CHILD AND FAMILY POVERTY IN NORTHERN IRELAND Marina Monteith Child Poverty Researcher Save the Children, Northern Ireland Programme Co-author: late Prof Eithne McLaughlin, Queen’s University Belfast Research funded by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister

Government misses poverty target Thursday, 9 March 2006 Ministers say the government remains committed to wiping out poverty within a generation, but opposition MPs called it "disappointing" and "disturbing". The Government must "redouble its efforts" if it is to eliminate child poverty by 2020 after failing to hit its first target, Minister Margaret Hodge said today. Our historic aim, that ours is the first generation to end child poverty forever… It's a 20-year mission but I believe it can be done Tony Blair, March 1999 Thursday, 9 March 2006

Government misses child poverty target Estimates from the IFS reveal the government will miss the 2010 target by 400,000. Its figures are based on a scale using relative low income, the main measure the government is expected to use in assessing the 2010 target

Child and family poverty research Aims To set a baseline for analysis of child poverty in NI To comment on the risk and composition of child poverty using a range of measures Identify those children experiencing the deepest poverty To make recommendations on what measure should be used and the implications of these analyses for AP strategy and Children’s strategy

INCOME POVERTY Analysis used both McClements and OECD equivalence scales and FRS/PSE and NIHPS data One quarter (PSE) of all children living in low income households BHC NI levels similar to Great Britain AHC NI levels slightly lower than Great Britain Huge growth in housing market - impact

INCOME POVERTY - RISK 71% of children living in workless households are income poor 64% of children living in households claiming income support or job seekers allowance are income poor 59% of children living in public sector accommodation 46% of children living with lone parents 47% of children living in large families 36% of children living with a disabled or chronically ill parent 32% of disabled children (PSE data)

Income poverty - composition Half of all income poor children live in workless households Half of all income poor children live in families dependent on benefits Half live in public sector accommodation and one third in homes owned with a mortgage Two in three live in couple families

CHILD POVERTY RATES Using Mixed Measures Almost two fifths of NI’s children are considered poor using PSE consensual household poverty measure – 38% 47% of NI children lack one or more child necessities 29% lack three or more necessities 7% lack 8 or more necessities

Consensual poverty and children Risk four in five – workless households, NIHE Two in three –lone parents Three in five – chronically ill or disabled parent, disabled child Half of children living in large family Two fifths of children with one worker in family

Consensual poverty and children Composition Children in couple families comprise two fifths of poor children under this measure Children in households with no workers – two fifths of poor children Catholic children comprise three fifths of all poor children under this measure

Child consensual poverty index 32% lacking one or more child necessities and living in consensually poor household 24% lacking two or more child necessities and living in consensually poor household 15% lacking four or more child necessities and living in consensually poor household

The new DWP measure 14% of children living in absolute low income 19% of children living in relative low income poverty in relation to average household incomes in NI 23% of children living in relative low income poverty in relation to average household incomes in UK 16% of children live in households that are seriously behind with one or more key payments 20% of children are poor on a combined measure of adult (1+ lacking), child deprivation (1+ lacking) and relative low income (<70% median) 8% are poor on a measure which combines debt with adult deprivation, child deprivation and relative low income.

The Poorest of The Poor Deepest poverty was examined using Core poverty –relative low income <60% median, lack of socially perceived necessities and subjective poverty measure Consistent poverty –Low income (60% of mean) and lacking one of 8 deprivation indicators Severe child poverty –Relative low income (40% of median), child deprivation and adult deprivation

The Poorest of the Poor 11% were poor on all three dimensions of core poverty 9% were poor using ROI consistent poverty measure 8% were poor using severe child poverty methodology Lone parents higher risk using core and severe as were catholic children Disabled children higher risk with consistent and severe and children with disabled parents higher risk with core and consistent poverty

Spatial Distribution of Child Poverty Using PSE child poverty was greater in cities and towns than in rural areas Using FRS and relative income thresholds children living in urban west were most at risk of child poverty Using FRS and absolute low income thresholds, higher child poverty rates were recorded in urban east, Belfast and rural west Composition – third of poor children live in Belfast, one fifth in rural west and further one fifth in urban west Ward based data showed high concentrations of poor children living in the most deprived wards of Belfast and Derry/L’Derry.

Measures and Targets Government targets –Reduce child poverty by half by 2010, eradicate by 2020 –Reducing child poverty to 65,000 by 2010 (currently estimated 104,000 children in poverty – 2004/5 figures) – approximately 40,000 children by 2010, further 65,000 by 2020 –Will current government policies succeed? –Increase take up of tax credits/benefits –Ensure government policies work for those in severe child poverty

NI – new era! Devolved assembly – NI’s own government up and running since May 07 Lobby for assembly to make child poverty a priority Measurement of child poverty and severe child poverty Development of child poverty indicators to measure progress – standard of living and life chances of poorest 10% of children