1. Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion – Irish Experience
Gerry Mangan
Director
Social Inclusion Division
Department-Social, Family Affairs
Ireland

2. Overview Nature and extent of poverty and inequality
Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion -the challenges
Strategic and “Life Cycle” Approaches
National Action Plans and implementation

3. Poverty – Definition for Ireland
“People are living in poverty if their income and resources (material, cultural and social) are so inadequate as to preclude them from having a standard of living which is regarded as acceptable by Irish society generally. As a result of inadequate income and resources people may be excluded and marginalised from participating in activities which are considered the norm for other people in society.” ,

4. Poverty - Measurement
Basic Poverty: Irish measure - consistent poverty
OECD measure - material deprivation
At Risk of Poverty: income below threshold – 60% of average median income,
Depth of Poverty: how far are incomes below threshold
Persistence of poverty: how long are people in poverty

5. Who are the vulnerable? Children and families – lone parents,
larger families
Working age – unemployed, youth, people with disabilities, addictions, immigrants, ethnic minorities, travellers, ex prisoners
Older persons – living alone, and/or frail, dependent, requiring care from family carers,
or in institutions

6. Tackling Poverty or “Poverties”
Poverty is multi-faceted and combating it
requires a multi-policy approach e.g.
Employment & employment supports,
Income supports
Access to services: education, health, care (for children, elderly, people with disabilities) housing, transport, sports and culture etc
Housing and Environmental supports

7. Challenge in 1980s – still the case?
“This poverty stemming from the years of economic crisis is like a cancer growing away at our society…..How is it possible to imagine that we have (such high) social protection budgets …..and still we have so many poor people? This is because the poverty of today slips through the meshes of the social protection net….. The fact is this costly system is not doing its task” (Jacques Delors – EU Commission President in 1980s)

8. Social Partnership – Consultation and Engagement
Social Partners: 4 pillars – employers, trade unions, farmers, Community and Voluntary
Social Partnership: works to get agreement and consensus through negotiations on pay, employment and social provision to meet current challenges
Outcome: National agreements on these on which National Action Plan on inclusion is based
Social partners then directly involved in the monitoring and evaluation of implementation

9. Strategies to meet challenges
Key features of strategies:
Analysis of social and economic trends
Identify and document challenges, both statistically and through consultation with social partners and other stakeholders
Set clear long term goals and objectives
Set more short term, time bound targets for meeting goals
Clear specific commitments to measures to meet objectives
Work to achieve effective implementation, especially through cooperation across Government at national and local levels to achieve better outcomes through more integration
Indicators to measure progress in achieving intended outcomes
Monitoring & evaluation of implementation, and report annually

10. Evolution of National Anti-Poverty Strategies in Ireland
National Anti-Poverty strategy (NAPS) - Ireland’s response to 1995 UN Social Summit in Copenhagen on social development
“Sharing in Progress” first 10 year strategic plan for
, product of wide public consultation and collaboration of Departments, agencies within Government
Similar approach for preparation of more ambitious
revised plan, Building an Inclusive Society for
National Action Plan for Social Inclusion: specific Chapter on social inclusion in National Development Plan (NDP), based on wider social partnership agreement Towards 2016
EU Open Method of Coordination: National Action Plans to present

11. National Strategies - Current
Social Inclusion
National
Development Plan
National Action Plan for Social Inclusion
North South
co-operation
Social Partnership
Towards 2016 EU
OMC

12. Lifecycle approach in strategies
Social Partners agreed a new framework in
Towards 2016 based on each stage of the life cycle:
Childhood
People of Working Age
Older People, and, in addition,
People With Disabilities
Communities
to address key social challenges.
Main purpose: to design and coordinate public services around individuals and their requirements, rather than administrative boundaries

13. Aims of Lifecycle Approach
Assists in meeting strategic objectives through
More coordinated, holistic approach to policy and more emphasis on individual needs
Facilitating and promoting a more “joined up” approach to implementation/delivery
Clearer basis for monitoring and for evaluation, and streamlined reporting on progress;
Facilitates consultation and communication with social partners and other stakeholders.

14. Main outcomes to be achieved
Children: end child poverty ,promote and facilitate child development
Working Age & People with disabilities: significant reduction in jobless households and provide access to quality services
Older people: enable high proportion to live comfortably at home, with access to quality services & residential care, if required

15. Overall Poverty Reduction Target
To reduce the number of those experiencing ‘consistent poverty’# to between 2% and 4% by 2012, with the aim of eliminating consistent poverty by 2016, using the revised definition.
# - relates to deprivation of certain basic goods and services

16. Children: Key Targets
Targeted pre-school education for children in designated areas (mainly disadvantaged);
Halve the number of pupils with severe literacy difficulties in primary schools serving disadvantaged communities to less than 15%
Ensure more than 90% of those aged have completed upper second level education
Maintain value of child income supports at 33-35% of minimum adult social welfare rate

17. Active Inclusion: Key Priority for Adult Lifecycles
Essentially about social inclusion through
activation, where possible, of those furthest
from the labour market, and having three strands:
link to the labour market through jobs, skills
income support for a dignified life, and
better access to quality services, or in UK terms
‘work for those who can, support for those who
cannot ‘

18. Why Focus on Employment
Best route out of social exclusion – at risk of poverty rate substantially lower for people in work than those not in work
Potential for progression and gaining new skills - not available to those out of work
Evidence of broader benefits not directly tied to increases in income, including better health and better social contacts

19. Need for Tailored Services
People furthest from labour market can face a
wide range of barriers
Illness/disability/age
Lack of key skills
Complex family responsibilities
Housing/location problems, and
Need to develop services that are
focussed on the individual,
reflect local labour market and other conditions,
delivered in partnership

20. Working Age: Key Targets
Introduce active case management for all those on long term social welfare - long term unemployed, lone parents, people with disabilities
Support 50,000 into employment, education and training with the aim of reducing by 20%, those totally dependent on long term social welfare
Maintain the lowest social welfare rate at least at € in 2007 terms

21. Older People: Key Targets
Extension of work life: may include in work training, tackling age discrimination in the work place, and supporting flexible working
Continue to invest in community care services to enable older people to remain living in the community
Maintain a minimum rate of €200 in 2007 terms for all social welfare pensions and enhance if possible (target E300 per week in Government programme). Pension policy to be informed by Green Paper

22. People with Disabilities: Key Targets
Raise participation levels in education, training and employment
Additional 7,000 people in employment by 2010
Increase employment participation rate to 45% by 2016
Achieve overall participation rate of 50% in education, training and employment by 2016

23. Communities: Key Targets
Increased focus on the local dimension in developing services for social inclusion – Local Government (eg extension of social inclusion units), Community and Voluntary Sector
Housing - increase output by 60,000 for those unable to meet their own needs by 2009
Health primary health care teams by 2011
Integration of migrants
Develop overall strategy
Provide an additional 550 teachers for language supports
Improve translation services across public sector

24. Delivery Focus on outcomes
Bridge the gap between policy goals, objectives and targets, and implementation
Strengthen integrated approaches
Ensure both national and local responses
Be open to change and ready to close/adapt programmes
Accessible and flexible service delivery
Monitoring and evaluation of performance
Review Milestones (2008, 2010, 2013, 2016)

25. Making it happen! Implementation Structures
Cabinet Committee on Social Inclusion (chaired by Taoiseach/Prime Minister), with Minister for Social and Family Affairs having main responsibility in Government for social inclusion
Senior Officials – mainly policy coordination
“Towards 2016” Partnership Steering Group with representatives of social partners
Social Inclusion Division – Department of Social and Family Affairs
Liaison officers in key Government Ministries
Social inclusion units in Local Authorities
Social Inclusion Forum – annual conferences with representatives of all stakeholders – last one held on 5th November
Housing Forum
Technical Advisory Group – advises on data strategy/indicators

26. Social Inclusion Division
Has responsibility for Government’s social inclusion agenda
Coordinates development of National Action Plan for inclusion (NAP incl) and other relevant strategies
Monitors, evaluates and reports on progress against social inclusion targets in NAP incl
Monitors progress being achieved on priorities for Ireland under OMC and prepares reports for the EU
Support functions: Communications, Poverty Impact Assessment, Data and Research

27. Annual Social Inclusion Report
Review progress of each lifecycle on a systematic basis, drawing together relevant strategies and reports
Social partners/other stakeholders consulted and views also reported from partnership and Social Inclusion Forum
Assessment of Progress achieved towards set targets and actions
Identify new issues, especially of cross cutting nature

28. Poverty: negative impact for both economy and social cohesion
“……poverty and inequality are evidence of an inefficient society, which wastes human resources, opportunities and life chances….
(and they)……will also weigh heavily on our capacity to sustain economic growth for years to come.”
OECD Secretariat to Ministerial Meeting, 2005.

29. Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion
More Information, including latest social inclusion report and strategic plan of Social Inclusion Division on website: