Walsall Child Poverty Impact Reduction Strategy

1. Walsall Child Poverty Impact Reduction Strategy Walsall Childrens Trust

2. Walsall Child Poverty Impact Reduction Strategy Child Poverty Why have a strategy to reduce child poverty? The Strategy The Action Plan What it will look like Effectiveness – Evidence-based monitoring and evaluation

3. Walsall Child Poverty Impact Reduction Strategy • Why have a strategy to reduce child poverty? • Nearly 1/3 of children live in poverty (around 16,000) • Poorer health • Lower attainment etc • A Moral and economic imperative • Council Pledge • Cycle of deprivation • Cost of services • Government Target

4. Walsall Child Poverty Impact Reduction Strategy Three facets:- Mitigate against the effects of Child Poverty Reduce parental worklessness Raise Aspirations

5. Walsall Child Poverty Impact Reduction Strategy • Mitigate the effects of Child Poverty • Impact now • Improve health and well-being • Increasing tax credits and benefits • Build seamless family support system

6. Walsall Child Poverty Impact Reduction Strategy • 2. Reduce parental worklessness • Impact now • Support parents into decent, sustainable jobs • Recruitment targets • City Strategy and Neighbourhood Skills Project • Childcare and positive activity guarantee for 0-19 yr olds

7. Walsall Child Poverty Impact Reduction Strategy • 3. Raise Aspirations • Longer term impact • Schools as drivers to narrow the gap in achievement

8. Walsall Child Poverty Impact Reduction Strategy • Action Plan • Child Poverty reduction as an explicit service outcome • Aligned and co-ordinated outcomes-based services • Children’s Fund dedicated to Child Poverty strategy • Commissioned services • Focus on areas of greatest need • Parents\Communities as experts

9. Walsall Child Poverty Impact Reduction Strategy • Evidence-based monitoring and evaluation • Outcome measures in specification

10. Walsall Child Poverty Impact Reduction Strategy

11. What’s next • Working with 2 localities (tba) • Priority for Childrens fund for next 2 years • Tender in November 2008 • £1.8 million bid to government at stage 2 • Coordinated approach across the borough

12. Walsall Child Poverty Impact Reduction Strategy • Mitigate against the effects of Child Poverty • Reduce parental worklessness • Raise Aspirations • What lessons can be learned from practice elsewhere?

13. Walsall Child Poverty Impact Reduction Strategy • What are your observations about our collaborative approach to service delivery?

14. Walsall Child Poverty Impact Reduction Strategy • What are your perceptions about the effectiveness of locality focussing?