MAINSTREAMING SOCIAL INCLUSION Case study: Poverty Proofing

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MAINSTREAMING SOCIAL INCLUSION Case study
Poverty Proofing

• Helen Johnston
• Director
• Combat Poverty Agency

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BACKGROUND

• Relatively new concept in European social policy
• Little common understanding and no definitions
• 15 of EU population at risk of poverty
• Multi-dimensional response required

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CURRENT THINKING ON MAINSTREAMING SOCIAL INCLUSION

• Bringing people into the mainstream
• Empowering people reshaping services
• Mainstreaming innovation and learning
• Eg. From local to national structures to do this
• Strategic policy approach
• Eg. Allocating resources, in policy design,
  cross-cutting

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APPROACHES TO MAINSTREAMING

• Administrative
• Targets, policies, planning, structures
• Eg. Ireland, Portugal
• Executive
• Targeting resources
• Eg. N. Ireland
• Judicial
• Laws, rights
• Eg. France

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POVERTY PROOFING DEFINITION

• the process
• by which Government Departments, local
  authorities and state agencies
• assess policies and programmes at design and
  review stages
• in relation to the likely impact they will have
  or have had on poverty and on inequalities likely
  to lead to poverty
• with a view to poverty reduction.

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POVERTY PROOFING APPLICATION

• Annual Expenditure Estimates Budget
• National Development Plan and other EU Plans and
  Programmes
• Government Departments Statements of Strategy
  and Annual Business Plans
• Memoranda to Government on significant policy
  proposals

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POVERTY PROOFING OPERATION

• What is primary objective of the proposal?
• Does it
• help prevent people falling into poverty?
• reduce the level of poverty?
• ameliorate the effects of poverty?
• have no effect on poverty
• increase poverty?
• contribute to the NAPS targets?
• address inequalities likely to lead to poverty?
• reach the target groups?

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POVERTY PROOFING OPERATION

• Target groups
• unemployed, children, single adult households,
  lone parents, people with disabilities, older
  people, Travellers, homeless, black and other
  ethnic minority groups
• Inequalities likely to lead to poverty
• age, gender, disability, ethnic minority group
  including Travellers, sexual orientation
• Undertaken by civil servants

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POVERTY PROOFING REVIEW

• High level of compliance
• Greater awareness of social inclusion
• BUT
• Not rigorous assessment
• Qualitative rationale for action taken
• No identified change in policy proposals or
  resource allocation

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POVERTY PROOFING - KEY ISSUES

• Resources and training
• Data deficiencies and requirements
• Institutional and structural supports
• Guidelines
• Impact assessment
• Transparency
• Screening
• Extension of poverty proofing
• Political will

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ELEMENTS OF MAINSTREAMING

• Poverty perspective in developing policies
• Cross-boundary working arrangements
• Involving people experiencing poverty
• Evaluation and monitoring system