Living with Hardship 247

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Living with Hardship 24/7

• Policy Implications

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Living with Hardship 24/7 policy implications

• The links between poverty and child
  maltreatment.
• Child abuse rates tend to be higher in deprived
  neighbourhoods, where poverty is concentrated,
  support services are inadequate and social
  exclusion is marked.
• The pressures involved in coping with inadequate
  income
• cause stress, exacerbating the health problems
  associated with poor diet, inadequate heating and
  poor housing
• increase risks of bullying of children whose
  poverty is visible
• makes coping with challenging situations harder
  and
• increase the likelihood of family tension and
  breakdown.
• In such circumstances, emotional abuse, physical
  abuse and neglect are more likely.

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Living with Hardship 24/7 policy implications

• Other considerations include
• The numbers of families who found themselves in
  poverty as a direct result of domestic violence
• The links between experiencing child maltreatment
  then going on to experience poverty as an adult
• The lack of the protective factor of a supportive
  extended family when there has been a history of
  abuse
• The lack of services available to families in
  need and in poverty
• Previous negative experiences of contact with
  professionals may mean that asking for help is
  harder
• These stresses can make positively managing
  behaviour within families problematic

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Living with Hardship 24/7 policy implications

• Poverty stops children being able to reach their
  full potential and achieve the positive outcomes
  set out in the Every Child Matters agenda and the
  equivalent childrens policies in Wales, Scotland
  and Northern Ireland.
• It can impact on
• Health and well-being,
• Enjoyment and achievements,
• Opportunities to make a positive contribution to
  society, and
• Opportunities to achieve economic well-being.

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Living with Hardship 24/7 policy implications

• NSPCC campaigns to ensure that other agencies
  not only safeguard but also promote the welfare
  of children.
• Reducing child poverty will make some children
  safer and will be beneficial to the welfare of
  all children.
• Policy discussions on child poverty must include
  practical developments in social policy - to
  reduce the risk of child maltreatment, and
  improve their well being, by reducing stress and
  improving protective factors for families.
• This research has far reaching policy
  implications for central and local government and
  for the way childrens and family support
  services are provided.

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Living with Hardship 24/7 policy implications

• Current Government initiatives
• DWP has set up the Child Poverty Unit.
• Government has restated its commitment to
  reducing poverty, but w0ithout the huge
  investment identified by Joseph Rowntree
  Foundation of 4 billion, so is unlikely to meet
  its own targets of eliminating child poverty by
  2020
• Emphasis of the DWPs proposals is on welfare
  reform, extending peoples responsibilities, in
  return for their rights to benefits. It is also
  about getting parents into work, although as we
  know, large numbers of children living in poverty
  have parents in work.
• Lone parents will moved from income support to
  Job Seekers Allowance when their youngest child
  is twelve, and then gradually reduced to six.
  There will be penalties involved for
  non-compliance with the requirements of JSA, so
  there is concern about the impact this will have
  on families.
• There will be an increase in the child
  maintenance disregard

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Living with Hardship 24/7 policy implications

• The Social Exclusion Task Force in the Cabinet
  Office The Think Family Report, follows on from
  the Social Exclusion Task Force Families at Risk
  Review.
• This report sets out the governments strategy
  for adult services which aims to secure better
  outcomes for hard to reach families with
  multiple or complex needs.
• It emphasises the need for better co-ordination
  between children and adult services and a whole
  family approach - the problems children and
  parents present are inter-related, so families
  must be viewed as a whole if we are to achieve
  the Governments ambition of improving the life
  chances of the most vulnerable children.
• It marks the governments acceptance that even
  the best childrens services can only mitigate
  against the impact of parental problems such as
  domestic violence or substance misuse
• Improving outcomes for children therefore
  requires significant improvements in adult
  services to address the problems that parents
  face.

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Living with Hardship 24/7 policy implications

• NSPCC Policy calls
• A strategic approach to service commissioning and
  delivery based on audit of existing services and
  an audit of local needs, and a strategy which
  sets out how each authority will meet the needs
  of the most vulnerable families.
• A strategy in each local to engage families such
  as utilising professionals working in universal
  or outreach services
• engage statutory agencies such as health
  practitioners and education services in
  disseminating services to families, and also
  ensure these services are involved in more
  in-depth support services
• review services to ensure that they are free
  phone calls at one-stop-shops, and review
  strategies on costs of activities, as well as
  transport, child care and interpreter services,
  to ensure low income families not excluded

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Living with Hardship 24/7 policy implications

• NSPCC Policy calls continued - Income levels
• A Minimum Income Standard necessary to maintain
  the health and well-being of children as outlined
  in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
• Easier and more flexible access to passport
  benefits such as free school meals, housing and
  council tax benefit particularly for those in
  work, but surviving on a low income.
• School Grants to help with additional costs at
  the start of primary and secondary schools and
  other school related costs
• The provision of universally available, high
  quality child care. This should include
  re-assessing the need for social services day
  care

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Living with Hardship 24/7 policy implications

• NSPCC Policy Calls Housing
• Increasing the supply of affordable housing.
• Move families out of bed and breakfast
  accommodation.
• Ensure that vital services provided by health,
  social services and education authorities are
  targeted on families in temporary accommodation.
• Provide homeless families with personal advisors
  to give them a single point of contact for advice
  on benefits, training and employment and local
  services.
• Reform housing benefits to improve outcomes for
  homeless people and help them make the transition
  into work.

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Living with Hardship 24/7 policy implications

• NSPCC Policy Calls Recognising the needs and
  experiences of parents
• The research shows the importance of providing
  services that support family members as
  individuals but also considers the wider needs of
  the whole family.
• Even the best services are of little use if the
  families that need them do not know they exist,
  and often those who need the help most who are
  least able to go out and find it
• There is a lack of support systems in place for
  parents with a previous history of abuse.
  Awareness is needed of the parents personal
  experiences and how this may affect their
  relationship with their children and their
  response to their children will.
• More joined up thinking between adults and
  childrens services so that support provided
  directly to parents to enable them to parent
  their children more effectively.
• Local authorities, Childrens Trusts, LSCBs and
  local decision makers must be co-ordinated in
  their delivery of family support provision.