ITEM 15 New Strategy and Child Poverty Annual Report
North Lanarkshire Council · 27 September 2023
Back to Health and Social Care Integration Joint Board — 27 September 2023 and its agenda
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1 REPORT Item No: 15 SUBJECT: Towards a Fairer North Lanarkshire – Tackling Poverty Strategy 2023 to 2026/ Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 TO: Integration Joint Board Lead Officer for Report: Alison Gordon, Chief Social Work Officer Author(s) of Report John Campbell DATE: 27 September 2023 1. PURPOSE OF REPORT This paper is coming to the IJB for: For approval ☐ For endorsement ☐ To note ☒ 2. ROUTE TO THE BOARD This paper has been: Prepared By: ☒ Reviewed By: ☐ Endorsed By: ☐ By: The report was prepared by the Chief Social Work Officer in consultation with the Tackling Poverty Officers Action Group.
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2 3. RECOMMENDATIONS It is recommended that the Board: 1) Endorse the ‘Towards a Fairer North Lanarkshire’ Tackling Poverty Strategy and its associated Action Plan as set out in Appendix 1 of this report, noting that it will be submitted to the Council’s Policy & Strategy Committee for approval. 2) Note the 2022 to 2023 Local Child Poverty Action Report as set out in Appendix 2 of this report, noting this will also be submitted to Council’s Policy and Strategy Committee for approval. 3) Note that this report will also be submitted to the NHS Lanarkshire Health and Population Board for approval of the Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022 to 2023 in line with statutory requirements. 4. VARIATIONS TO DIRECTIONS? 5. BACKGROUND/SUMMARY OF KEY ISSUES Background 5.1 The ‘Towards a Fairer North Lanarkshire’ Tackling Poverty Strategy 2020-2023 and its associated Action Plan was approved at the Policy and Strategy Committee Meeting on 11th June 2020. This merged four of the original Plan for North Lanarkshire programme of work priorities for action in order to ensure a better integrated approach which maximised impact and outcomes for our communities. In view of the clear link between child poverty and wider drivers of poverty across our communities the strategy encompassed the statutory requirement to prepare and publish an annual Local Child Poverty Action Report for North Lanarkshire. 5.2 Annual updates on achievements and challenges of The Tackling Poverty Strategy and the Action Plan were submitted to the Policy and Strategy Committee in September 2021 and 2022. With the conclusion of the 2020 to Yes ☐ No ☐ N/A ☐
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3 2023 Towards a Fairer North Lanarkshire Tackling Poverty Strategy being submitted and approved by the Wellbeing and Tackling Poverty Committee on 5th May 2023. 5.3 Amongst the many achievements throughout the lifespan of the 2020 to 2023, Tackling Poverty Strategy: • We saw a reduction in the proportion of children in poverty – from 25.2% to 23.2%, against a very challenging context. Nonetheless one in four children in North Lanarkshire remain living in poverty, which is higher than the national average of one in five children. • The Tackling Poverty Team in partnership with services generated over £99 million in additional benefit income for the residents of North Lanarkshire during this 3-year period. This together with the £22.6 million generated via the Citizens Advice Bureaux, means that over £121 million has been generated by supporting people through the benefits system. • In addition, a key achievement supported by investment, business support and employability initiatives are that for the first time ever the gross weekly pay for local residents is now higher than the national average – an increase of 10%. Further notable achievements are that from our baseline of 5 employers achieving accreditation for paying the living wage, we now having 123 employers accredited. 5.4 In April 2022 the Scottish Government published its new Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022-26, Best Start Bright Futures, as the second of 3 delivery plans required by the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017. Best Start Bright Futures sets out a vision for Scotland of the changes that are needed and associated actions required by the Scottish Government and partners. Recognising both the wider determinants and levers which can impact on poverty this new delivery plan adds a focus on holistic supports to the other key drivers of anti-poverty activity: increasing income via employment; maximising income via social security benefits; and reducing the cost of living. 5.5 This holistic and integrated approach is fundamental to the Plan for North Lanarkshire and whilst maintaining strong links with other elements of the Council’s Programme of Work, Tackling Poverty will be a core strand of the ‘Resilient People’ Programme, whose principal aim is to deliver whole family support locally, when families need it, in a way that is consistent with The Promise Principles and The Tackling Poverty Strategy. This will involve an integrated approach, working with partners, to provide an earlier and more effective response to need. This includes promoting the strengths and skills of individuals and families, increasing economic activity, and providing practical and emotional support, integrating this family with the roll out of town and community hubs to maximise opportunities for community-led and strengths- based approaches.
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4 Key Issues Towards a Fairer North Lanarkshire - Tackling Poverty Strategy 2023-2026 Context - Framing the North Lanarkshire Approach 5.6 In May 2023, the Scottish Government held a cross party summit including representation from Scotland’s political parties, campaigners, public and private sector leaders and people with lived experience of poverty. The First Minister stated that “Tackling poverty and inequality is the single biggest challenge facing Scotland and requires continued, urgent and sustained action.” COSLA President Councillor Shona Morrison said: “The initiative from the Scottish Government is a good one and one which Local Government can get fully behind. Tackling poverty is a core objective for Local Government working in partnership with the Scottish Government, the third sector and public and private sector partners. "The cost- of-living crisis we are living through at present is being tackled head- on by Councils the length and breadth of Scotland and partnership working is vital to achieving positive outcomes for individuals, families and our communities across Scotland.” 5.7 The Poverty and Inequality Commission recognise the following four levers in respect of Poverty:- • work and earnings; • social security; • housing costs; and • costs of living. 5.8 As noted above Scottish Government’s second Child Poverty Delivery Plan – Best Start Bright Futures extend the focus to four key drivers to tackle poverty: • Income from Social Security Benefits • Income from Employment; and • Reduce the Cost of Living • Holistic Supports 5.9 In addition it sets out Scotland’s offer to families in 3 parts: • Providing the opportunities and integrated support parents need to enter, sustain and progress in work;
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5 • Maximising the support available for families to live dignified lives and meet their basic needs; and • Supporting the next generation to thrive What do we mean when we talk about Poverty? 5.10 The dictionary defines poverty simply as; “the state of being extremely poor”. This, however, does not reflect the impact of poverty on all aspects of an individual’s and family’s life. In 2020, North Lanarkshire Council adopted the Joseph Rowntree Foundation definition of poverty, as this addresses not only the lacking sufficient money aspect of poverty but goes further by defining what being “extremely poor” actually means to people. “Poverty means not being able to heat your home, pay your rent, or buy the essentials for your children. It means waking up every day facing insecurity, uncertainty and impossible decisions about money. It means facing marginalisation – and even discrimination – because of your financial circumstances. The constant stress it causes can lead to problems that deprive people of the chances to play a full part in society.” North Lanarkshire Fairness Commission 2018 5.11 Whilst low income and material deprivation are issues rightly at the forefront of the poverty debate, the commission recognised that poverty should not merely considered in terms of income or material well-being alone. Importantly, it is also a matter of health and well-being. The commission highlighted that there is a complex, interlinking relationship between the factors that influence poverty therefore, these cannot be considered in isolation. Currently alongside the legacy impacts of the COVID – 19 and the Cost of Living Crisis, there are number of issues causing or exacerbating the effects of poverty on people in North Lanarkshire such as National Insurance increase, price increases on energy, soaring fuel and food increases, real term cuts in wages, benefits and pensions, core price inflation is at a 30 year high (inflation as eased, but food inflation remains near 20%) and the conflict in Ukraine, which continue to acutely affect inequality and poverty in North Lanarkshire, impacting the most vulnerable in North Lanarkshire’s communities, along with other economic factors; the impact of reforms to the welfare system and patterns of employment. The North Lanarkshire Approach 5.12 The new Tackling Poverty Strategy will continue the commitment to the recommendation of the North Lanarkshire Fairness Commission to not only ensure that tackling poverty has sufficient focus, but also to reflect the fact that poverty is a significant feature of Scottish society affecting many people in many different ways. 5.13 The Plan for North Lanarkshire sets out the committed to focus on the things that will significantly improve the quality of life and well-being for all our
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6 residents, but the supporting evidence base highlights that challenges remain. The Programme of Work to 2028 has been developed to ensure a heightened and more strategic focus on not only sustaining the economic and community aspects that will enable local people and communities (and the place that is North Lanarkshire) to thrive, but also on ensuring a more targeted approach to improving social, health, and economic conditions and maximising opportunities to escalate the delivery of improved outcomes for those that need it most, thus turning the vision of inclusive growth and prosperity into a reality. 5.14 The refreshed Tackling Poverty Strategy is a key component of this Programme of Work and key contributor to ensuring that our residents are offered opportunities, support, advice, and information The Strategy seeks to embody a collaborative approach to maximise effective action building on achievements to date. As outlined above, incorporating the Tackling Poverty Strategy within the Resilient People programme of work recognises the importance of a holistic approach reflected also in the addition of holistic support within the national framework set by Best Start, Bright Futures and that often the most direct, efficient and effective way of helping families is to provide responsive financial support and economic opportunities to achieve lasting change. The new Strategy will reflect this in being structured around the four key drivers of: - • Increasing income via employment; • Maximising income via social security benefits; • Reducing the cost of living; and • Holistic Supports. 5.15 Our new Tackling Poverty Strategy also continues the approach of incorporating the Local Child Poverty Action Report (Action Plan), aligning both Plans into the same lifespan from 2023 to 2026. Both the local authority and NHSL have agreed that the Local Child Poverty Action Reports should be an integral part of the overall strategy enabling also our statutory duty to report to Scottish Government on an annual basis and recognising that child poverty is integrally linked with poverty and wellbeing within the wider community. To support reporting and measuring impact amongst targeted groups the action plan will detail which “strategy/plan” each action relates to, identifying those actions that are specifically aimed at the child poverty priority groups. 5.16 The Action Plan within the Tackling Poverty Strategy details the key elements and priorities of the new Towards a Fairer North Lanarkshire – Tackling Poverty Strategy 2023 to 2026. Partnership Working and Tackling Poverty 5.17 Tackling poverty and its impact on people and communities does not fall on the shoulders of one agency or service. It is recognised that securing long term successful change requires a balance between economic and social
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7 wellbeing. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation identified that some of the consequences of poverty can include: 5.18 A collective approach across the North Lanarkshire Partnership, Community Boards and communities informed by people with lived experience is therefore fundamental to tackling poverty and the barriers to inclusive growth by:- • unlocking the potential of people living in communities with lived experience; • breaking the cycle of poverty; and • opening up opportunities to create more equal communities. 5.19 The strategy, together with the actions identified within the Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23, will ensure that there is concerted collaborative work involving key partners including:- • North Lanarkshire Council; • NHS Lanarkshire; • Police Scotland; • Scottish Fire and Rescue Service; • Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire (VANL); • Department of Work & Pensions (DWP); • Scottish Social Security Agency; • New College Lanarkshire; • Registered Social Landlords; • Skills Development Scotland; • The Community and Voluntary Sector; and • Communities and in particular those with lived experience. 5.20 The approach within North Lanarkshire is underpinned by The Fairer Scotland Duty to reduce the inequalities of outcome caused by socio-
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8 economic disadvantage. Our approach seeks to move people, families and whole communities from dependence to independence through enabling them to be part of the decisions that affect them and through our cash first approach. From a partnership perspective it also seeks to break down referral pathways built around the needs of systems rather than people which are at best confusing and at worst stigmatising. Our tackling poverty measures therefore also need to empower individuals and communities and to build on the desire of our communities to address this issue as reflected in its prioritisation in Local Outcome and Improvement Plans across our Community Board Areas. The Tackling Poverty Officers Action Group (TPOAG) remains our key vehicle for bringing statutory and community and voluntary sector partners together to co-ordinate and drive actions and has been critical to the development of our refreshed Strategy. Stakeholder Engagement and Consultation 5.21 The TPOAG and the Tackling Poverty Team have used different vehicles for ensuring that our residents’ voices are heard and shape our Strategy and accompanying action plan: The Council’s Cost of Living Survey (Support and local information to help cope with rising costs), with over 4,500 online surveys completed by residents and 300 paper copies and the latter, “three questions”, has been used at all events the Tackling Poverty Team have been attending, and has included the following key questions; • How is the cost-of-living crisis affecting you? • How is the cost of living affecting others in our community? • What do you want us to do about it? 5.22 Whilst survey response will help direct our resources accordingly, these responses are traditionally from adults. In order to shape both the Tackling Poverty Strategy and the Local Child Poverty Action Report, it was also important to the Team that our children and young people’s voices were heard. The Team has therefore also engaged with a number of schools, ensuring that we had a mix of primary and secondary schools with a mix also of those within or close to our towns and others in outlying villages. 15 schools have taken part so far and the responses from the children, young people and their teachers have been extremely informative and insightful. The children and young people were given a short presentation about poverty figures in North Lanarkshire and its impacts, and then provided with post it notes to allow them to write their thoughts on this. In doing this it allowed for some anonymity in their answers. 5.23 The Tackling Poverty Officer Action Group are also continuing to work with the Community Partnership Team, to look at the role of the Community Boards and the Local Outcome Improvement Plans in supporting the
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9 engagement/lived experience strand of the strategy and how we ensure this is delivered/reported on appropriately. Key priorities within the refreshed Strategy 5.24 Towards a Fairer North Lanarkshire Tackling Poverty Strategy 2023-26 is an ambitious strategy supported by a comprehensive action plan as reflected in the attached document at Appendix 1. Areas which are new or have enhanced focus in this refreshed and updated strategy include: • The introduction of the fourth driver of Holistic Support to ensure a fully integrated approach as outlined above and the linkage with other key programmes such as those associated with the Promise, Whole Family Support, SAC (Scottish Attainment Challenge) and PEF (Pupil Equity Fund). • A new approach to lived experience and user/community engagement building on the role of our Community Boards. • An increased focus on engagement programmes to increase access to parental employment support, particularly for those in priority groups who are in or at risk of poverty to access and maintain opportunities for volunteering, skills development and work • Creative approaches to enhance access to service though new initiatives and joint resourcing for example growing the Welfare Advice and Health Project (WAHP) in GP practices. 6. CONCLUSIONS 6.1 North Lanarkshire Council Towards a Fairer North Lanarkshire Tackling Poverty Strategy will be delivered in a way that is consistent with the Councils’ Programme for Work – Resilient People delivering the whole family support locally when families need it, ensuring that a “no wrong door” approach is adopted across all our services, meaning that no matter where someone presents there will be a referral gateway to the services that a person or family require to help them out of poverty. 6.2 The successful delivery and outcomes of 2023- 2026 Towards a Fairer North Lanarkshire – Tackling Poverty Strategy – Action Plan. 7. IMPLICATIONS
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10 7.1 NATIONAL OUTCOMES Link(s) to National Health and Wellbeing Outcomes People are able to look after and improve their own health and wellbeing and live in good health for longer ☒ People, including those with disabilities or long-term conditions, or who are frail, are able to live, as far as reasonable practicable, independently and at home or in a homely setting in their community ☒ People who use Health and Social Care Services have positive experiences of those services, and have dignity respected ☐ Health and Social Care Services are centred on helping to maintain or improve the quality of life of people who use those services ☐ Health and Social Care Services contribute to reducing health inequalities ☒ People who use Health and Social Care Services are safe from harm ☐ People who work in Health and Social Care Services feel engaged with the work they do and are supported to continuously improve the information, support, care and treatment they provide ☐ Resources are used effectively and efficiently in the provision of Health and Social Care Services ☐ 7.2 ASSOCIATED MEASURE(S) 7.3 FINANCIAL This paper has been reviewed by Finance: 7.4 RISK ASSESSMENT/RISK MANAGEMENT Yes ☐ No ☒ N/A ☐
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11 Relevant Risk Register Details Current Risk Level Risk Owner Choose an item. 7.5 ENGAGEMENT & PARTICPATION Please tick the engagement and participation objectives that link(s) with this piece of work and provide further details regarding the engagement and participation that was undertaken. Objectives Further Details ☐ Involve stakeholders in the development work aimed at achieving the national outcomes ☐ Provide stakeholders with information on how to get involved ☐ Ensure a diverse range of engagement and participation and opportunities are in place to suit different needs ☐ Measure how well we involve community stakeholders in the planning, design and delivery of our services ☐ Provide regular feedback on how stakeholder engagement and participation is shaping and influencing service development and delivery ☐ Provide support to enable stakeholder representatives to participate meaningfully and confidently at meetings ☐ Develop participation guidelines to ensure a common understanding and set of expectations for both stakeholders and partnership staff ☐ Support engagement planning and participation in localities, taking account of other engagement activity and local plans across the Community Planning Partnership
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12 7.6 INEQUALITIES & FAIRER SCOTLAND DUTY EQIA Completed & Fairer Scotland Impact Assessment Form Completed and attached to report: EQIA added to website: 8. BACKGROUND PAPERS 9. APPENDICES 9.1 Appendix 1 - Draft Towards a fairer North Lanarkshire Tackling Poverty Strategy 2023/26 9.2 Appendix 2 - Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022/23 9.3 Appendix 3 - Equality Impact Assessment 9.4 Appendix 4 - Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) CHIEF ACCOUNTABLE OFFICER (or Depute) Members seeking further information about any aspect of this report, please contact the following; John Campbell, CampbellJohn@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☒ No ☐ N/A ☐ Yes / Date added ☐ No ☒ N/A ☐
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13 Direction from North Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board (IJB) 1 Reference Number 2 Report Title 3 Date direction issued by IJB 4 Date from which direction takes effect 5 Direction to: 6 Does this direction supersede, revise or revoke a previous direction – if yes, include reference number(s) 7 Functions covered by direction 8 Full text of direction 9 Budget allocated by Integration Joint Board to carry out direction 10 Performance Management / Governance arrangements 11 Date direction will be reviewed
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Appendix 1 “Towards A Fairer North Lanarkshire” Tackling Poverty Strategy 2023 - 2026
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Document control Title Toward A Fairer North Lanarkshire – The Tackling Poverty Strategy Document status (final or draft version) Draft Owner Alison Gordon e-mail address gordonal@northlan.gov.uk Governance group Tackling Poverty Officers Action Group Author John Campbell e-mail address campbelljohn@northlan.gov.uk Revision history Number Originator Date Revision description / record of change 1.0 AGC 08June2023 First draft 2.0 AGC 05July2023 Second draft (added financial education on 12th July 2023) 3.0 Writers group 14July2023 Third draft -editing / updating 3.1 AGC 24th July 2023 Survey questions included Document approvals Number Governance group Date approval granted Date approval to be requested (if document still draft) 1.0 2.0 Consultation record (for most recent update) Status of document consulted upon Stakeholders consulted / date Foreword
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In North Lanarkshire we recognise that all sectors and agencies must come together to tackle poverty, this Strategy not only reflects the commitment from each sector but also the voices of our residents, which will shape service delivery across our communi�es. Tackling Poverty Strategy Foreword 2023 to 2026 North Lanarkshire’s Tackling Poverty Strategy 2020-23 reflected a concerted commitment across the Community Planning Partnership to drive inclusive growth and achieve prosperity for the people and communi�es of North Lanarkshire. We wanted to ensure that North Lanarkshire will be the place where everyone has equality of opportunity, a place where individuals and communi�es are poverty free. During the three-year period the council and its partners were able to meet a number of ac�ons, however, the impact of Covid cannot be ignored in achieving the goals we set out at the beginning of 2020. The Council and its partners had to react quickly to the pandemic and the impact this had on our communi�es and ci�zens, this means that some ac�ons in the Strategy had to be re-thought with some being delivered quicker than previously expected and others having to be reconsidered. The global pandemic, a cost-of-living crisis and high levels of deprivation, con�nues to acutely affect inequality and poverty in North Lanarkshire, impac�ng the most vulnerable in North Lanarkshire’s communi�es. Against this landscape we now bring a refreshed Tackling Poverty Strategy for 2023-2026, which sets out our ambi�on to tackle poverty and child poverty, building on our previous plans in this area which have been progressed despite the pandemic. Our refreshed Tackling Poverty Strategy encompasses an integrated mul� service approach within the Council, alongside an increased focus on working externally with all community planning partners, communi�es, and people with lived experience of poverty. A new programme of work was agreed by the council which sets out projects and activity that goes much further, moves faster and in a more joined-up way to improve health and wellbeing and impact on regeneration, the economy, and communities.” However, with one in four children in North Lanarkshire living in poverty, we cannot be complacent and while there are significant improvements, considerable challenges remain and it’s vital that we continue to work with partners to address the unacceptably high levels of child poverty, deprivation, and inequality in North Lanarkshire. Councillor Jim Logue Leader of North Lanarkshire Council Following the Council Elec�ons in 2022, North Lanarkshire Council created its very first Wellbeing and Tackling Poverty Commitee to oversee and direct the Councils Towards a Fairer North Lanarkshire Tackling Poverty
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Strategy 2020 to 2023, the development of the new Tackling Poverty Strategy 2023 to 2026 and the produc�on of the annual Local Child Poverty Ac�on Report in partnership with NHS Lanarkshire. As the Convener of the new Wellbeing and Tackling Poverty Commitee, I am delighted to endorse the achievements of the Towards a Fairer North Lanarkshire Tackling Poverty Strategy 2020 to 2023 and the Local Child Poverty Ac�on Report 2022. Our new Towards a Fairer North Lanarkshire Tackling Poverty Strategy 2023 to 2026, sets out our overarching approach to tackling poverty in our communi�es, with the Ac�on Plan providing the detail as to how the partners will do this. The Strategy will work in conjunc�on with the Local Child Poverty Ac�on Report which will provide supports to children and young people. The Strategy and Ac�on Plan iden�fy work being done and being planned under the drivers to tackle poverty; increase income via employability, reduce the cost of living, increase income via social security benefits and new to this strategy, holis�c supports. The Wellbeing and Tackling Poverty Commitee will strive to ensure that the aims and objec�ves of the Strategy/Ac�on Plan are met and address the challenges that our residents, Council Services, the third sector and other partners over the next 3 years. Wellbeing and Tackling Poverty Commitee – Convener Councillor Geraldine Woods This is the second North Lanarkshire Tackling Poverty Strategy to be produced. The Strategy reflects our commitment to ensuring equity of opportunity for all of our residents.
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Significant progress has been achieved against the ambi�ons of the first Tackling Poverty Strategy, to make North Lanarkshire the place to Live, Learn, Work Invest and Visit. Progress made has focussed on both developing North Lanarkshire as a place and on improving the individual lives of North Lanarkshire’s people. Achievements to date have been pivotal in maximising the poten�al of North Lanarkshire as a place to improve the condi�ons within which residents live. Expanding the provision of high quality housing, crea�ng mul�purpose community hubs that support a much wider integrated service offering in the heart of the local community (and bring educa�on together with other local services, local businesses, and partnership organisa�ons), transforma�ons to town centres, enhancements to ac�ve green spaces to bring physical and mental health benefits, and atrac�ng investment to expand employment opportuni�es have been a catalyst to beter suppor�ng improved economic and community outcomes and improving the quality of life for all. In terms of improving individual lives, recent successes include an increase in posi�ve des�na�ons for young people leaving school, an increase in gross weekly pay for residents, a reduc�on in school exclusion rates, and a reduc�on in the number of people claiming employment related benefits. These successes, delivered against a backdrop of high levels of depriva�on, a cost-of-living crisis and during a global pandemic, have led to more sustained posi�ve outcomes for children, communi�es, and the economy across North Lanarkshire, transforming lives and prospects. The Plan for North Lanarkshire sets out the commited to focus on the things that will significantly improve the quality of life and well-being for all our residents, but the suppor�ng evidence base highlights that challenges remain. A Programme of Work to 2028 has therefore been developed to ensure a heightened and more strategic focus on not only sustaining the economic and community aspects that will enable local people and communi�es (and the place that is North Lanarkshire) to thrive, but also on ensuring a more targeted approach to improving social, health, and economic condi�ons and maximising opportuni�es to escalate the delivery of improved outcomes for those that need it most, thus turning the vision of inclusive growth and prosperity into a reality. This refreshed Tackling Poverty Strategy is a key area of ac�vity in the Programme of Work and a major step in ensuring that our residents are offered opportuni�es, support, advice, and informa�on that will address the drivers of poverty through: - Increasing income via employment; Maximising income via social security benefits; Reducing the cost of living; and Holistic Support Our community planning partners, and voluntary and community sector colleagues are commited to tackling poverty and inequality and our ac�on plan sets out our approach to this. The close involvement of our communi�es in shaping our approach will ensure that we are mee�ng the differing needs in all of the communi�es of North Lanarkshire. Des Murray Chief Execu�ve – North Lanarkshire Council
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Suppor�ng The Strategy NHS Lanarkshire welcomes this strategy and recognises the important role it plays in tackling poverty within our communi�es. The impact of poverty and the cost of living crisis is well documented and is evident within our communi�es. Rising inequali�es also con�nue to prove a challenge. A recent popula�on health impact assessment on the rising cost of living crisis in Scotland, conducted by Public Health Scotland, noted several ways in which rising costs and poverty can affect health including; living in damp homes, worsening of mental health issues and being unable to afford a nutri�ous and varied diet. NHS Lanarkshire plays a par�cular role in tackling poverty, in part, simply by exis�ng to provide care for everyone, free at the point of use. It also has a role as an ‘anchor organisa�on’ within communi�es, offering accessible employment and opportuni�es around economic s�mula�on. However, the partnership ac�vity that is documented in this plan has shown to be the most effec�ve way to meet the challenges facing individuals and families. By ensuring that the services our communi�es use are equipped to recognise when people and struggling and enabling referrals and support to be put in place, jointly we aim to prevent poor health and stop health inequali�es from worsening. Professor S. Josephine Pravinkumar Director of Public Health and Health Policy Voluntary Ac�on North Lanarkshire (VANL) and the wider community and voluntary sector (CVS) welcome North Lanarkshire’s updated Poverty Strategy, which sets out the ways in which different sectors – public, business and CVS - are working together across North Lanarkshire to tackle the complex mix of social and economic factors which cause poverty in our communi�es. Given the challenge of poverty con�nues to nega�vely affect the wellbeing and life chances of many local people - with one in four children in North Lanarkshire living in poverty – successful implementation of this strategy is essential, and the CVS play a key role in this ambition. There are over 850 unique CVS organisa�ons in North Lanarkshire ranging from small, volunteer-led community groups to chari�es and social enterprises of all sizes with many providing wide-ranging and vital support to people experiencing or at risk of poverty. VANL and the CVS also work together and with our statutory partners to provide informa�on on sources of support for people experiencing or at risk of poverty – for example by encouraging use of “ALISS” – A Local Informa�on System for Scotland and help raise public awareness and understanding of the scale, causes and impact of poverty and links between poverty and ac�vi�es to support community wealth building, health, and wellbeing. VANL and the CVS reaffirm our commitment to help tackle poverty, working in partnership with colleagues in North Lanarkshire Council and NHS Lanarkshire. Maddy Halliday Chief Execu�ve Officer Voluntary Ac�on North Lanarkshire
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Contents Page No Title Execu�ve Summary Introduc�on Our Ambi�on – A Fairer North Lanarkshire Resilient People Purpose of the Strategy The North Lanarkshire Profile Talking About What Poverty Means The Three Questions Suppor�ng People – Our Achievements and Challenges The Impact of Covid 19 Covid Recovery The Drivers of Tackling Poverty Increase Income Via Employment Reduce the Cost of Living Affordable Credit Informing Our Residents Advising and Assisting Providing Free Period Products Helping to Quit Your Way Promoting Travel For Under 22s Reducing Fuel Poverty Affordable Homes Income Via Social Security Benefits How Will We Do This NHS Lanarkshire The Third Sector Holistic Supports Whole Family Support North Lanarkshire Alcohol & Drug Partnership Justice Services Financial Education in North Lanarkshire How Will We Know We Are Making A Difference Ac�on Plan Appendix One – North Lanarkshire Profile Appendix Two – Cost of Living Survey Ques�ons Appendix Three – North Lanarkshire Poverty Premium
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Execu�ve Summary The long-term plan for North Lanarkshire is for inclusive growth and prosperity for all, by tackling poverty in our communi�es we will ensure we are working Toward a Fairer North Lanarkshire. In North Lanarkshire we recognise that tackling poverty and inequality does not fall to one Service, or one Sector, we must therefore work together to use our resources effec�vely and efficiently to ensure that all our communi�es have access to opportuni�es that will lead to beter outcomes for people in terms of employment, wellbeing and inclusive growth. This second strategy has been developed in partnership with the Tackling Poverty Officers Ac�on Group – a group with members from the Council, NHS Lanarkshire and the Third Sector, and will assist in delivering key priori�es within The Plan for North Lanarkshire and NHS Lanarkshire's developing healthcare strategy "Our Health Together". In the life�me of the first strategy, we saw a reduc�on in the propor�on of children in poverty – from 25.2% to 23.2%, this however, remains a concern as one in four children in North Lanarkshire are living in poverty, which is higher than the na�onal average of one in five children. This three year Strategy will set out our overarching approach to tackling poverty in our communi�es, with the Ac�on Plan providing the detail as to how the partners will do this. The Strategy will work in conjunc�on with the Local Child Poverty Ac�on Report which will provide supports to children and young people. The Strategy and Ac�on Plan iden�fy work being done and being planned under the drivers to tackle poverty; increase income via employability, reduce the cost of living, increase income via social security benefits and new to this strategy, holis�c supports. The Programme of Work under the Plan for North Lanarkshire, embraces this approach via the Resilient People Programme, the aim of which is to deliver whole family support locally, when families need it, in a way that is consistent with the principles of The Promise and this Tackling Poverty Strategy. Recognising the impact the cost of living crisis is having on our communi�es, the Community Boards have iden�fied tackling poverty as a priority within their Local Outcome Improvement Plans, the work we and our Partners are commited to doing within the Ac�on Plan together with the newly developed programmes within the Programme of Work will support and enhance our communi�es and help us work Toward a Fairer North Lanarkshire.
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Introduc�on Tackling poverty and inequality is the single biggest challenge facing Scotland and requires con�nued, urgent and sustained ac�on. Tackling poverty is a core objec�ve for Local Government working in partnership with the Sco�sh Government, the third sector and public and private sector partners. Whilst low income and material depriva�on are issues rightly at the forefront of the poverty debate, the strategy recognises that poverty should not merely be considered in terms of income or material well-being alone. Importantly, it is also a mater of health and well-being. There is a complex, interlinking rela�onship between the factors that influence poverty therefore, these cannot be considered in isola�on. The 2023-26 strategy has been created against a backdrop of recovery from the pandemic, the cost of living crisis and a number of issues causing or exacerba�ng the effects of poverty on people in North Lanarkshire. Issues such as; Na�onal Insurance increase, price increases on energy, fuel and food increases, real term cuts in wages and welfare reforms con�nue to acutely affect inequality and poverty. Together with other economic factors, this will impact the most vulnerable in North Lanarkshire’s communi�es. Tackling poverty and its impact on people and communi�es does not fall on the shoulders of one agency or service. This Strategy, together with the ac�ons iden�fied within the Local Child Poverty Ac�on Report 2022- 2023, will ensure that there is concerted collabora�ve work involving key partners including: North Lanarkshire Council; NHS Lanarkshire; Police Scotland; Scottish Fire and Rescue Service; Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire (VANL) and the Community and Voluntary Sector (CVS); New College Lanarkshire; Skills Development Scotland; Scottish Enterprise; Job Centre Plus; Communities and in particular those with lived experience A collabora�ve approach is required across North Lanarkshire to secure real ac�on on the biggest issues facing our people, council and our local economy and is at the heart of a fully integrated delivery plan. “Can only afford to exist, not live. Can't treat my kids to days out/ treats like we could before or social events like going out with friends etc” “There’s nothing left after bills are paid. Working to pay bills and nothing else”
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Our Ambi�on – A Fairer North Lanarkshire The Tackling Poverty Strategy has its roots within the Plan for North Lanarkshire, there has been significant and far-reaching progress achieved against the ambi�on to make North Lanarkshire The place to Live, Learn, Work, Invest and Visit. The Plan for North Lanarkshire sets the strategy direc�on not just for the council and partners, but for North Lanarkshire as a place. It outlines the shared ambi�on to make North Lanarkshire the place to Live, Learn, Work, Invest and Visit. The long-term vision in The Plan for North Lanarkshire provides a very clear focus and compelling narra�ve in terms of what the council is working toward, it has been shaped by the local demographic, social and economic profile which is informed by the 28 Health Check Indicators. The vision of inclusive growth and prosperity for all aims to bring equal benefits to all North Lanarkshire’s communi�es and ensure a fairer distribu�on of wealth. Improving outcomes within North Lanarkshire cannot be achieved by delivering single programmes or projects, or by organisa�ons working alone, rather they require many overlapping factors interac�ng together. To maintain the focus on the long-term vision, while ensuring a more integrated and holis�c suite of services and supports in a con�nuously challenging and complex landscape, a new approach to strategic planning has been developed. This approach seeks to sustain the successful strategies from the Programme of Work to date, while tackling the many challenges that remain by further evolving and re-envisioning the councils’ policy direc�on in order to turn the vision for inclusive growth and prosperity for all into reality. The new programme of work will enhance the scale, impact and coherence of all work areas. The newly developed programmes are interdependent; the outcomes delivered within each will support and enhance all the others.
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Resilient People The principal aim of resilient people is to deliver whole family support locally, when families need it, in a way that is consistent with the principles of The Promise and the Tackling Poverty Strategy. The aim is to provide an integrated whole council approach, working with partners to provide an earlier and more effec�ve response to need, that includes promo�ng the strengths and skills of individuals and families, improving economic ac�vity as well as providing prac�cal and emo�onal support. Through this, children, young people and their parents/carers will have increased resilience and ambi�on. O�en the most direct, efficient and effec�ve way of helping families to provide responsive financial support and economic opportuni�es to achieve las�ng change. Resilient People will integrate family support with the roll out of community hubs to provide financial, prac�cal, emo�onal and economic opportuni�es including volunteering, to reduce and tackle inequali�es. Resilient People will ensure that there is a No Wrong Door approach to tackling poverty and inequality across all our community.
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Purpose of the Strategy The Tackling Poverty Strategy will establish an approach that will ensure that the Council’s vision of inclusive growth and prosperity for all is achieved. It is recognised that securing long term successful change requires a balance between economic and social wellbeing. The Joseph Rowntree Founda�on iden�fied that some of the consequences of poverty are: health problems; housing problems; being a victim or a perpetrator of crime; drug or alcohol problems; lower educational achievement; poverty itself - poverty in childhood increases the risk of unemployment and low pay in adulthood and lower savings later in life; homelessness; teenage parenthood; relationship and family problems; and biological effects – poverty early in a child’s life can have a harmful effect on brain development. A collec�ve approach across the Community Planning Partnership, Community Boards and communi�es informed by people with lived experience is therefore needed to tackle the barriers to inclusive growth by: unlocking the potential of people living in communities with lived experience; breaking the cycle of poverty; and opening opportunities to create more equal communities. The approach ensures there is a focus on building on the strengths of individuals and families to improve outcomes for children and their parents, it requires to move people, families and whole communi�es from dependence to independence through enabling them to be part of the decisions that affect them. Families will receive the right support when they ask for it and receive it in their own local community. The approach will break down referral pathways built around the needs of systems rather than people which are at best confusing and at worst s�gma�sing. Addressing challenges through integrated solu�ons, rather than through fragmented approaches that meet one goal at the expense of another supports sustainable empowered communi�es. Tackling poverty measures must therefore follow this same route. Statutory services, the third sector and the community must come together to tackle this issue.
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The North Lanarkshire Poverty Profile Within North Lanarkshire there are s�ll unacceptably high levels of depriva�on and child poverty and clear areas of inequity and inequality. As a result, there are varying levels of social exclusion across our diverse communi�es of place and interest. North Lanarkshire is the fourth largest authority area within Scotland, with a popula�on of 341,400. It is situated in the heart of Scotland with connec�vity to the rest of Scotland, the UK and the world. As the fi�h most densely populated council area, North Lanarkshire is divided into 21 wards which are represented by 77 elected members. Historically, the local authority has experienced higher than average levels of deprivation. The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) 2020 identified across North Lanarkshire 50,897 people are income deprived, equating to 15% of the population. The Scottish average is 12%. Around 22,426 of the 50,897 income deprived people mentioned above, live in neighbourhoods, spread across North Lanarkshire, that are not classed within the 20% most deprived. Income deprivation is defined as those of working age (and their dependants) who are on low incomes. North Lanarkshire remains 6th in terms of its share of datazones in the 20% most deprived in Scotland, sitting behind; Inverclyde, Glasgow, North Ayrshire, West Dunbartonshire and Dundee. North Lanarkshire has five datazones within the 1% most deprived areas of Scotland. This strategy will ensure resources are directed to these areas as a priority. Approximately 2.1% of North Lanarkshire’s popula�on are people from Black or minority ethnic groups. 828 people use Bri�sh Sign Language at Home and 6,678 use a language other than English. Our popula�on is ge�ng older with the over 65 age group set to increase by over 11,000 by 2026. Those in BME groups are more likely to experience higher rates of unemployment. The Fairer Scotland Duty places a legal responsibility on us to ac�vely consider how we can reduce inequali�es of outcome caused by socio-economic disadvantage, when making strategic decisions. We know that poverty is experienced disproportionately by particular groups of people: Older women are more likely to be poor. In 2015-18, after housing costs are accounted for, 24% of children, 20% of working age adults and 15% of pensioners in Scotland were living in relative poverty. Disabled people are more likely to live in poverty. In 2015-18, the poverty rate after housing costs for people in families with a disabled person was 24%. This compares with 17% of people in a family without a disabled person who were in poverty. Disabled people are twice as likely to be out of work and earn less than non- disabled people o Women are more likely to live in poverty. o 90% of lone parents are women o More likely to work part time in low wage jobs o Greater impact from Welfare reform o In 2016 to 2017 women earned on average £1.90 an hour less than me
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Note: Many of the statistics under economy were taken from the 2011 Census. We will look closely at the unemployment rates when the 2021 Census Results are available. People from minority ethnic (non-white) groups were more likely to be in poverty, both after and before housing costs, compared to those from the 'White - British' group. After housing costs 38% of people from 'Mixed, Black, Black British and Other' ethnic groups and 34% of 'Asian or Asian British' ethnic groups were in relative poverty after housing costs. In comparison 18% of 'White British' people were in relative poverty. Gay men are more likely to experience poverty than heterosexual men. Muslims most likely to be living in poverty. In 2015-18, 41% of people who identified their religion as Muslim were living in poverty after housing costs. We must ensure that all groups within our communities particularly those who are disproportionately affected by poverty have equal access all of the services and initiatives outlined in our tackling poverty strategy. A profile of North Lanarkshire is set out in Appendix 1.
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Talking About Poverty and What It Means “Poverty means not being able to heat your home, pay your rent, or buy the essentials for your children, it means waking up every day facing insecurity, uncertainty and impossible decisions about money. It means marginalisation – and even discrimination – because of your financial circumstances. The constant stress it causes can lead to problems that deprive people of the chances to play a full part in society.” In addi�on to the facts and figures about North Lanarkshire, it is important that we dig much deeper and con�nue to listen and learn from the lived experience of the people living in poverty in our communi�es. In the previous strategy a survey was carried out asking people “what makes life more difficult for you financially?”. Following the impact of the covid 19 pandemic and in the middle of the cost of living crisis, the survey was carried out again, asking the same ques�ons. The council developed and re-issued the survey in March 2023. Both an online and paper version asked what makes life financially difficult for the people of North Lanarkshire. The results have helped shape and inform this Tackling Poverty Strategy and our response to addressing poverty. The survey went live on 15th March 2023. It was published on the NLC consulta�on page of our website, adver�sed on social media and sent by text message to parents and carers. NHSL, One Parent Families Scotland, Routes to Work, Voluntary Ac�on North Lanarkshire and North Lanarkshire Advice Network partners disseminated the survey via their own pla�orms. Paper surveys were supplied to those who could not access the online version and in par�cular to English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) groups. This was useful in reaching those within our communi�es who otherwise may not have their views represented. A total of 3,369 responses were prepared for analysis, with a representa�on from all Community Board Areas.
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Broad themes were immediately apparent. 23% of respondents reported that they were not aware of what benefits to claim. In addi�on, comments from respondents informed us that they were employed but just missed out on benefits or were unable to survive even though they were fully employed. “Benefits are too complicated to apply for” “Everything cos�ng more, have 2 wages coming into the house but finding we have no disposable income when bills are paid” “I work a 60-hour week and have had to opt out of pension contribu�ons because I can’t afford them and hea�ng/ea�ng at the same �me” This led us to plan a campaign for Summer 2023 to encourage those who were employed to seek advice to check their en�tlement to Universal Credit, par�cularly considering recent changes widening en�tlement to the benefit. You asked: We did: Improved information on benefit entitlement Universal Credit Campaign (summer 2023) When looking at reducing the cost of living 43% of respondents reported that repaying debts contributed to their financial difficul�es – 20% also reported high interest debt repayments were an issue. This will inform our work around affordable credit and forming closer links with local credit unions. “Ge�ng into further debt to simply afford basics because minimum repayments are so high there’s nothing le� to buy necessi�es/pay bills” “Debt is a real issue – overwhelming” Childcare remains a barrier to employment with a third of respondents repor�ng that childcare is not affordable, while 22% found childcare did not meet their needs. “Better provision for free after school care for full time working parents. My childcare costs last year were £10,000 with one child in full time childcare and another in school and having to be collected by after school care. This does not encourage people to go out and work” “Small age children in school hours limit work ability, must be available to care for needs, sick days, drop off and pick up times” The Parental Employability Support Fund (PESF) helps parents with support in sourcing child care and can even pay child care costs for the first few weeks to remove what can often be an insurmountable barrier for parents looking to make the transition to employment or training. Promotion of PESF to those in the seven priority groups is key in helping people into employment. You asked: We did: Help with Child Care Promotion of Parental Employability Fund
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When asked if they thought their situa�on will get beter or worse, 57% thought it would worsen – yet only 24% of people have asked for help with their financial difficul�es. Comments gave insight into how people want to be able to access advice. We will concentrate our efforts on a place-based approach delivery of advice within the heart of our communi�es. “was directed to help but too overwhelming to try to do anything myself” “provide different methods of accessing advice e.g. libraries, one stop shops, community centres or credit unions” You asked: We Did: More advice and assistance • Cost of Living Telephone freephone telephone • Newmains HUB advice clinic in the heart of the community • Partners funded to provide advice including outreach advice clinics in lowest SIMD neighbourhoods The informa�on from the Survey will con�nue to be further scru�nised to give more detailed informa�on and iden�fy trends and themes. This will be invaluable in guiding our approach through the life�me of the Strategy. (full results of the survey are available at appendix 2) The Three Ques�ons The Tackling Poverty Team have embarked on a communica�ons programme called “The Three Ques�ons” across all our communi�es, this will be a con�nuous programme which will become the heartbeat of our Strategy, shaping and underpinning everything we are doing across the local authority. The “Three Ques�ons” have been shaped around the cost of living crisis, we simply ask; “How is the cost of living impac�ng you?” “How is the cost of living impac�ng others in the community?” “What would you like us to do about it?” Posters together with post it notes have been taken out to community events, schools, supermarkets, libraries, sheltered housing complexes, hospitals – anywhere we can meet members of the public. The post it notes were introduced to avoid s�gma�sing anyone who wanted to have their voice heard but did not want to speak out, but welfare rights officers and debt advisors are also on hand, not just to provide advice but take note of comments anyone wishes to make. The format used has proven to be very successful in giving a voice to all sectors of our community from primary school children to older people.
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The Three Ques�ons have been taken to schools, both Primary and Secondary, as it is important that our children and young people’s voices are heard in the shaping of our Strategy. The young people gave an insight into how the cost of living crisis is affec�ng them and their families, together with what they would like to be done around this. When asked how the cost of living affected them, the impact on socialising was a major issue for the children and young people, whilst 21% stated that they could no longer afford a�er school ac�vi�es and socialising with friends, 56% stated that they could no longer play their consoles, charge their phones as much, all forms of socialising for younger people. The children and young people told us that the cost of living crisis was having an impact in their home and on themselves; “Buying things causes arguments in my house” “I get anxious when I go to the shop to buy food. My dad is off work and is on sick pay. In the next couple of months he will be on half pay and im worried how we will be able to afford things” “my mum panics about money now” “I am poor now” When asked what the children and young people wanted us to do about it, the top two answers from the children and young people were: Free School Meals for everyone and financial educa�on. The children and young people expressed that they wanted to learn about money “make everyone feel equal and understand 45% 21% 11% 10% 10% 3% Unable to charge my phone/ games as often as I did Unable to afford out of school activities/ socialising… Can't play on my consoles so much I am unable to afford driving lessons Less time watching TV Less or no money to buy things for the house How does cost of living affect you - activities A number of responses from the community were in rela�on to not being eligible for the government’s fuel poverty payment as they “just missed out” due to their income. As a result of this the Councils’ response to fuel poverty was to create a fund targeted at those who were on low income but not receiving means tested benefits.
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more about poverty and money….learn about money, how to pay bills, budgeting and money management”. (further details – Holistic Supports) The Tackling Poverty Ac�on Plan will reflect the steps that the Council and its Partners are taking to meet the needs of our children and young people. The Three Ques�ons will con�nue to inform the Tackling Poverty Ac�on Plan and will promote discussions across Services and Sectors at how we best deliver services to our communi�es.
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Suppor�ng People – Our Achievements and Challenges Achievements Throughout the life�me of 2020-23 Tackling Poverty Strategy there have been some significant achievements made, the Tackling Poverty Team, Housing Solu�ons and Social Work Services generated over £99 million in addi�onal benefit income for the residents of North Lanarkshire during this 3-year period. This together with the £22.6 million generated via Ci�zens Advice Bureaux, means that over £121 million has been generated by suppor�ng people through the benefit system. The establishment of a Wellbeing and Tackling Poverty Committee in North Lanarkshire was a clear indication of the Councils’ commitment to the Strategy and working toward a fairer North Lanarkshire for everyone in our communities. Net migration to North Lanarkshire has picked up again after a small dip in the trend and projections. Estimates predict that North Lanarkshire’s population will grow and remain favourable up to 2028. Recent figures show the local economy continues to grow, reflecting a positive position in North Lanarkshire compared to a negative growth position nationally. The gross weekly wage for North Lanarkshire residents is now higher than the national average for the first time ever – an increase of 10% (£63.90 per week) from 2021 The number of people claiming employment related benefits has decreased by almost 48% from 14,195 as at December 2020 to 7,420 as at December 2022 and this claimant count is now lower than pre-pandemic levels. The Furniture Fund utilising RRTP funding provides good quality furniture items beyond the provisions of the Scottish Welfare Fund allowing homeless households to personalise their home and create a stronger feeling of belonging. During 2021/22, Housing First households were assisted at an average figure of £861.39 and has been extended during 2022/23 to include households experiencing homelessness across localities, rather than just Homes First customers. Feedback highlighted that improved personalisation impacted positively on tenancy sustainment and an overall stronger feeling of wellbeing.’ The Mortgage to Rent Scheme’ assists homeowners who are in financial difficulty and unable to meet their mortgage payments by arranging with North Lanarkshire to buy the owner's home and for the owner to continue to live there as a tenant. Just over £260,000 of the Scottish Government allocation has been utilised to assist homeowners with financial difficulties in the 3-year period 2020-2023. Within our schools there have been considerable achievements; educational attainment rates for all pupils gaining 5+ awards at level 6, and for pupils living in the 20% most deprived areas, have seen a steady year on year improvement.
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Improvements can also be evidenced in the number of leavers achieving a positive post school destination with North Lanarkshire achieving a high level of 94.2%. This reflects a drop in pupils not entering a positive destination from 8.2% to 5.5% (around 100 pupils). Overall school exclusion rates and exclusion rates for looked after children both show significant improvement with overall exclusion rates dropping by 56% and rates for looked after children dropping by almost 70%. Throughout the life�me of the Strategy, our communi�es have experienced the impact of Covid 19, the recovery from this and the cost of living crisis, during this �me a North Lanarkshire Child Payment has been made to families; £125 payment to families for each child who are in receipt of free school meals and/or school clothing grant, including nursery children. A total of 11,979 children from 7396 families were assisted. A fuel hardship payment was developed to provide financial support to low-income households who would only receive the UK Government universal payment, payments of £150 were made with applica�ons exceeding 6000. A Pensioner Fuel Grant was paid to over 8000 households with each receiving a payment of £100 to assist with the increasing fuel bills. Recognising the impact the cost of living crisis is having on our communi�es, the Integrated Joint Board funded a Cost of Living Helpline hosted by the Tackling Poverty Team, giving our communi�es access to advice and support. Challenges There is a need to build on these successes and minimise the impact poverty has on people and communi�es. Whilst there has been a 2-percentage point reduc�on in the propor�on of children living in poverty (from 25.2% to 23.2%), we s�ll have significantly high levels of child poverty. With 61,452 children aged 15 and below in North Lanarkshire, 14,256 of those children live in poverty, 5,455 children live in areas where the poverty figure is over the na�onal average of 24% and 3,185 of those children live in areas where poverty levels are over 30%. The North Lanarkshire Local Child Poverty Ac�on Plan details the ac�ons the council and other services are undertaking to support the Sco�sh Government to achieve its stated targets for reducing child poverty by 2030. Although there is a downward trend in the number of working age popula�on with no qualifica�ons, there remains 12.8% of North Lanarkshire’s working age popula�on (around 27,600) who are restricted from accessing employment opportuni�es. The propor�on of the working age popula�on who are economically ac�ve had shown signs of improvement in the a�ermath of the pandemic, however, this has stalled and will con�nue to be monitored closely for signs of stability. Other factors will require further inves�ga�on in terms of employability, as 69,100 people are currently recorded as being economically inac�ve, with 41% of these recorded as long term-sick and 84% recorded as not wan�ng a job. Breas�eeding rates have improved slightly from the 2017/18 baseline and the rate of increase mirrors na�onal trends, however, nearly three quarters of babies in North Lanarkshire are not breas�ed at their 6-8 week review. In 2021 NHS Lanarkshire and partners adopted a mul�-strand approach to promote breas�eeding in
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the community and support mums who want to breas�eed, and this indicator provides a baseline against which partners can measure impact. Life expectancy for men and women in North Lanarkshire remains below the na�onal average and while this indicator had shown signs of improvement, the gains have started to stall and fall back. Equally, for North Lanarkshire residents, the percentage of their lives where the individuals enjoy good health is also lower than the na�onal average. Within the Ac�on Plan of the 2020 -23 Tackling Poverty Strategy, Funeral Poverty was iden�fied as an issue for people within our community. There was a lack of engagement from Funeral Directors and as a result, this issue will be addressed in terms of accessing bereavement and funeral payments. Within North Lanarkshire there are other challenges which will impact upon our strategy and approach, a key factor being the continued impact of welfare reform from the UK and Scottish Government’s with the migration of Personal Independent Payments to Adult Disability Payment and Disability Living Allowance to Child Disability Payment. Whilst the UK welfare reform changes estimates are that 20% of people won’t remain on benefit following migration, the Scottish versions of the benefits have a more favourable qualification criterion. However, the migration process will have a significant impact on disabled people, their families and carers and will take at least until late 2024 to be completed. Whilst we had been able to reduce referrals to foodbanks by using the Food Poverty Referral Gateway in North Lanarkshire, evidence from the foodbanks indicate that referrals have started to increase again. Work carried out with the foodbanks has identified that the timescales and process around the administration of universal credit remains to be impacting on this, as well as the pandemic, recovery of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. The Cash First approached adopted by North Lanarkshire in 2015, continues to lead the way across the country with the Scottish Government, Trussell Trust and other Local Authorities adopting the model. An example of how well the Cash First approach works is outlined by a resident who was assisted with the model; “I thought my only option was a foodbank the welfare rights officer helped me get a grant and I could choose what I wanted for my family….When they checked my benefits I didn’t know that I could get help with looking after my daughter……it has made a big difference” Mother with 3 children (Coatbridge) Across Scotland, there are also some early reports of the impact of the Scottish Child Payment benefit on referrals to foodbanks reducing for families, since its introduction in November 2022, for all children under 16. Over the next two years, North Lanarkshire Council are working in partnership with the Trussell Trust and the Third Sector Advice Services in a pilot to The strategy and ac�on plan 2023-26 will build on our achievements and work towards mee�ng the challenges our communi�es face.
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The Impact of Covid 19 The Covid 19 pandemic had a devasta�ng impact on families and communi�es across North Lanarkshire, with an increasing number of people falling into poverty with further financial challenges for those that were already in poverty. People faced issues such as redundancy, loss of income due to lockdown/furlough or shielding, the availability of childcare had an impact on some people’s availability for work. Whilst the council and its partners in both NHS Lanarkshire and the Third Sector took many steps to mi�gate the impacts of covid, there were also some ac�vi�es within the first Tackling Poverty Ac�on Plan that could not be achieved. Some ac�ons will be brought forward to this Strategy, whilst others will be removed or realigned due to changes in service delivery. The Health Hub for Informa�on and Advice – prior to Covid the tackling poverty team delivered services within 3 health centres, the service was therefore limited to these health centres and the prac�ces that use them. The impact of covid meant that the Tackling Poverty Team were no longer able to work in the Health Centre se�ngs. This however, presented an opportunity to promote the service throughout NHS Lanarkshire, crea�ng easier referral routes. The Ac�on Plan for the 2023-26 Strategy reflects the new opportuni�es provided by NHS Lanarkshire for their pa�ents to tackle poverty and inequality. Financial Educa�on – Due to restric�ons within the schools the financial educa�on programme, MACA was put on hold. Investment is required to develop the MACA programme and this is something we hope to take forward into the 2023-26 Ac�on Plan (see holis�c supports). Establishment of Involvement Group to help shape the strategy and services – The Lead Organisa�on for this, VANL, lost a number of volunteers due to the pandemic and the need for shielding/isola�on etc. In the 2023- 26 Strategy the Tackling Poverty Officers Ac�on Group have taken a different approach to this, using a number of routes to ensure that we hear as many voices across North Lanarkshire as possible. . Covid Recovery On 21 February 2022 the First Minister announced a new £80m Covid Economic Recovery Fund targe�ng support for Businesses and communi�es with the move to a new phase in the Covid pandemic with fewer restric�ons. The policy intent of this funding is to support local economic recovery and cosy of living impact on low-income households. North Lanarkshire received £5.149min funding, the council topped this up with over £3 million to make a budget of £8.613 million. The funding was used to mi�gate the impacts of covid and the then emerging cost of living crisis, with a plan that would ensure a dignified approach to talking the food, energy and fuel crisis by providing, where possible, a cash first response. The plan included;
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The release of £450,000 in grant funding for voluntary and community initiatives to enhance their existing drop-in spaces and premises across North Lanarkshire. The availability of welcome hubs in existing council facilities such as libraries, community and leisure centres where residents can get tea/coffee where possible, recharge digital devices and get a heat and a chat in a stigma-free environment. Taking a ‘cash first’ approach to tackling poverty by encouraging partners and third-sector organisations who provide emergency food to sign up to a ‘pledge’ to work with the Scottish Welfare Fund to access crisis grants as a first response (with food banks being the last port of call). A Living With Less roadshow across the region with the council’s Tackling Poverty Team and partner agencies where people can apply for grants on site and access support for benefits checks, grant eligibility and debt advice. Discussions around setting up a dedicated cost of living helpline in collaboration with the Health and Social Care Partnership to provide advice to residents in need. Frontline council workers will be able to access local heat hubs in a range of council facilities such as schools, libraries, community centres and leisure centres, where they can get a tea/coffee and break from the cold outside. Other staff will also be able to work more locally to their home to reduce commuting costs or domestic heating rates for those who work at home. The release of a £2.161m fuel hardship fund – a £150 payment to eligible low-income households – which can be applied for online. (Further payments of £125 Child Payment and £100 Pensioner Fuel Grant will be paid directly to those eligible). A Living With Less digital and online promotional campaign, targeting a range of residents and signposting them to crisis support such as financial assistance, grants, an online benefit and household budget calculator as well as advice on keeping good mental health and ways to make small savings, household changes and concessions to reduce the cost of living. The cost of living crisis con�nues to impact our communi�es, and all partners are commited to suppor�ng and assis�ng people during this �me, this Strategy and Ac�on Plan reflects the commitment and work done within the four drivers to tackle poverty across North Lanarkshire.
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The Drivers to Tackle Poverty Almost anyone can experience poverty; unexpected events such as bereavement, illness, redundancy, relationship breakdown can be enough to push someone into poverty which can then be difficult to escape. What Are the Drivers to Tackle Poverty? There are four drivers that we can use to tackle poverty in our communi�es; Maximise income via employment Reduce the cost of living Maximise income via social security benefits Holistic Supports North Lanarkshire Council and NHS Lanarkshire together with our partners in the Third Sector are delivering on these drivers to tackle poverty and inequality in our communi�es. Maximise Income Via Employment Driving up income from employment remains one of the mechanisms in North Lanarkshire which offers real opportuni�es to support unemployed and underemployed residents out of poverty. Employability is integrated within Educa�on & Families and contributes to the Brighter Future Programme of Work within the Plan for North Lanarkshire. It has the aim of transforming how we prepare young people and other residents for the world of work by delivering an interconnected programme of educa�on, volunteering, and entrepreneurship throughout various stages of their life. The aims and objec�ves of this are to: • Drive the recovery of North Lanarkshire’s labour market to pre-covid levels • Deliver significant jobs growth • Shape innovative employment pathways in key growth industry sectors • Provide inclusive and accessible support to boost entrepreneurship • Embed volunteering programme as a normal part of life • Transform how young people experience learning and teaching The post pandemic labour market that has emerged is characterised by low unemployment levels but increased economic inac�vity and within North Lanarkshire the employment rate is s�ll below the pre-pandemic levels. The North Lanarkshire claimant count, which acts as a measure of unemployment, was 14,415 (6.6%) people in March 2021 compared with 8,225 (3.8%) in March 2020, a 75% increase on the pre-pandemic level. However, in May 2023 it had decreased to 7,640 (3.5%) and average earnings in North Lanarkshire are now above the Sco�sh and UK averages for the first �me. This is good news, but real challenges remain due to levels of economic inac�vity. The number reported as ‘long term sick’ in North Lanarkshire has increased from 14,900 in the 12 months up to December 2019 to 26,300 in the 12 months up to December 2022. While unemployment is lower
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than pre-pandemic levels the number of people in the workforce in North Lanarkshire has reduced from 174,000 (78.1%) in December 2019 to 157,100 (70.1%) in December 2022. As we begin this strategy, the forecast for unemployment is uncertain as the UK remains within a period of high infla�on and with further expected rises in interest rates which will have an impact on business. From an employability perspec�ve this simply reinforces the long-term strategy of con�nuing to support those further from the labour market in North Lanarkshire to gain the skills needed to get a job and be part of the economic growth of the area. Alongside this we will con�nue to work with local employers to create opportuni�es for our unemployed residents, including those who are economically inac�ve. All employability programmes delivered by or on behalf of North Lanarkshire Council are based on the No One Le� Behind policy which is aimed at inclusive growth, economic transforma�on and tackling child poverty; and aims to deliver a system that is more tailored and responsive to the needs of people of all ages who want help and support on their journey towards, into and in work - par�cularly people with health condi�ons, disabled people and others who are disadvantaged in the labour market. Case Study Aged 21 and living at home with her parents, Jade has a learning disability, and her educa�on was in supported learning establishments and courses. Jade was referred to Project SEARCH in April 2022 as she knew she wanted a job and required support to find the right opportunity for her. Jade worked really hard in her placement within a health se�ng and received £89pw bursary. She was able to demonstrate her ability to learn tasks with rou�ne and structure built around them. Jade was delighted when she was successful in gaining a posi�on as a Porter with Serco in University Hospital Wishaw in February 2023. She now works 35 hours a week and earns £391.30, making her £302.30 a week beter off. Jade said "Starting my job has helped me build up my confidence and my communication skills and well as show me the ability I have in learning new skills. Having a wage is fantastic, it gives me extra money to spend, I don't have to borrow from my parents now, and this makes me feel great." Managed and co-ordinated by the Council’s Employability team, key worker support is provided by partner agency, Routes to Work Ltd. Their support is community based and person centred and focused on iden�fying fair and sustainable employment for their clients. The Council also fund other third sector ac�vi�es, and these are aimed at suppor�ng specialist employability support, again using the person-centred approach which treats our residents with respect and dignity. An important strand of the work carried out throughout the employability service is that of income maximisa�on. Partners within all Projects and Services make referrals to an iden�fied Welfare Rights Officer early in the job search journey. “Beter off” benefit calcula�ons equip people with the correct informa�on on the financial benefits of work. The council also provides a comprehensive Supported Employment service that focuses support on people with disabili�es, mental health issues and care experienced young people. The team has two strands: Supported employment and the supported business North Lanarkshire Industries. Supported employment aims to secure around 100 jobs for its service users per annum. The service supports disabled and disadvantaged people who are facing challenging barriers to find employment and provides in work support to enable the individual to sustain their employment. In work support is person centred and tailored to each individual’s and employer’s needs and makes a significant contribu�on in North Lanarkshire to reducing the disability employment gap.
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Case Study Bobby is 43 lives and with his elderly Mum. Autism means Bobby is very vulnerable and has increasingly become isolated, only leaving home if his Mum is with him. Bobby’s Mum contacted the supported enterprise service to refer Bobby for help in finding a job as she believed that this would give him a reason to go out and meet people and gain some independence. The employability welfare rights officer (WRO) carried out a benefit check and established that Bobby was only receiving the standard rate of universal credit. To maximise his income, the WRO provided support to obtain a fit note from the GP, upload this onto Bobby’s journal and complete a capability for work questionnaire. Bobby was awarded work related activity component, increasing his UC amount by £354.28 per month. A claim for Personal Independence Payment was also made and enhanced rates for care and mobility were awarded. Maximising Bobby’s income gave him a bit more motivation to want to go out to work and the job coach soon found Bobby some voluntary work in a catering environment. This led onto a part time job which has boosted Bobby’s confidence and made him a lot more independent. Figures below illustrate how Bobby is better off in work: Income at point of referral Income after initial maximisation by WRO Income when employed Universal Credit £77.28 £159.04 £159.04 Personal Independence Payment N/A £61.85 Care £24.45 Mobility £61.85 Care £24.45 Mobility Wage N/A N/A £82.50 TOTAL WEEKLY INCOME £77.28 £245.34 £327.84 WEEKLY INCREASE N/A £168.06 £250.56 In 2023 there are major changes in the external funding environment around employability in North Lanarkshire with significant new investments from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the Sco�sh Government’s No One Le� Behind fund bolstering the significant contribu�on from the Council to employability in North Lanarkshire. In targe�ng employment support on those at the margins of the labour market and on low incomes, our aspira�on is that they will have a posi�ve impact when delivered in tandem with the other tackling poverty ac�vi�es across our communi�es. The projects being delivered include: - Area based programmes to tackle economic inactivity with an additional focus on parents on low incomes - Support across all communities for unemployed residents to access work opportunities - Broad range of employment programmes for low-income parents including engagement activities, and support with childcare, training, skills development and in-work support - Continued focus on supporting our young people into sustained positive destinations in their transition from school to the labour market, including those with additional support needs and care experienced - Supported employment activities to all residents with significant barriers - North Lanarkshire Industries Supported Business
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- Specialist support to thematic groups that is tailored to their needs The work of employability in North Lanarkshire is integrated na�onally and locally with strategic plans and the community planning process through its Local Employability Partnership as well as with the Tackling Poverty Strategy. It also contributes to the area’s community wealth building ac�vi�es. Reduce The Cost of Living There is much work to do but with a clear ac�on plan we can reduce the impact of the Cost of Living Crisis on the people of North Lanarkshire and in turn, create financial resilience within our communi�es. In 2023, UK households are facing the steepest increases in living costs in a genera�on. The Sco�sh Fiscal Commission expects that Sco�sh households will see the biggest fall in disposable income since records began in 1998. The Office for Na�onal Sta�s�cs also shows a basic shopping basket has increased by an average 23% on last year’s figures. Even the cheapest value ranges in budget supermarkets have experienced increases as high as 46% meaning those with lower incomes are spending a higher propor�on of their income on food. It comes as no surprise that fuel poverty rates have increased in line with soaring energy costs. The Fuel Poverty (Scotland) Act 2019 established a new two-part defini�on whereby a household is considered fuel poor if: • Fuel Poverty - After housing costs, when more than 10% of the household net income is required to pay for reasonable fuel needs • Extreme Fuel Poverty - After housing costs, when more than 20% of net income is required to pay for reasonable fuel needs A Sco�sh Government report on the Cost-of-Living Crisis (January 2023) expects the Fuel poverty rate in April 2023 to be 39% of households in Fuel Poverty, 34% of these to be in extreme fuel poverty. In North Lanarkshire 59, 634 households will be in Fuel Poverty and 51, 989 of these will be in extreme Fuel Poverty. The social rented sector will have the highest rate of fuel poverty at 61%. The poorest in our communi�es o�en have to pay extra costs for essen�al products and services, o�en referred to as the “poverty premium”. This can include everything from using prepayment meters for fuel, paying to access their own cash at ATMs or being pushed towards High-cost credit. The University of Bristol’s Personal Finance Research Centre’s “Fair by Design” Campaign to end the poverty premium found that almost 23% of households in North Lanarkshire have significantly higher costs due to the poverty premium, as the figures for each of North Lanarkshire’s UK parliamentary cons�tuencies below show. The full table is available at appendix three.
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*Na�onal Records of Scotland: UK Parliamentary Cons�tuency (UKPC) Household and Dwelling Es�mates (2011 Data Zone Base Promo�ng Affordable Credit Op�ons Research shows that people in North Lanarkshire paid an extra £2,085,957 last year due to high costs of credit. It is not acceptable that the poorest people in our communi�es are forced to pay the highest costs for credit. Credit unions no longer deserve the "poor man’s bank" label attached to them – this only creates stigma and discourages people from joining. Instead, we must encourage the financially astute to become members of the credit union in their area. Credit unions are ethical financial institutions that offer free life insurance and loan protection to our members. This is unique in the Financial Sector. We need the whole community to be members so we can lend to all of our members, including those who are financially stressed or aspire to a better standard of living as we will then have the finances to do so. Julie Reddin, Director of Associa�on of Bri�sh Credit Unions Ltd (Scotland) There are 21 affiliated credit unions in North Lanarkshire (5 credit unions affiliated to Scottish League of Credit Unions & 16 Credit Unions affiliated to Association of British Credit Unions Ltd) and we have an important role to not only promote them but to work in partnership. One way to do this is to recruit local employers who will promote the benefits of Credit Unions within their workforce. NLC Tackling Poverty Team is developing a model of working with local employers to promote credit unions and other aspects of Financial Educa�on, with the aim of employers then encouraging their workforce to sign up to payroll deduc�ons with a local credit union. Illegal money lending is known to take place in North Lanarkshire with loan sharks targe�ng the most vulnerable in our communi�es. Those who use them are o�en desperate and don’t know where else to turn for help. North Lanarkshire Advice Network, an umbrella organisa�on for all advice agencies opera�ng in the area will work in partnership with Sco�sh Illegal Money Lending Unit to increase its reach within our communi�es to stamp out loan sharks. NLC tackling Poverty Team are also working towards achieving the “Stop the Loan Sharks” Chartermark and will soon appoint an illegal money lending Champion to take forward this work. Informing our Residents The huge impact of the Cost of Living Crisis called for large scale co-ordinated informa�on distribu�on in order to inform and educate about help available: - • Over 36,000 page views on newly developed NLC and NHSL Cost of Living Web pages • 2,521 Benefit Calculations carried out by residents on our newly developed online benefits calculator • 87 personal budget plans completed on our Budget planner tool • Co-production of the North Lanarkshire “Money Worries” leaflet with independent Food Aid Network and distribution of 27, 000 leaflets • Money Worries Training delivered to 46 attendees from North Lanarkshire’s identified “Warm Spaces” Motherwell and Wishaw Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill Airdrie and Shotts Total cost of poverty premium £ 5,034,499 £ 3,743,300 £ 4,518,868 £ 4,439,222
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Advising and Assis�ng We will con�nue to provide Advice, Support and Representa�on to those experiencing Problems with Debt. The Cost of Living Crisis has saw an increase in the numbers of people seeking advice across both local authority and Ci�zens Advice Network. Health staff including NHSL Link Workers based within GP surgeries provide a crucial role in referring those experiencing Physical and Mental Health impacts caused or worsened by Debt Worries and referred 181 people over the last year (an increase of 64 on the previous year when the GP link worker scheme started) A total of 6,725 referrals for debt advice were received over the life�me of the Strategy by both NLC and CAB Debt Advisers. Number of Referrals Received Apr 20 – Mar 21 1937 Apr 21 – Mar 22 2199 April 22 – Mar 23 2589 Amount of Debt Dealt With Apr 20 – Mar 21 £10,267,242 Apr 21 – Mar 22 £10,023,578 April 22 – Mar 23 £11,875,983 Amount of Debt Writen Off Apr 20 – Mar 21 £2,032,758 Apr 21 – Mar 22 £1,292,445 April 22 – Mar 23 £1,741,159 Providing free Period Products In 2022/23, 399,140 products were delivered in North Lanarkshire; 78,396 of these were in schools. We will work to expand and improve provision of Period Products to ensure that everyone who needs them can access them freely. We will con�nue to grow our network of 117 local access points within North Lanarkshire through council buildings local community groups with the aim of products being readily available within a 20 min journey. To help us achieve this we have partnered with Community Groups including those who provide emergency food provision. In 8 local areas e-bikes are used to deliver product to the doorstep for women who would not otherwise be able to access them and for those using food banks, products are made available there. We have also supplied dispensers and period products to Accident and Emergency Departments in Both University Hospital Wishaw and University Hospital Monklands and provide products to Health Centres across North Lanarkshire.
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We recognise that s�gma remains a barrier to access, par�cularly amongst younger women and girls and to address this educa�on is key. A peer support programme is planned and will see senior pupils and community group members develop and deliver an educa�on programme to their peers promo�ng dignity, equality and an end to period poverty. Helping people to “Quit Your Way” Research by Ash Scotland showed that 63,000 households in Scotland would no longer experience relative poverty if people were empowered to successfully give up tobacco. 42% of all households in Scotland containing people who smoke are currently living in relative poverty, a figure which could be reduced by around 10% if tobacco was not a factor. Reducing smoking prevalence in Scotland by just one percent could lift more than 3,700 households out of relative poverty. A training module has been developed by ASH Scotland and NHSL Tobacco Control Team which will be used by ASH Scotland to facilitate training on smoking and poverty. The NHSL Tobacco Control team have already offered this training locally to advisors within the Tackling Poverty Team, so that Welfare Rights Staff and Debt Advisers can promote the “Quit your way” programme and signpost people to the service. “I’ve been putting this cash by in a tin that I would spend on cigarettes. My Grandson wanted a football strip which I thought was too much money to buy him, but after 10 days of quitting smoking I was able to buy it for him. I’m also keeping the money I’m saving for Christmas and other bills. That was just a part of it though, my health was the main reason and I now have more energy and my house doesn’t smell of smoke anymore.” (Quit Your Way – successful participant)
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Promo�ng Free Travel for under 22s Since its launch in January 2022, the scheme has been promoted widely and con�nually through schools, within the community, on NLC and NHSL websites, by social media (Corporate and youthwork, CLD channels), and by colleagues working with children, young people, and families. Parents and Carers have received text messages direct to parents and Community Learning & Development Staff con�nue to engage with applicants. Efforts have been made to encourage applica�ons from disadvantaged groups such as care experienced young people, refugees, families living in poverty, social work service users, and young job seekers, students and those working with partner agencies. Uptake varies widely amongst different age groups with. At either end of the age spectrum 5 year olds and 21 year olds have taken up fewest travel cards but 80-90% of 10-12yrs have obtained a travel card. Reducing Fuel Poverty Fuel Poverty rates are es�mated to be at 39% in North Lanarkshire with Social Housing Tenants faring even worse with rates as high as 61%. Whilst some financial help is s�ll available from UK and Sco�sh government, this will only par�ally address the problem and only some will be eligible for help. North Lanarkshire Energy Advice Service was commissioned in early 2023 to provide mentoring, support and advocacy to our most vulnerable households to ensure no one has to struggle between choosing to heat or to eat. Energy Mentors will empower and equip households with the skills and knowledge to reduce energy and achieve sustainable outcomes. Ci�zens Advice Network in North Lanarkshire Delivered Energy Advice via a number of ini�a�ves from 2020- 2023. Motherwell & Wishaw CAB partnered with Airdrie CAB to provide a single point of contact for vulnerable energy consumers across North Lanarkshire experiencing nega�ve energy usage and debt situa�ons. Tenants and homeowners accessed mul�-channel support for energy issues and nearly 7,000 people were assisted in the last three years and assisted in wri�ng off over £500,000 of energy debt.
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Home Energy Scotland are Key partners for agencies in North Lanarkshire to refer to for both expert Energy Advice and practical measures to combat fuel poverty. Over the year 1st April 2022- 31st March 2023; • Home Energy Scotland engaged with 6,427 households in North Lanarkshire • 998 of those households had at least one child under 16 • 1,000 of those households were 65years or over • 1,473 of those households had a disability • 450 Households in Fuel Crisis were referred to National Fuelbank and assisted with emergency vouchers • 1,168 referrals were received from partner agencies through Home Energy Scotland’s online portal Provide Affordable Homes for our Residents The council are commited to delivering 5000 affordable new homes by 2035, reducing the cost of living by increasing the supply of affordable, energy efficient homes. To date (end of December 2022), a total of 1,566 affordable homes delivered comprising of 970 new build homes and 596 Open Market Purchase Scheme/Empty Market Purchase Scheme homes. OMPS was expanded during 2022/23 to acquire homes that would enable common works to move forward in priority blocks and allow the only remaining owner occupier to remain in their proper�es as a social tenant, with a further later expansion to alleviate homelessness. North Lanarkshire Council will aim to con�nue to meet Energy Efficiency Standards for Social Housing (EESSH) at band C and D for NLC Proper�es. Government Funding Schemes will be fully u�lised to make energy efficient upgrades including central hea�ng and insula�on. Wider Area based Schemes will also fund energy efficiency of NLC Housing Stock. The Council achieved 99.4% of our proper�es with an EPC ra�ng of D (SAP 55 or above), which is slightly above last year’s figure of 99.2%. By 2025, social landlords will be unable to rent proper�es rated below an EPC ‘D’. A new EESSH standard requires that all social housing meet EPC band B or is as energy efficient as prac�cally possible by the end of December 2032, within the limits of cost, technology and necessary consent. Wider Area based Schemes con�nue to be u�lised to also fund energy efficiency of NLC Housing stock.
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Food Poverty – The Pledge Maximise Income Via Social Security Benefits There have been considerable achievements in the 2020-23, Tackling Poverty Strategy under Income from Social Security, the most notable being genera�ng addi�onal income of nearly £100 million for our residents within the three years of this strategy. Covid impacted on service delivery and some of the ac�ons detailed within the Plan, this was due to the way services had to be delivered, therefore for example the training programme for Health Staff was delayed with many health staff being redirected to other services to ensure the health service was able to meet the demands put upon them. This ac�on will feature in the 2023-26 Ac�on Plan together with some new ini�a�ves that are now taking place in health se�ngs. This includes the investment for the Cost of Living Helpline, demonstra�ng the recogni�on of the links between poverty and health inequali�es. North Lanarkshire Food Poverty Referral Gateway was introduced in 2015, leading the way in Cash First approaches to tackling food poverty and insecurity in our communi�es. An approach now adopted by the Sco�sh Government. To affirm the approach an event was held in 2022 asking emergency food providers to sign up to “The Pledge” where we will ensure that no one is le� without food, and they will have access to income maximisa�on and budge�ng services. As we move through 2023, the Food Poverty Ac�on Group are working to cement this approach, Trussel Trust and the Ci�zens Advice Bureau have atracted funding to augment the Gateway.
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Therefore, a major founda�on of our work to tackle poverty in North Lanarkshire remains a strong commitment to income maximisa�on. Since 2011, the Tackling Poverty Team, Social Work Service and Housing Solu�ons have carried out 263,000 benefit checks, genera�ng £383 million in addi�onal benefit income for the most vulnerable residents of North Lanarkshire. Rising living costs and historically low benefit levels mean that many families on low and middle incomes now struggle to meet their basic outgoings. New research from Policy in Prac�ce – Missing Out April 2023, finds that £18.7 billion of benefits intended to help these families remains unclaimed. Therefore, maximising household income through the take up of benefits is essen�al to support families and reduce harm from homelessness, debt or other crises. Policy in Practice – Missing Out Report – Unclaimed Benefits April 2023 From these findings it is important that our Ac�on Plan for Tackling Poverty ensures the “no wrong door” approach is embedded into our prac�ce across all internal services together with our partners in NHS Lanarkshire and the Third Sector. How will we do this? The Tackling Poverty Team has produced Poverty Awareness Sessions, which can be tailored not just to the Services we are delivering to, such as social work, health, educa�on, addic�on etc, but can also be drilled down to impacts in each Community Board area. In doing this we can look at referral gateways and solu�ons that are bespoke to each service and locality, therefore suppor�ng referrals to income maximisa�on services. A Cumbernauld resident contacted the Tackling Poverty Team advising that he had tried mul�ple �mes to claim his state pension without success. The Tackling Poverty Team supported him to get his pension into payment and backdated to the day he reached pension age. They iden�fied that he also had an en�tlement to Pension Credit and Council Tax Reduc�on. The man received a backdated pension payment of £6000, together with pension credit of £73 per week together with full council tax reduc�on. An annual increase of £3796 addi�onal income for the man. The man stated, “he couldn’t be happier he was getting nowhere himself.”
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The Poverty Awareness Sessions have now been delivered to over 200 staff, prac��oners and community members, the programme will con�nue and be adapted to ensure relevance for each organisa�on delivered to. The feedback has been really posi�ve; “informative session and great examples shared today” “I learned lots from the session that I didn’t know” “Seeing the information for my locality was hard hitting, but we were then told about the referral routes for us……I feel more confident to approach the issue of money now” The Tackling Poverty Awareness sessions are designed to ensure that the ethos within the Programme of Work where we muster our resources and recognise that poverty is not something that we can look at on its own is reflected in this. Poverty impacts all areas of life, the Joseph Rowntree defini�on the Strategy has adopted reflects this; “Poverty means not being able to heat your home, pay your rent or buy the essentials for your children. It means waking up every day facing insecurity, uncertainty and impossible decisions about money. It means facing marginalisation, and even discrimination, because of your financial circumstances. The constant stress it causes can lead to problems that deprive people of the chance to play a full part in society.” In recognising this, it is important to acknowledge that in working to achieve our goal to reduce and tackle poverty in North Lanarkshire this is not something that one service can do on its own. Referral pathways ensure that services have access to specialised advisors, inves�ng in internal and external services ensure that people have access to those advisors. NHS Lanarkshire The Health Founda�on in 2020 stated that Income is associated with health; people in the botom 40% of the income distribu�on are almost twice as likely to report poor health than those in the top 20%. Poverty in par�cular is associated with worse health outcomes. Income and health can both affect each other – lower income is associated with more “stressors” which can harm health and allow fewer opportuni�es for good health. Poor health can limit the opportunity for good and stable employment and so affect income. NHS Lanarkshire has made significant investment in tackling poverty measures in North Lanarkshire including within income maximisa�on services. Recent investments include the funding of a Cost of Living Helpline hosted by the Councils’ Tackling Poverty Team giving people access to both income maximisa�on and money advice services. Referral pathways have been established to make it easy for health staff to refer pa�ents into the team to get the supports they need; “As a Health Visitor it is reassuring to know that the Tackling Poverty Team have the knowledge and skills to assist the families we work with both by providing advice and practical support.
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“As a Health Visitor it is very easy to make a referral to ensure our families receive the best support in maximising their incomes.” NHS Lanarkshire have established “GP Link Workers” with a referral route to their partners in both the councils’ Tackling Poverty Team and the Ci�zens Advice Bureaux. The Link Workers are available in various GP surgeries across North Lanarkshire, over the last two years the link workers have referred 860 people for help with welfare rights and 252 people for help with money/debt advice. The total income generated to date from these referrals is £330,260. The Improvement Service have also funded a project within North Lanarkshire; Welfare Advice and Health Partnership, where we are improving access to money and welfare rights advice in health care se�ngs. This is achieved by embedding advice workers in health se�ngs and providing consensual access to medical recorBased in three surgeries across North Lanarkshire this project has proven to be extremely successful, with 357 referrals received in one year genera�ng £715,865. The feedback received from the medical prac�ces has been nothing but posi�ve for this service; “The welfare rights officer joined the practice once a week to help with our patients and has been a great help to the patients not only from a financial point of view but also from a mental health and wellbeing perspective, some people are in a situation where they don’t know what to do or who to turn too, the welfare rights officer goes over and above to help sort out their affairs or tries to make sure they are getting what is right, in turn patients seem relieved and feel light is at the end of the tunnel which often lifts the anxiety they have been living with” Waverley Medical Practice, Coatbridge “The welfare rights officer has been an amazing addition to our practice MDT. She is very hard working, approachable and a great team member. The project has been helping our patients greatly and easing their financial pressures, which has a very positive impact on their mental and physical health. This is more important than ever whilst in the midst of a cost of living crisis. The project has been welcomed fully at Old Mill, patients are engaging well and getting the help they need due to their poor health and mobility. I would honestly say this project has been the most helpful and useful addition we have ever had, and patient feedback has been excellent.”
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Dr Aimee McGinness – Old Mill Practice, Bellshill The Third Sector The Tackling Poverty Team are responsible for the commissioning of external advice services to provide welfare rights and debt advice. The successful candidates for 2023-25 have been 5 local Ci�zens Advice Bureaux. The Ci�zens Advice Bureaux (CABx) are commited to working with the Tackling Poverty Officers Ac�on Group in implemen�ng the Strategy and Ac�on Plan. The CABx have contributed to maximising income across the local authority genera�ng £22.6 million in addi�onal income for residents during the three year period (2020-23) of the last Tackling Poverty Strategy. The CABx are also commited to tackling food poverty by implemen�ng the councils’ Food Poverty Referral Gateway which promotes the Cash First approach. Trussel Trust are working in conjunc�on with the local CABx over the next 2 years focussing on enhancing access and engagement with the North Lanarkshire Food Poverty Referral Gateway. Augmen�ng the exis�ng Gateway as the preferred route for cash first support and ensuring a dignified and holis�c approach to tackling food poverty and insecurity. The pilot will be delivered in communi�es with Motherwell, Wishaw and Airdrie in local community hubs working alongside community organisa�ons in both one to one and group se�ngs, providing advice, support and training. The case studies and the tes�mony from the GP prac�ces highlight the rela�onship between poor health and poverty, and the need for the important joint work with NHS Lanarkshire to con�nue across our communi�es. Case Study from Waverley Prac�ce – Welfare Advice and Health Partnership The GP made a referral to the Welfare Advice and Health Partnership for a man who had completed an applica�on for Personal Independence Payment which was refused. A�er lodging an appeal, the man was seeking representa�on, the Welfare Rights Officer asked the man to sign a mandate authorising North Lanarkshire to act on his behalf. The Welfare Rights Officer was able to access the man’s medical records from the NHS system and enclosed the evidence with the mandate. On receipt of this evidence the decision was overturned within a week, with an award of both Enhanced Rate Mobility and Daily Living. As with all cases the man was given a benefit check and the Welfare Rights Officer iden�fied that he was missing the Sco�sh Child Payment for his two children, aged 12 and 13. The man was unaware that this could be claimed. As a result of the referral from the GP the man’s income has now been increased by £206.90 per week (£10,758.80 per annum)
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HOLISITIC SUPPORTS In North Lanarkshire we recognise that to deliver sustained reduc�ons in child poverty over the long term, and to break that cycle of poverty, ensuring that our children living in poverty do not grow up to be adults living in poverty, we will work with our partners to provide the integrated and holis�c support parents need to enter employment, improve their wider wellbeing and engage with the drivers of poverty. In North Lanarkshire we are commited to delivering a “No Wrong Door” approach to our services to ensure that all residents, including those in poverty and those at risk of falling into poverty receive the right support at the right �me. Ensuring all families have the support they need, regardless of what those supports may be, is essen�al if we are to enable families to thrive in all aspects of their wellbeing. Whole Family Support The aim of the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund is to provide addi�onal resource to support the transforma�on of the system of support to children and families in line with the Na�onal Principles of Holis�c Family Support and ambi�on of The Promise to provide flexible family support, enabling more children to remain loved and supported within their own families. The Promise places a requirement on Local Authori�es and their partners to transform whole systems and culture to ensure all children, in any aspect of care, thrive through nurturing and loving rela�onships with access to support that strengthens communi�es and families. The Promise places preven�on and family support at the heart of its vision. The Promise Plan 2021-24 published on 31st March 2021 sets out 5 key priori�es for the first phase of implemen�ng The Promise including a focus on ‘Whole Family Support’ with an expecta�on that the 10 key principles of family support outlined within the Promise are embedded into prac�ce by 2024 and that there is a place in every community for families with children ‘to stay and play with their children and get support and CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU – COATBRIDGE A 41 year old man with 4 children presented to Coatbridge Ci�zens Advice Bureau, he himself had health issues. He contacted the Ci�zens Advice Bureau explaining he had a £12,000 benefit overpayment which had resulted as a clerical error by the DWP five years previous. The man himself had tried to dispute this himself with DWP but was ge�ng nowhere, he asked the CAB to help him. The case worker took the man’s case to appeal and was successful in their argument meaning that the overpayment was writen off. The man stated, “if it wasn’t for the CAB service especially the welfare rights team, my mental health would have been so poor that I would have gone down a dark path”.
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advice’. This aligns closely with the Tackling Poverty strategy and the aspira�ons of the Plan for North Lanarkshire; and in par�cular plans to develop community hubs as a central vehicle to deliver support, enhance community capacity and support every child to reach their poten�al. Research has shown there is a rela�onship between poverty and longer-term nega�ve outcomes for children (Lewer et al, 2019) and that while the rela�onship between poverty and child abuse and neglect is complex, studies have also shown that financial support and increased income lead to lower levels of child maltreatment (Bywaters et al, 2016). North Lanarkshire Council, as part of the Covid-19 Tackling poverty plan, adopted a ‘cash first’ approach to suppor�ng the most vulnerable families to address basic needs, which proved effec�ve in promo�ng improved outcomes. By providing money directly to families North Lanarkshire’s strength based and collabora�ve approach offered welcomed financial relief. In order to provide holis�c family support that truly aligns with the Promise and Tackling Poverty ac�on plan, there is a clear need to join up services so that people can experience a seamless transi�on into addi�onal and intensive level supports and services. This improves access to exis�ng exper�se within our services. These na�onal policy aims align with the Plan for North Lanarkshire and the Council’s new Programme of Work which makes family support central to its opera�ng model through the Resilient People workstream. North Lanarkshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership North Lanarkshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership (NLADP) is a mul�-agency strategic partnership focused on understanding and mi�ga�ng the impact of problema�c alcohol and drug use in the local area. The purpose of the ADP is to co-ordinate and lead a collec�ve response to tackle harms and improve the lives of people who use alcohol and drugs, and those around them. The ADP is made up of key agencies and stakeholders with an interest in tackling harms and improving lives. This includes the wider community and those who have lived experience and families. Much of the work carried out by the ADP involves bringing people together to plan and improve services whilst se�ng out what needs to be put in place to support change and keep people safe and well. The strong links between drug and alcohol related harms and poverty, inequality and trauma are widely acknowledged. Depriva�on has been linked as a significant factor in drug and alcohol problems developing. The ADP are tasked by Sco�sh Government to ensure the implementa�on of na�onal policy and evidence- based prac�ce. Improving Choice, Quality and Connec�ons are key drivers underpinning the work of the ADP. The ADP have 5 key priority areas of focus for our work which includes; Preven�on, Educa�on and Early interven�on, Whole Family Approach, Treatment and Care, Public Health Approach to Jus�ce and Reducing Alcohol Harms. Each of the sub-groups are tasked with understanding and mi�ga�ng harms from substances, and poverty, and have a linked programme of work to support change and keep people safe and well across our communi�es. Jus�ce Services Whilst The Tackling Poverty Team and other services will support Services by providing income maximisa�on, debt and money advice, employment advice, services themselves such as the Restora�ve Jus�ce Service also contribute to tackling poverty and inequality through a number of ini�a�ves, such as;
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Individuals who are subject to Unpaid Work can undertake work with the Bike Recycling Project. During the last reporting year over 650 bicycles were retrieved from recycling centres in North Lanarkshire. Some were scrapped for parts, however, over 320 bicycles have been reconstructed. These recycled and repaired bikes are donated to the Councils’ Christmas Toy appeal as well as being donated low income families. Bikes are also donated to local schools to ensure that all pupils can take part in Cycle Safety Awareness Courses and the healthy living programme. A craft workshop has been developed to repair clothing and soft furnishings for low income families. A kitchen workshop has been developed to deliver a programme consisting of food hygiene, nutrition, budgeting and basic meal preparation. The workshop performs a platform to undertake placements in foodbanks and community cafes such as Shotts Healthy Living Centre and Newmains Community Trust. A laundry workshop has been created that provides a service to charity shops collecting clothing for laundering and returning to the shops for sale. In an effort to reduce poverty, a laundry service is provided to Craigneuk Family Centre and two charitable groups; “Cool School Uniforms” and “Airdrie School Clothing Bank”, this involves the collection, laundering and distribution of recycled school uniforms to low-income families. These indirect supports contribute to suppor�ng the Tackling Poverty Strategy and our communi�es across North Lanarkshire. Community Connectors North Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Community Solu�ons programme will support the pilo�ng of 10 Community Connectors from autumn 2023 – autumn 2025 who will support people in local communi�es to access the help they need which will include referral to sources of financial support. The connectors will be based in loca�ons across North Lanarkshire working closely with Community Solu�ons Locality Hosts, the wider community and voluntary sector, the council and NHS. The pilot is funded through a mix of funding from North Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership, NHS Lanarkshire/NHS Chari�es Together and MacMillan. Voluntary Ac�on North Lanarkshire is managing the funding awards on behalf of funders and will be suppor�ng evalua�on and repor�ng on the pilot. Community Wealth Building Community Wealth Building is an interna�onally recognised approach to economic development designed to tackle long-standing economic challenges. It seeks to transform local and regional economies by considering the ways in which the public sector, in partnership with the private, third and community sectors, can ensure more wealth is generated, circulated and retained in communi�es and locali�es.
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The approach is focussed on growing the influence communi�es have on the economy and ensuring communi�es receive more of the benefits from the wealth they help to generate. The council and local partners are currently mapping ac�vity to iden�fy areas for further development and improvement, and are considering and consul�ng on the approach which will be adopted in North Lanarkshire to embed Community Wealth Building. Community wealth building is a progressive approach for the benefit of the local population. This is achieved by harnessing the economic and social power of locally rooted organisations, often referred to as local anchors. Anchor organisations are big and locally rooted organisations including the NHS, local authorities, colleges and universities, and private businesses with local HQs. Because they employ many people, spend substantial amounts of money, own and manage land and assets and often deliver crucial services, they have a considerable impact on local communities and economies. Further, they are historically rooted in the physical area, intrinsically connected to the local community and are pivotal to wellbeing. Alongside its main func�on, NHS Lanarkshire recognises its role in making a strategic contribu�on to the local economy. Anchor organisations are pivotal to community wealth building as a result of the scale at which they operate. After a benchmarking exercise, NHS Lanarkshire has developed an ac�on plan to maximise its role and are now working with other community planning partners in North Lanarkshire to maximise the collec�ve impact, share best prac�ce and iden�fy areas where local anchors can work together. It is proposed that this will be through the adop�on of a Community Wealth Building Commitment Statement early in 2024 whereby any relevant projects, Programmes of Work, Strategies and ac�on plans must demonstrate how Community Wealth Building principles and approaches are applied. Financial Educa�on in North Lanarkshire Financial Educa�on helps people develop the knowledge, skills and a�tudes needed to manage money well and make informed decisions. North Lanarkshire has the goal to ensure that financial educa�on is available to everyone in our community regardless of age. The ambi�ous aim is to produce and deliver financial educa�on packages that will be suitable for children in early years and primary school, our young people in secondary school and to adults of all ages in the community. Working together with educa�on the Tackling Poverty Team will create packages suitable to early year, primary and secondary pupils together with packages specifically for Addi�onal Support Needs pupils. The packages will be jointly delivered to ensure that our children and young people are given the grounding needed to make informed decisions around spending and saving. Adults in the community will be able to access financial educa�on through the Mul�ply Project. The Mul�ply Project is a government ini�a�ve helping adults to improve their numeracy skills, people can access numeracy qualifica�ons with the access of the Community Learning and Development Service and will be able to access financial educa�on from the Tackling Poverty Team. Financial Educa�on is a key holis�c support for our communi�es to make informed decisions about their money and to know what supports are available, how to access them and the importance of early interven�on if it is necessary.
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“Education on managing money and spending/cooking on a budget” “Teach folk the value of money and how to make it stretch” How Will We Know We Are Making a Difference? We have to know that the measures we are taking are making a difference in our communi�es – how will we know this? An improvement in the health and wellbeing of our residents Fewer households living in poverty Reduc�on in child poverty Fewer people unemployed and in receipt of out of work benefits Reduc�on in the number of people economically inac�ve An increase in the number of people paid at least the real living wage An increase in the number of affordable homes Fewer young people who are not in educa�on, employment or training Improved educa�on atainment Fewer people with no qualifica�ons or skills training Fewer households in fuel poverty Maximise income through social security benefits Maximise income via new Sco�sh social security benefits for children More people with numeracy skills enabling them to manage their money Reduce number of people in debt Increase number of people who have access to affordable credit Effec�ve heat maps to inform residents of access to services Increase community consulta�on
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Pqtvj "Ncpctmuj ktg Rtqɗng Appendix One - North Lanarkshire Profile
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Appendix Two – Cost of Living Survey
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Power BI Desktop University of Bristol’s Personal Finance Research Centre’s “Fair by Design” Campaign to end the poverty premium found that people almost 23% of households in North Lanarkshire are paying an average of £480 per year due to the poverty premium. Motherwell and Wishaw Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill Airdrie and Shotts Total cost of poverty premium £ 5,034,499 £ 3,743,300 £ 4,518,868 £ 4,439,222 *Number of households experiencing any premium 18, 623 (24.4%) 13,856 (21.6%) 16,768 (22.7%) 16,337 (23.2%) Prepayment meter premium £456,205 £ 345,872 £ 405,035 £ 387,902 Non-standard billing premium £734,721 £ 624,117 £ 695,143 £ 671,100 Non-switching premium £ 1,677,203 £ 1,283,483 £ 1,507,324 £ 1,402,565 Area-based insurance premium £ 1,046,669 £ 610,781 £ 886,538 £ 1,010,319 Single item insurance premiums £ 454,145 £ 400,708 £ 439,489 £ 392,368 Access to money premium £ 62,966 £ 48,465 £ 55,108 £ 51,707 Higher-cost credit premium £ 602,590 £ 429,874 £ 530,231 £ 523,262 Average cost to households in poverty £ 483 £ 453 £ 480 £ 507 *Na�onal Records of Scotland: UK Parliamentary Cons�tuency (UKPC) Household and Dwelling Es�mates (2011 Data Zone Bas Appendix Three - North Lanarkshire Poverty Premium
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Appendix 2
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Document control Title Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022 23 Document status (final or draft version) Draft Owner Alison Gordon e-mail address gordonal@northlan.gov.uk Governance group Tackling Poverty Officers Action Group Author John Campbell e-mail address campbelljohn@northlan.gov.uk Revision history Number Originator Date Revision description / record of change 1.0 AGC 30 june 2023 First draft 2.0 AGC 20th July 2023 Additional Sections added 2.1 AGC 24th July 2023 Case study added 2.2 AGC 31st July 2023 Appendix – the three questions quotes 2.3 AGC 8th Aug 2023 Nhsl update to foreward Document approvals Number Governance group Date approval granted Date approval to be requested (if document still draft) 1.0 2.0 Consultation record (for most recent update) Status of document consulted upon Stakeholders consulted / date
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Foreword Tackling child poverty in our communi�es remains a priority for North Lanarkshire Council, for NHS Lanarkshire and for our third sector partners. We have demonstrated that through a number of measures we have taken over this past year reflected, in this Local Child Poverty Ac�on Report. For our families with children, who are living on low incomes and were already struggling, the onset of the cost-of-living crisis has caused even more difficult financial circumstances and for some families, this will have deepened their experience of poverty. This Report will highlight the work that has been carried out across our communi�es by all the partners to ensure that we are tackling poverty, using all the drivers and resources available, including the fourth driver; Holis�c Supports, introduced in Sco�sh Government’s Child Poverty Delivery Plan “Best Start, Bright Futures”. We are delighted that this report and its ac�on plan have been greatly influenced by the children and young people of North Lanarkshire who have taken part in “The Three Ques�ons”, a programme in itself, which will con�nue to be developed throughout our educa�on clusters to ensure that our approach does not falter but con�nually develops to meet the needs of our young popula�on. Together with this report is the Councils’ second Tackling Poverty Strategy which embraces the Plan for North Lanarkshire’s Programme of Work, where Whole Family Support is a prevalent theme. The three-year strategy will ensure that our shared ambi�on for North Lanarkshire to be the place to live, learn, work, invest and visit will be realised for the benefit of our whole popula�on. Councillor Jim Logue Mar�n Hill Councillor Geraldine Woods Leader of the Council Chair, NHS Lanarkshire Convenor Wellbeing & Tackling Poverty Commitee
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Contents Page Number Title Introduc�on North Lanarkshire Child Poverty Profile Priority Groups North Lanarkshire Children’s Services Partnership The Drivers of Tackling Poverty Increase Income Via Employment Prospects for Parents Reducing The Cost of Living Helping People To “Quit Your Way” Promoting Free Travel For Under 22s The Pledge Income Via Social Security Benefits It Starts With A Benefit Check How Will We Do This? NHS Lanarkshire The Third Sector Promoting Uptake Of Benefits For Children In Education The Improvement Service Holis�c Supports Infant Minds Matter Whole Family Support North Lanarkshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership Justice Services Let’s Talk……. The Three Questions What’s Next For The Three Questions Financial Education Additional Support Needs Schools Achievements and Challenges Appendix One – Cost of Living Survey Quotes
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Introduc�on “Poverty means not being able to heat your home, pay your rent or buy the essentials for your children. It means waking up every day facing insecurity, uncertainty and impossible decisions about money. It means facing marginalisation – and even discrimination – because of your financial circumstances. The constant stress it causes can lead to problems that deprive people of the chance to play a full part in society.” The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 places a duty on Local Authori�es and NHS Boards to jointly develop and publish an annual Local Child Poverty Ac�on Report (LCPAR). North Lanarkshire took the approach to embed the local child poverty ac�on report into its overall Tackling Poverty Strategy to help ensure that tackling poverty is an area that is considered in decision making across the Partnership. North Lanarkshire Tackling Poverty Officers Ac�on Group (TPOAG) has representa�ves from Council Services, NHS Lanarkshire and the Third Sector and this is the fi�h LCPAR produced by the group. This report will iden�fy work that is being carried out across North Lanarkshire using the drivers to tackle poverty and inequality across our communi�es. Increasingly, in North Lanarkshire, we are taking a rights-based approach and giving considera�on to the rela�onship between children’s rights and poverty. This report aligns with the Best Start, Bright Futures; tackling child poverty delivery plan 2022 – 26 and using this approach we have introduced “holis�c supports” as the fourth driver to tackle poverty and inequality. In recognising Holis�c Supports as a driver, we will ensure that people and families do not exist in siloes, o�en unaware of the kinds of support that are available given the mul�ple channels through which this support can be delivered. The holis�c support driver to tackle poverty embeds the “no wrong door” approach to ensure that those in poverty and those at risk of falling into poverty, receive the right support at the right �me. Increase Income from Employment Reduce the cost of living Income from Social Security Benefits Holis�c Supports
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North Lanarkshire Child Poverty Profile Historically, the local authority has experienced higher than average levels of depriva�on. The Sco�sh Index of Mul�ple Depriva�on (SIMD) 2020 iden�fied across North Lanarkshire 50,897 people are income deprived, equa�ng to 15% of the popula�on. The Sco�sh average is 12%. Around 22,426 of the 50,897 income deprived people men�oned above, live in neighbourhoods, spread across North Lanarkshire, that are not classed within the 20% most deprived. Income depriva�on is defined as those of working age (and their dependants) who are on low incomes. North Lanarkshire remains 6th in terms of its share of datazones in the 20% most deprived in Scotland, si�ng behind, Inverclyde, Glasgow, North Ayrshire, West Dunbartonshire and Dundee. Ward No of children living in poverty % of children living in poverty Airdrie Central 679 23.4% Airdrie North 772 20.4% Airdrie South 616 16.3% Bellshill 535 20.8% Coatbridge North 541 22.9% Coatbridge South 708 21.2% Coatbridge West 545 20.3% Cumbernauld East 595 20.8% Cumbernauld North 324 10.6% Cumbernauld South 547 19.7% For�ssat 576 20.7% Gartcosh, Glenboig & Moodiesburn 360 11.7% Kilsyth 491 18.4% Mossend and Holytown 493 21.1% Motherwell North 697 19.0% Motherwell South East & Ravenscraig 790 22.5% Motherwell West 497 18.9% Murdostoun 667 17.4% Stepps, Chryston & Muirhead 251 10.6% Thorniewood 464 19.1% Wishaw 549 19.2%
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North Lanarkshire has five datazones within the 1% most deprived areas of Scotland. This strategy will ensure resources are directed to these areas as a priority. Priority Groups The Sco�sh Government iden�fied “priority groups” where evidence indicated that it was children in these groups that were at the highest risk of experiencing child poverty. To help measure the impact and support provided to these priority groups, adjustments were made to North Lanarkshire’s Tackling Poverty Team recording system where all financial assessments/benefit checks are recorded. Within these screens the following groups were added; Lone Parent Families Minority Ethnic Families Families where a member of the household is disabled Families with a mother under 25 Families with 3 or more children Families where the youngest child is under 1 This then allows us to track any work we are doing with the priority groups. In 2022/23 the Team carried out over 22,700 benefit checks, 6207 benefit checks were completed for families within the priority groups; 2886 for lone parent families 218 for ethnic minority families 1774 for families where a member of the household is disabled 232 for families where the mother is aged under 25 742 for families with three or more children 355 for families where the youngest child is under one Referral routes to the Tackling Poverty Team set up with One Parent Families Scotland, may account for 46% of the referrals from the priority groups coming from lone parent families. Further work has to be done to ensure that services to tackle child poverty are directed to priority family groups within North Lanarkshire. The Sco�sh Index of Mul�ple Depriva�on (SIMD) is a rela�ve measure of depriva�on across 6976 small areas in Scotland known as datazones. SIMD measures on seven domains; income, employment, health, educa�on, housing, crime and access to services. North Lanarkshire with a popula�on of 341,400 (2021 mid year estimate) has 447 datazones, 144 (35%) of those datazones are within 20% of the most deprived communi�es in Scotland.
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North Lanarkshire Children’s Services Partnership In North Lanarkshire, our vision is to support all children and young people to achieve their potential, ensuring they are loved, nurtured and empowered to thrive in all aspects of their lives, including upholding each and every child and young person as stated in the UNRC. We will work collaboratively with children, young people, their families and our partners to ensure they get the best start in life and support families to provide loving care. We will do this by making sure we have the right supports available, at the right time, for as long as needed, and delivered in the right places to ensure equity for all and reducing inequalities throughout. North Lanarkshire Children's Services Partnership is where they key agencies and organisa�ons work together to iden�fy shared priori�es and to plan, deliver and improve services and supports for children, young people and their families. Partners include children, young people and families, key public sector agencies, independent sector organisations and the community and voluntary sector. Key to this Partnership, members of the Tackling Poverty Officers Ac�on Group (TPOAG) are represented on this group and likewise members of the Children’s Service Partnership are represented on the TPOAG, this ensures a crossover at an opera�onal level and shared ambi�ons, workstreams and outcomes and that tackling poverty is seen not only as a measure to li� people out of poverty but also as a preventa�ve measure in ensuring we have resilient communi�es. All task groups progressing the work of the Children’s Service Partnership have an impact on child poverty. The priority to embed children’s rights, as stated in the United Na�ons Conven�on on the Rights of the Child, includes ac�ons to make clearer the rela�onship between poverty and UNCRC and to develop and apply a ‘poverty proofing’ tool. There are close links with the Family Support Task Group, with the Partnership aim to strengthen the ethos of Whole Family Support, working with families in a preventa�ve way and suppor�ng parents and carers to build on their strengths. Tackling poverty will be a central feature of the approach to family support; providing help to maximise income; develop skills for employment and taking a cash first approach where necessary. The principles of family support outlined in The Promise, will underpin the work to improve outcome for our families, children and young people within North Lanarkshire.
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Staff from all sectors involved in providing support and services to children and young people will be provided bespoke Poverty Awareness sessions which promote discussion about the impact of poverty together with easy referral routes to ensure people have access to professional support to help maximise their income and reduce the cost of living, whilst receiving the holis�c supports which builds on the strengths of the family. The Drivers of Tackling Poverty INCREASE INCOME VIA EMPLOYMENT Driving up income from employment remains one of the mechanisms in North Lanarkshire which offers real opportuni�es to support unemployed and underemployed residents out of poverty. Employability is integrated within Educa�on & Families and contributes to the Brighter Future Programme of Work within the Plan for North Lanarkshire. It has the aim of transforming how we prepare young people and other residents for the world of work by delivering an interconnected programme of educa�on, volunteering, and entrepreneurship throughout various stages of their life. The aims and objec�ves of this are to: Drive the recovery of North Lanarkshire’s labour market to pre-covid levels Deliver significant jobs growth Shape innovative employment pathways in key growth industry sectors Provide inclusive and accessible support to boost entrepreneurship Embed volunteering programme as a normal part of life Transform how young people experience learning and teaching The post pandemic labour market that has emerged is characterised by low unemployment levels but increased economic inac�vity and within North Lanarkshire the employment rate is s�ll below the pre- pandemic levels. The North Lanarkshire claimant count, which acts as a measure of unemployment,
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was 14,415 (6.6%) people in March 2021 compared with 8,225 (3.8%) in March 2020, a 75% increase on the pre-pandemic level. However, in May 2023 it had decreased to 7,640 (3.5%) and average earnings in North Lanarkshire are now above the Sco�sh and UK averages for the first �me. This is good news, but real challenges remain due to levels of economic inac�vity. The number reported as ‘long term sick’ in North Lanarkshire has increased from 14,900 in the 12 months up to December 2019 to 26,300 in the 12 months up to December 2022. While unemployment is lower than pre- pandemic levels the number of people in the workforce in North Lanarkshire has reduced from 174,000 (78.1%) in December 2019 to 157,100 (70.1%) in December 2022. The forecast for unemployment currently is uncertain as the UK remains within a period of high infla�on and with further expected rises in interest rates which will have an impact on business. From an employability perspec�ve this simply reinforces the long-term strategy of con�nuing to support those further from the labour market in North Lanarkshire to gain the skills needed to get a job and be part of the economic growth of the area. Alongside this we will con�nue to work with local employers to create opportuni�es for our unemployed residents, including those who are economically inac�ve. All employability programmes delivered by or on behalf of North Lanarkshire Council are based on the No One Le� Behind Policy which is aimed at inclusive growth, economic transforma�on and tackling child poverty; and aims to deliver a system that is more tailored and responsive to the needs of people of all ages who want help and support on their journey towards, into and in work - par�cularly people with health condi�ons, disabled people and others who are disadvantaged in the labour market. Case Study Joe was 17 and under the care and supervision of the authority when his support worker referred him into Roots. His only income was £15 per week pocket money. Joe received bespoke 1:1 support from his job coach, who introduced him to a number of work tasters and opportuni�es. Joe then gained his full �me Roots placement in June 2021, working in an area he felt very passionate about (Gym and fitness) earning modern appren�ceship rate of pay. Joe gained independence and confidence and could purchase items for himself and go out for meals with friends. He became a valued member of the team within his workplace and received fantas�c feedback. Roots con�nued to work closely with Joe and his employer to create a paid opportunity within the business. He is now a fully qualified personal trainer working in a full-�me posi�on, earning £9.50 per hour for 30 hours per week. In addi�on, he already has a few of his own clients which increases his wage further. Joe’s support worker says “It’s made a huge difference to his life in every way imaginable. Joe keeps in touch with us and will happily come along and speak to future Roots clients to share his journey with them. He has gained so many skills on the programme including formal qualifica�ons and leaves roots a far more confident young man than when he first walked through the door. Joe says “I feel from everything I have learned I am a lot more confident now, I love helping others and working hard. I have my own flat now and I am doing well. I want to help others feel happier and healthier”.
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Prospects for Parents The aim of Prospects for Parents is to help families in North Lanarkshire become beter off, by suppor�ng parents to get into work or by helping those in low paid work to increase their wages. The programme is supported by a Welfare Rights Officer who ensures that any parent entering the programme has their income fully maximised prior to entering employment and during employment, the welfare rights officer is also able to offer money/debt advice and refer on if more in depth support is required in this area. The Prospects for Parents programme also provides access to child care advice and access to funds such as the child care development fund and the discre�onary fund, as well as health interven�ons and access to training/work experience. The Prospects for Parents programme is specifically for the priority groups; Lone Parents Disabled parent, or the parent of a disabled child Parent with more than three children Parent with a child under 1 year old Parent under the age of 25 Parents from an ethnic minority The programme is a key tool in tackling poverty and inequality for our children and young people in our communi�es. Case Studies from Parental Employment Support The welfare rights officer met with a woman who was living in refuge following domestic abuse. She had two young children, one starting nursery, she wanted to go back to work but didn’t think due to her benefits she would be able to do this. The welfare rights officer completed a “better off” calculation to show what the impact would be on her income were she to take a 16 hour pw job. The woman was delighted with this, and explained to the welfare rights officer that she also had debt issues with catalogues, housing, loans and council tax. The WRO advised of the service that could be provided to remove the burden of creditors harassing at a difficult time and contact was made with creditors on her behalf. The woman is currently working with a Debt Advisor to manage her debts. A woman was referred to the welfare rights officer seeking a “beter off” calcula�on and advice around the minimum income floor for universal credit if she became self employed. Following the advice and reassurances that the welfare rights officer was always there to assist, she took up employment as a self employed delivery driver for Just Eat. A�er one year, the DWP implemented the minimum income floor, meaning she could lose essen�al income. She advised the welfare rights officer that universal credit were refusing to offset her tyre repair costs to her car as an expense, sta�ng that her car was essen�al to allow her to do her job. The welfare rights officer successfully argued that this should be an allowable expense and her Universal Credit amount was protected.
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REDUCE THE COST OF LIVING Helping People To “Quit Your Way” Research by Ash Scotland showed that 63,000 households in Scotland would no longer experience relative poverty if people were empowered to successfully give up tobacco. 42% of all households in Scotland containing people who smoke are currently living in relative poverty, a figure which could be reduced by around 10% if tobacco was not a factor. Reducing smoking prevalence in Scotland by just one percent could lift more than 3,700 households out of relative poverty. The percentage of pregnant women smoking at booking appointment in North Lanarkshire is 12.6% for year ending December 2022. This is above the Scotland figure of 11.9%. The Quit Your Way service targets pregnant women who live in areas of higher depriva�on and between April 2022 and December 2022, 24 pregnant women living in the 40% most deprived areas successfully quit smoking at 12 weeks. Collabora�ve work has commenced in Airdrie, Motherwell and Wishaw locali�es. Referral prompt cards have been developed to enable a more simplified referral route using a QR code. This referral route can be used by clients, staff, third sector organisa�ons or community partners. Very brief advice for smoking on smoking for pregnant women will be promoted via na�onal centre for smoking cessa�on training for external partners. Promo�ng Free Travel For Under 22s Since its launch in January 2022, the scheme has been promoted widely and con�nually through schools, within the community, on NLC and NHSL websites, by social media (Corporate and youthwork, CLD channels), and by colleagues working with children, young people, and families. Parents and Carers have received text messages direct to parents and Community Learning & Development Staff con�nue to engage with applicants. Efforts have been made to encourage applica�ons from disadvantaged groups such as care experienced young people, refugees, families living in poverty, social work service users, and young job seekers, students and those working with partner agencies. A training module has been developed by ASH Scotland and NHSL Tobacco Control Team which will be used by ASH Scotland to facilitate training on smoking and poverty. The NHSL Tobacco Control team have already offered this training locally to advisors within the Tackling Poverty Team, so that Welfare Rights Staff and Debt Advisers can promote the “Quit Your Way” programme and signpost people to the service. “I’ve been putting this cash by in a tin that I would spend on cigarettes. My Grandson wanted a football strip which I thought was too much money to buy him, but after 10 days of quitting smoking I was able to buy it for him. I’m also keeping the money I’m saving for Christmas and other bills. That was just a part of it though, my health was the main reason and I now have more energy and my house doesn’t smell of smoke anymore.”
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Uptake varies widely amongst different age groups with. At either end of the age spectrum 5 year olds and 21 year olds have taken up fewest travel cards but 80-90% of 10-12yrs have obtained a travel card. What difference does free travel for under 22s mean? Free travel can make a big difference to a families income, the table below shows some examples; A 14 year old pupil uses the bus daily to commute to school A saving of £442 per annum A 17 year old student from North Lanarkshire commutes to New College Lanarkshire by bus A saving of £711.10 per annum An 18 year old student from North Lanarkshire commutes to University of Glasgow by bus £863.20 per annum THE PLEDGE
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INCREASE INCOME VIA SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS It Starts with a Benefit Check “I don’t think I’m entitled to anything else”, “I tried before and didn’t get that” are all too common phrases for the Tackling Poverty Team. With over £99 million generated in the last 3 years, the Tackling Poverty Team’s response is always “let’s start with a benefit check.” Through discussion with the person a benefit check identifies if there is entitlement to any other benefits and the Tackling Poverty Team will assist people to help make a claim, in the last 3 years the Team have assisted with 40,178 claims for benefit. The case study below is a great example of how a benefit check can make a significant difference to people; Increasing income via social security benefits is a key driver to tackling poverty in our communities, we know from recent analysis by Policy in Practice that the total amount of unclaimed income- related benefits and social tariffs is now £18.7 billion a year throughout the UK. The tackling poverty team received a referral from an MSP, the referral was for a family where a member of the household is disabled, who had received a bill for a sink repair and they were struggling to pay it. A welfare rights officer from the First Point of Contact Team contacted the family who advised that the situa�on had been resolved, the WRO asked; “Do you want me to check your benefits”?, and they agreed to this. The welfare rights officer found that the family were short a premium in their Employment and Support Allowance claim and sought to get this put into payment. The work carried out resulted in the family receiving an addi�onal £76.40 per week (£3,972.80 per annum) but through the diligence of the WRO, en�tlement for the previous 4 years was also established, meaning the family received a backdated payment of £13,000. The family were delighted with the service they received and stated; “The service from the Tackling Poverty Team is definitely worthwhile, they really know what they are talking about and they have done a grand job for my family”.
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From these findings it is important that our Ac�on Plan for Tackling Poverty ensures the “no wrong door” approach is embedded into our prac�ce across all internal services together with our partners in NHS Lanarkshire and the Third Sector. How will we do this? The Tackling Poverty Team has produced Poverty Awareness Sessions, which can be tailored not just to the Services we are delivering to, including; social work, health, educa�on, addic�on etc, but can also be drilled down to impacts in each Community Board area. In doing this we can look at referral gateways and solu�ons that are bespoke to each service and locality, therefore suppor�ng referrals to income maximisa�on services. The Poverty Awareness Sessions have now been delivered to over 200 staff and prac��oners to date, and the feedback has been really posi�ve; “informative session and great examples shared today” “I learned lots from the session that I didn’t know” “Seeing the information for my locality was hard hitting, but we were then told about the referral routes for us……I feel more confident to approach the issue of money now” The Tackling Poverty Awareness sessions are designed to ensure that the ethos within the Programme of Work where we muster our resources and recognise that poverty is not something that we can look at on its own is reflected in this.
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Poverty impacts all areas of life, the Joseph Rowntree defini�on the Strategy has adopted reflects this; “Poverty means not being able to heat your home, pay your rent or buy the essentials for your children. It means waking up every day facing insecurity, uncertainty and impossible decisions about money. It means facing marginalisation, and even discrimination, because of your financial circumstances. The constant stress it causes can lead to problems that deprive people of the chance to play a full part in society.” In recognising this, it is important to acknowledge that working to achieve our goal to reduce and tackle poverty in North Lanarkshire is not something that one service can do on its own. Referral pathways ensure that services have access to specialised advisors, investing in internal and external services ensure that people have access to those advisors. NHS Lanarkshire The Health Founda�on in 2020 stated that Income is associated with health; people in the botom 40% of the income distribu�on are almost twice as likely to report poor health than those in the top 20%. Poverty, in par�cular, is associated with worse health outcomes. Income and health can both affect each other – lower income is associated with more “stressors” which can harm health and allow fewer opportuni�es for good health. Poor health can limit the opportunity for good and stable employment and so affect income. NHS Lanarkshire has made significant investment in tackling poverty measures in North Lanarkshire including within income maximisa�on services. Recent investments include the funding of a Cost-of- Living Helpline hosted by the Councils’ Tackling Poverty Team giving people access to both income maximisa�on and money advice services. Referral pathways have been established to make it easy for health staff to refer pa�ents into the team to get the supports they need; A grandmother in the Wishaw area was referred to the Tackling Poverty Team a�er the DWP had applied the two child limit to her Universal Credit therefore she was receiving no payment for her grandson who was in her care. This was an informal kinship arrangement, the Welfare Rights Officer escalated the case with DWP who then agreed that the two child limit should not apply in this case. The Universal Credit Child Element was backdated and a lump sum of £1200 was awarded, in addi�on to an ongoing £62.21 per week. The Welfare Rights Officer also made applica�ons for child benefit and the Sco�sh Child Payment these payments will increase the grandmother’s income by £212.33 per week, this is a total increase in annual income of £11,041.16. The woman stated that the assistance from the Tackling Poverty Team “helped really a lot, made a difference for her grandson as they can now do things”.
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“As a Health Visitor it is reassuring to know that the Tackling Poverty Team have the knowledge and skills to assist the families we work with both by providing advice and practical support. “As a Health Visitor it is very easy to make a referral to ensure our families receive the best support in maximising their incomes.” NHS Lanarkshire have established “GP Link Workers” with a referral route to their partners in both the councils’ Tackling Poverty Team and the Ci�zens Advice Bureaux. The Link Workers are available in various Health Centres and Surgeries across North Lanarkshire, over the last two years the link workers have referred 860 people for help with welfare rights and 252 people for help with money/debt advice. The total income generated to date from these referrals is £330,260. The Glasgow Royal Hospital for Children Project supports families and children who are either inpa�ents or outpa�ents. In 2022-23 the service supported 32 North Lanarkshire families, who received support with a total financial gain of £169, 074.91 Most of the beneficiaries were families caring for children with a disability under the age of 19 years. The Improvement Service have also funded a project within North Lanarkshire; Welfare Advice and Health Partnership, where we are improving access to money and welfare rights advice in health care se�ngs. This is achieved by embedding advice workers in health se�ngs and providing consensual access to medical records. Based in three surgeries across North Lanarkshire this project has proven to be extremely successful, with 357 referrals received in one year genera�ng £715,865. CASE STUDY A 39 year old lone parent was referred to the Tackling Poverty Team via her GP. Her physical health limita�ons, financial challenges and being a single mum of two children (aged 16 and 10), one with disabili�es was having a significant impact on her mental health and she was finding it a struggle to work. The woman had her claim for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) refused and the GP referred to the Tackling Poverty Team to help her. The Team challenged the decision, and she was awarded Standard Rate Daily living component of PIP, the welfare rights officer then assisted to have the disability element added to her working tax credit. The woman received £8643.88 in backdated payments of PIP and Working Tax Credit, her weekly income was increased by £132.42 (an annual increase of £6885.84 for the woman and her family). The woman has returned to work and is able to deal with those financial challenges she was facing.
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The Third Sector The Tackling Poverty Team are responsible for the commissioning of external advice services to provide welfare rights and debt advice. The successful candidates for 2023-25 have been 5 local Ci�zens Advice Bureaux. The Ci�zens Advice Bureaux (CABx) are commited to working with the Tackling Poverty Officers Ac�on Group in implemen�ng the Tackling Poverty Strategy and Ac�on Plan. The CABx have contributed to maximising income across the local authority genera�ng £22.6 million the last three years in addi�onal income for residents. The CABx are also commited to tackling food poverty by implemen�ng the councils’ Food Poverty Referral Gateway which promotes the Cash First approach. Trussel Trust are working in conjunc�on with the local CABx over the next 2 years focussing on enhancing access and engagement with the North Lanarkshire Food Poverty Referral Gateway. Augmen�ng the exis�ng Gateway as the preferred route for cash first support and ensuring a dignified and holis�c approach to tackling food poverty and insecurity. The pilot will be delivered in communi�es with Motherwell, Wishaw and Airdrie in local community hubs working alongside community organisa�ons in both one to one and group se�ngs, providing advice, support and training. Promo�ng Uptake of Benefits for Children in Educa�on Promo�on and maximisa�on of those benefits which North Lanarkshire Council administers, including Free School Meals remains a priority detailed in the accompanying Ac�on Plan. However, that is not the end of the story, we also need to look at whether those who are en�tled to a free meal are actually taking up this offer. Uptake of Free School Meals, whether children qualify for universal provision or due to their family’s income, is at 65-70%. This is certainly lower than we would want but is a trend which is being experienced in other areas across the Country. The reasons why take up is low are many are varied and not en�rely understood, par�cularly at a �me when household budgets have never been �ghter. The challenge for us is to fully understand the reasons why children are not taking up the offer of a free meal. A new management informa�on system has recently been implemented to give insights into trends amongst different age groups, most popular menu choices etc. CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU – COATBRIDGE A 41 year old man with 4 children presented to Coatbridge Ci�zens Advice Bureau, he himself had health issues. He contacted the Ci�zens Advice Bureau explaining he had a £12,000 benefit overpayment which had resulted as a clerical error by the DWP five years previous. The man himself had tried to dispute this himself with DWP but was ge�ng nowhere, he asked the CAB to help him. The case worker took the man’s case to appeal and was successful in their argument meaning that the overpayment was writen off.
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Changing the culture and s�gma around free school meals is key to increasing take up and work is already underway: • invitations to children and their parents to come along and sample a school meal together as they move from Nursery to Primary • taster sessions across Nursery, Primary and Secondary Schools • a targeted exercise to educate parents who choose to provide packed lunches rather than take up a similar offering provided at school The Improvement Service North Lanarkshire was chosen to host one of the Improvement Service’s Welfare Advice and Health Partnerships (WAHPs) that will provide access to welfare rights and money advice in health care se�ngs. The approach by the Improvement Service is to embed advice workers in health se�ngs and provide consensual access to medical records. GP prac�ces were selected by iden�fying those where the pa�ents from SIMD 1 and 2 were highest; 6 prac�ces were iden�fied in North Lanarkshire, with 4 agreeing to take part in the project, however, only 3 prac�ces came on board; Old Mill Prac�ce, Bellshill, Waverley Surgery, Coatbridge and Coatbank Surgery, Coatbridge Welfare Advice and Health Partnerships provide a simple, effec�ve, person centred approach to tackling health inequali�es, improving individual health and well-being. Providing advice in GP se�ngs is one approach to delivering services out with the tradi�onal routes ensuring that we can meet the needs of all our community. In one year the project has dealt with 357 referrals and generated £715,865 in addi�onal benefit income. The GP prac�ces recognise the impact the Project is having on their pa�ents; “The welfare rights officer joined the practice once a week to help with our patients and has been a great help to the patients not only from a financial point of view but also from a mental health and wellbeing perspective, some people are in a situation where they don’t know what to do or what to turn too, the welfare rights officer goes over and above to help sort out their affairs or tries to make sure they are getting what is right, in turn patients seem relieved and feel light is at the end of the tunnel which often lifts the anxiety they have been living with” Waverley Medical Practice, Coatbridge “The welfare rights officer has been an amazing addition to our practice MDT. She is very hard working, approachable and a great team member. The project has been helping our patients greatly and easing their financial pressures, which has a very positive impact on their mental and physical health. This is more important than ever whilst in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis.
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The project has been welcomed fully at Old Mill, patients are engaging well and getting the help they need due to their poor health and mobility. I would honestly say this project has been the most helpful and useful addition we have ever had, and patient feedback has been excellent.” Dr Aimee McGinness – Old Mill Practice, Bellshill Case Study – Waverley Prac�ce – Welfare Advice and Health Partnership Ken was referred to the Welfare Rights Officer (WRO) based in the Waverly Prac�ce as his claim for Personal Independence Payment had been refused. The WRO using the medical records submited an appeal which was successful with Ken receiving enhanced rate of both mobility and daily living, Ken received a backdate of £5020.80 and an annual income of £8983. When carrying out the benefit check for Ken and his family, the WRO iden�fied that the Sco�sh Child Payment was not in payment for his two children, the WRO assisted with this claim meaning the family had an addi�onal £2600 per annum. The welfare rights officer maximised the family income by £11,583 per annum, making an incredible difference to them.
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HOLISTIC SUPPORTS In North Lanarkshire we recognise that to deliver sustained reduc�ons in child poverty over the long term we need to break that cycle of poverty, ensuring that our children living in poverty do not grow up to be adults living in poverty. We will work with our partners to provide the integrated and holis�c support parents need to enter employment, improve their wider wellbeing and engage with the drivers of poverty. In North Lanarkshire we are commited to delivering a “No Wrong Door” approach to our services to ensure that all residents, including those in poverty and those at risk of falling into poverty receive the right support at the right �me. Ensuring all families have the support they need, regardless of what those supports may be, is essen�al if we are to enable families to thrive in all aspects of their wellbeing. Infant Minds Mater A new Infant Mental Health service has been established in Lanarkshire. The aim of this service is to provide an infant centred approach to Infant Mental Health in Lanarkshire through direct clinical interven�on with infants and their families, and support to professionals working across Lanarkshire, who contribute to the mental health and emo�onal well-being of infants. Infants are the most vulnerable group in society; however, they have o�en been omited from mental health services and policies. There is a con�nued lack of awareness and understanding that infants can suffer from serious mental health difficul�es and disorders, when in fact epidemiological research indicated that approximately 16% of 18-month-olds in the general popula�on have serious mental health difficul�es. The Infant Mental Health Team is mul�-disciplinary and mul�-agency, and each discipline and agency brings its par�cular training and perspec�ve to addressing the mental health of infants. Our team consists of: Lead for NHSL Infant Mental Health Service; Consultant in Infant Mental Health Psychiatry; Child & Adolescent Psychotherapist; Clinical Psychologist; Social Worker (North and South Lanarkshire); Early Years Prac��oner; and Admin support. The Tackling Poverty Team will deliver Poverty Awareness Sessions to the mul�-disciplinary team and implement a referral route for parents to ensure parents and carers have access to income maximisa�on and money advice services. Breas�eeding NHS Lanarkshire have been working in partnership with North Lanarkshire Council to pilot the na�onal Breas�eeding Friendly Scotland Local Authority award - a 1st for Scotland. This sees every department within the council receiving training, have staff policies in place for staff breas�eeding and returning to work and includes the educa�on schemes within Early learning and Schools amongst others. Roll out of the Breas�eeding Friendly Scotland scheme ensures premises and buildings signing up to the scheme create a suppor�ve, welcoming environment for breas�eeding families when out and about as one of the main reasons many cite for not ini�a�ng breas�eeding or stopping before they wanted to, is feeding out with the home. We have many local authority
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premises such as libraries and leisure signed up as well as many private cafes, third sector groups and other businesses. Whole Family Support The aim of the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund is to provide addi�onal resource to support the transforma�on of the system of support to children and families. This is in line with the Na�onal Principles of Holis�c Family Support and ambi�on of The Promise to provide flexible family support, enabling more children to remain loved and supported within their own families. The Promise places a requirement on Local Authori�es and their partners to transform whole systems and culture to ensure all children, in any aspect of care, thrive through nurturing and loving rela�onships with access to support that strengthens communi�es and families. The Promise places preven�on and family support at the heart of its vision. The Promise Plan 21-24 published on 31st March 2021 sets out 5 key priori�es for the first phase of implemen�ng The Promise including a focus on ‘Whole Family Support’. There is an expecta�on that the 10 key principles of family support outlined within the Promise are embedded into prac�ce by 2024 and that there is a place in every community for families with children ‘to stay and play with their children and get support and advice’. This aligns closely with the Tackling Poverty strategy and the aspira�ons of the Plan for North Lanarkshire; and in par�cular plans to develop community hubs as a central vehicle to deliver support, enhance community capacity and support every child to reach their poten�al. Research has shown there is a rela�onship between poverty and longer-term nega�ve outcomes for children (Lewer et al, 2019) and that while the rela�onship between poverty and child abuse and neglect is complex, studies have also shown that financial support and increased income lead to lower levels of child maltreatment (Bywaters et al, 2016). North Lanarkshire Council, as part of the Covid-19 Tackling poverty plan, adopted a ‘cash first’ approach to suppor�ng the most vulnerable families to address basic needs, which proved effec�ve in promo�ng improved outcomes. By providing money directly to families North Lanarkshire’s strength based and collabora�ve approach offered welcomed financial relief. In order to provide holis�c family support which truly aligns with the Promise and Tackling Poverty ac�on plan, there is a clear need to join up services so that people can experience a seamless transi�on into addi�onal and intensive level supports and services. This improves access to exis�ng exper�se within our services. These na�onal policy aims align with the Plan for North Lanarkshire and the Council’s new Programme of Work which makes family support central to its opera�ng model through the Resilient People workstream. North Lanarkshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership North Lanarkshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership (NLADP) is a mul�-agency strategic partnership focused on understanding and mi�ga�ng the impact of problema�c alcohol and drug use in the local area. The purpose of the ADP is to co-ordinate and lead a collec�ve response to tackle harms and improve the lives of people who use alcohol and drugs, and those around them. The ADP is made up
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of key agencies and stakeholders with an interest in tackling harms and improving lives. This includes the wider community and those who have lived experience and families. Much of our work involves bringing people together to plan and improve services whilst se�ng out what needs to be put in place to support change and keep people safe and well. The strong links between drug and alcohol related harms and poverty, inequality and trauma are widely acknowledged. Depriva�on has been linked as a significant factor in drug and alcohol problems developing. The ADP are tasked by Sco�sh Government to ensure the implementa�on of na�onal policy and evidence-based prac�ce. Improving Choice, Quality and Connec�ons are key drivers underpinning the work of the ADP. We have 5 key priority areas of focus for our work which includes; Preven�on, Educa�on and Early interven�on, Whole Family Approach, Treatment and Care, Public Health Approach to Jus�ce and Reducing Alcohol Harms. Each of our sub-groups are tasked with understanding and mi�ga�ng harms from substances, and poverty, and have a linked programme of work to support change and keep people safe and well across our communi�es. Jus�ce Services Whilst The Tackling Poverty Team and others will support Services by providing debt and money advice, income maximisa�on and employment advice, the services themselves such as the Restora�ve Jus�ce Service also contribute to tackling poverty and inequality through a number of ini�a�ves, such as; Individuals who are subject to Unpaid Work can undertake work with the Bike Recycling Project. During the last reporting year over 650 bicycles were retrieved from recycling centres in North Lanarkshire. Some were scrapped for parts, however, over 320 bicycles have been reconstructed. These recycled and repaired bikes are donated to the Councils’ Christmas Toy appeal as well as being donated low income families. Bikes are also donated to local schools to ensure that all pupils can take part in Cycle Safety Awareness Courses and the healthy living programme. A craft workshop has been developed to repair clothing and soft furnishings for low income families. A kitchen workshop has been developed to deliver a programme consisting of food hygiene, nutrition, budgeting and basic meal preparation. The workshop performs a platform to undertake placements in foodbanks and community cafes such as Shotts Healthy Living Centre and Newmains Community Trust. A laundry workshop has been created that provides a service to charity shops collecting clothing for laundering and returning to the shops for sale. In an effort to reduce poverty, a laundry service is provided to Craigneuk Family Centre and two charitable groups; “Cool School Uniforms” and “Airdrie School Clothing Bank”, this involves the collection, laundering and distribution of recycled school uniforms to low income families. “We got your delivery of the balance bike and the guys were very helpful. THE CHILDREN LOVE IT and have been having great fun on it today. Thank you so much again” – Allanton Primary School
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These indirect supports contribute to suppor�ng the Tackling Poverty Strategy and our communi�es across North Lanarkshire. Community Wealth Building Community Wealth Building is an interna�onally recognised approach to economic development designed to tackle long-standing economic challenges. It seeks to transform local and regional economies by considering the ways in which the public sector, in partnership with the private, third and community sectors, can ensure more wealth is generated, circulated and retained in communi�es and locali�es. The approach is focussed on growing the influence communi�es have on the economy and ensuring communi�es receive more of the benefits from the wealth they help to generate. The council and local partners are currently mapping ac�vity to iden�fy areas for further development and improvement and are considering and consul�ng on the approach which will be adopted in North Lanarkshire to embed Community Wealth Building. Community wealth building is a progressive approach for the benefit of the local population. This is achieved by harnessing the economic and social power of locally rooted organisations, often referred to as local anchors. Anchor organisations are big and locally rooted organisations including the NHS, local authorities, colleges and universities, and private businesses with local HQs. Because they employ many people, spend substantial amounts of money, own and manage land and assets and often deliver crucial services, they have a considerable impact on local communities and economies. Further, they are historically rooted in the physical area, intrinsically connected to the local community and are pivotal to wellbeing. Alongside its main func�on, NHS Lanarkshire recognises its role in making a strategic contribu�on to the local economy. Anchor organisations are pivotal to community wealth building as a result of the scale at which they operate. After a benchmarking exercise, NHS Lanarkshire has developed an ac�on plan to maximise its role and are now working with other community planning partners in North Lanarkshire to maximise the collec�ve impact, share best prac�ce and iden�fy areas where local anchors can work together. It is proposed that this will be through the adop�on of a Community Wealth Building Commitment Statement early in 2024 whereby any relevant projects, Programmes of Work, Strategies and ac�on plans must demonstrate how Community Wealth Building principles and approaches are applied.
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LET’S TALK….. THE THREE QUESTIONS The Tackling Poverty Team have embarked on a communica�ons programme called “The Three Ques�ons” across all our schools, this will be a con�nuous programme which will become the heartbeat of our approach to tackling child poverty, shaping and underpinning everything we are doing across the local authority. The “Three Ques�ons” have been shaped around the cost-of-living crisis, we simply ask; “How is the cost of living impac�ng you?” “How is the cost-of-living impac�ng others in the community?” “What would you like us to do about it?” The children and young people are invited to put their experiences and thoughts on how to make things beter by using post it notes and posters. The post it notes were introduced to avoid s�gma�sing anyone who wanted to have their voice heard but did not want to speak out, but welfare rights officers and debt advisors are also on hand, not just to provide advice but to write down any comments children and young people wish to make. The format used has proven to be very successful in giving a voice to our children and young people. The young people gave an insight into how the cost-of- living crisis is affec�ng them and their families, together with what they would like to be done around this. When asked how the cost of living affected them, the impact of socialising was a major issue for the children and young people, whilst 21% stated that they could no longer afford a�er school ac�vi�es and socialising with friends, 56% stated that they could no longer play their consoles or charge their phones as much, all forms of socialising for younger people. Welfare Rights Officers have met with pupils from both Primary and High School. The presenta�on starts with “poverty awareness” le�ng the children know the extent to which it is affec�ng their local area – and the children and young people are then presented with The Three Ques�ons.
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The children and young people told us that the cost-of-living crisis was having an impact in their home and on themselves; “Buying things causes arguments in my house” “I get anxious when I got to the shop to buy food. My dad is off work and is on sick pay. In the next couple of months he will be on half pay and im worried how we will be able to afford things” “my mum panics about money now” “I am poor now” When asked what the children and young people wanted us to do about it, the top two answers from the children and young people were; Free School Meals for everyone and financial educa�on. The children and young people expressed that they wanted to learn about money “make everyone feel equal and understand more about poverty and money….learn about money, how to pay bills, budgeting and money management”. (all findings available at appendix one) What Next For The Three Ques�ons? Following the response from The Three Ques�ons, we will build upon the work we have done and ensure that the responses and ideas from the children and young people are at the heart of what we will be delivering. The Team have been to 13 schools to date, speaking to 277 pupils however, in the next semester it is our inten�on to co-ordinate our three ques�ons in line with the Cluster Model that is in place in North Lanarkshire. The cluster model iden�fies each Secondary School with their feeder primary schools and nurseries. The Tackling Poverty Team will meet with children and young people from each establishment within the Cluster. Following the work they will do with the children, the welfare rights officers from the Tackling Poverty Team will iden�fy each Clusters priori�es. Together with the Tackling Poverty Team, the schools will iden�fy not only these priori�es but how they plan to address them in the Tackling Poverty Plan each school has. 21% 10% 10%11%3% 45% How Does Cost of Living Affect You - Activities I am unable to afford out of school activities/ socialising with friends I am unable to afford driving lessons Less time watching TV cant play on my consoles as much less or no money to buy things for the house unable to charge my phone/games as often as I did
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Financial Educa�on In response to the children and young people, the Tackling Poverty Team and Educa�on will develop a financial educa�on package for all ages; early years, primary and secondary school pupils. The package will be developed, evaluated and reviewed by the Tackling Poverty Team with delivery in the main being done by educa�on staff. To involve the young people more in this, educa�on will iden�fy pupils in 4th, 5th and 6th year who are interested in delivering the programme in conjunc�on with the Tackling Poverty Team to early years and primary schools. This will give the young people an excellent opportunity to develop important lifeskills, such as those pupils from Coltness High School iden�fied when they answered; “learning about money within schools, how to pay bills, budgeting and manage money”, when asked what do you want us to do to help? The financial educa�on package will be a reviewed and renewed version of the exis�ng MACA programme; Money Advice / Consumer Advice providing pupils with the skills they need for the future. The package will have an addi�onal part to it where we can offer parents advice on the impact of family income when a child leaves school. Parents and other adults can access financial educa�on through the Mul�ply Project, which can provide up to 5 sessions taking adults through money management, budge�ng and savings �ps. North Lanarkshire recognise that financial educa�on is key in helping tackling poverty and inequality in our communi�es, offering packages from early years to any age across all of the authority. “Taught about money” – Cathedral Primary School “Teach pupils how to manage our money” – Clydevalley High School “Get taught more about money in school” – Kildrum Primary School “Learn about money and how to budget for when we leave school” – Kilsyth Academy “How to budget and handle money as part of the WPS course” – St Aidan‛s High School “Learn about money management at school” – St Margaret‛s High School ADDITIONAL SUPPORT NEEDS SCHOOLS North Lanarkshire’s Supported Enterprise Team, work with our Addi�onal Support Needs schools providing support to 5th and 6th year students who are ready to leave school and want to find employment opportuni�es. Our Job Coaches start working in the schools around September/October to prepare the students for leaving the following summer. The job coaches will work with the young people to create a voca�onal profile with them, observe how they are in classroom se�ngs and take them out of school for job tasters, giving them an opportunity to taste the world of work. Students are also offered the opportunity to work in Sunnyside Café in Volvo Construc�on’s staff restaurant where young people will gain valuable work experience in aspects of catering. Young
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people will be supported by job coaches from the Supported Enterprise Team to build skills and confidence in a real work se�ng and gain qualifica�ons in catering and hospitality. To ensure that the young person and their family are aware of the impact of leaving school, a Welfare Rights Officer (WRO) from the councils’ Tackling Poverty Team links in with the job coach to set up mee�ngs with the students to offer advice and support to the families. Leaving school can have a huge impact on the families’ income, to prepare for the student leaving school, the WRO will atend the school in December to carry out a general talk to ensure families are prepared. This is followed by the offer to all students and their families of a benefit check which will give them the full picture of the impact when the student leaves educa�on. The WRO will support the family with all forms / correspondence and advocacy to ensure that their income is fully maximised. Belle Belle is a summer leaver from an ASN school and has been given a place on the No Limits Project via Supported Employment and will work 25 hours a week and paid at an appren�ce wage. The No Limits programme is for ASN school leavers with the placement including more intensive support (including links to all other support services) with further training and development. The WRO met Belle and her mother at their family home, where it became apparent that Belle’s mum was going to lose money from her Universal Credit when Belle entered employment. During the home visit it was highlighted that Belle’s mum had mental health issues and that neither Belle nor her mum were receiving any disability benefits. The WRO also iden�fied that Child Benefit had also stopped as Belle went into 6th year. The WRO assisted both with a claim for Adult Disability Payment and with evidence from the school sought to have the child benefit reinstated. The discussions also revealed that there were also £2000 of debt from rent arrears, mum had been trying hard to maintain payments but was struggling to do this, the thought of losing some addi�onal Universal Credit when Belle le� school was an addi�onal worry to Belle and her mum. The WRO worked with the Debt Advisor, and they were able to make a claim to the Rent Assistance Fund and had the debt cleared off through this, this took an immense pressure off the family. The WRO successfully assisted in ge�ng the child benefit backdated and reinstated, this together with the debt cleared has enabled Belle’s mum to feel beter about things, the mother and daughter are awai�ng the outcome of the ADP claims.
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Achievements and Challenges With the country facing the perfect storm of increasing prices, ever increasing bills, tax rises and mortgage increases; the cost-of-living crisis is having a substan�al knock on effect on families and children, with those who were previously “just ge�ng by” experiencing financial difficul�es and others plunging deeper into poverty. North Lanarkshire Council, NHS Lanarkshire and our Third Sector Partners have worked to try and minimise the impact the crisis is having on our communi�es. Since the first Local Child Poverty Ac�on Report was produced, over £139 million in addi�onal benefit income has been generated by the Councils’ Tackling Poverty Team, Social Work Services and Housing Solu�ons, this together with over £22 million generated via Ci�zens Advice Bureaux, means that over £161 million has been generated by suppor�ng people through the benefit system. Other notable achievements have been; North Lanarkshire Child Payment has been made to families; £125 payment to families for each child who are in receipt of free school meals and/or school clothing grant, including nursery children. A total of 11,979 children from 7396 families were assisted. A fuel hardship payment was developed to provide financial support to low-income households who would only receive the UK Government universal payment, payments of £150 were made with applications exceeding 6000. North Lanarkshire Energy Advice Service was commissioned in early 2023 to provide mentoring, support and advocacy to our most vulnerable households to ensure no one has to struggle between choosing to heat or to eat. Energy Mentors will empower and equip households with the skills and knowledge to reduce energy costs and achieve sustainable outcomes. Recognising the impact, the cost-of-living crisis is having on our communities, the Integrated Joint Board funded a Cost of Living Helpline hosted by the Tackling Poverty Team, giving our communities access to advice and support. educational attainment rates for all pupils gaining 5+ awards at level 6, and for pupils living in the 20% most deprived areas, have seen a steady year on year improvement. Improvements can also be evidenced in the number of leavers achieving a positive post school destination with North Lanarkshire achieving a high level of 94.2%. This reflects a drop in pupils not entering a positive destination from 8.2% to 5.5% (around 100 pupils). Overall school exclusion rates and exclusion rates for looked after children both show significant improvement with overall exclusion rates dropping by 56% and rates for looked after children dropping by almost 70%.
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The establishment of a Wellbeing and Tackling Poverty Committee in North Lanarkshire was a clear indication of the Councils’ commitment to the Strategy and working toward a fairer North Lanarkshire for everyone in our communities Net migration to North Lanarkshire has picked up again after a small dip in the trend and projections. Estimates predict that North Lanarkshire’s population will grow and remain favourable up to 2028. Recent figures show the local economy continues to grow, reflecting a positive position in North Lanarkshire compared to a negative growth position nationally. The gross weekly wage for North Lanarkshire residents is now higher than the national average for the first time ever – an increase of 10% (£63.90 per week) from 2021 The number of people claiming employment related benefits has decreased by almost 48% from 14,195 as at December 2020 to 7,420 as at December 2022 and this claimant count is now lower than pre-pandemic levels. Challenges There is a need to build on these successes and minimise the impact poverty has on people and communi�es. Whilst there has been a 2-percentage point reduc�on in the propor�on of children living in poverty (from 25.2% to 23.2%), we s�ll have significantly high levels of child poverty. With 61,452 children aged 15 and below in North Lanarkshire, 14,256 of those children live in poverty. 5,455 children live in areas where the poverty figure is over the na�onal average of 24% and 3,185 of those children live in areas where poverty levels are over 30%. The North Lanarkshire Local Child Poverty Ac�on Plan details the ac�ons the council and other services are undertaking to support the Sco�sh Government to achieve its stated targets for reducing child poverty by 2030. Although there is a downward trend in the number of working age popula�on with no qualifica�ons, there remains 12.8% of North Lanarkshire’s working age popula�on (around 27,600) who are restricted from accessing employment opportuni�es. The propor�on of the working age popula�on who are economically ac�ve had shown signs of improvement in the a�ermath of the pandemic, however, this has stalled and will con�nue to be monitored closely for signs of stability. Other factors will require further inves�ga�on in terms of employability, as 69,100 people are currently recorded as being economically inac�ve, with 41% of these recorded as long term-sick and 84% recorded as not wan�ng a job. Within the Ac�on Plan of the 2020 -23 Tackling Poverty Strategy, Funeral Poverty was iden�fied as an issue for people within our community. There was a lack of engagement from Funeral Directors and as a result, this issue will be addressed in terms of accessing bereavement and funeral payments. Within North Lanarkshire there are other challenges which will impact upon our strategy and approach, a key factor being the continued impact of welfare reform from the UK and Scottish Government’s with the migration of Personal Independent Payments to Adult Disability Payment and Disability Living Allowance to Child Disability Payment. Whilst the UK welfare reform changes estimates are that 20% of people won’t remain on benefit following migration, the Scottish versions of the benefits have a more favourable qualification criterion. However, the migration process will
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have a significant impact on disabled people, their families and carers and will take at least until late 2024 to be completed. Whilst we had been able to reduce referrals to foodbanks by using the Food Poverty Referral Gateway in North Lanarkshire, evidence from the foodbanks indicate that referrals have started to increase again. Work carried out with the foodbanks has identified that the timescales and process around the administration of universal credit remains to be impacting on this, as well as the pandemic, recovery of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. The Cash First approached adopted by North Lanarkshire in 2015, continues to lead the way across the country with the Scottish Government, Trussell Trust and other Local Authorities adopting the model. An example of how well the Cash First approach works is outlined by a resident who was assisted with the model; “I thought my only option was a foodbank the welfare rights officer helped me get a grant and I could choose what I wanted for my family….When they checked my benefits I didn’t know that I could get help with looking after my daughter……it has made a big difference” Mother with 3 children (Coatbridge) Across Scotland, there are also some early reports of the impact of the Scottish Child Payment benefit on referrals to foodbanks reducing for families, since its introduction in November 2022, for all children under 16. Over the next two years, North Lanarkshire Council are working in partnership with the Trussell Trust and the Third Sector Advice Services in a pilot to augment the exis�ng Food Poverty Gateway, this together with embedding The Pledge and Sco�sh Government and North Lanarkshire’s commitment to “cash first” approaches will ensure no one is left without food. The strategy and ac�on plan 2023-26 will build on our achievements and work towards mee�ng the challenges our communi�es face.
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LOCAL CHILD POVERTY ACTION REPORT – ACTION PLAN 2023 - 2026 Appendix One – Cost of Living Survey – Quotes From Children and Young People In North Lanarkshire
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How is the Cost of Living Affecting You? Comments Made In Respect of Food Number of Comments Comments Regarding Activities Number of Comments Comments Re Energy/ Fuel Number of Comments Comments on clothing & Other Issues Number of Comments I cant really afford as much food as I used to, I must ration and save some 3 I am unable to afford out of school activities/socialising with friends 8 Being told to switch off lights and appliances to use less electricity 50 Cannot afford to buy clothing / buy clothing that I would like 7 Affording school meals is tough with how much everything costs 7 I am unable to afford driving lessons 5 Increase in heating prices and heating is on less 40 Less treats / treats are too expensive 4 I am unable to get the things I want in a weekly shop, like snacks or branded foods 22 Less time watching TV 5 Waking up cold and going to bed cold 40 Tutoring is expensive 2 Unable to heat food 2 Can’t play on my consoles as much 21 Using more blankets to stay warm 1 I never get the treats that I used to get 5 Less money is given to me for lunch 2 Less or no money to buy things for the house 19 Being told to be quicker in the shower 45 Unable to replace things (school clothing/equipment) 3 Harder to afford food and electricity as I now have a brother 1 Unable to charge my phone/games as often as I did 20 I need to put on more clothes rather than using the heating 6 My pet food is really expensive 2 I am told not to waste food as it costs too much now 1 Less or no money when I am going out 1 Not able to travel as petrol costs too much 6 The strawberry and chocolate milk has been taken away at school 1 My food costs more 5 Prices have gone up at football 1 Energy saving hour 1 Vet bills are expensive 2 School dinners are too expensive 7 Travel costs to and from school are increasing 1 Put less water in the bath 1 I am not allowed to spend money in shops 4 There is not a lot of food in my house 14 Having less friends because you can’t afford to go out 1 Told to always close the door to keep the heat in 11 More arguments at home 7 Food and drink is more expensive 13 Can’t afford to do sports 1 No longer use heaters or dryers to dry clothing 1 More worry in the household to keep everything working 1 Not getting the food I want as it is getting dearer 2 I am not allowed to have the heating on 20 Cost of lunch is rising 5 Buying cheaper food, not branded, not good quality 7 More cautious about using electricity and lights 4 Travel too expensive 1 Buying less food and fridge rarely stocked 3 I am told that gas and electric is expensive 2 Not able to go out with friends 6 Food prices are rising 11 Wary about using heating 2 Less going out for meals 6 Takeaway food costs rising 3 Cant afford to heat home 4 Things cost a lot of money/ price increase 2 Smaller portion sizes 1 Lack of opportunities at school 6 How Does The Cost Of Living Affect Others In The Community?
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Comments Made In Respect of Food Number of Comments Comments Regarding Activities Number of Comments Comments Re Energy/ Fuel Number of Comments Comments on clothing & Other Issues Number of Comments People cannot afford to feed family and have 3 meals a day 31 People cannot afford to socialise 8 People cannot heat their homes 41 Unable to afford dental care 3 Students unable to concentrate on learning as they have not eaten 2 People cannot afford to pay for clubs 2 Elderly unable to heat their homes/bills 2 People are unable to purchase new clothing to keep warm 7 More people relying on foodbanks and having to choose whether to eat or heat their homes 17 House prices and rent increasing, so its harder to buy or keep houses, leading to more poverty 1 Unable to travel to work which leads to unemployment (maintain / fix a care or afford travel) 2 People cannot afford to pay for their house or their rent 23 People are unable to heat their food 1 More unemployment 1 People are unable to heat their food 1 People are unable to give their kids treats 1 Hungry at school because the breakfast club has stopped 1 People are without jobs and cant pay for things 4 Too expensive to travel (public transport / petrol) 16 Unable to socialise due to costs of gas and electricity / petrol 3 Unable to help feed family members due to cost of food 1 Community no longer open 1 People cant heat their homes or their food 16 People can’t afford school supplies 2 People are going days without food 2 House prices and rent increasing, so its harder to buy or keep houses, Can’t afford to wash themselves 1 People can’t afford pet bills 2 People are unable to afford food or hygiene products 6 Cost of travel means unable to see family/friends 7 People are going to bed cold 2 More people becoming homeless 18 People can’t feed themselves or their children 14 Unable to heat or feed themselves which makes the unwell and unable to work 10 More strikes 3 People losing jobs 3 People are having to buy in cheaper shops 3 Costs more for fuel 16 Rise in crime 1 No money to buy lunch 5 Going cold 1 Not a lot of money 1 Rising food prices / branded foods are too expensive 4 Bills increasing 3 Shops closing 3 People unable to afford food and relying more on foodbanks 18 More people taking on second jobs 3 People becoming stressed 2 Unable to help feed family members due to cost of food 1 Making people poorer 3 Debt increasing 1 What Can We Do To Help?
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The Cost Of A School Number of Comments Financial Education Number of Comments Transport, Fuel and Food Number of Comments Other Comments Number of Comments Lower the cost of school meals 39 Financial Education 36 Free transport 18 Free child care 2 Ensure students get a free meal (Breakfast during or after school) 16 Learning about money within school (how to pay bills, budgeting and managing money) 36 Free electric car charges 1 Reincorporate the library its critical part of the school and gives people a space to read 2 Free after school activities 18 Taught about money / managing money in school 7 Cheaper trains 1 Ask for opinions from school pupils on new developments before implementing things that don’t get used 2 Free school uniforms 22 How to budget and handle money as part of the WPS course 2 Face problems in front of us and reduce stress, such as school buses arriving on time 1 Clubs for families to get food and heat 1 Free clubs 9 Make everyone feel equal and understand more about poverty and money 2 Help kids with cooking so we can make meals on basic food as opposed to buying pre-made expensive 1 Give people money 1 Free school meals for everyone 67 More foodbanks / food donations 10 Lower prices 25 Free/lower price of school trips 32 Clubs for families to get food and heat 1 Advertise more help 3 Borrow laptops from school to use at home 6 More food donations 8 More homeless places 3 Free after school clubs to allow people to work longer 13 Lower prices of electricity / gas 3 Pay less rent 6 More fundraising 2 Free breakfast clubs 18 Have emergency money to give people for heating 1 Ensure that poverty proofing is in place in all schools 1 Make after school clubs more affordable 7 Cheaper gas prices 2 Lower costs for basic needs 2 All equipment/stationary needed for school should be free 4 Give additional money to those struggling 2 Wages are enough to afford things 4 Give money for school lunches to let us choose what we want 12 More money from government 1 Make a uniform bank 4 More grants to assist with costs 1 Stop school uniform as it costs a lot 1 Reduced days in the school week so people can afford to come to school 1 Lower the price of football parks 1 Lower locker charges 3 Free Glasses 2 Change the requirements for free school meals as salaries are not changing but food is 1 Allow people longer to pay back loans and their rent 1 Lower price of clubs outside school 2 Increase wages and lower taxes 3 Increase our EMA 4 “The Three Questions” Sessions – General Comments From Children and Young People Across North Lanarkshire
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My mum panics and cries about money Harder to afford food and electricity as I now have a brother I worry about if we can afford my needs now rather than my wants Buying things causes arguments in my house More worry / stress for adults at home I only have one meal per day as its too expensive I am poor now I get anxious when I go to the shop to buy food. My dad is off work and is on sick pay. In the next couple of months, he will be on half pay and I am worried how we will be able to afford anything. Dad is usually out of money when is on full pay. I’m worried what will happen if he runs out of money half way through the month Buying things causes arguments in my house My clubs cost to much You need to think about trips and how much they are My brother needs help to pay for his electricity Money is becoming a controversial subject between friends Granpa who has grandchildren staying at his home has had to stop them staying as he cant afford to feed them Our gas isn’t las�ng as long as it used to, needing topped up more o�en I go to bed cold My house is cold I am cold in my room People are being bullied My gran has went for surgery and needs hea�ng on all the �me which is very expensive My aunty needs to stay over or wash at ours because she cant afford her bills or cousins needs My neighbour is very sick and he is worried about the cost of his rent My neighbour is very sick and he is worried about the cost of his rent During the strikes, students taking exams were struggling because teachers were off so much to get paid more because of rising costs
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Appendix 3 NLC Interim Impact Assessment form Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Section 1. About the Policy 1.1 Name of the policy / strategy / function / procedure: Tackling Poverty Strategy – Forward to a Fairer North Lanarkshire/Action Plan Is this a: - A new policy /strategy / function / procedure / service Budget saving Review of policy /strategy / function / procedure Review of Service Other (please specify) Is this is a key strategic decision subject to the Fairer Scotland Duty Yes No 1.2 Person Responsible for the policy etc. Name: Job Title and Service / Team: John Campbell Business Manager Tackling Poverty 1.3 What is the scope of the assessment? Detail where appropriate Whole of the organisation All Council Services, CPP’s and External Services Service specific Discipline specific Other Wider Partners including Third Sector, Community Groups and residents. 1.4 What is the policy/ strategy/ function/ saving trying to achieve / do? Poverty is a significant feature of Scottish society and affects many people in different ways. Whilst low income and material deprivation are issues rightly at the forefront of the poverty debate, we recognise that poverty should not merely be reduced to a question of income or material well-being alone; it is also a matter of health and well-being. There is a complex, interlinking relationship between factors that define and influence poverty and these cannot be considered in isolation.
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The Plan for North Lanarkshire sets out the committed to focus on the things that will significantly improve the quality of life and well-being for all our residents, but the supporting evidence base highlights that challenges remain. A Programme of Work to 2028 has been developed to ensure a heightened and more strategic focus on not only sustaining the economic and community aspects that will enable local people and communities (and the place that is North Lanarkshire) to thrive, but also on ensuring a more targeted approach to improving social, health, and economic conditions and maximising opportunities to escalate the delivery of improved outcomes for those that need it most, thus turning the vision of inclusive growth and prosperity into a reality. Moving forward, the Tackling Poverty Strategy is a key area of activity in the Programme of Work and a major step in ensuring that our residents are offered opportunities, support, advice, and information that will address the drivers of poverty through: - • Increasing income via employment; • Maximising income via social security benefits; • Reducing the cost of living; and • Holistic Supports. The Action Plan within the Tackling Poverty Strategy details the key elements and priorities of the new Towards a Fairer North Lanarkshire – Tackling Poverty Strategy 2023 to 2026. In addition, the Strategy encompasses the statutory requirement to prepare and publish a Local Child Poverty Action Report for North Lanarkshire for 2022/23. (Appendix 2) and reflects the ambition of the national Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan 2022-26 – Best Start/Bright Futures published by the Scottish Government in April 2022 as the second of 3 delivery plans required by the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017. In delivering these priorities we will ensure that our policies and procedures have been “poverty proofed” to ensure maximum impact and avoid unintended consequences in line with our Fairer Scotland duties and effective and co-ordinated approach to tackling poverty. 1.5 If this is a budget saving, how will the saving be achieved? N/A Section 2. What do I know now? 2.1 Who are the stakeholders and beneficiaries? All Residents in North Lanarkshire, All Council Services, NHS Lanarkshire, Community Planning Partners, Third Sector and Private Businesses. 2.2 What data, consultation, research and other evidence or information is available relevant to this assessment? (This is a desktop exercise) North Lanarkshire is the fourth largest authority area within Scotland, with a population of 340, 180. It is situated in the heart of Scotland with connectivity to the rest of Scotland, the UK and the world. As the fifth most densely populated council area, North Lanarkshire is divided into 21 wards which are represented by 77 elected members. Historically the local authority has experienced higher than average levels of deprivation with the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) published in January 2020 identified that across North Lanarkshire, 50,897 people are income deprived, that equates to 15% of
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our population as opposed to the Scottish average of 12%. Of the 50,897-income deprived population; 28,426 live in the 20% most deprived datazones and 18,251 live in the 15% most deprived datazones 22,426 income deprived people live outside the 20% most deprived datazones 32,646 income deprived people live outside the 15% most deprived datazones. North Lanarkshire is ranked 6th in terms of its share of datazones in the 20% most deprived, sitting behind; Inverclyde, Glasgow, North Ayrshire, West Dunbartonshire and Dundee. 5 North Lanarkshire datazones are within the 1% most deprived areas of Scotland. Two of these datazones have moved into the worst 1% from their position in the 2016 SIMD; Greenend (SO1011609) and Coatbridge Time Capsule (SO1011561) Other data considered were, Child Poverty Rates, Housing data, educational data, Employability data, internal data for income maximisation, economic data and Health and Wellbeing data. Over the past number of years, progress in developing local approaches to tackling poverty and reducing inequality in North Lanarkshire, have been strengthening with activity focused on the key drivers of poverty, via the ‘Towards a Fairer ‘North Lanarkshire Tackling Poverty Strategy. We know that poverty is experienced disproportionately by particular groups of people: • Older women are more likely to be poor. In 2015-18, after housing costs are accounted for, 24% of children, 20% of working age adults and 15% of pensioners in Scotland were living in relative poverty • Disabled people are more likely to live in poverty. In 2015-18, the poverty rate after housing costs for people in families with a disabled person was 24%. This compares with 17% of people in a family without a disabled person who were in poverty. Disabled people are twice as likely to be out of work and earn less than non-disabled people o Women are more likely to live in poverty. o 90% of lone parents are women o More likely to work part time in low wage jobs o Greater impact from Welfare reform o In 2016 to 2017 women earned on average £1.90 an hour less than me • People from minority ethnic (non-white) groups were more likely to be in poverty, both after and before housing costs, compared to those from the 'White - British' group. After housing costs 38% of people from 'Mixed, Black, Black British and Other' ethnic groups and 34% of 'Asian or Asian British' ethnic groups were in relative poverty after housing costs. In comparison 18% of 'White British' people were in relative poverty.
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• Gay men are more likely to experience poverty than heterosexual men. Muslims most likely to be living in poverty. In 2015-18, 41% of people who identified their religion as Muslim were living in poverty after housing costs This Tackling Poverty strategy focuses on the key drivers to reduce poverty which are; Income from employment, reduce the cost of living and increase income from social security benefits 2.3 Considering the information in Section 1 and 2.1 and 2.2 2.3.1 If this policy is subject to the FSD what does it suggest about the impact or potential impact on socio-economic disadvantage? (please refer to FSD Interim Guidance) Low income The Strategy aims to increase the income of unemployed and employed residents of North Lanarkshire Low wealth The Strategy will provide financial inclusion and improve residents ability to deal with the cost of living Material deprivation The Strategy will reduce material deprivation among residents Area deprivation The Strategy will target areas of deprivation 2.3.2 Are any of the people/communities listed below likely to be more affected by this policy than others? People who share one or more of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act 2010 Yes Details No Details Don’t Know Age (a particular age or range of ages) Older People and Children and Young People can be more affected by poverty than other age groups e.g. Older women experience poverty worse than older men, underemployed young people and those on zero hours contracts etc. Disabled people and people with long term health conditions Approximately, 30,000 people in North Lanarkshire are in receipt of a disability benefit and the cost of living with a disability costs on average £550 per month than a non- disabled person. All of this means that 47.5% of disabled people live in poverty. Women and men, girls and boys The welfare reforms changes and cost of living crisis, in particular
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Universal Credit, 2 child rule and under occupancy rules, can have a worse impact on women. People defined by their race, colour and nationality, ethnic or national origins. Unemployment rates for BME people is higher in NL than for white people. Married people and civil partners The welfare reforms changes and cost of living crisis, in particular Universal Credit, can have on people. Pregnant women and new mothers The welfare reforms changes and cost of living crisis, in particular Universal Credit, 2 child rule and under occupancy rule, can have an impact on women. Lesbian, gay and bisexual people The welfare reforms changes and cost of living crisis, in particular Universal Credit and under occupancy rule, can have an impact on lesbian, gay and bisexuals. Gay men are known to experience greater poverty than straight men. People transitioning from one gender to another The welfare reforms changes and cost of living crisis, in particular Universal Credit and work commitments/sanctions, can have an impact people transitioning. People of different religions or beliefs or non-beliefs Muslim people are more likely to experience poverty than other religious groups. Other groups Children and families The welfare reforms changes and cost of living crisis, in particular Universal Credit, 2 child
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rule and under occupancy rule, can have an impact on children and families. Homeless people The welfare reforms changes and cost of living crisis, in particular Universal Credit, work commitments and under occupancy rule, can have an impact on homeless people. Looked after and accommodated people The welfare reforms changes and cost of living crisis, in particular Universal Credit, can have an impact on looked after and accommodated people. Care leavers The welfare reforms / changes and cost of living crisis, in particular Universal Credit, can have an impact on Care leavers. Carers – paid / unpaid, family members It is well documented that many carers are living in poverty. Asylum seekers People seeking asylum are very limited in their ability to access benefits and employment with limited rights so are at great risk to extreme poverty. Employees – full and part time. Including SES, MAs etc. Some of our employees may be experiencing in work poverty. Others 2.4 Do you have evidence or reason to believe that this policy will, or may potentially affect the Council’s duty to: (Please tick all that apply). Yes No Don’t Know 1. Eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation and any other conduct prohibited by the Equality Act 2010? 2.Advance equality of opportunity between people who share a relevant protected characteristic and those who do not
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3. Foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not? 4. Protect and promote human rights? 5. Reduce socio-economic disadvantage Please provide details. The purpose of the Tackling Poverty Strategy is to ensure that there is an overall strategic approach to tackling poverty and inequality across North Lanarkshire. There has been and is good work being done by all services and partners, however, this is fragmented and at times duplicated or in fact at odds with other policies and approaches we are taking. The Tackling Poverty Strategy will ensure the one council approach within the Plan for North Lanarkshire is being delivered, with all tackling poverty initiatives falling under the umbrella of this strategy and associated policies and plans; Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan Community Engagement Strategy Education and Families Improvement Plan Children Services Partnership Plan Local Housing Strategy Equality Strategy Section 3. What else do I need to know /find out? 3.1 Further consultation – Please use the table directly below to say who you will consult with (tick Yes or No). Consider those groups from section 2.3 where you ticked yes or don’t know. Once consultation has taken place provide the details below. People and communities Yes No Describe what you did, with whom and when. Please provide a brief summary of the responses gained and links to relevant documents, as well as any actions Age (a particular age or range of ages) Please see section Other Groups about the consultation and engagement process. 43% of the respondents were aged between 25 and 39, followed closely by 39% aged between 40 and 49. Only 2% of those responded were aged 65 and over The main household types responding were: • 35% were couple living with child(ren) in education and/or working age children • single adults living with dependent child(ren) (20%) • single adults living alone (13%) • working age couples (16%) Disabled people and people with long term health conditions Please see section Other Groups about the consultation and engagement process The main concern for this group pressures of paying household bills (fuel), transport, cost of food,
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employment for disabled people, mental health impact and benefits, in particular disability benefits Women and men, girls and boys Please see section Other Groups about the consultation and engagement process People defined by their race, colour and nationality, ethnic or national origins. Please see section Other Groups about the consultation and engagement process. 3,369 respondents less than 5% told us their ethnicity. Married people and civil partners Please see section other groups about the consultation and engagement process. We do not know if there were married and civil partners who responded, however, of the respondents: • 50% were couple living with child(ren) in education and/or working age children • working age couples (16%) Pregnant women and new mothers Please see section Other Groups about the consultation and engagement process. We do not know if there were any pregnant or new mothers who responded. However, of the respondents 20% were single adults living with dependent child(ren). Lesbian, gay and bisexual people Please see section Other Groups about the consultation and engagement process We do not know the sexual orientation of the respondents People transitioning from one gender to another Please see section Other Groups about the consultation and engagement process. We do not know the transgender status of the respondents People of different religions or beliefs or non-beliefs Please see section Other Groups about the consultation and engagement process. We do not know the religions or belief of the respondents. Other groups / general consultation √ In addition to the facts and figures about North Lanarkshire, it is important that we dig much deeper and continue to listen and learn from the lived experience of the people living in poverty in our communities.
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In the previous strategy a survey was carried out asking people “what makes life more difficult for you financially?”. Following the impact of the covid 19 pandemic and in the middle of the cost of living crisis, the survey was carried out again, asking the same questions. The council developed and re-issued the survey in March 2023. Both an online and paper version asked what makes life financially difficult for the people of North Lanarkshire. The results have helped shape and inform this Tackling Poverty Strategy and our response to addressing poverty. See Appendix 2 of the Tackling Poverty Strategy. The survey went live on 15th March 2023. It was published on the NLC consultation page of our website, advertised on social media and sent by text message to parents and carers. NHSL, One Parent Families Scotland, Routes to Work, Voluntary Action North Lanarkshire and North Lanarkshire Advice Network partners disseminated the survey via their own platforms. Paper surveys were supplied to those who could not access the online version and in particular to English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) groups. This was useful in reaching those within our communities who otherwise may not have their views represented. A total of 3,369 responses were prepared for analysis, with a representation from all Community Board Areas. 50% of people who responded to the survey were from families of a couple living with child(ren) in education and/or working. 34% were from families of a single adult living with dependent child(ren). Of the 3,369 respondents over 90% said they were ‘White/Scottish or White British’. With less than 5% indicated they were people defined by their race, colour and nationality, ethnic or national origins. When looking at reducing the cost of living 43% of respondents reported that repaying debts contributed to their financial difficulties – 20% also reported high interest debt repayments were an issue. This will inform our work around affordable credit and forming closer links with local credit unions. Childcare remains a barrier to employment with a third of respondents reporting that childcare is not
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affordable, while 22% found childcare did not meet their needs. The Tackling Poverty Team have embarked on a communications programme called “The Three Questions” across all our communities, this will be a continuous programme which will become the heartbeat of our Strategy, shaping and underpinning everything we are doing across the local authority. The “Three Questions” have been shaped around the cost of living crisis, we simply ask; “How is the cost of living impacting you?” “How is the cost of living impacting others in the community?” “What would you like us to do about it?” The Three Questions have been taken to schools, both Primary and Secondary, as it is important that our children and young people’s voices are heard in the shaping of our Strategy. Children and families Please see section Other Groups about the consultation and engagement process. When asked what the children and young people wanted us to do about it, the top two answers from the children and young people were: Free School Meals for everyone and financial education. The children and young people expressed that they wanted to learn about money “make everyone feel equal and understand more about poverty and money….learn about money, how to pay bills, budgeting and money management”. When asked how the cost of living affected them, the impact on socialising was a major issue for the children and young people, whilst 21% stated that they could no longer afford after school activities and socialising with friends, 56% stated that they could no longer play their consoles, charge their phones as much, all forms of socialising for younger people. Homeless people Please see section Other Groups about the consultation and engagement process We do not know if any of the respondents were homeless. Looked after and accommodated people Please see section Other Groups about the consultation and engagement process We do not know if any of the respondents were looked after and accommodated.
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Care leavers Please see section Other Groups about the consultation and engagement process We do not know if any of the respondents were care leavers Carers – paid / unpaid, family members Please see section Other Groups about the consultation and engagement process 10% of respondents stated that they were a carer. Trade Unions Employee Equality Forum Others 3.2 What additional research or data is required? The Council is about to undergo an extensive community engagement exercise into the lived experiences of the BME communities of North Lanarkshire and this will inform our strategy. This engagement will also have the added benefit of being disaggregated by age, sex and religion. 3.3 What does the additional research and data tell you about potential or known effects? The research into the lived experiences of NLs BAME people and communities confirmed the following: >Language is a key barrier in making effective use of services especially for those who have little or no proficiency in the English language. >There are concerns about the ability of the older generation to cope with the increase in services provided online since the pandemic. Older BAME women in particular lack digital skills and experience exclusion. >The cost of living crisis is of great concern to the Afro-Caribbean community – Black African males in NL have the highest rates of unemployment of all ethnicities. This tells us that any actions to tackle poverty need to: • Recognise that where language is a barrier people may be excluded from accessing support and information. • Where people are excluded digitally, information and access to support will need to be provided in ways that meet needs. • Recognise that poverty among some ethnicities will further reduce their access to digital inclusion. • For some groups the exclusion can be tripled because of all of the above - language barriers, lack of digital access and lack of wealth. We will include the recommendations for action from the community engagement and research into the Tackling Poverty Strategy Action Plan.
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Section 4. Assessing the impact and strengthening the policy Considering all the evidence you now have from section 1-3, how will the policy affect different people and communities in relation to equality, socio-economic disadvantage and human rights? 4.1 How does/will the policy and resulting activity affect those with the characteristics listed below (including employees)? Please use the table below to provide details. Detail any Positive impact Detail any adverse impact If adverse how can we mitigate this? Where no mitigating action is planned please say why not Age (a particular age or range of ages) We have focused on the key drivers to reduce poverty which are; Income from employment, reduce the cost of living, Holistic supports and increase income from social security benefits. Therefore we would expect to see peoples income increase either via employment, income from social security benefits and assisting them to reduce their cost of living, given them more disposable income. Disabled people and people with long term health conditions We have focused on the key drivers to reduce poverty which are; Income from employment, reduce the cost of living, Holistic supports and increase income from social security benefits. Therefore we would expect to see peoples income increase either via employment, income from social
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security benefits and assisting them to reduce their cost of living, given them more disposable income. Women and men, girls and boys We have focused on the key drivers to reduce poverty which are; Income from employment, reduce the cost of living, holistic support and increase income from social security benefits. Therefore we would expect to see peoples income increase either via employment, income from social security benefits and assisting them to reduce their cost of living, given them more disposable income. People defined by their race, colour and nationality, ethnic or national origins. We have focused on the key drivers to reduce poverty which are; Income from employment, reduce the cost of living, holistic support and increase income from social security benefits. Therefore we would expect to see peoples income increase either via employment, income from social security benefits and assisting them to reduce their cost of living, given them more disposable income. Married people and civil partners We have focused on the key drivers to reduce poverty
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which are; Income from employment, reduce the cost of living, Holistic supports and increase income from social security benefits. Therefore we would expect to see peoples income increase either via employment, income from social security benefits and assisting them to reduce their cost of living, given them more disposable income. Pregnant women and new mothers We have focused on the key drivers to reduce poverty which are; Income from employment, reduce the cost of living, holistic support and increase income from social security benefits. Therefore we would expect to see peoples income increase either via employment, income from social security benefits and assisting them to reduce their cost of living, given them more disposable income. Lesbian, gay and bisexual people We have focused on the key drivers to reduce poverty which are; Income from employment, reduce the cost of living, Holistic supports and increase income from social security benefits. Therefore we would expect to
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see peoples income increase either via employment, income from social security benefits and assisting them to reduce their cost of living, given them more disposable income. People transitioning from one gender to another We have focused on the key drivers to reduce poverty which are; Income from employment, reduce the cost of living, Holistic supports and increase income from social security benefits. Therefore we would expect to see peoples income increase either via employment, income from social security benefits and assisting them to reduce their cost of living, given them more disposable income. People of different religions or beliefs or non-beliefs We have focused on the key drivers to reduce poverty which are; Income from employment, reduce the cost of living, Holistic supports and increase income from social security benefits. Therefore we would expect to see peoples income increase either via employment, income from social security benefits and assisting them to reduce their cost of living, given them
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more disposable income. Other groups Children and families We have focused on the key drivers to reduce poverty which are; Income from employment, reduce the cost of living, holistic support and increase income from social security benefits. Therefore we would expect to see peoples income increase either via employment, income from social security benefits and assisting them to reduce their cost of living, given them more disposable income. Homeless people We have focused on the key drivers to reduce poverty which are; Income from employment, reduce the cost of living, Holistic supports and increase income from social security benefits. Therefore we would expect to see peoples income increase either via employment, income from social security benefits and assisting them to reduce their cost of living, given them more disposable income. Looked after and accommodated people We have focused on the key drivers to reduce poverty which are; Income
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from employment, reduce the cost of living, holistic support and increase income from social security benefits. Therefore we would expect to see peoples income increase either via employment, income from social security benefits and assisting them to reduce their cost of living, given them more disposable income. Care leavers We have focused on the key drivers to reduce poverty which are; Income from employment, reduce the cost of living, holistic support and increase income from social security benefits. Therefore we would expect to see peoples income increase either via employment, income from social security benefits and assisting them to reduce their cost of living, given them more disposable income. Carers – paid / unpaid, family members We have focused on the key drivers to reduce poverty which are; Income from employment, reduce the cost of living, holistic support and increase income from social security benefits. Therefore we would expect to see peoples income
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increase either via employment, income from social security benefits and assisting them to reduce their cost of living, given them more disposable income. Employees – full and part time. Including SES, MAs etc. We have focused on the key drivers to reduce poverty which are; Income from employment, reduce the cost of living holistic support, and increase income from social security benefits. Therefore we would expect to see peoples income increase either via employment, income from social security benefits and assisting them to reduce their cost of living, given them more disposable income. Others N/A 4.2 What measures could be taken to strengthen the policy / strategy to help advance equality of opportunity, foster good relations, promote human rights and reduce socio-economic disadvantage. It is clear that North Lanarkshire need to address poverty, additional research will be needed through the period of the strategy to ensure that the planned outcomes are being met. We would also require any additional update research from a national basis. Internal Audit carried out an audit of the adequacy and effectiveness of the Council approach to progressing the Tackling Poverty and the associated key corporate risk. Internal Audit assessed the audit as providing ‘reasonable assurance’ as they considered that the Tackling Poverty Strategy and action plan have been appropriately integrated into the Council’s wider plans and appropriate governance and risk management arrangements in place and identifying a small number of areas where scope for improvement exists. Consideration will need to be given to target particular groups in ways that meet their needs. For instance – Connect with local Mosques and Muslim Women’s Groups/ DPOs / Older people’s organisations etc. to ensure they are targeted as part of any campaigns /
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income maximisation efforts, / opportunities etc. Make sure information is accessible to different people. 4.3 Considering questions 4.1 and 4.2 what actions / measures will be put in place before introducing this policy please provide details. Action Timescales Responsible Officer Review details (include timescales) The Strategy will have an Action Plan that outlines the actions required to reduce poverty in North Lanarkshire 2023 - 2026 John Campbell Business Manger Tackling Poverty Yearly (March 2024) Section 5. Monitoring, evaluating and reviewing 5.1. How will you monitor the impact and effectiveness of the new policy? The Strategy has a number of key measures which we will work together to fulfil, with the responsibility for monitoring this detailed. Our communities and protected groups will know we are getting things right by having; An improvement in the health and wellbeing of our residents Fewer households living in poverty Reduction in child poverty Fewer people unemployed and in receipt of out of work benefits Reduction in the number of people economically inactive An increase in the number of people paid at least the real living wage An increase in the number of affordable homes Fewer young people who are not in education, employment or training Improved education attainment Fewer people with no qualifications or skills training Fewer households in fuel poverty Maximise income through social security benefits Maximise income via new Scottish social security benefits for children More people with numeracy skills enabling them to manage their money Reduce number of people in debt Increase number of people who have access to affordable credit Effective heat maps to inform residents of access to services Increase community consultation Section 6. Making a decision and sign-off Recommendation Tick Comment (where applicable, please give more information e.g. where to pilot, what modifications, etc.) Timescales
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Introduce the policy September 2023 Adjust the policy then introduce Introduce the policy with justification regarding potential adverse impact Stop and withdraw the policy Name of Policy Tackling Poverty Strategy – Forward to a Fairer North Lanarkshire Head of Service /Senior Manager sign-off: Name Job title and division/ team Date Signature Alison Gordon Chief Officer - Education & Families - Integrative Practice (CSWO) For further information please contact: Name: John Campbell Job title: Business Manager Tackling Poverty Service: Education and Families Contact details: campbelljohn@northlan.gov.uk 01698-332566
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Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment, North Lanarkshire Council If having read the Report template guidance you have identified that your report has an impact on children and young people’s rights and wellbeing, the following Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) template should be completed. Where an impact has been identified, a summary of the impact identified following completion of the impact assessment (and the provision that has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the relevant Articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)) requires to be included in the Report at section 5.11. Where an impact has been identified, a copy of the last section in this template (i.e. the CRWIA - Stage 3 Publication Template summary) should be as an Appendix to your report. If you require further support or guidance in order to complete this section of the report template - or to complete the Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) template - please e-mail the Community Learning and Development team at CLD@northlan.gov.uk 1. Name the policy and describe its overall aims. North Lanarkshire Tackling Poverty Strategy “Toward a Fairer North Lanarkshire” This is a high level plan outlining the focus and priorities for NL and its partners for 2023 – 26 ; • To tackle poverty across our communities using the 4 drivers; Increase income from employment, reduce the costs of living, increase income from social security benefits and holistic supports • To reduce child poverty across North Lanarkshire 2. What aspects of the policy/measure will affect children and young people up to the age of 18? The Articles of the UNCRC and the child wellbeing indicators under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 apply to all children and young people up to the age of 18, including noncitizen and undocumented children and young people. The Tackling Poverty Strategy is relevant to all children, young people and families in North Lanarkshire. This includes non citizen and undocumented children and young people. The Tackling Poverty Strategy incorporates the Local Child Poverty Action Report and the work being done across North Lanarkshire to eradicate poverty in our communities, working with partners in NHSL and the third sector to achieve the outcomes detailed within the Action Plan.
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Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment, North Lanarkshire Council 3. What likely impact – direct or indirect – will the policy/measure have on children and young people? ‘Direct’ impact refers to policies/measures where children and young people are directly affected by the proposed changes, e.g. in early years, education, child protection or relevant to care experienced children. ‘Indirect’ impact refers to policies/measures that are not directly aimed at children but will have an impact on them. Examples include: welfare reforms, parental leave, housing supply, or local transport schemes. The priorities and actions seek to improve the experience of services and outcomes for all children and young people. Although relevant to all children and young people, in the most part, target those who are identified as disadvantaged or in need of additional support. Through the fourth driver “holistic supports” there is clear legislative and strategy links with the Childrens Services Plan. Direct Impact – work identified within the action plan in relation to income maximisation and financial education will have a direct impact on children and young people Indirect Impact – the tackling poverty strategy identifies areas within the action plan, such as parental support to employment initiatives, house building programmes which are not directly aimed at children but will have an impact on them. 4. Which groups of children and young people will be affected? Under the UNCRC, ‘children’ can refer to: individual children, groups of children, or children in general. Some groups of children will relate to the groups with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010: disability, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation. ‘Groups’ can also refer to children by age band or setting, or those who are eligible for special protection or assistance: e.g. preschool children, children in hospital, children in rural areas, looked after children, young people who offend, victims of abuse or exploitation, child migrants, or children living in poverty. All children and young people in North Lanarkshire, and a small number of children and young people who live outside of NL that have connections e.g. through family, placement or education. We know that children and young people who have protected characteristics under the Equalities Act are more likely to require additional or intensive supports at stages in their lives or throughout their lives. An Equalities Impact Assessment process has taken place alongside the development of the planning process. There is information in the JSNA about particular groups of children and young people that are known to encounter barriers to their wellbeing and realising their rights. This is not exhaustive or exclusive and children and young people can associate with multiple ‘groups’ or experience disadvantage. Local research and data tell us that there are persistent and pronounced inequalities in some health and wellbeing outcomes among children and young people in North Lanarkshire. Poor outcomes in
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Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment, North Lanarkshire Council one area of wellbeing are often accompanied – and potentially compounded – by poor outcomes in another. All children and young people including ‘groups’ of children and young people are supported by our GIRFEC approach and keeps children at the heart. As part of this approach the Tackling Poverty Strategy works to ensure that the systems, processes and pathways that are in place (and continually improving) in universal servicers to identify at the earliest possible stage if the needs of a child are core, additional or intensive. When support is planned each child is considered within their individual circumstances. 5. Will this require a CRWIA? Explain your reasons. CRWIA Declaration-Tick the relevant section and complete the form CRWIA required. YES- the plan will impact on children and young people in NL CRWIA not required. Authorisation-Policy lead Name, title, division (or equivalent) Date Alison Gordon, Chief Social Work Officer, Education and Families July 2023 Person or group completing paperwork. John Campbell, Manager Tackling Poverty Team On behalf of Tackling Poverty Officers Action Group July 23 CRWIA Stage 2 The CRWIA – key questions 1. Which UNCRC Articles are relevant to the policy/measure? List all relevant Articles of the UNCRC - All UNCRC rights are underpinned by the four general principles: non-discrimination; the best interests of the child; the right to life, survival and development; and the child’s right to have their views given due weight. The articles can be viewed here: UNCRC_summary-1_1.pdf (unicef.org.uk) Article Four – The state must do all it can, through passing legislation and creating administrative systems, to promote and protect children’s rights. With regard to economic social and cultural rights. Parties shall undertake such measures to the maximum extent of their available resources. Article Six – Right to life, survival and development Article Eighteen - Parties shall take all appropriate measures to ensure that children of working parents have the right to benefit from child care services and facilities for which they are eligible.
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Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment, North Lanarkshire Council Article Twenty Four – Right to the highest attainable standard of health Article Twenty Six – Right to benefit from social security Article Twenty Seven – Right to a standard of living adequate for a child’s physical, mental, moral and social development Article Thirty One – Right to rest and leisure and to engage in play and recreational activities and to participate freely in cultural life and the arts Article Thirty Two – The right to be protected from economic exploitation and performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child’s education or be harmful to the child’s health 2. What impact will the policy/measure have on children’s rights? Positive/negative/neutral. The Tackling Poverty Strategy will have a positive impact on children’s rights. The Tackling Poverty Strategy incorporates the principles of the Best Start, Bright Futures policy to reduce child poverty across Scotland by 2030. The Strategy augments the commitments made in The Promise and Whole Family Support to ensure that children will not grow up in poverty. Implementation of the Tackling Poverty Strategy will be progressed by task groups and working groups. We will continue to ask these groups to consider the articles most relevant to their actions and the impact on children’s rights as part of the planning and reporting process. Where appropriate, Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessments will be undertaken. As a partnership we promote the use of Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessments (CRWIA) to support partners and partnerships to apply these in all areas of policy, strategy and development. 3. Will there be different impacts on different groups of children and young people? Which groups of children will be affected by the policy/measure? Are there competing interests between different groups of children and young people, or between children and young people and other groups? There is potential for competing interests and exclusions. The priorities and actions seek to improve outcomes for all children and young people, and, although relevant to all children and young people, on the most part, target those who are identified as disadvantaged or in need of additional support.
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Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment, North Lanarkshire Council Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC) is the national approach that is embedded in practice across the Tackling Poverty Officers Action Group. This approach includes preventative measures and working to identify those who may need additional support at the earliest possible stage. In identifying the priorities that are included in the Strategy there are completing demands on what should be included and finite capacity and resources to deliver. The processes to arrive at the priorities encourage broad representation and consultation. Despite best efforts, not all groups and voices will be represented and reflection on the process will identify improvements. The children and young people that are most vulnerable are often least visible and seldom heard. Although the Tackling Poverty Officers Action Group recognises and applies practices to promote inclusion there remains unmet and hidden needs. 4. If a negative impact is assessed for any area of rights or any group of children and young people, what options have you considered to modify the proposal, or mitigate the impact? If options to modify the policy/measure are included here, include associated resource implications where relevant. The Tackling Poverty Strategy includes priorities and actions that will amplify the incorporation of children and young people’s voices in the planning and decision-making processes for individual children and young people and representative groups. Members of the Tackling Poverty Officers Action Group are represented on the Childrens Services Partnership and work together in raising awareness and making sure everybody is aware of UNCRC and children’s rights, this will lead to an increased awareness of where children’s rights are not being upheld and therefore opportunities to act on this. Where issues arise these will be monitored through the Childrens Services Partnership Continuous Improvement Group and reporting on children’s rights. 5. How will the policy/measure contribute to the wellbeing of children and young people in Scotland? Outline how the implementation of the policy/measure will support our duties to safeguard, support and promote the wellbeing of children in their area, with wellbeing defined by eight wellbeing indicators. The indicators are: Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible, and Included. More information is available via the link below. SHANARRI+-+Wellbeing+wheel+-+full+text.pdf (www.gov.scot)
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Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment, North Lanarkshire Council The Tackling Poverty Strategy directs resources and supports to tackle child poverty and in doing this this will promote the wellbeing of children. Tackling poverty in our communities will help achieve the eight well being indicators for the children of North Lanarkshire. 6. How will the policy/measure give better or further effect to the implementation of the UNCRC in Scotland? This will inform the duty to report what has been done to further and better children’s rights under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. The Tackling Poverty Strategy will assist in both the prevention and lifting children out of poverty, the Action Plan will be updated on an annual basis and reported on. 7. What evidence have you used to inform your assessment? What does it tell you? The evidence base may include demographic information, academic research, service monitoring/inspection reports, service evaluation reports, user surveys, etc. In particular, look at what existing evidence tells you about children and young people’s views and experiences of the relevant service(s); and/or what it tells you about children and young people’s views of the policy proposal. Identify any gaps in the evidence base and set out how you will address these. The Tackling Poverty Strategy considered the following information and evidence to update the Strategy and Action Plan; Our population and emerging needs DWP information Economic activity The voice of the community via the Three Questions The voice of our children and young people via the Three Questions School Initiative What is currently working well The evidence base is continually evolving and will develop further during the lifetime of the Tackling Poverty Strategy. 8. Have you consulted with relevant stakeholders? This would include public or targeted consultations with children and young people, their parents/carers and the children’s workforce. Consultation has taken place in the community and with children and young people within our schools, asking the Three Questions; “how is cost of living affecting you”, “how is cost of living affecting others in the community” and “what would you like us to do about it”.
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Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment, North Lanarkshire Council 9. Have you involved children and young people in the development of the policy/measure? Is there enough information on the views of the children and young people who will be affected by the policy/measure that enables you to make an informed assessment of impact? Children and young people have been consulted on the Three Questions; “how is cost of living affecting you”, “how is cost of living affecting others in the community” and “what would you like us to do about it”. With a programme being developed to ensure that this is a continual process throughout the school clusters.
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Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment, North Lanarkshire Council CRWIA – Stage 3- cannot complete until final copy – draft from pervious CRWIA below Publication Template CRWIA title: North Lanarkshire Children’s Services Plan 2023-26 Publication date: Summary of policy aims and desired outcomes. The Tackling Poverty Strategy 2023-26 outlines the priorities for the next three years, to tackle poverty in our communities. It includes actions under the drivers to tackle poverty; Increase income via employment Reduce the costs of living Increase income via social security benefits Holistic Supports Executive summary In North Lanarkshire we recognise that tackling poverty and inequality does not fall to one Service, or one Sector, we must therefore work together to use our resources effec�vely and efficiently to ensure that all our communi�es have access to opportuni�es that will lead to beter outcomes for people in terms of employment, wellbeing and inclusive growth. This CRWIA was undertaken alongside an Equalities Impact Assessment. Background The Tackling Poverty Strategy 2023-26 is the current plan. It builds on the previous plan, with the Action Plan reviewed annually. Scope of the CRWIA, identifying the children and young people affected by the policy, and summarising the evidence base. The priorities and actions seek to improve outcomes for all children, young people and families, and although relevant to all children and young people and families, on the most part,our priorities target those who are identified as disadvantaged or in need of some support. Children and young people’s views and experiences These are included through the Three Questions asked of the children and young people in schools across North Lanarkshire.
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Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment, North Lanarkshire Council Key findings, including an assessment of the impact on children’s rights, and how the measure will contribute to children’s wellbeing. The Tackling Poverty Strategy will help tackle the impact poverty has on children and young people. The Action Plan within the Strategy brings together shared priorities and actions that will impact positively on children, young people and families. Monitoring and review The Action Plan will be updated on an annual basis by the Tackling Poverty Officers Action Group, with regular updates being provided to the Wellbeing and Tackling Poverty Committee. CRWIA Declaration Authorisation Lead John Campbell Manager – Tackling Poverty Date July 2023 Chief Officer Date