The future is now K sley

The Knowsley Programme Maire Gollock Programme Manager for Child Poverty Ian Carolan Project Manager for Child Poverty

Introduction Outline Knowsley’s approach to the “burning platform” ie Child Poverty Building on solid foundations/partnership activity: reducing inequalities and developing sustainable communities These have been successful, but not enough impact Opportunity to innovate Develop a blueprint for programme and consider how this will affect and shape services

What are the Building Blocks? Employment and adult skills Financial support Services for children and families Housing and environment Social inclusion Low incomes mean families struggle to meet the cost of basic living, and often incur high interest debt Living on benefits intended to provide a “safety net” in reality means life well below the poverty line Although work is often the best route out of poverty, often earnings are too low to lift families out of poverty Need for personalised support Women often most affected, often alone and abandoned financially and emotionally by fathers of their children

Knowsley context - did you know that… In the region of 21,500 families in Knowsley, with about 35,000 children Of these: 31% have no working adult 47% are lone parent families and 26% are lone parent families without work 95% of families with dependent children in Knowsley receive tax credits 33% are workless households with approximately 12,500 children Just over 10,000 of these children are in single parent families 81% of all children in workless households Tax credit data linked to the Child Wellbeing Index (2009) indicates that 61% or 20,500 children live in areas of the borough which are in the lowest quintile nationally for the overall child wellbeing score, half of these are in workless households which is 82% of all children in workless households 75% or 12,800 of lone parent children live in parts of the borough which are in the lowest quintile nationally for the overall child wellbeing score, 66% or 8,500 of these children are in workless households

Child Poverty in Knowsley Children 1998/ /07 All Children in Poverty 40,900 21,690 Children in Workless Poverty19,153 12,050 Children in In Work Poverty21,718 9,640 Reduction needed to reach 50% by 2010 = 1,240 less children. However the number of children experiencing in work poverty has increased by 8.1% (720 children) over the last 3 available years.

Knowsley LAA target - NI116 Child Poverty is much more than income deprivation Innovative approaches tested through pilots Needs assessment started using toolkit to inform local strategy development Need for partnership commitment to whole system approach and potential reform/change Programme approach to support effective performance management and deliver impact

Pilots 2 year pilot (child care places for vulnerable children) Child Development Grant Disadvantage Subsidy Volunteer Family Mentors Family Intervention Project School Gates Family Reading Matters Family Nurse Practitioner

Employment and Adult Skills -Knowsley Works -CREATE FUTURES -WORKSTEP -School Gates Employment Support Education, Health, Family -Firm foundations -Apprenticeships -Learn Together P/ship. -Family Nurse Practitioner -Volunteer Family Mentor Innovation -Extended Schools- disadvantage subsidy 2 year Pilot Housing Neighbourhoods -Family Intervention project (FIP) -Transport Plan -Fast Track LA for mortgage rescue -Addressing Overcrowding -KHT Advantage Financial Support -Consultation Child Parent Community -Monitoring Outcomes/Outputs -Evaluation IMPROVING INCOME MITIGATING THE IMPACT OF POVERTY PATHWAYS TO BETTER OUTCOMES FOR CHILDREN & FAMILIES CHALLENGING PERCEPTIONS OF POVERTY CHILD POVERTY PROGRAMME BOARD CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE’S EXECUTIVE CHILD POVERTY EXECUTIVE FUNCTION Intelligence/Evaluation Local Area Agreement (LAA) Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS) Social Innovation Laboratory for Knowsley (SILK) once established SUB REGION Multi Area Agreement (MAA) City Employment Strategy (CES)

Practical use of relevant data Taking one theme building block and project: Improving Access to better Outcomes for Children and Families Education Health and Family Extended Schools Disadvantaged Subsidy Baseline data – Child Poverty Tool Kit, Acorn Data, Child Well Being Index, HMRC Data, Locally based Financial Exclusion Index Project Outputs and Evaluation

Profiling Data Her Majesties Revenue & Customs: 2006

Profiling Data CACI 2008

Extended Schools Disadvantaged Subsidy as an example The North Huyton Cluster was identified in Knowsley as financially excluded, experiencing relative poverty, with high Free School Meals eligibility and defined as experiencing Hard Pressed lifestyles. Subsidy has been allocated to schools and consultation has been conducted with children to identify after school activity that improves the health and well being of children. This activity simultaneously provides children and families development activities for the 5-16 (up to 18 if in full time education) cohort. Gathering and monitoring of all children’s eligibility for activity, experience of activity and sustainable outcome generated after funding. Evaluation will occur and the monitoring intelligence will be used to inform the use of other pilot projects such as 2 year old Child Care Pilot and School Gates Disadvantaged Subsidy and vice versa. A cohesive programme structure enables effective intelligence and projects. Practical Outreach CACI 2008

Example National Indicators – narrowing the gap in wellbeing NI 111: Reduce the number of first-time entrants to the criminal justice system aged NI 112: Under-18 conception rate NI 115: Reduce the proportion of young people frequently using illicit drugs, alcohol or volatile substances NI 116: Proportion of children in poverty * NI 117: year-olds who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) NI 118: Take up of formal childcare by low-income working families * This indicator was chosen by Knowsley as one of it’s 35 LAA priority indicators. Intelligence Informing Outcomes CACI 2008

QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS