02 £18.21

6. Consider what further actions could be taken to tackle child poverty with particular focus on those that would be deliverable by the devolved administration

The Executive has made growing a dynamic and innovative economy a central focus of its draft Programme for Government. However, it is important to not depend on the ‘trickle down effect’ delivering prosperityfor all across society. The example of the ‘celtic tiger’ economy in the Republic of Ireland which has led to more – not less – poverty should be a warning. As Professor Steiglitz, an eminent economics academic, recently remarked, ‘A rising tide does not lift all boats. A rising tide lifts all yachts.’

To date, according to most child poverty indicators, things appear to be moving in the wrong direction in Northern Ireland – higher levels of child poverty, wider gaps in educational and health outcomes, higher costs of living including fuel and housing costs. ‘More of the same’ is not an option. Unfortunately, there are no ‘silver bullets’ when it comes to ending child poverty, as the experience of poverty is both all-pervasive and unique to each child affected. A wide range of policies and approaches will be required, involving a wide range of actors. Some possible policy areas might include:

Income

Education

Health

Home and neighbourhood

Play and Social Development

Conclusion

Save the Children commends the Committee for First Minister and Deputy First Minister for conducting this timely Inquiry into Child Poverty.

3 December 2007

Written Submission by:
Shelter Northern Ireland

Introduction

1. Shelter Northern Ireland believes that housing should be a right for everyone. Good housing is the platform for building our communities, raising our children, a place of safety and well being, the core of our lives and those who depend on us. Shelter NI welcomes the opportunity to make the following submission to the Child Poverty Inquiry.

2. General Comments

(1) There are many ways to measure child poverty. The method being used by OFMDFM is largely governed by income. Before housing costs the number of children in poverty in 1998/9 was estimated at 127,000, in 2005/6 the number was measured at 122,000 (higher than expected). The Government target is set at halving the 1998/9 number by 2010/11. This seems unlikely given the progress to date.

(2) The main focus for eradicating child poverty is through improving household income streams, principally through encouraging households to find paid work supplemented with tax credits to make living without benefits viable. However, it would be useful for the statutory agencies providing services to children or to households with dependent children to express their key statistics using child poverty measures. This would allow a wider perspective on whether child poverty is affected by services other than those which are income related.

(3) The influence of migrant families is being felt on the housing front. It may be 2006/7 before the statistics begin to reflect this phenomenon. The likelihood is that there will be a growth of the number of children at risk of poverty as many migrant workers are on low wages.

Housing and Child Poverty

3. With respect to households with dependent children living in poverty in their own home, i.e. households who have their own self contained accommodation whether they own or rent it. The following housing measures should be encouraged:

1. The eradication of fuel poverty by means of maximising house insulation and improved airtighness in homes for example. Improved airtighness brings an added health benefit to children and adults who have asthma.

2. As the prices of crude oil and gas continue to rise for a variety of reasons outside the control of the individual, greater efforts to develop alternative renewable heating and power systems should be investigated by the Housing Executive and housing associations on behalf of their tenants where there are high levels of households with dependent children in poverty. This should also include the development of Combined Heat and Power stations at the neighbourhood level.

3. In the private landlord and owner occupier sector, higher levels of grant aid to encourage the move away from dependency on fossil fuels will assist in preventing those households with children at risk of falling into the poverty measure.

4. Government should encourage the private sector to consider these matters when new developments are taking place. Such measures need to be imposed through improved building control regulation and individual development plan conditions. These proposals will also assist in meeting the Kyoto Protocol agreements.

5. The Assembly and Local Councils need to look carefully at the impact of the new water rates and again at the regional and local rate charges on placing more children at risk of poverty due to the recent massive rise in capital values.

4. With respect to households with dependent children living in poverty without their own home. Government is fully aware that the number of households who are homeless is rising and that households in housing stress and households in general waiting for social housing is at record levels. (19k households in housing stress, 36k households on the waiting list)

1. In 1996/7, 4461 families presented as homeless. In 2006/7, 7,100 families presented as homeless. Only 2% of homeless households are in full time work, so there is a strong correlation between homeless households with dependent children and households with children at risk of poverty.

2. The child poverty statistics using the quincentile breakdown of income show that there is likely to be more children per household in the lower quincentiles that in the upper. On the assumption of a minimum of 2 children per family at both of the above dates (a very conservative figure), the number of children who are homeless at risk of poverty has risen from 9, 922 to 14,200.

3. Additionally the number of households presenting because they can no longer meet their accommodation costs has risen significantly. Some of these would include children at risk of poverty. It would be helpful if the DsD/NIHE provided a breakdown of homeless statistics by poverty and child poverty measures.

5. For this group, the following housing matters should be pursued

(a) All new housing developments should provide for a full range of tenures. Evidence from the US shows that the dilution of concentrations of people in poverty and child poverty assists people to break the poverty cycle. DoE Planning Service should ensure that planning policy (PPS12) provides for the regulatory tools to enforce private developers to deliver a suitable mix of tenures.

(b) Social Housing Issues

(i) The number of new social housing completions has declined in the recent past compared with the number of homes sold to sitting tenants resulting in an overall loss of stock in the social rented sector. This also has the result of reducing the number of lettings available each year, down by almost 1000 in ten years. The consequences are that an increasing number of households with children at risk of poverty are presenting as homeless. This will result in multiple negative outcomes for children in poverty.

(ii) The draft PFG investment for new social housing depends on the realisation of the sale of existing land held by the Housing Executive (a once off event and that land that will have to be replaced in the future). There is a target of 2000 new social and affordable homes, but at best there is likely to be new house starts of 3-400 in 2008/9. In addition to the around 800 starts hoped for 2007/8, new housing for households in need including children in poverty over the next couple of years is wholly inadequate.

(iii) An adequate level of social housing should be constructed, which we believe should be 5000 per year for the medium period. This will have the added benefit of enabling households with children in poverty to be provided a decent home along with the recognised health and wellbeing benefits.

(iv) For those in poverty there is no alternative accommodation option except for social housing. Accessing private rented accommodation for this group of people places them at risk of greater poverty as they are subject to the vagaries of the rent charged by the landlord and the short availability of discretionary housing benefit.

(v) The Assembly would be meeting its responsibilities under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child which, under Article 27, specifically requires the State to support parents and others, “…in the case of need provide material assistance………….. particularly with regard to …..housing.

(vi) Living in social housing may not remove the household from poverty, but there is security of tenure, rents are designed to be affordable and social landlords’ support social capital building. They engage with tenants to improve living conditions, provide high quality dwellings which are regularly maintained. Tenants will gain from the financial benefits of a well insulated home which is energy efficient. Social landlords will also engage with other agencies to work in partnership for a safe and secure environment, a suitable place for bringing up children and for giving them the opportunity to break the poverty cycle.

16 November 2007

Written Submission by:
Southern Health and Social Services Board

1 This evidence is on behalf of the Southern Health and Social Services Board, and in the Board’s capacity as lead agency of the Southern Area Children and Young People’s Committee (SACYPC), on behalf of the SACYPC.

2 The SHSSB plans and commissions health and social care services for the total population of the SHSSB area, including 88,700 (MYE 2006) children and young people aged 0-18. The SHSSB includes Local Government Districts of Newry and Mourne, Craigavon and Dungannon which all fall within the top 10 ranks of multiple deprivation, with Craigavon LGD ranking third in relation to most deprived Super Output Areas in Northern Ireland. (pg113 Multiple Deprivation NI 2005).

3 The SACYPC is an interagency Committee, set up on a statutory basis through the Children (NI) Children’s Services Planning Order in 1998, with the purpose of carrying out multi-agency planning for children and young people in need. The Committee brings together the SHSSB, the Southern Health and Social Care Trust, the Southern Education and Library Board, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Probation Board for Northern Ireland, the Youth Justice Agency, together with representatives of the childcare voluntary sector, led by Children in Northern Ireland, of the local community sector and the local black and minority ethnic sector. It oversees three year plans to improve outcomes for vulnerable children and young people.

4 This evidence will not provide a detailed account of child poverty, as we are aware that expert evidence is to be provided to the Committee by Save the Children and the Children’s Legal Centre, organisations with which we work through Children’s Services Planning to ensure a rights approach to improving outcomes for children and young people. We endorse the evidence provided by these two organisations.

5 However, we will add the following

5.1 Approximately 55% of families of disabled children have a low income. It has been estimated that the annual cost of bringing up a disabled child are three times greater than those for a child who is not disabled.

5.2 Parents of disabled children commonly report difficulties in finding out about and claiming benefits. Some research indicates a significant under-application for Disability Living Allowance, with the most disadvantaged families, including those from a black and minority ethnic background, being the least likely to apply for and receive benefits.

5.3 The care demands on parents of a disabled child, as well as multiple appointments with services and lack of childcare, affect their ability to work. Mothers of disabled children are less likely to have paid employment than other mothers, and fathers’ employment and earnings are reduced. (Source: National Service Framework for Services for Disabled Children and Young People).

5.4 The financial impact of the death of a child on a family is similar to the above evidence in relation to disabled children, particularly if parents have had to give up work to care for their child.

6 Both the SHSSB and the SACYPC, in relation to the need to connect integrated planning and commissioning of services for children and young people to Government policy across the range of Departments, see their work in relation to children and young people in the context of ‘Our Children and Young People: Our Pledge: A Ten Year Strategy for the Children and Young People of Northern Ireland: 2006-2016’ and work towards improvement of the six high level outcomes set out in the Strategy.

7 It is our view that child poverty cannot be eliminated, except through a co-ordinated approach, linking all sectors, and most importantly, including vertical and horizontal linkages so that Government joint priorities can be addressed through joint Departmental priorities, through local integrated planning, which includes needs assessment information. This process must involve the participation of children and young people, as required through Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, as well as their families and communities.

8 We are concerned that there is not sufficient linkage between the Strategy for Children and Young People and the mechanisms for the elimination of child poverty. However, we are of the view that there is a critical opportunity now, as the implementation plan for the Strategy for 2008-2011 is in preparation, and, through the Children’s Services Planning process, the integrated plans for children and young people’s services will be set out in a regional Children’s Services Plan 2008-2011. We think that both these processes, at Government and Agency level, should be used by the Government to put in place linked indicators and work towards the elimination of child poverty.

9 There are discussions on-going at this time between representatives of the four Children and Young People’s Committees across Northern Ireland and the Children and Young People’s Unit within the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister on best models for linkage between the driving of the Strategy at Government level and the need for a partnership at regional level, bringing together statutory, voluntary and community sector agency representatives with children and young people and families, to implement the Strategy through an integrated planning process. We would recommend that the Committee ensure that this process incorporates within it those actions towards the elimination of child poverty in Northern Ireland which cannot be carried out by single agencies in isolation.

10 We thank the Committee for the opportunity to give this evidence, and would by happy for a delegation from the SACYPC to give oral evidence to the Committee to expand on the recommendation contained within this paper.

28 November 2007

Written Submission by:
Voluntary Sector Housing Policy Forum

Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the above Inquiry. The information set out below is submitted on behalf of the Voluntary Sector Housing Policy Forum (VSHPF). This Forum is open to any voluntary sector organisation within Northern Ireland who has an interest in housing and homelessness policy and legislation.

Item 1 – Examine the extent, intensity and impact of child poverty in Northern Ireland

The VSHPF would support a collation of all recent research that has been undertaken in relation to child poverty in Northern Ireland. In addition we would advocate that the examination considers child poverty both within the context of geographical location and also in terms of communities of interest. In this respect we would request consideration of the extent, intensity and impact of child poverty on homeless children and on young people leaving care should be included within the scope of this inquiry.

Item 2 – Consider the approach taken when formulating the current strategy including the extent of the engagement with key stakeholders.

We would advocate that in formulating the strategy engagement should take place with children and young people who are living in poverty. Whilst we appreciate that the concept of poverty may be difficult for children to articulate, such information could be obtained, for example, through interviews conducted by social workers. This was the approach taken when gathering evidence as part of the Homeless Families Homeless Children - A Study of Homelessness amongst Families in the Western Health & Social Services Board area of Northern Ireland May 2001. This publication can be accessed on www.simoncommunity.org.

Item 3 – Assess whether the existing strategy is capable of delivering the key targets for 2010 and 2020

We have concerns that the strategy will be able to deliver on the key targets for 2010 and 2020. We would advocate that it is essential to identify key targets, which could be delivered within a relatively quick time scale i.e. 3 years. In this respect we believe a full commitment to increasing the social housing stock by 2000 new units over the next 5 years would have a positive impact. In this regard we have concerns that, while this target is supported within in “Building a Better Future - Draft Programme for Government 2008-2011” that the resources to deliver on this target do not appear to have been fully allocated.

Item 4– Examine whether the implementation mechanisms, resources and monitoring arrangements currently in place are adequate to ensure delivery of the key actions/targets

Item 5 - Identify and analyse relevant experience elsewhere in terms of policy interventions and programmes

The VSHPF would support this approach.

Item 6 – Consider what further actions could be taken to tackle child poverty with particular focus on those that would be deliverable by the devolved administration.

We would advocate that there is a connection between the work of the Child Poverty Strategy and relevant strategies, which have been established under the Promoting Social Inclusion initiative. In this regard the report “Including the Homeless - A Strategy to Promote the Inclusion of Homeless People and those at risk of becoming homeless in Northern Ireland” is relevant. This strategy contains a number of action points, which are directly concerned with homeless children and therefore are relevant to Child Poverty.

Furthermore this submission should be considered in the context of the paper prepared by Shelter NI. The VSHPF concurs with the Shelter document.

16 November 2007

The VSHPF are representatives of organisations in the voluntary and community sector with particular interest in housing issues. The aim of the forum is to enhance the capacity of the sector to make policy responses and influence policy development in housing and homelessness.

Written Submission by:
Western Area Childcare Partnership

  1. According to the Starting Strong II: Early Childhood Education and Care, there is a growing recognition that early access to early childhood education and care (ECEC) provides young children, particularly from low-income and second-language groups, with a good start in life. In many countries childcare has been moved on to their electoral agendas, and this is as a direct result of Government recognition of the role of ECEC in:
  1. Within Northern Ireland, four Childcare Partnerships were established in April 2000 and operated under Children First – The Northern Ireland Childcare Strategy. The Partnerships were mandated to take forward this Strategy, which was essentially to develop a childcare infrastructure that incorporated:
  1. When investing its resources, the Western Area Childcare Partnership follows a needs-led approach which takes into account measures such as: Income Support Benefits Indicator, Needs Indicator Profiles (which can be found on the website: www.wacy-pc.org) and the Multiple Deprivation Measure Report.
  2. The Western Area Childcare Partnership is an inclusive partnership based on the principle of equality between its key stakeholders. The Partnership actively promotes an integrated approach across all sectors and at all levels. Its focus remains on targeting funding streams to sustain existing childcare provision and create new places with a strong emphasis on increasing the growth of interagency co-operation and promoting high quality services, vital to ensuring that childcare remains a cornerstone in supporting families in meeting their parental obligations and assisting marginalised families out of the poverty trap.
  3. Statistical information continually highlights the negative impact poverty has on children and their life’s chances. For instance, children’s health and educational outcomes appear to be closely linked to family income levels. There is a high level of deprivation among children in Northern Ireland (38%) compared to 20% in Britain. The 2005 Deprivation Measures indicates that 25% of children in Northern Ireland are affected by income deprivation and HBAI (Households Below Average Income) statistics confirm that 25% of children are living in poverty in Northern Ireland. The Bottom Line 2004 reports that 8% of children in Northern Ireland are living in severe poverty. (As quoted in Wise Up to Child Poverty by Maria Herron, Derry Children’s Commissioner, 2005.) Good quality childcare is integral to supporting better educational attainment for the child, as well as supporting parents in accessing better training and employment opportunities.
  4. Research from Derry Well Women appears to indicate that cost is a seriously inhibiting factor in accessing suitable childcare; childcare is more expensive for working lone parents than two parent working families. For one-parent families the lack of directly subsidised childcare provision leaves parents with little choice in remaining on social welfare, thereby compounding the poverty trap.
  5. Research carried out by G Horgan (in Disabled Families Living on the Brink of Poverty, UU Research 3, August 2005) in Northern Ireland indicates that families with one or more disabled members are more likely to be living in poverty. Added to this, research carried out by the National Children’s Bureau (NI) has shown that there is a mismatch between the needs of children with disabilities and their parents and the services that are currently available to them. The lack of childcare services that exists in Northern Ireland is most acute for children with disabilities.
  6. The new TSN – the Way Forward Towards an Anti-Poverty Strategy for Northern Ireland has been criticised for not addressing the issues of unemployment, low pay and inadequate benefits. The Northern Ireland Anti-Poverty Strategy does not specify how child poverty will be eradicated by 2020. The Ten Year Strategy for Children and Young People in Northern Ireland aims to free our children from poverty and ensure that they live in decent homes and in communities that are free from distress. All of these strategies have a concern for the child at their core. The challenge is to ensure that there is a joined-up strategy across departments, which will ensure that each agency is doing its part to increase and skill-up the workforce, increase employment opportunities, attract inward investment, and support families to meet their parental obligations, thus reducing the affects of poverty on children.
  7. Research from the Derry Well Women Project, entitled Childcare on the Borderline, revealed that the weekly childcare costs in the North West of Ireland ranged from £1.50 to £215, with the mean cost per household being £42.27 per week. Of the people who responded 11.8% stated that they were in receipt of financial assistance towards their childcare costs. The amount received ranged for £1.50 to £150 per week, giving an average of £43.60 per household per week. Of those who stated the source of financial assistance, 25.9% reported receiving help from education and training providers. Others included Social Services and ex-partners. This appears to highlight an inconsistency in accessing support for childcare costs with an added negative outcome resulting in the majority of childcare providers continually operating at minimum or below cost recovery level. This does not bode well for the quality of service the organisation is able to provide.
  8. Research carried out by La Valle et al. (Parents demand for Childcare Research Report 176, DfEE, 2000) indicates that in Northern Ireland there is a particular shortage of good-quality and affordable childcare for very young children.
  9. The lack of focus on child poverty in Northern Ireland contrasts with the approach in Britain, where there is an annual update of Opportunity for All which monitors child poverty indicators; new Public Sector Agreements which specifically outline how central government departments will deal with child poverty in Britain and Child Poverty Accords which have been agreed with local government. Although current Government Policy and Strategies are seeking to redress this shortcoming, such as the OFM/DFM’s 10 Year Strategy for Children and Young People.
  10. With a clear strategy in place, the Northern Ireland Government will also need to monitor the progress of the strategy. An Outcomes Focused approach towards planning of services across departments, such as that being introduced in the UK following the release of the Every Child Matters document is one such approach to monitoring effective change over the longer-term.
  11. Finally, there is a need to develop services for children with disabilities in the context of the whole family and for such services to support both the disabled child’s parents and his/her non-disabled siblings. Again, partnership and inter-agency working is the key to the effective planning and implementation of services for children with disabilities, if stress and deprivation levels affecting families with children with disabilities are to be reduced. Children with disabilities are by definition “children in need” and adequate resources should be secured to assist their families in meeting their needs and reducing the stressors they encounter on an ongoing basis (i.e. respite care, key workers, etc.).

23 November 2007

Written Submission by:
Western Health and Social Services Board

Poverty is a complex life experience affecting the lives of 77,566 children in the Western Board area.

The Western Investing for Health Partnership (WIFH) and Western Health Action Zone have undertaken to provide a joint response to this query.

1 Examine the extent, intensity and impact of Child Poverty in Northern Ireland

1.1 Extent

1.2 Intensity

1.3 Impact

The recent report “Health and Social Care Inequalities Monitoring System: Second Update Bulletin 2007” clearly illustrates the impact of deprivation on health. This report highlights that the proportion of the younger population (aged 0-15 years) in deprived areas (26%) was higher than in NI generally (24%).

Research indicates that Children from poorer socio-economic circumstances are:

(Source: An end in sight? Tackling child poverty in the UK 2001)
(The State of our Health Western Investing For Health 2005)
(Eating for Health HPA 2001)

2 Consider the approach taken when formulating the current strategy including the extent of engagement with key stakeholders

As an outcome of this engagement, the following question came from a 13year old living in the Bogside area

“Many young people living in poverty do not even think about going to University because it is so expensive and hard to get in. We have heard that people have to take out big loans to go to university. But now even going to school is getting expensive because you have to pay for school trips, stuff for home economics and now taxis because we don’t have a school bus anymore. My question for the government is: Do you think education should be free?”

This observation by a young person that education is not really free is supported by recent research from Wales which puts the average hidden cost of education at £1,300 per child annually.(End Child Poverty Cymru 2007) This includes money spent on school trips, sports kits, uniforms, textbooks, school meals, transport, after school activities, materials and equipment.

We welcome the establishment of the Poverty and Social Exclusion forum following the ‘Lifetime Opportunities’ strategy. Membership of this is comprised of officials from Government Departments, statutory organisations, regional voluntary sector organisations, and organisations representing those living in poverty.

3 Assess whether the existing strategy is capable of delivering the key targets for 2010 and 2020

4 Examine whether the implementation mechanisms, resources and monitoring arrangements currently in place are adequate to ensure delivery of the key actions/targets

5 Identify and analyse relevant experience elsewhere in terms of policy interventions and programmes

The UNICEF reports ‘Child Poverty in Rich Countries’ in 2005 and ‘Child Poverty in Perspective: an overview of Child Well Being in Rich Countries’ in2007 ask why some countries are doing a much better job at tackling child poverty than others. In the 2007 UNICEF report the UK was ranked bottom and Netherlands, Sweden and Denmark were ranked top in relation to indicators of child well being.

6 Consider what further actions could be taken to tackle child Poverty with particular focus on those that would be deliverable by the devolved administration

21 November 2007

Appendix 5

Research Paper Comparing Child Poverty Levels inNorthern Ireland
with Other Regions

Research Paper

Research and Library Services

NIA Logo_1.eps

8 November 2007

Comparing Child Poverty in Northern Ireland with Other Regions

Yan Liu & Robert Barry

Research Briefing For OFMDFM Committee

This research briefing looks at child poverty in Northern Ireland compared with other UK regions, the Republic of Ireland, and other EU countries.

It concludes that there are so many measures of poverty available that the picture has become somewhat confused. However, using the only comparable measure available, it would appear that the level of child poverty in Northern Ireland is above that in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland, and well above the EU average.

Introduction

“The true measure of a nation’s standing is how well it attends to its children – their health and safety, their material security, their education and socialization, and their sense of being loved, valued, and included in the families and societies into which they are born.” UNICEF[111]

Modern definitions of child poverty have moved away from conceptions based on a lack of physical necessities towards a more social and relative understanding. Using Townsend’s definition[112], children can be said to live in poverty when they live in families which lack the resources to enable their children to participate in the activities and have the living conditions and amenities which are customary, or at least widely encouraged or approved. They are effectively excluded form ordinary living patterns, customs and activities. Poverty in childhood is harmful to current well-being and a threat to well-becoming. Poverty in childhood is associated with many other problems-poor physical and mental health, low educational attainment, poor housing conditions and homelessness, crime, addiction, and in adulthood, early partnering and child-bearing, family breakdown, unemployment and low pay[113].

Child Poverty In The Uk

Traditionally the UK government measured and defined poverty in terms of low household income using a poverty line set as a proportion of mean income. In 1998, median household income was adopted by the European Union as the key income threshold. Typically a threshold of less than 60 percent of national median equivalised household income has been the definition and measure of poverty used by European bodies since then (although the OECD use a 50% median threshold). In analysis of income data and low income thresholds, household incomes are adjusted statistically by a process known as equivalisation. Equivalisation takes account of the variations in household size and composition. A number of equivalisation scales or systems of weights have been in use internationally. The UK’s Households Below Average Income (HBAI) series used McClements scales but EUROSTAT used the modified OECD scale (See Annex A). From 2005 the UK used the Modified OECD equivalence scale. In addition to adoption of the OECD equivalisation scale and the development of the UK’s new child poverty measure[114] the UK adopted the new European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC) mixed poverty measure which combines indicators of deprivation with household income data.

The Government’s latest measure of child poverty, announced in December 2003, consists of three elements as follows:

These inter-related indicators (tiers) capture different aspects of poverty whilst respecting the finding that income is at the core of people’s conception of poverty.

A number of child poverty targets were also set by the Department of Works and Pensions (DWP)[115] as follows:

The baseline for these targets was the number of children living in poverty in 1998/1999 (i.e. living in households below the 60% median income threshold), measured using the Family Resources Survey (FRS). However, when the FRS data for 2004/2005 was released in March 2006, it was clear that the first target of reducing the number of children living in poverty by 25% was missed (a reduction of 17% was achieved[116]).

The targets were originally based on the 60% median income threshold both before and after housing costs, but the 2010 target of cutting child poverty by 50% will now be based only on income before housing costs to bring it into line with the EU income poverty measure.

The latest child poverty figures, published as part of the annual Household Below Average Income (HBAI) report[117] by the Department for Work and Pensions shows that child poverty now stands at 2.8 million measured before housing costs and 3.8 million measured after housing costs. This represents 22% and 30%, respectively, of all children in the UK (Tables 1 and 2)[118].

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Table 3 provides a useful picture of the composition of poor households with children in the UK (based on the 60% median income threshold).[119] The figures show that lone parent households make up about two-fifths of poor households with children and that household with a disabled adult make up about one-fifth.

Table 3. Composition of Poor Households with Children in the UK

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Child Poverty in Northern Ireland

A recent report by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, ‘Monitoring poverty and social exclusion in Northern Ireland’[120], concluded that Northern Ireland stands out from Great Britain in the following ways:

In addition, the following inequalities within Northern Ireland were highlighted:

The recently published Anti-Poverty and Social Inclusion Strategy for Northern Ireland, ‘Lifetime Opportunities’[121], sets out the following goals in relation to children:

It is too early to comment on progress against these targets at present, as the strategy was only published last year. Furthermore, Northern Ireland’s position on child poverty compared with other UK regions depends on whether it is measured using the 60% median threshold before or after housing costs. Tables 4 and 5 below show the percentage and numbers of children defined as being at ‘risk of poverty’ using both these measures over the last three years for which data is available.[122] Using the before housing costs measure, the Northern Ireland average is higher than that of England, Scotland or Wales. On the after housing costs measure, however, Northern Ireland’s position is not as bad as that of either England or Wales. The number of children in poverty also varies depending on the measure used (averaged over the three years it is either 100,000 or 108,000, but for the most recent year - 2005/06 - it is either 108,000 before housing costs or 122,000 after housing costs, and these figures are all based on the 60% median threshold).

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The latest “Households Below Average Income” report for Northern Ireland was published in August 2007 by the Department for Social Development.[123] It covered the period April 2005 to March 2006.

In relation to child poverty, its key findings are reported as follows:

The geographic spread of child poverty in Northern Ireland (based on the 60% median threshold before and after housing costs) is shown in Figure 1 below. This shows that the worst areas for child poverty are Dungannon, Derry, Larne & Moyle, Newry & Mourne, Limavady, and Ards (all over 30% on both measures). The lowest levels of child poverty appear to be in Banbridge and Lisburn.

Figure 1: Percent of children living in household below 60% of median income by Local Government District (based on average of latest three years of data, with some LGDs combined due to small numbers)

Report Chart 1.eps

Child Poverty in the Republic of Ireland and EU

The European Union has agreed a core set of poverty and social exclusion indicators which are regularly produced for every EU country on a comparable basis. These indicators are known as the ‘Laeken Indicators’ (see Annex A). The percentage of children in households under the 60% median income threshold before housing costs for EU countries is presented in Figure 2 below.[124]

Figure 2. International Comparison of child poverty using 60% of median income

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Figure 3. Poverty line in Euros per year (based on 60% median income for a single person)

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Figure 3 illustrates the difficulties of using a relative measure of income for international comparisons across different EU countries. The poverty line is drawn much higher, for example, in richer countries.

According to the EU-SILC Survey in 2005, 22% of all children under 16 in the Republic of Ireland were at risk of poverty i.e. living in families whose income was below 60% of median income (before housing costs). This is above the EU average (which is 18% for EU15 and 19% for EU25) and is on a par with the incidence of child poverty in the UK (see Figure 2). 10.6 % of children were also defined as living in consistent poverty, based on a combined measure of ‘at risk’ and deprivation (see Annex A for definition). This has increased from 9.9% in 2004.[125]

The National Children’s Strategy (NCS) and the National Anti-Poverty Strategy (NAPS) set out the Irish government’s plans and targets to reduce consistent child poverty to 2% by 2007. Based on these figures, it looks unlikely that this target will be met.

Conclusions

Comparing child poverty across different regions is by no means straight forward. There are so many measures of poverty available that the picture has become somewhat confused. However, using the only comparable measure available (the EU 60% median income measure before housing costs), it would appear that the level of child poverty in Northern Ireland is above that in Great Britain and the Republic of Ireland, and well above the EU average.

Finally, it is worth emphasising a point made by the Northern Ireland Anti-Poverty Network (NIAPN). There are gaps in the data on groups experiencing poverty. Local ethnic and new immigrant populations do not tend to feature in quantitative research studies. The groups identified at greatest risk of poverty by people experiencing poverty attending NIAPN consultative events are ethnic minorities (particularly migrant workers and asylum seekers); travellers; young people (especially those aged 16-18), lone parent families; families of ex-prisoners; people with low or no educational qualifications; long term unemployed; people living in disadvantaged communities; and people living in border areas.[126]

ANNEX A: EU Poverty Measurement Definitions[127]

Equivalisation

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Appendix 6

Extract from the Public Service Agreement Framework

PSA 7 Making Peoples’ Lives Better

Objective Actions Target Dept.
Objective 1

Take forward action to provide for measurable reductions in the levels of poverty and particularly child poverty		 In line with Section 16 of the Northern Ireland St Andrews Agreement Act 2006 achieve agreement by the Northern Ireland Executive Committee, on the adoption of a strategy setting out how it proposes to tackle poverty, social exclusion and patterns of deprivation based on objective need
Establish baselines and indicators to measure progress and monitor and report in progress
Ensure that all benefit claimants receive benefit payment in line with accuracy and clearance targets
Continue the roll-out of the Benefit Uptake Strategy
Continue with modernising benefits and on how they are delivered to include Implementing the new Employment & Support Allowance Benefit from October 2008
Implement a new operating model through the Pensions Transformation Project by 2010 and increase benefit uptake and improve customer service
Create a gateway to work and contribute to a rise in the level of those who are economically active by increasing off-flows from Employment and Support Allowance		 Work towards the elimination of severe child poverty by 2012
Work towards the elimination of poverty in Northern Ireland by 2020 including lifting 67,000 children out of poverty by 2010
Ensure that 25% more children will be receiving child maintenance in March 2011 compared to March 2007 [this target will be subject to review in light of proposed policy for child support]
In line with PSA 8 deliver improvements to promote healthy lifestyles and achieve measurable reductions in health inequalities and preventable illnesses
In line with PSA 10 reduce the gap in educational outcomes by addressing the needs of disadvantaged and vulnerable children and young people
 OFMDFM
DSD
DHSSPS

Source: Building a Better Future – Northern Ireland Executive, Programme for Government 2008-2011, Annex One, PSA Framework

1A confidence interval is a statistical construct that allows a degree of certainty to be attached to a point estimate as the point estimate is based on a sample of households. The confidence interval is constructed on the basis that we can be 95% certain that the true estimate lies within a possible range of values. For example in 2002/03 we can be 95% certain that the true level of child poverty is 25% +/- 4.3%. In other words we can be 95% certain that the true level of child poverty is between 20.7% and 29.3%

[2] http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/en/docs/ni7_ACPR07.pdf

[3] For example, statistics recently published in a Households Below Average Income report suggest that almost one in three children in Northern Ireland are living in poverty – HBAI 1994/5-2005/6, 18th Edition. See also, Barnardo’s NI (2007), ‘It Doesn’t Happen Here: The Reality of Poverty in Northern Ireland’, Barnardo’s; E. McLaughlin and M. Monteith (2006) ‘Child and Family Poverty in NI’, OFMDFM, NI; and Save The Children (2006) ‘Under the Radar: Severe Child Poverty in the UK’.

[4] www.deni.gov.uk/statisticsandresearch; for example T. Gallagher and A. Smith (2000), ‘Research into the effects of the selective system of secondary education in Northern Ireland; A. Sutherland and N. Purdy (2006), ‘Attitudes of the Socially Disadvantaged towards Education in Northern Ireland’

[5] Common definitions of cognitive abilities refer to thinking and problem-solving skills, e.g. ‘the process of being aware, knowing, thinking, learning and judging’ MedicineNet.Com

[6] E. Melhuish et al (2006), ‘Effective Pre-School Provision in Northern Ireland (EPPNI)’, DENI, Report No.41

[7] James J Heckman and Dimitriy V Masterov (2004), ‘The Productivity Argument for Investing in Young Children’, Committee for Economic Development

[8] G. French and P. Murphy (2005), ‘Once in a Lifetime: Early Care and Education for Children from Birth to Three’ Dublin. Barnardo’s

[9] Cited in French and Murphy, ibid

[10] Ibid, p.20

[11] L. Schweinhart et al (2005), ‘Lifetime Effects: The High/Scope Perry Preschool Study Through Age 40’, High/Scope Educational Research Foundation; Heckman, op cit n.4; and Alan Sinclair (2007), ‘0-5: How Small Children Make a Big Difference’, Provocation Series, Vol. 3, No.1, The Work Foundation

[12] L. Schweinhart et al, ibid

[13] Sinclair, op cit n.8

[14] U. Kilkelly et al. (2004), ‘Children’s Rights in Northern Ireland’, NICCY

[15] NISRA (2007), ‘The Prevalence of Disability and Activity Limitations amongst adults and children living in private households in NI’, July 2007, Bulletin 1

[16] Gabrielle Preston with Mark Robertson (2006), ‘Out of Reach: Benefits for Disabled Children’, Child Poverty Action Group

[17] Gabrielle Preston with Mark Robertson (2006), ‘Out of Reach: Benefits for Disabled Children’, Child Poverty Action Group; D. Gordon, R. Parker, F. Loughran and P. Heslop, Disabled Children in Britain: A Re-analysis of the OPCS Disability Surveys., London, TSO, 2000; OPCS Surveys of disability in Great Britain Report 5 (1989): ‘The financial circumstances of families with disabled children living in private households’, www.statistics.gov.uk.

[18] Gordon et al, ibid

[19] Preston and Robertson, op cit, n.14

[20] ibid

[21] ibid

[22] Tania Burchardt (2005) ‘The education and employment of disabled young people: Frustrated ambition’, The Policy Press in association with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation

[23] Research as Evidence (2007), ‘What works in preventing and re-engaging young people NEET in London’, Greater London Authority

[24] Department for Children, Schools and Families, and Innovation, Universities and Skills

[25] Prime Minister’s Delivery Unit (2005) ‘NEET Design Review Presentation’, PMDU, London, cited op cit, n.20

[26] London School of Economics (2007), ‘The Cost of Exclusion: Counting the cost of youth disadvantage in the UK’, Princes Trust.

[27] Op cit, note 20, p.7

[28] U. Kilkelly et al. op cit, n.11

[29] Innocenti Research Centre, ‘Child Poverty in Rich Countries 2005’, UNICEF

[30] Also refer to Mark Greenberg (2007), ‘From Poverty to Prosperity: A National Strategy to Cut Poverty in Half’, Center for Amercian Progress

[31] NICCY (2007) Public Expenditure on Children and Young People in NI

[32] NICCY (2007) Public Expenditure on Children and Young People in NI

[33] Save the Children (2007) Annual Child Poverty Report 2007 p.17

[34] The Participation Network www.ci-ni.org/theparticipationnetwork

[35] UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (2002) Concluding Observations CRC/C/15/Add. 188

[36] Between 2001 and 2006 there was over 15% of a decrease in the numbers of registered childminders

[37] SC (2007) Annual Child Poverty Report Almost a third (32%) of children living in households with a disabled adult are experiencing poverty. A similar proportion (30%) of children living in households with a disabled child are experiencing poverty

[38] ONS Mid 2005 Population Survey

[39] Magadi M. and Middleton, S., Measuring severe child poverty in the UK. Save the Children London 2007 forthcoming.

[40] Households Below Average Income report 2005-6 (After Housing Costs)

[41] Northern Ireland was not included in this analysis as, unlike GB, there were not sufficient waves of data available.

[42] DHSSPS Report of Chief Medical Officer 2006 http://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/cmoannualreport2006.pdf

[43] DHSSPS Equality and inequalities in health and social care in Northern Ireland DHSSPS Belfast 2004

[44] Data drawn from the Department of Social Development, Northern Ireland Housing Statistics 2005-06, Statistics and Research Branch.

[45] DENI (2005) Northern Ireland School Leavers Survey 2004-05

[46] You Gov Poll for Save the Children, November 2006

[47] O’Reilly and Gaffney referenced in The Northern Ireland Commissioner for Children and Young People (NICCY) research, “Children’s Rights in Northern Ireland” (2004)

[48] DHSSPS, 2000

[49] GCCNI, 2002

[50] GCCNI, 2002

[51] DHSSPS, 2000

[52] NICMA Briefing Paper – Childminder Start-Up Package. NIMCA June 2007.

[53] Gray, A. and Brugel, I. The supply of and demand for childcare in Northern Ireland. Belfast. Report for the Equality Commission Northern Ireland. 2002.

[54] While working family tax credits provide up to 70% of childcare costs for families living on low incomes many families, particularly lone parents, find it difficult making up the remainder of the costs.

[55] McLaughlin, E. and M.Monteith The Bottom Line. Save the Children Belfast. 2004.

[56] Op cited at note 5

[57] ESRC Seminar Series – mapping the public policy landscape, Poverty and income distribution in Northern Ireland.ESRC/OFMDFM. 2005.

[58] A 2020 vision: Ending child poverty in Northern Ireland. Annual Child Poverty Report 2007. Save the Children. 2007.

[59] Household Below Average Income, DWP. Updated June 2007

[60] Schubotz D., Simpson D and Tennant A “Participation, happiness and achievement: the impact of poverty on the school experiences of 16 year olds” ARK and Save the Children Belfast 2007

[61] Adelman L, Middleton S and Ashworth K “Britain’s Poorest Children” Save the Children and CRSP 2003

[62] Paragraph 46a CRC/C/15/Add.188

[63] Paragraphs 46c and 55 CRC/C/15/Add.188

[64] Irish Traveller families are an extremely marginalised section of the community. The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (concluding comments 2002) expressed particular concern that not all children were being protected from discrimination and highlighted the, “…unequal enjoyment of economic, social and cultural, civil and political rights for … Irish Travellers.” The Committee also focused on inequalities in health and access to health services and pointed to the high rates of infant mortality among Traveller children as one indicator of such inequality. In terms of socio-economic rights, the inter-dependence and indivisibility of all rights is hugely apparent. Without basic rights, such as the right to accommodation and flowing from this, the rights to healthcare, social services and a healthy, sustainable environment, children’s rights to participate and have their best interests protected become meaningless. There is clearly a need for the Government to adopt a joined-up, cross-Departmental approach with a substantial commitment of additional resources to tackle the inequalities faced by Traveller children to ensure equality of opportunity for Travellers in all aspects of their lives.

[65] Kenway et al (2006), Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion in Northern Ireland 2006, JRF, York

[66] Hillyard, P., Kelly, G., McLaughlin, E., Patsios, D., and Tomlinson, M., (2003) Bare Necessities: poverty and social exclusion in Northern Ireland, (Belfast: Democratic Dialogue) (www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/bare-necessities.pdf).

[67] Horgan, G., (2005), The particular circumstances of children in Northern Ireland, (www.childrenslawcentre.org/ParticularCircumstancesofChildreninNorthernIreland-GorettiHorgan.htm).

[68] NICCY research (2004) cited in Horgan (ibid). Social Services Inspectorate (2005), Care At It’s Best: Overview Report of the Multidisciplinary Regional Inspection Of The Service For Disabled Children in Hospital (Belfast: DHSSPS).

[69] In 1999, 98% of Northern Ireland Housing Executive estates in Belfast were classified as segregated while across Northern Ireland 71% of tenants lived in segregated areas; Research conducted by Dr Peter Shirlow for the University of Ulster found that 68% of 18-25 year olds surveyed never had a meaningful conversation with anyone from the other community and that 58% of people were unwilling to use shops or leisure centres located across the religious divide (Sunday Tribune, ‘Seven years after Good Friday, North is more violent than ever, 29 August 2005).

[70] The 2003-04 Family Spending Survey found that the average amount per household spent on food was 20% higher in Northern Ireland than in the North East of England. Clothing and footwear are more some 37% more expensive than the average in Britain cited in Horgan (2005) op cit.

[71] (Northern Ireland Housing Executive: 2001 Northern Ireland Housing Conditions Survey (Belfast: NIHE) (www.nihe.gov.uk/publications/reports/2001HCS.pdf)

[72] DHSSPS (2004), Indicators of Personal Social Services (Belfast).

[73] DHSSPS (2004), Ibid.

[74] Bell, K., Jarman, N., and Lefebvre, T., Migrant Workers in Northern Ireland (Belfast: Institute of Conflict Research).

[75] During 2005-06 the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) recorded 936 racial incidents, of which 746 were subsequently deemed to be racist crimes. The previous year there were 813 incidents, of which 634 were confirmed as crimes. In 2003-04, 453 racist incidents were reported (www.guardian.co.uk/Northern_Ireland/Story/0,,1785490,00.html).

[76] SCF, 24 October 2007, Alex Tennant & Marina Monteith

[77] See The Poverty Site (www.poverty.org.uk), produced by the New Policy Institute supported by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The data used is Northern Ireland Family Resources Survey (the survey on which HBAI reports are based)

[78] Average risk of poverty in NI for children is 29%.

[79] SCF (2005) Britain’s Poorest Children

[80] SCF (2006) Under the Radar: Severe Child Poverty in the UK analysed 2004/5 Family Resources Survey data

[81] Ibid

[82] UNICEF, (2005), Child Poverty in Rich Nations,

[83] Building a better future, Draft Budget 2008-2011

[84] Mc Laughlin and Montieth (2006) Child and Family Poverty in Northern Ireland OFMDFM

[85] Health and Social Care Inequalities monitoring system second update bulletin 2007

[86] Health and Social Care Inequalities monitoring system second update bulletin 2007

[87] North and West Belfast Women against Poverty(1999) Living with Poverty: Personal stories of women from North and West Belfast

[88] Health and Social Care Inequalities monitoring system second update bulletin 2007

[89] A league table of child poverty in rich nations

[90] Heckman J, Invest in the Very Young

[91] UNCRC (2002) Concluding Observations of the Committee of the Rights of the Child. United Kingdom, Great Britain and Northern Ireland.45-46

[92] See: www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/eliminatingchildpoverty.pdf

[93] A confidence interval is a statistical construct that allows a degree of certainty to be attached to a point estimate as the point estimate is based on a sample of households. The confidence interval is constructed on the basis that we can be 95% certain that the true estimate lies within a possible range of values. For example in 2002/03 we can be 95% certain that the true level of child poverty is 25% +/- 4.3%. In other words we can be 95% certain that the true level of child poverty is between 20.7% and 29.3%

[94] See: www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/bare-necessities.pdf and www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/childandfamilypoverty2006.pdf

[95] Census 2001 indicates around 60000 lone parent families in Northern Ireland LFS April-June 2007 indicates approx half of lone parents are in employment HBAI figures for 2005/06 indicate After Housing Costs around 24000 lone parent families in poverty affecting approx 46000 children

[96] Play Wales Briefing Paper Play Deprivation.

[97] HBAI draws data from the annual Family Resources Survey conducted in GB since 1994/5, and in Northern Ireland since 2002/3. Thus while there are now 18 waves of data available in GB, only four are available in NI, the first of which is considered to be not entirely reliable, due to initial ‘teething’ problems.

[98] Graph taken from The Poverty Site (www.poverty.org.uk), produced by the New Policy Institute supported by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation. The data used is Northern Ireland Family Resources Survey (the survey on which HBAI reports are based)

[99] Average risk of poverty in NI for children is 29%.

[100]4 Graph taken from The Poverty Site (www.poverty.org.uk). This figure varies slightly from the figure quoted previously, as it is averaged over three years.

[101] Graph taken from The Poverty Site (www.poverty.org.uk).

[102] Northern Ireland was not included in this analysis as, unlike GB, there was not sufficient waves of data available.

[103] This calculation uses benefit levels and poverty thresholds for 2005-6.

[104] The threshold for low pay is set at £6.50 per hour.

[105] DENI – Northern Ireland School Leavers Survey 2004/5.

[106] See Save the Children’s State of Child Poverty in Northern Ireland 2007 report for more information

[107] DHSSPS (2000) – Investing for Health – consultation document.

[108] ONS 2004, Relative regional consumer price levels 2004.

[109] UNICEF, (2005), Child Poverty in Rich Nations, p23.

[110] Funding allocation drawn from NICCY report, Mid year population estimates from ONS mid-year population estimates.

[111] http://www.unicef.org.uk/publications/pdf/rc7_eng.pdf

[112] Townsend, Peter. 1979. “Poverty in the United Kingdom” Allen Lane: London.

[113] The written evidence from a range of organisations and academics including: Save the Children, Children Poverty Action Group and Ending Child Poverty in Northern Ireland.

[114] The new UK tiered measure published by Department for Work and Pensions, 2003. http://www.dwp.gov.uk/childpoverty/

[115] http://www.dwp.gov.uk

[116] http://www.jrf.org.uk/child-poverty

[117] http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/hbai.asp

[118] Tables reproduced from Child Poverty Action Group briefing - http://www.cpag.org.uk/info/briefings_policy/CPAG_briefingHBAI_2006.pdf

[119] Table reproduced from Child Poverty Action Group briefing - http://www.cpag.org.uk/info/briefings_policy/CPAG_briefingHBAI_2006.pdf

[120] see www.jrf.org.uk/knowledge/findings/socialpolicy/1968.asp (published in November 2006)

[121] see http://www.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/antipovertynov06.pdf - published November 2006.

[122] Tables reproduced from Child Poverty Action Group briefing - http://www.cpag.org.uk/info/briefings_policy/CPAG_briefingHBAI_2006.pdf

[123] DSD Households Below Average Income Report 2005/06 - http://www.dsdni.gov.uk/index/stats_and_research/stats-publications/stats-family-resource/households/publications-hbai_publication_2005_06.htm

[124] Reproduced from the Poverty Website - http://www.poverty.org.uk

[125] Comparable data not available for Northern Ireland; data from EU-SILC Report table 4 and table 7 - http://www.cso.ie/releasespublications/documents/eu_silc/current/eusilc.pdf

[126] http://www.niapn.org/PDFs/17thOctfactsheetonPovertyinNINIAPN2007.pdf

[127] From Central Statistics Office EU-SILC Report - http://www.cso.ie/releasespublications/documents/eu_silc/current/eusilc.pdf