finance briefing

Finance

Finance The Early Years (0-7) / Y blynyddoedd cynnar

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

Benefit Take-up Most disadvantaged families are not taking up their full benefit and tax credit entitlements. Only 44% of children in severe poverty are in families that report claiming the child tax credit. There is a lack of knowledge among many on low incomes of their entitlements to support.

Review the quality/ accessibility of information and benefits (particularly in work benefits) available via early years settings. Consider undertaking co-ordinated benefit take up work within early years settings.

Promoting Tax Credits and help towards childcare costs provides a simple, easy to use online toolkit to help your local authority raise awareness about help for paying for childcare. http://www.surestart.gov.uk/_doc/P0001075.doc

Income Poverty

Finance Education and Learning Opportunities / Addysg

Income Poverty


Free school meals administration and take up Efficient, user-friendly free school meal administration encourages take up.

Establish a course of action that ensures that free school meal and other education related grants administration is accurate, efficient and take up of entitlement is in the top quartile of authorities.

Useful strategies for increasing free school meal takeup Food for life article on free school meal take-up

Sustainable Procurement In 2005 it was estimated that 35% of the £4 billion spent each year by the public sector in Wales was won by indigenous business supporting some 70,000 jobs. Every 1% increase to this figure should relate to an increase of some 2,000 jobs.

Develop a common partnership approach to sustainable procurement that ensures opportunities to support the local economy and skills development of young people are secured.

Buy Wales http://www.forumforthefuture.org.uk/node/1413 http://www.s-p-i-n.co.uk/toolkit.asp#Socio-Economic


Income Poverty


Charging Policies Charging policies and practice that do not fully consider concessions can limit the life chances of the poorest.

Develop robust school charging policy and practice that effectively considers the needs of pupils experiencing poverty and disadvantage.

Oldham Policy on charging for school activities

De Stigmatising Payment Methods Some free school meals and other payment methods stigmatise pupils making them more vulnerable to bullying.

Develop sensitive payment methods within school settings

Cashless Catering http://www.familyandparenting.org/item/1202 Denbighshire Cashless Catering

Finance A Safe Home and Community / Cartrefi a chymunedau diogel

Income Poverty


Economic inactivity In 2005-6 men and women living in social housing in Wales had a lower rate of economic activity and higher unemployment than those living in other tenures and of economic inactivity.

Explore ways of working in partnership to join up employment and housing solutions. Review housing related procurement processes and investigate the potential for social clauses and employment skills development. Link housing options advice with employment advice

DWP Report on Social Housing and Worklessness

Benefits Administration The performance of benefits administration is varied across Wales. There are concerns about the fragmented way in which the benefit is currently delivered and the administrative complexity and delays that result from this, which in turn often leave families and young people with rent arrears (and in the most extreme cases, threats of eviction) through no fault of their own. Landlords’ cash flows can also be affected which can prejudice their renting to Housing Benefit claimants. The way in which Housing Benefit is administered can also act as a barrier to people entering employment.

Continually review and develop practice Benefits administration performance report

Finance Income Maximisation / Employment / Heb fod dan anfantais o achos tlodi

Income Poverty


Councils within Wales have differing approaches to discretionary housing benefit payment which causes difficulties for advice services.

Consider developing national standards for discretionary housing benefit.

Discretionary Housing Payments Best Practice Guide March 2008

Benefits administration has historically focussed on those people in receipt of out of work benefits. As a result application processes/forms etc for hard working families on low incomes have often deterred benefit take-up in this group.

Review the appropriateness of existing benefits administration for those on low incomes consider (new forms etc).


Income Poverty


There is currently no obligation on councils to take responsibility for promoting im-proved take-up of welfare benefits. Despite this, there is a growing expectation from Central Government that benefit checks and help to claim benefits should be integrated within council key services.

Consider the feasibility of providing holistic benefit checks for vulnerable families within key frontline services in partnership with the voluntary sector and encourage the take up of WTC/CTC and DLA (especially for children) and Attendance Allowance.

The unclaimed millions: dla and cancer patients CPAG: Out of Reach: benefits for disabled children Citizens advice: Tax credit take-up resource pack

Research indicates that benefit take-up is an issue within Wales Official figures show 44% of couples with children are paying out much more than they need to in council tax. HMRC state that in 2005-2006, 60,000 families did not claim their entitlement to Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit which amounted to £80m of unclaimed Tax credits.(central estimates)

Consider the feasibility of undertaking in work benefit-take up take up activities with working families on low incomes. Such activity should be multiagency involving experts from the voluntary sector.

http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/publications/publication-display.do?id=22235 http://www.entitledto.co.uk/default.aspx


Income Poverty


Efficient benefits administration perform-ance can have a significant impact in tackling poverty and providing opportunity, whereas poor performance restricts opportunity and leaves people facing financial problems.

Ensure that the performance and efficiency of benefits administration regularly is reviewed and continually develop staff, working processes, partnerships and a performance culture. Re-evaluate practice in relation to interim payments when claims are delayed to ensure that claimants Review the Council’s approach to its benefits and family related grants with a view to creating a more streamlined, seamless service that links benefits administration, free school meal applications, school uniform grants etc.

DWP housing benefit advice for local authorities

Sustainable Procurement practices adopted by Councils and other public bodies can be utilised to support the local economy and worklessness.

Review sustainable procurement practices and explore potential to support the social aspect of sustainable procurement e.g. social contracts etc.

https://www.buy4wales.co.uk/UsefulResources/valuewalesp.html

Finance The Early Years (0-7) / Y blynyddoedd cynnar

Service Poverty


Assessment of Childcare Sufficiency In responding to the assessment pay particular attention to income gaps, geographical gaps in information and provision in disadvantaged areas, time gaps that act as barriers to work.


Service Poverty


Homework Policies Children from more advantaged backgrounds enjoy considerable out of school support in overcoming their problems that their disadvantaged peers do not receive. The latter are almost totally dependent on out-of-school homework clubs if they are to access such support.

Develop guidance on homework policies that take account of the difficult situation faced by children experiencing poverty and the support that can be made available to them.

http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/management/atoz/h/homework/ Homework Policies

Working with others Consider bringing in role models to show people from their own background that can be successful.

http://www.infed.org/biblio/role_model_education.htm http://www.teachers.tv/video/244

Basic Skills Low levels of basic skills in work hamper the ability of employees to progress and perpetu-ates in work poverty.

Prioritise basic skills within your own organisations and encourage all partners to sign up to "Basic skills employer pledge". Complete and implement the action plan.

Basic-skills-Wales: employer_pledge


Service Poverty


Registered social landlords and local authorities in Wales were owed over £34 million by their tenants at 31 March 2003. Total Council Tax arrears at April 2007 stand at £71 million. Action to recover this debt requires sensitivity.

Consider developing fair debt collection practices working in partnership with debt advice providers ( e.g. Send out debt advice referral forms with reminder letters and liability orders etc.) and developing a common all Wales methodology for calculating financial statements

Office of Fair Trading.16 Organi-sations

Repossessions are on the increasing. The Cost of re-housing someone is estimated to be £2000.

Consider establishing ‘Invest to save schemes’ to support for preventing repossessions via mortgage rescue schemes.

Richmondshire Mortgage Rescue Scheme Shelter: Preventing court action Adviceguide: Credit and debt fact sheets


Participation Poverty


Charged for services such as leisure, culture and transport can often limit participation of children and young people in families with financial difficulties.

Review charging practice and policy in relation to fairer access to services

finance briefing

Documents

school activities

free school meal takeup

robust school charging

severe poverty

wales http

early years settings

social housing

benefit takeup