Appendix 1 - Tackling Poverty Strategy 2024-2030
Perth and Kinross Council · 30 October 2024
Back to Perth and Kinross Council — 30 October 2024 and its agenda
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1 Appendix 1 Tackling Poverty Strategy 2024 - 2030 A Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality
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2 3. Introduction 4. Our story so far 7. Governance 8. What do we mean by poverty? 9. Poverty in context 11. What have we learned? 13. A Social Contract for Perth and Kinross 14. Our Approach 17. Measuring Success 20. Appendices: - • Appendix 1 - Links with other plans and strategies • Appendix 2 - Poverty Estimates • Appendix 3 - Gathering Views • • Appendix 4 - Target Groups Contents
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3 Who we are The Perth & Kinross Anti-Poverty Taskforce is here to mitigate the impact of poverty in Perth & Kinross through a commitment to collaboration, coordination, and inclusivity. By fostering partnerships across sectors, we aim to coordinate effective strategies that drive tangible change and create a more equitable future for all in Perth & Kinross. This Taskforce brings together representatives from the public, private and third sectors and includes many third sector organisations who are providing on-the-ground support to people facing poverty in Perth & Kinross. Anti-Poverty Task Force Membership PKAVS Broke Not Broken Perth Citizens Advice Bureau Giraffe and Checkin Works Glasgow Caledonian University Growbiz Joseph Rowntree Foundation Letham4All Mindspace NHS Tayside Perth Citizens Advice Bureau Perth & Kinross Council – Chief Executive Depute Chief executive Strategic Lead for Strategic Planning, People and Performance Councillors – Grant Laing, Caroline Shiers, Dave Cuthbert Peter Barrett, Tom McEwan Introduction
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2 Despite being a relatively affluent area, Perth and Kinross has about 30,000 people living below the poverty line, with 27,200 in deep or very deep poverty. Poverty affects health, life expectancy, education, employment prospects, and overall opportunities. Over the past four years, our member organisations have focused on providing strong crisis support during the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. Our new strategy aims to help people move from crisis support to sustainable livelihoods. The Community Plan 2022-2032, set out an ambition for our area to be the best place in Scotland for everyone to live life well, free from poverty and inequality and this vision is shared a with Anti-Poverty Task Force. This strategy aims to further bring partners together from various sectors to tackle poverty. It has been shaped and developed through extensive consultation with local individuals and organisations, supported by expert advice from the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit, and informed by those with lived experience of poverty. Our strategy, endorses the Social Contract developed by the UK Poverty Strategy Commission1 • No one should be in deep poverty. • Those not expected to work should not be in poverty. • People should try to increase their earnings • Those earning as expected should not be in poverty. • Businesses should meet their obligations to adopt fair working practices and pay the living wage To this we have added a further clause:- The Anti-Poverty Task Force members should invest in partnership co-ordination to streamline service provision by adopting the “no wrong door” approach enabling greater collaboration to the benefit of those in need. Ensuring efficiency, and effective use and deployment of collective resources which can be deployed for poverty alleviation and building sustainable livelihoods. This approach will serve to strengthen the lines of accountability and will enable us to measure our progress more effectively. 1 The Poverty Strategy Commission is an independent and non-partisan group and is concerned with helping policy makers and the public understand and take action to tackle poverty. The Commission is hosted by the Centre for Policy Studies and is funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and Garfield Weston Foundations and Jon Moulton and Stuart Roden. An estimated 27,200 people in Perth & Kinross are in deep or very deep poverty
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3 Everyone should have the chance to participate in community life, but this is impossible if basic needs like food and warmth are unmet. Following the passing of the Child Poverty Act (Scotland) 2017, and the adoption of targets for reducing child poverty, Perth and Kinross Council invested significantly in actions to reduce child poverty. They aligned their strategies for tackling child poverty behind “Every child, every chance” and “Best start, bright futures” the two child poverty delivery plans developed by the Scottish Government. The approach taken was to build a broad coalition of organisations from across Perth and Kinross and enlist their support in developing and implementing actions which could target priority family groups at greatest risk and mitigate child poverty by: - • Increasing income from employment • Reducing the essential cost of living • Increasing income from social security and other benefits in kind. During the Covid-19 pandemic, thousands of people volunteered in their communities, to help and support their neighbours. The way that our services changed, showing more flexibility and cooperation across services. Though not perfect, this response reached more people in need of assistance, more quickly. Following the Covid-19 pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis saw communities and services again coming together to provide emergency help. A network of cosy spaces was set up, offering food and fellowship for those in need. Efforts to tackle poverty intensified, with additional funds released and the Anti-Poverty Task Force was established. The outcomes from the report on “Lived experience of child poverty in Perth and Kinross” by the Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit and the Poverty Alliance galvanised Perth and Kinross Council to make tackling poverty a key priority. Partner organisations have also made tackling poverty a key priority, and this has fed into organisational strategies and plans of the member organisations of the Anti-Poverty Task Force. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that while overall poverty in Scotland has decreased in Scotland in the last 25 years, very deep poverty (below 40% of median income) has increased by 50%. This rise in deep poverty limits life expectancy, opportunities, and quality of life, calling for urgent action. Our story so far Contents
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4 In 2024 Perth and Kinross attracted £1.3 million of funding for a Supporting People – Addressing Need programme which seeks to help individuals and families experiencing ongoing or sporadic financial crises move into sustainable livelihoods. In the Programme of Government published in September 2024, the Scottish Government announced that Perth and Kinross Council was selected as a partner to deliver effective whole family support through place-based, “fairer futures” local partnerships. The Community Planning Partnership identified poverty as one its key strategic priorities in the Perth and Kinross Local Outcome Improvement Plan. The emerging Cost of Living Crisis drove the need for greater focus and action in the immediate and short-term to address rising costs of fuel, food and energy. A greater awareness of the need to integrate service provision and provide joined up action led to the establishment of an Anti-Poverty Task Force. The Anti-Poverty Task Force is leveraging expertise from across Perth and Kinross (and beyond) to engage and inspire collective ownership and commitment to mitigating the worst effects of the cost-of-living crisis and poverty generally. The Anti-Poverty Task Force brings together Community Planning Partners, local businesses, third sector organisations, and communities. Its goal is to coordinate efforts to reduce poverty, breaking down traditional barriers and creating lasting change. As work on child poverty deepened, there was an understanding that child poverty cannot be addressed in isolation from poverty in the family and in the community. A decision was taken to broaden our work on poverty to include everyone affected by it, regardless of age or family structure. The Anti-Poverty Task Force and its members do not have control all the levers of change required to lift people out of poverty. Some areas of policy and practice are beyond our control. The Anti-Poverty Task Force can be a powerful advocate for change, both locally across Perth and Kinross and nationally with the UK and Scottish Governments. The Anti-Poverty Task Force is committed to engaging with local communities and stakeholders to ensure that people facing financial challenges have a voice and that their experiences shape agendas for change. The Task Force are developing their own advocacy agenda and will take information and evidence to other organisations it seeks to influence.
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5 What we did to tackle poverty in 2023/24 W ork Dignified Living Survive and Thrive
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6 The Anti-Poverty Task Force will act as a champion for the strategy and a community connector across the public, private, third and community sectors. The Task Force provide the calls to action which will influence the strategies and targets set out in the Community Planning Partnership Local Outcomes Improvement Plan, Perth and Kinross Council’s Corporate Plan and NHS Tayside’s Strategic Development Framework. It will act as a powerful advocate for change, persuading other organisations, including the Scottish Government to focus policies and practice to maximise the ability of people to move beyond crisis support to sustainable livelihoods and will report progress to the Community Planning Partnership. “Reducing Poverty”, “Health and Wellbeing” and “Skills, Learning & Employability” are strategic priorities of the Community Planning Partnership as illustrated above. This connects with Perth and Kinross Council’s Corporate Plan Priorities on Tackling Poverty. Links to other Perth and Kinross Council strategies and policies are shown in Appendix 1. NHS Tayside has pledged to tackle health inequality and improve the lives of people in the communities they serve. It adopted the NHS Tayside Anchor Strategy in October 2023 which sets out how the health board plans to deploy resources behind this objective. The Tackling Poverty Unit comprising of key advisors from across the membership of the Anti-Poverty Task Force will provide specialist advice and support the implementation and delivery of the strategy. Each partner will have their own internal governance arrangements to support the delivery of the strategy and assigned actions.-Poverty Ta Poverty Board and Lived -Experience Group. The Unit will support the implementation of the Tackling Poverty Strategy at a corporate level. It will provide co-ordination of reports to the Anti-Poverty Board Community Planning Partnership • Poverty • Health & Wellbeing • Skills, Learning & Employability Anti- Poverty Task Force • Poverty Strategy • Local Child Poverty Action Plan Anti- Poverty Unit • Delivery of Poverty Strategy & Local Child Poverty Action Plan Governance
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7 Poverty affects people in different ways. Millions of people in the UK live in poverty, with some experiencing more extreme levels than others. Poverty can mean struggling to heat your home, pay rent, or buy essentials for your children. It can also mean being unable to handle unexpected costs or participate in society like others do. Some people face destitution, while others just get by without being able to plan for the future. Poverty has many causes that often reinforce each other. We know that some families have a far greater risk of poverty – including minority-ethnic, lone parent, and those which include a disabled adult or child. Living in remote areas can also play a part. These factors can push people further into financial insecurity and keep them trapped in poverty. Some people also end up becoming impoverished through debt payments which reduce the income they have left to pay for essentials. What we know About 3 in 10 people living in very deep poverty in Scotland are in families where someone works full-time, reflecting the rise in in- work poverty. Many low-income families are working but still can’t meet their financial needs due to low pay or too few hours. Single people without children and people that live in a family where someone is disabled are increasingly in very deep poverty. Over one-third of ethnic minorities are in deep or very deep poverty, three times the rate for the general population in Scotland Tackling barriers and improving opportunities for people will help to deliver on the Scottish Government’s ambition to break the generational cycle of poverty. “Across the lowest income households, we see that many families are in work but that is not meeting their financial needs. This can be due to too few hours and inadequate pay” (Deepening poverty in Scotland – no one left behind? April 2023). What do we mean by poverty?
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8 Perth and Kinross appears wealthy on the surface, but there are hidden areas of severe poverty. Perth and Kinross has the outward appearance of an affluent area. We have only 3 data zones in the bottom decile of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) – Blairgowrie East (Rattray); Hillyland, Tulloch and Inveralmond; and Muirton. However, a deeper dive into the data coupled with lived experience research and the experiences of our frontline services paints a different picture, exposing severe poverty and deprivation that we need to tackle. Hearing from people who have experienced poverty first hand has shown us that intense poverty exists in Perth and Kinross, limiting the opportunities for those affected. The real extent of poverty in our area is masked by 3 things: - • poverty is stigmatised and it is difficult for people to be open about the fact that this is a challenge that they face • the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, used as a proxy for measuring poverty, identifies deprived areas, not people. It is not good at identifying poverty where it is dispersed such as in rural areas like Perth and Kinross. • our reliance on income-based measures which do not take account of the higher cost of living in rural areas. The Scottish Government’s report “Poverty in rural Scotland: Evidence Review” found that many rural households were at risk of poverty due to their high expenditure on travel, food, and fuel. **insert key facts **** The UK Minimum Income Standards (MIS) for the UK Report 2022 provides an income calculator that can be used to identify the income level that different family types need to secure an acceptable standard of living. The figures provided for increased costs given in the “Poverty in rural Scotland: Evidence Review” report was then used to uprate the income and expenditure figures to give an approximation of where the poverty line rested for different family types in rural Perthshire. Further information on figures for remote rural mainland communities are provided in Appendix 2. Poverty in context 36% of households in Perth and Kinross are financially stretched 1 in 10 employees across Perth & Kinross are paid less than the Real Living Wage £3,943,921 is lost each year in missed claims for pension credits in Perth and Kinross
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9 Over the last few years Perth and Kinross has benefitted from the lived experience research with families affected by poverty and research conducted by others to gain a better understanding of the causes of poverty in our communities. Local figures for Perth and Kinross for deep poverty and very deep poverty do not exist, however the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, has produced the following estimates which are based on extrapolations: - Deep but not very deep poverty Under 18s 2,600 Working Age Adults 8,000 Pensioners 3,000 Very deep poverty Under 18s 2,600 Working Age Adults 8,000 Pensioners 3,0002 In summary, the findings show: - • Intense poverty exists in Perth and Kinross • Of the 30,000 people estimated to be living in poverty in Perth and Kinross, it is likely that 27,200 will be experiencing deep or very deep poverty. • Single people without children, families where someone has a disability and ethnic minority people are at greatest risk of very deep poverty • The distribution of significant Scottish Government funding based on SIMD estimates disadvantages Perth and Kinross where poverty is dispersed • The rural poverty premium means that many more people are experiencing poverty in Perth and Kinross than income-based measures suggest 2 The estimates provided are based on extrapolations from Scotland wide data and are indicative.
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10 This strategy aims to address the most important issues identified by those experiencing poverty in our communities. This Strategy was informed by a series of consultation events and feedback sessions. We have gathered the views of many local groups and organisations as detailed in Appendix 3. This Word Cloud analysis of consultation events and meetings highlighted the most common words: work and services; followed by childcare, school, and employers. Other important words included communities, training, welfare, and rural issues. Key Findings: • Main Factors: Services, employers, and community involvement are crucial for tackling poverty. • Prominent Issues: Work and wages were more frequently mentioned than welfare and benefits, indicating that in-work poverty is a bigger issue than unemployment- related poverty. There is a belief that work is the key to escaping poverty. • Approaches: Words like awareness, understanding, flexibility, teams, and partnership suggest the preferred methods for addressing poverty. What have we learned?
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11 Main issues Identified • Employment – There are insufficient jobs to go round (100 people for every 82 job vacancies), a concentration of employment in low paid sectors (social care, retail and hospitality) and seasonal employment which provides unstable incomes. • Childcare - Accessing affordable childcare which meets the needs of working parents has been reported as a major barrier to employment. • Transport – Accessing affordable transport which enables people to get to and from work and appointments with healthcare and other service providers was a problem outside of Perth city. • Emergency food and cash-first approaches – People reported that it was important to have a choice of access points for income maximisation, debt and benefits advice; that cash first approaches were in the main preferred, but not always. • Children and families – We heard that people find it hard to access the range of services and support they need, and they would prefer a one door approach. • Housing – There is a lack of access to affordable housing, especially in rural areas – and for families who want to live near each other or near their workplace. • Rural challenges – the high cost of living in a rural area was mentioned by many who cited higher food, fuel, transport and housing costs. • Health and wellbeing – the link between poor mental health and poverty was made very strongly in the consultation, and a wider offer of health and wellbeing services which was joined up with income maximisation and employability services was identified as key to the success of the strategy. .
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12 Feedback from our consultation made us realise we need to be realistic about what we can achieve. Instead of promising to eliminate poverty, we have created a Social Contract based on the UK Poverty Strategy Commission’s social contract and the consensus from the consultation that: 1. No one should be in deep poverty: Society should provide a financial safety net for those out of work or on low incomes, covering basic needs and supporting social and cultural participation. 2. Those unable to work should not be in poverty: People who can’t work due to health issues, disabilities, or caregiving responsibilities should have a decent standard of living. 3. People should try to increase their earnings: Those who can work but are unemployed or underemployed should have opportunities to find work and increase their income. 4. Low earners should not be in poverty: Workers with low earnings should have their incomes supplemented by benefits to ensure a reasonable standard of living for them and their families. 5. Businesses should meet their obligations: Companies should fulfil their legal responsibilities regarding pay, pensions, and taxes. 6. The Anti-Poverty Task Force members should invest in partnership co- ordination to streamline service provision by adopting the “no wrong door” approach enabling greater collaboration to the benefit of those in need. Ensuring efficiency, and effective use and deployment of collective resources which can be deployed for poverty alleviation and building sustainable livelihoods. We will collaborate with public, third sector, and community partners to: • Help to secure extra resources and support for those in deep poverty. • Provide resources or support to those unable to work due to health, disability, or caregiving, to help them achieve a reasonable standard of living. • Support job seekers and those wanting to work more hours by helping them gain necessary skills and knowledge. • Assist low-income individuals facing financial difficulties to achieve a reasonable standard of living. A Social Contract for Perth and Kinross
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13 • Work together to address the issues identified through the consultation process as outlined in page 12. • Encourage businesses to offer fair work and good jobs. Our approach will contribute towards: • Addressing the rising cost of living and developing cash first approaches and food security • Increasing income from employment by improving access to childcare and transport as well as skills development and training • Maximising income from Social Security and other benefits • Reducing stigma and promoting available support. • Addressing the housing and rural challenges being faced by communities • Supporting the health and wellbeing of communities to enable communities to live life well
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14 • We will listen to people with lived experience and involve them in creating and designing the delivery of services and support. • We will encourage our member organisations to redesign services and support to ensure people receive the right help at the right time. • We will encourage our member organisations to give more power to people and communities with experience of poverty. Area for Action A Group will be established, involving people with lived experience of poverty and will use similar approaches to the Poverty Truth Commissions, but will move beyond building mutual trust, sharing experiences and learning to becoming actively involved in the review of customer journeys, services and support. We know that children and families benefit when they can access the support they need when and where they need it, not directed to several disparate services, each in a different location, and with their own distinct contacts and services. Therefore: - • We will encourage the delivery of joined-up services that work together effectively to deliver no wrong door approaches in our localities. • We will provide a forum for partnership with other public, private, third sector and community organisations to help local people and communities to become more resilient and inclusive. • We will clearly identify which issues can be addressed by directly by local services provided by our member organisations, and which issues need to be addressed by influencing or lobbying the Government or other bodies. Area for Action A Tackling Poverty Unit will be established to provide specialist advice and support to the Anti-Poverty Task Force. The Unit will support the implementation of the Tackling Poverty Strategy and will provide co-ordination of reports to the Anti-Poverty Board. To meet the Scottish Government’s aspiration to ensure services are available when and where they are needed will require more pooling and flexibility of spend locally, as Our approach
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15 well as a clear and accessible way to access them. In recognising this, multi- disciplinary working will facilitate the delivery the following outcomes: - • Joint planning and working with partners and communities at a locality level • Proactive engagement with the community to raise awareness of the depth and extent of poverty in their local area and the issues faced by affected families • Upward influencing of service planning based on community input • Identify and support individuals and families • Ensure all frontline workers understand the available support for those affected by poverty • Create robust referral pathways into, within and between services • Deliver services flexibly to meet the changing needs of families to mitigate and prevent poverty • Budgets and decision-making will be devolved and where possible consolidated to make best use of resources There is an expectation that the actions undertaken through multi-disciplinary working will include: - • Community engagement and empowerment • Improving crisis intervention • Move families beyond crisis to prevention resulting in sustainable livelihoods • Locality service redesign to meet community needs We need to build learning and reflection into the heart of local action. We need to reach a deeper shared understanding of the challenges faced by people experiencing hardship in our communities. Our member organisation’s frontline workers need to be supported to build referral pathways which connect people to the help and support they need. Area for Action We will review our spending with a view to integrating and devolving budgets for local decision making where possible and appropriate. Alongside the place-based approach adopted via multi-disciplinary working, we will adopt a people-based approach by engaging with those third sector and community groups who represent and support communities of interest and target groups who are vulnerable to poverty and inequality (see Appendix 4). Area for Action We will encourage our teams to build in time for shared learning and networking across professional and organisational boundaries.
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16 We need to move beyond providing emergency support for individuals and families experiencing financial crisis to enabling them to take up a broader offer which is aimed at supporting their transition to sustainable livelihoods. Area for Action We will encourage our member organisations to empower frontline workers to enable them to connect families and individuals to a spectrum of support capable of taking people from crisis support to sustainable livelihoods.
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17 We will produce an Annual Action Plan which provides an overview of the outcome and impact of the agreed actions to address the priority areas identified: - • Addressing the rising cost of living and developing cash first approaches and food security • Increasing income from employment by improving access to childcare and transport as well as skills development and training • Maximising income from Social Security and other benefits • Reducing stigma and promoting available support. • Addressing the housing and rural challenges being faced by communities • Supporting the health and wellbeing of communities to enable communities to live life well Measuring success
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18 Social Contract – Aims of the Tackling Poverty Strategy 1. No one should be in deep poverty: Society should provide a financial safety net for those out of work or on low incomes, covering basic needs and supporting social and cultural participation. 2. Those unable to work should not be in poverty: People who can’t work due to health issues, disabilities, or caregiving responsibilities should have a decent standard of living. 3. People should try to increase their earnings: Those who can work but are unemployed or underemployed should strive to find work and increase their income. 4. Low earners should not be in poverty: Workers with low earnings should have their incomes supplemented by benefits to ensure a reasonable standard of living for them and their families. 5. Businesses should meet their obligations: Companies should fulfil their legal responsibilities regarding pay, pensions, and taxes. Objectives Focus/ Action/Output Areas Outcomes Impact Indicators Addressing the rising cost of living Housing Rurality People can meet their basic needs and live comfortably • Reduction in food bank usage • Number of positive outcomes for people with public debt • Reduction in rent/council tax arrears and other public debt • Reduction in homelessness • Increase in the amount of affordable homes • Fewer households in fuel poverty • Credit Union membership increases • Reduction in indebted households Increasing income from Employment Employment Childcare Transport People are supported towards good quality, sustainable employment • Number of people who progress to positive destinations following employability advice • Increase in average household incomes and wages • More people in meaningful employment • Increase in employees paid the real Living Wage • Fewer people in receipt of out of work benefits
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19 Objectives Focus/ Action/Output Areas Outcomes Impact Indicators Maximising income from Social Security and other benefits One -door approach for children and families Emergency Food and Cash People receive all benefits they are entitled to • Number of people with income maximised through entitlement to social security benefits and total value of financial gain • Number of referrals to Cash First Partnership via referral system Reducing stigma and promoting available support Health and Wellbeing One-door approach for children and families Emergency Food and Cash Stakeholders work together to share information and best practice to tackle poverty and reduce stigma • Number of people supported with debt advice and total value of debt successfully managed • More people seeking advice and information Approach • A lived experience group will be established to help improve service delivery across and between APTF members • A Tackling Poverty Unit will be established to support the Anti-Poverty Task Group, Poverty Board and Lived Experience Group • Integrated service delivery within, across and between organisations will deliver better, more joined up and holistic support to families whose wellbeing is affected by the financial challenges they face • We will devolve decision-making to local communities as far as possible. • We will empower frontline workers to enable them to connect families and individuals to a spectrum of support to move them from crisis intervention to sustainable livelihoods. • We will encourage sharing and learning across professional and organisational boundaries
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20 Appendix 1 - Links with other plans and strategies
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21 Appendix 2 - Poverty Estimates
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22 Poverty estimates - the data challenge There are different estimates for the numbers of children in poverty in Perth and Kinross. These result from different approaches taken by the UK and Scottish Governments. The UK Government official statistics use the Children in Low Income Families data – which records children in families with less than 60% of median income before housing costs – this provides a figure in 2021/22 of 5151. These statistics are also available at ward level. However, these figures report on a “before housing costs” (BHC) basis and therefore do not provide a complete picture of how disposable income of households with children varies geographically and underestimate poverty rates in areas like Perth and Kinross where housing costs can be high. They have produced a different estimate of child poverty based on the HBAI figures and alternative data sets which estimate the varying housing costs on child poverty in local areas, and this has produced a 2022/2023 figure for Perth and Kinross of 5750 children living in poverty. This figure is used by the Scottish Government and reflects the estimates for children in relative poverty, after housing costs (AHC) Measurement Uncertainty. The poverty estimates in the Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland Report are based on the Family Resources Survey. This is a sample survey and therefore there is some degree of uncertainty around the estimated produced. e.g., when it is reported that 21% of individuals are living in relative poverty after housing costs, then this should be understood not as an exact figure but as a best estimate within a range. 3 Both sets of statistics come with a health warning: - • The report on a two-year average (normally a 3-year average – but this was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic and so the 2020 figures are not included). • The data provided is for the year end to March 2022 and therefore does not cover the period during which the cost-of-living crisis really took hold. The data has yet to reflect the full impact of the Scottish Child Payment and it includes the 6-month extension to the £20 a week rise in the standard allowance of Universal Credit (UC) provided by the Government in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This uplift, amounting to £1000 additional income per year for households in receipt of UC was removed in October 2021. This measure is likely to have pushed down poverty rates for families during this period. • Data for working-age adults and pensioners in poverty is not provided at local authority level, and therefore we can only report on the basis of extrapolated figures. This will slightly inflate the figures for Perth and Kinross as there are higher concentrations of poverty in Glasgow and the Central Belt, and typically Perth and Kinross has a slightly lower poverty rate than the rest of Scotland. 3 Measurement uncertainty (data.gov.scot)
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23 Appendix 3 - Gathering Views A series of consultation events and feedback sessions have been held, which included:- • Anti-Poverty Task Force Planning Day Locality Planning Groups • 2 Highland Locality Steering Group Workshops • Coupar Angus Action Plan • Coupar Angus Planning Workshop • Lovel Letham Report • Letham Locality Planning workshop Other meetings, workshops and focus groups have/are taken place • Child Poverty Working Group Meetings • Employability, Early Learning and Childcare Workshop • Cost of Living Crisis Group • Cash First Partnership Meetings • Perth Foodbank • Community Anchor Organisations Reflection Day • Good Food Workshop • 2 Focus Groups with Customer Services Team • Whole Family Wellbeing Partnership Development Day • Employability Network • Elected Members Feedback Session External • Scottish Poverty and Inequality Research Unit, Local Practice in Tackling Poverty Directory project • Remote Rural and Island Child Poverty Peer Support Group, Improvement Service • Child Poverty Peer Support Group, Improvement Service • PKAVS Survey of Member organisations • Consultation with the public through the Consultation Hub
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24 Appendix 4 - Target Groups • People experiencing Persistent Hardship – people on low incomes claiming universal credit or other benefits or those on low incomes who have not claimed their entitlements. • People experiencing deep or very deep poverty including single people with no children, ethnic minority people and households where someone has a disability. • People who are on or just below the poverty level. • Just About Managing - People who are getting by on their own means but who frequently have little, or no money left at the end of the month. • Asset Rich-Cash Poor – People who own their own home, with limited savings and their financial assets are not easily accessible and who are experiencing hardship. Within the target groups above, there will be a greater prevalence of 4:- • Adults under 25 are more likely to be in poverty than older adult • Minority ethnic households (including migrants and gypsy travellers) are more likely to be in poverty compared to white British households • Muslim adults are more likely to be in poverty compared to adults of Christian and other faiths and those with no religion • Single adults, especially those who are divorced or separated are more likely to be in poverty than those who are married or cohabiting and widowed adults. • People living in households with disabled household members are more likely to be in poverty than those with no disabled household members. • Refugees and asylum seekers are subject to restrictions which limit their access to work and public services. For some this means living in a state of near or actual destitution when they fall out of the asylum system. • Carers - the rate of poverty amongst unpaid carers is 56% higher than those who do not provide unpaid care in Scotland. 8% of unpaid carers in Scotland live in deep poverty; 50% below the poverty line. As many as 100,000 unpaid carers in Scotland are living in poverty. 4 Poverty levels broadly stable - gov.scot (www.gov.scot)