1 / 13

Current priorities and activities

Current priorities and activities. North Ayrshire Council Fair for All advisory panel 28 th August 2019 John Dickie, Director of CPAG in Scotland. Context: Scale. 1 in 4 children in Scotland living in poverty ( 240 000)

genevievec
Download Presentation

Current priorities and activities

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Current priorities and activities North Ayrshire Council Fair for All advisory panel 28th August 2019 John Dickie, Director of CPAG in Scotland

  2. Context: Scale • 1 in 4 children in Scotland living in poverty (240 000) • below a poverty line that’s less than 70% of the minimum income standard for families • two thirds of children in poverty live in working households • affects families in every part of Scotland (www.endchildpoverty.org.uk ) • North Ayrshire 27% • rising levels acute income crisis. e.g. families using food banks

  3. Progress, but challenges • Child poverty is policy sensitive • down from 33% to 19% (1996/97 to 2011/12) • policy works – at UK, Scotland and local level • investment in child benefit and tax credits, childcare, employment, employability, income maximisation, affordable housing • child wellbeing improved • Huge challenges • cuts to UK social security driving massive increases - 38% child poverty by 2027/28….?

  4. Moment of opportunity • Child Poverty (Scotland) Act, national and local delivery plans, social security powers • Clear on increasing incomes and reducing costs • Scottish child payment - £10 per week • UK?- some investment back into UC and increased media/public awareness • Local child poverty action reports • “step change” ? • recognise and address structural issues that undermine all other work of local partners • pull in new players – include economic development, procurement, business support, employers

  5. Priorities UK • Restore value of family benefits and tax credits • End two child limit (All Kids Count) & abolish benefit cap • Make universal credit ‘fit for families’ Scotland • Maximise impact and ambition of child payment • Maximise take up of financial support • Support parents into, and to progress in, work • Reduce costs – housing, energy, childcare, school, transport • Cash and rights based responses to income crisis

  6. CPAG activities at local level • Second tier welfare rights service • Early Warning System • Cost of school day • Menu for Change

  7. SECOND-TIER WELFARE RIGHTS SERVICE

  8. SUPPORTING LOCAL SERVICES Accurate, up-to-date advice and information Capacity to help with benefit issues Policy and system change Better-off families

  9. EWS – local implications • Take up of locally administered benefits • CTR, HB, DHPs, SCG, FSM, SWF • Issues with applications processes, communications and eligibility checkers • Automating delivery using CTR/HB data works • Administration error e.g. HB staff advising people to claim universal credit unnecessarily • Advice referrals better than signposting

  10. IMPACT: SCHOOL LEVEL CHANGES

  11. CHANGES AT LOCAL AUTHORITY LEVEL • Dundee City Council’s Cost of the School Day pledges • No child or young person in Dundee will start school without a breakfast • No child in Dundee will miss out on their Primary 7 residential trip due to cost • All schools will develop a Cost of the School Day action plan by the end of session 2018/2019 • All children and young people in Dundee schools will have access to an affordable school uniform Clothing grant and free school meal automation to tackle low uptake rates is spreading across country “All subjects within the school curriculum should be offered with no charging and pupils should not make subject choices based on ability to pay.” Head of Education, Dumfries and Galloway Council Welfare rights workers being co-located within Edinburgh schools to support income maximisation for families

  12. A project in four parts • What can be done now and locally in Dundee, Fife and East Ayrshire? • What are the short and longer-term outcomes for people experiencing acute food insecurity? • What best practice can be shared across Scotland and the UK? • How can we use all the learning, analysis and evidence to change government policy and practice?

  13. Impacts and learning • Advice first principle • Local referral pathways • Embed advisers in community spaces • Increase knowledge of cash alternatives and local advice services • Formalise referral policies so advice is offered first • Area Reports • Scottish Welfare Fund: Strengthening the Safety Net

More Related