1. WEST HAM CLP WOMEN’S FORUM Every Women Matters
A contribution to Newham Labour Party Local Election Manifesto   February 2014

2. Every Woman Matters
Consultation by West Ham CLP Women’s Forum in February 2014;
Focus on policy areas to be examined & leveraged to enhance progress of Resilience agenda to benefit the full diversity of women in Newham;
Opportunity to work with the Mayor and Council, alongside East Ham CLP Women’s Group and other colleagues / stakeholders;
Development of recommendations to inform implementation of Resilience agenda over the next 4 years

3. Resilience Agenda and Gender Equality
Dovetail with three core pillars of Resilience agenda:
Community
Personal
Economic
Focus on:
Mechanisms that ensure Resilience agenda works for all women in Newham (incl. those already established)
Tangible and positive outcomes
Measures that are fiscally neutral

4. Women & the Newham Context
2011 Census: Men 52.1% & Females 47.9%;
Majority BAME population & linguistically diverse;
In 2011, 77% of children born to mothers from outside of the UK;
2nd highest London Borough of Families with multiple children;
53.6% of women economically active (2011/12);
45.1% of women employed;
15.7% of women unemployed;
Income disparity between genders with women earning less than the London Median (weekly and hourly rates)
Poverty (2012):
32% of children in poverty (25,400)
33% of children in poverty in West Ham
31% of children in East Ham

5. Policy Focus
Skills & training, including English as a Second Language;
Employment;
Violence against Women (incl. Domestic Violence and Sex workers)
Equality Impact Assessments to achieve progress on gender equality;
Female representation in Newham Council (political and officer levels);
Health Inequalities;
Housing;
Homelessness;
Community Hubs.

6. Economic Resilience: ideas
Women learning to speak English impacts on their multiple roles:
Their ability to support their children at school;
Less time for children to take off school to act as translators for mothers;
Ability to enter Labour Market
Activities under Community Hubs should all include an element of ESOL teaching:  
Parenting classes in Children's Centres  
‘Knit and natter’ model: East London Textiles - people from all backgrounds who talk English while sewing. 
Measures that dovetail with community and individual resilience

7. Individual Resilience: ideas
Skills & training to support young women;
Range and offer of courses available expanded;
Partnership working with local companies good practice (e.g. Thames Water & Costain selling engineering as a route for young women);
Build on the good record of Workplace;
Set ambitious targets:
For successful applicants who are women
Attendance at adult education courses and range of courses registered
Amplify the role of the community hub to work with adult education
 Dovetails with Economic resilience

8. Community Resilience: ideas
Build on the ‘One Stop Shop’ to tackle Domestic Violence;
Training for volunteers (through ACTIVE Newham) who could befriend women at times of crisis;
Preventative measures targeted at men:
Mediation and reconciliation training;
Self confidence and self esteem training
Other activities through the Public health funding
Social housing needs of women alleviated by more support for them to be economically self sufficient

9. Community Resilience: ideas cont…
Transfer of public health to the Council
Commissioning of services that support women to become more self sufficient in key health areas:
Cancer (breast, cervical and lung); 
Heart disease (related to smoking and unhealthy life styles);  
Late diagnosis of these diseases as not enough women are attending the the screening sessions that are being offered
Public awareness and education drive targeted at women;
Training for all LBN staff on the health issues affecting residents so that all departments can effectively sign-post;
Dovetails with economic and individual Resilience.