Mission Impossible? Ending Child Poverty in an Age of Austerity The Local Authoritys Perspective London Borough of Haringey Chloe Surowiec

The Haringey Context 39.2% of children in Haringey live in poverty White Hart Lane – 49.2% of families are out of work 72.6% of children in poverty in Haringey are from lone parent families

Background 2008: Member involvement The Child Poverty Action Group is formed The Child Poverty Strategy 2008 – 2011 is launched Partners begin working together to deliver it 2009: First progress report goes to Haringeys Childrens Trust 2010 Child Poverty Act is passed Partnership project group formed to manage the Needs Assessment Partnership sub-groups formed to manage the work of the Child Poverty Action Group

Partnership Working Child Poverty Action Group

Child Poverty Action Group Childrens Trust Child Poverty Action Group Objective One: Worklessness Objective Two: Benefit Take Up Objective Three: Educational Attainment Gaps Objective Four: Housing Objective Five: Corporate Responsibility Child Poverty Needs Assessment Project Group

Some Key Achievements Supporting lone parents into jobs – Local Authority, Childrens Centres and JC+ –Mandatory work focussed interviews moved from JC+ centres into Childrens Centres –Numbers attending have increased Childrens Centre Staff Training – Signposting Families: –For Information Officers and/or the Family Support Officers in Childrens Centres to signpost families to services: –Delivered by Jobcentre Plus, Citizens Advice Bureau, The Family Information Service and the Haringey Guarantee –Needed to train staff to know what support mechanisms were available to families and how they can signpost effectively to the appropriate services

Some Key Achievements CAB working in 10 Childrens Centres –Specific targeting of families in the most deprived and vulnerable wards in Haringey via provision of quality assured Welfare Rights Advice in key Childrens Centres (CC) October 2010: Financial gains: £76,620

Current Challenges Comprehensive Spending Review –Reduction in resources - Councils face an average loss of revenue of 7.25% in each year for the next four years –Institute for Fiscal Studies: families with children are the "biggest losers" in Octobers Spending Review. Analysis needed to understand impact of changes to housing benefit, disability allowances, tax credits and introduction of Universal Credit - e.g. Cap on housing benefit: outward migration from Central London may lead to wider economic and social costs for the borough Economic recovery still fragile - Cuts in public sector jobs - Will the private sector provide enough new jobs?

Next Steps Build on existing partnership work Child Poverty Needs Assessment - Basis for commissioning and prioritising limited resources Innovative service design and delivery - More for less - Big Society - Strategic commissioning

Thanks for listening…. Chloe Surowiec