CHILD POVERTY

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• CHILD POVERTY
• Member Development Module

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• WHO IS AFFECTED BY CHILD POVERTY?

Dylans Story The children used to live with
their mum and dad but when their dad left, things
started going wrong. Their mam couldn't cope and
they had no food and no-one to look after them.
He had mould on his feet and went to school
smelling of wee. He used to steal money for
sweets. Things are better now, but Dylan knows
what it's like to go without things that
everyone else takes for granted. Watch Dylans
Story Take the quick quiz
.
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WHAT IS POVERTY?

• The Welsh Assembly government use three domains
  to measure poverty.
• These are
• Income
• Service
• Participation

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THE THREE DOMAINS

• INCOME POVERTY
• The official measure of income poverty is
  children living in households with incomes of
  less than 60 of the UK average.

SERVICE POVERTY Households experiencing
difficulty in accessing and benefiting from
quality services, e.g. housing, health,
education, leisure
PARTICIPATION POVERTY Unable to engage in social
activities Has a negative impact education and
training Affects transitions to independence
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• CHILD POVERTY-A NATIONAL DISGRACE?

• The UK is the worlds 4th largest economy but has
  one of the highest levels of child poverty in
  Western Europe
• The UK came 21st out of 26 Countries in UNICEFs
  poverty League
• 29 of children in Wales live in poverty
• That equals180,000 children
• 13.4 of children in Wales currently live in
  severe poverty

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COMMON MYTHS ABOUT CHILD POVERTY

• Child Poverty doesnt exist in Wales
• People living in poverty have enough money to
  live on
• Child poverty is an inner city problem
• Poverty doesnt harm children
• Child poverty doesn't carry any costs to society
• Poverty no longer has any meaning in a rich
  society like ours

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WHAT FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO CHILD POVERTY?
A diverse range of factors contribute to child
poverty
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WHO IS AT RISK OF LIVING IN POVERTY?
As a result of anti poverty strategies there has
been a substantial reduction in risk and numbers
to Lone parent families Families with 3 or more
children Families with children under 5
But- Some groups continue to be at above average
risk Workless households Part time worker
households Some BME groups Families with one or
more disabled adult Families with 4 or more
children Those living in Social Housing
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LEVELS OF RISK ACROSS THE UK
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CASE STUDY 2-CHRISS STORY
Chris lives in a rehabilitation centre - a place
for people who are trying to stop taking drugs.
He lives there because his mum has a problem
with drugs. Taking drugs can leave a family
without enough money. And his mum isn't able to
look after him properly.
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COFFEE BREAK
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THE CASE FOR LOCAL ACTION

• No child deserves to be poor. Tackling child
  poverty is a moral imperative. It is also key to
  long-term economic and social prosperity of
  Wales.
• Childhood experiences are critical determinants
  of later life outcomes poor children have worse
  life chances and are more likely to become poor
  adults. This creates a cycle of deprivation.
• Public services will not work effectively for
  everyone in Wales if they are struggling with the
  costs and burdens of poor health or higher crime.

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OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN

• Have a lower birth weight

• Die in an accident (5 X)

• Be drawn into anti-social behaviour and crime

• Become a teenage mother (10 X)

• No qualifications

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WHAT IS POVERTY?

• There are a number of requirements on local
  authorities that contribute to reducing child
  poverty
• Child Poverty Implementation Plan
• Children Young Peoples plans
• Communities Next strategies
• Health, Social Care and Wellbeing strategies

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• WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT TO ME?

• As Councillors EVERYONE has a duty to make sure
  reducing child poverty is prioritised
• At ward and at Council level there are a number
  of things you can do.
• The WLGA and Save the Children have developed
  Wales first child poverty improvement tool for
  local government to support local action.
• Child Poverty Solutions Wales, provides resources
  to ensure action is taken that will lead to
  better outcomes for children and young people.

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• WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT TO ME?

• As a Community Leader you could promote the needs
  of those affected by child poverty to the
  decision makers within the council
• As a Scrutiny Member you could work with your
  committee to review and challenge the
  appropriateness of local policy in this area and
  monitor its implementation
• As the Lead Member for Children and Young People
  you could ensure that reducing child poverty
  remains an authority priority
• As an Executive Member you could take decisions
  and help develop policy that will enable your
  authority to tackle child poverty

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• HOW CAN COUNCILS RESPOND?

The resources hosted on the tool will support
services to better work together towards the
achievement of common aims that improve outcomes
for children and young people living in
poverty.
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• CHILD POVERTY SOLUTIONS WALES