Child Poverty and Educational Attainment Update

The Children, Young People and Learning Overview and Scrutiny Board completed a review looking at child poverty and its links with educational attainment in July 2010 and have received regular updates on progress since then.  The Board at its meeting on the 23rd January will look at progress to date which will include asking questions on progress with, for example :

• Initiatives that support parents and families to develop the tools for parenting and life skills
• Continuing to work towards breaking the cycle of unemployment in families including supporting NEETs projects and those
  initiatives that raise young people’s aspirations after leaving school
• Using the Children and Young People Plan as a basis to drive commitment and ownership by all those organisations involved with
  children and young people living in poverty
• Develop clear ways to measure progress and monitor the impact of child poverty

Work has already been completed on many areas where recommendations were made including:

• A Web Based Directory of Children and Young People’s Services has  been produced by the Children and Young People Strategy Unit. Just over 700 agencies are currently included in the database.
• The End Child Poverty Network (ECPN) has produced a Good Practice Guide for Schools called “Tackling Child Poverty in Wales”.
  Schools in Swansea receive this guide with a request that they consider using the checklist included. The checklist is a useful tool for schools to evaluate their current practice to identify areas of development.
• The Chief Executive has identified Child Poverty as one of his key priorities and has established a Child Poverty Forum re-affirming the Council’s sign up and commitment to tackling child poverty in Swansea.  The aims of the Forum were to agree a definition of poverty, identify best practice, develop an action plan, make linkages and innovate, develop outcome measures and consider policy proofing. Members of the Forum have undertaken some initial mapping work in relation to existing Council led programmes and projects which are designed to tackle various aspects of poverty.

Photo credit – http://www.flickr.com/photos/gatesfoundation/5485758219