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A Strategy for Children and Young People : The Poverty Dimension Heather Stevens Children and Young People’s Unit Office of the First Minister & Deputy First Minister 26 April 2004

A Strategy for Children and Young People : The Poverty Dimension Heather Stevens Children and Young People’s Unit Office of the First Minister & Deputy

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Page 1: A Strategy for Children and Young People : The Poverty Dimension Heather Stevens Children and Young People’s Unit Office of the First Minister & Deputy

A Strategy for Children and Young People :

The Poverty Dimension

Heather StevensChildren and Young People’s Unit

Office of the First Minister & Deputy First Minister

26 April 2004

Page 2: A Strategy for Children and Young People : The Poverty Dimension Heather Stevens Children and Young People’s Unit Office of the First Minister & Deputy

Introduction…. The Children and Young People’s Unit,

OFMDFM

The Strategy for Children and Young People– What is it?– When?– Poverty – a key priority

Taking the work forward

Page 3: A Strategy for Children and Young People : The Poverty Dimension Heather Stevens Children and Young People’s Unit Office of the First Minister & Deputy

Children & Young People’s Unit

Established formally on 1 January 2002 Located within the Equality Directorate,

OFMDFM Areas of responsibility

– Commissioner for Children and Young People

– Strategy for Children and Young People– Co-ordinate NI input to UK reports on

international human rights instruments relating to children, primarily UNCRC

Page 4: A Strategy for Children and Young People : The Poverty Dimension Heather Stevens Children and Young People’s Unit Office of the First Minister & Deputy

The Strategy for Children and Young People

What is it?- a vision and a 10 year plan

Timetable– Informal consultation (April 2002 – Summer

2003)– Publication of working paper (October 2003)– Draft strategy published (by late Spring

2004)

Page 5: A Strategy for Children and Young People : The Poverty Dimension Heather Stevens Children and Young People’s Unit Office of the First Minister & Deputy

Some fundamentals…….

Rights-based Focus on all children and young people Responsibility for delivery Whole child perspective Role of the family Long-term Cross-cutting issues, eg participation, Emergence from conflict

Page 6: A Strategy for Children and Young People : The Poverty Dimension Heather Stevens Children and Young People’s Unit Office of the First Minister & Deputy

Developing the Strategy

Informal consultation to identify the issues for children and young people which need to be addressed : poverty

10 Task Groups – 3 ‘p’s- Participation- Protection- Provision

- Achievement, learning and enjoyment- Physical, mental and emotional well-being- Built and natural environment- Child and family poverty- Family and community support- Rights and equality- Research and information

- Implementation and Monitoring

Page 7: A Strategy for Children and Young People : The Poverty Dimension Heather Stevens Children and Young People’s Unit Office of the First Minister & Deputy

Poverty – a key issue

Raised in a significant number of responses to our informal consultations

Recent research : ‘Bare Necessities’, ‘Low Income Households in NI’

UK Government commitment to end child poverty by 2020

EU/UKNational Action Plan UN Committee on Human Rights : Concluding

Observations urged UK to “undertake all necessary measures…. to accelerate the elimination of child poverty”

Page 8: A Strategy for Children and Young People : The Poverty Dimension Heather Stevens Children and Young People’s Unit Office of the First Minister & Deputy

Task Group Recommendations – Child and Family Poverty

Strategic Outcome : that child poverty in Northern Ireland is eradicated by 2020

Strategic Objective : that the multi-dimensional and trans-generational aspects of child and family poverty will be defined, measured (qualitatively and quantitatively) and addressed strategically across Government in a way which reflects the experiences of those affected by it

Page 9: A Strategy for Children and Young People : The Poverty Dimension Heather Stevens Children and Young People’s Unit Office of the First Minister & Deputy

Task Group Recommendations – Child and Family Poverty

Actions

Agree a definition of poverty and social exclusion Simplify and raise awareness of the routes to

financial support Training, education and awareness of the multi-

dimensional aspects of poverty Identify key times in the lives of children and

young people when additional financial support is required and provide that support

Page 10: A Strategy for Children and Young People : The Poverty Dimension Heather Stevens Children and Young People’s Unit Office of the First Minister & Deputy

Task Group Recommendations – Child and Family Poverty

Actions (contd)

Address the needs and rights of children in poverty when tackling the needs of vulnerable groups and promoting neighbourhood renewal and community development

Target support, education and training initiatives and research towards people at risk of/ experiencing trans-generational poverty

Address shortage and quality of accommodation Address barriers in access to services, especially in

health and education Give consideration to the link between poverty,

equality and sectarianism

Page 11: A Strategy for Children and Young People : The Poverty Dimension Heather Stevens Children and Young People’s Unit Office of the First Minister & Deputy

Taking the Work Forward

Discussions with departments

- ambitious but deliverable!

Draft Strategy (late Spring 2004)

- draft vision, values and principles

- a set of draft strategic outcomes, objectives and indicators

- how the Strategy adds value to existing initiatives

Strategy finalised by the end of the year

Page 12: A Strategy for Children and Young People : The Poverty Dimension Heather Stevens Children and Young People’s Unit Office of the First Minister & Deputy