Policy in PracticeWebinar: Tracking the prospects of low income householdsWednesday 5 April 2017

Housekeeping• Audio check• Please ask questions • Polls and a survey• Finish by 11:30

Speakers

Deven GhelaniDirector

Martin O’NeillPolicy Advisor

Terrin MathewTechnical Analyst

Agenda• An introduction to Policy in Practice• Anti poverty strategies today – what’s missing• Practical examples of how household level data can help• Discussion: Turning analysis into action• Questions and answers

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The need for anti-poverty strategiesPolicy in Practice analysed the impact of the two child limit to tax credits. From April, a third child born to low income families will miss out on up to £2,780 of tax credit support a year. This change will affect 8,000 children born in April and one million children by 2020. See policyinpractice.co.uk/blog

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Understanding your low income households

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Poll 1: Do you have an anti-poverty strategy?

Child Poverty Commission • Established to identify child poverty levels in Birmingham • National child poverty figures showed Birmingham has the second

highest level in the 12 core cities • Levels running at 37% (average). So 100,000 children in the city

are living in relative poverty in households where the income is below 60% of the national median

• In 4 wards the levels of child poverty are running at almost 50%• 3 of these wards are suffering from the effects of poverty – the

deprivation maps for the city do not change year on year

Birmingham’s Child Poverty Commission24 recommendations

Based on 4 themes:

1. Raising aspirations2. Mitigating the impacts and

effects of existing poverty3. Share responsibility4. Break the cycle of poverty

in the city

Recommendations included:1. Mitigating the impacts and effects of existing poverty:

• By April 2017, Birmingham City Council should adopt a local ‘breathing space’ placing council tax accounts on hold for 21 days when a family gets in touch with them so as to enable the family time to seek independent debt advice.

• The Council should also adopt an explicit policy of not engaging bailiffs for families in receipt of Council Tax Support.

2. Share responsibility• By December 2016, Birmingham City Council should work with JobCentrePlus and

employment support providers to ensure that parents of two year olds taking up funded early education are specifically targeted with employment and skills support that encourages starting work or training, and that wrap-around childcare is sufficiently affordable and flexible to enable those parents to sustain and increase their employment opportunities.

3. Break the cycle of poverty in the city• By April 2019, Birmingham City Council should adopt a policy that no low income

family with children can be declared intentionally homeless.• By June 2017, Birmingham City Council should have reviewed how improved data

sharing processes could be used to automatically enrol children for free school meals in order to increase take up 

Limitations to the reportThese reports sometimes miss:• The hidden challenges• Identifying pockets of poverty just outside of the binary numbers• Going beyond the definition of relative poverty

How well do the recommendations:• Prevent people from falling into poverty?• Help lone parents who are working?• Help people who are already in crisis?• Ensure they have an impact?

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Poverty strategies offer a static view of poverty. ‘Poverty today’

But poverty is dynamic.

What would a deeper understanding of poverty allow?

Prevent people falling into povertyCreating preventative strategies to• avoid ‘churn’• help those ‘on the edge’,

often those in work • We already use the ward

level data…• … we don’t use

household level data

Help lone parents who are workingTargeting support to in-work lone parent households• A forgotten cohort, at risk

from multiple reforms. • Lone parents, in work, in

arrears, affected by third child rule.

• Co-ordinated / targeted interventions can help - (i.e. co-ordinated support on council tax, rent collections, benefits and DHPs

• Extra time (breathing space), payment options and greater awareness.

Help people already in crisisWhat would you need to know about the household to personalise the intervention? • Household make up• Have they had a Benefit

Assessment / DHP• Do they need employment /

childcare support• Is their situation getting

better or worse?

Support can take a multi-agency approach … beyond the remit of just Revenues and Benefits?

Ensure your activity has an impactHave your benefit cap interventions worked, how much have they saved? • ‘Sustainable tenancies’• Preventing moves into

emergency accommodation means you can avoid social and fiscal costs

• £6,000 for an eviction• £16k - £40k child into care

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Poll 2: How do you currently use your data?

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Discuss:

How can data help to turn recommendations into action?

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Discuss:

What happens to analysis once the consultants leave the room?

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“Working with Policy in Practice we’ve developed information that supports, informs and helps us monitor the effectiveness of our strategies.

“We’re deeply concerned about the money families will be losing and, without a proactive, preventative approach, we fear for the longer term impact on residents.”

Mark Fowler, LB Croydon

How Croydon Council is doing itCroydon have done multi-agency better than most - Gateway service• Within six weeks helped 68

households off the cap.• Offered benefit and budget

advice to another 135 households all losing less than £30 per week. 

• Secured funding for an in-work progression pilot.

• Split impacts in council homes versus other social housing to benchmark performance.

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Questions

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Thank you

Deven Ghelanideven@policyinpractice.co.uk07863 560 677

Martin O‘Neillmaponeill68@gmail.com07973 366 795

hello@policyinpractice.co.ukoffice 0330 088 9242