Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) Email Newsletter: November 2007

NOVEMBER 2007

Dear Colleague

Welcome to the latest News from CPAG keeping you updated with our campaigns, policy work and other activities.

Quick link contents:

Child Poverty Action Group launched a new campaign on education and child poverty at the political party conferences in September and October. A new CPAG report, Chicken and Egg: child poverty and educational inequalitieshas been published and fringe meetings were held at each conference jointly with the National Union of Teachers.

The well-attended and lively meetings had front bench speakers from each party, including Schools Minister Jim Knight (far right, above). The role child poverty plays in providing major barriers to educational attainment was the main focus of discussion.

CPAG's Chief Executive, Kate Green, highlighted the findings of Chicken and Egg at each meeting. The report shows that the attainment gap between the wealthiest and most disadvantaged children widens at each stage of schooling.

The new CPAG campaign will argue that education strategy must consider not just the quality of schools, but also the children's home life situations to address barriers to learning both inside and outside the school gates. Central to this is improving family income and lifting more children out of poverty.

CPAG would like to thank the Network for Social Change for their support for the education campaign.

Child Poverty rally on 7th November

As a part of the Campaign to End Child Poverty, CPAG will be joining a rally outside the Treasury on Whitehall at 10.30am on 7th November.

The rally is part of the Campaign's Month of Action. We encourage as many people as possible to attend. The more people the stronger the message to the Chancellor that the 48p a week given to the poorest children in the Pre-Budget Report is not nearly enough!

Email campaigns@savethechildren.org.uk or visit the End Child Poverty Website for details

A new report, Adding Up, has been published by the School Costs Coalition. The Coalition was formed 2 years ago when CPAG joined forces with Citizens Advice, the National Union of Teachers and children's charities.

The report found that three-quarters of secondary school parents and two-thirds of primary school parents find it difficult to meet costs like school uniforms and school trips. Only a quarter of families thought their school made it clear that low income families can be helped with or exempted from many costs.

The Coalition is calling for stronger statutory duties, better monitoring and more enforcement powers to ensure that best practice on uniforms and charging policies is spread. Campaigning targeted at government and education authorities and working with parent and teacher organisations will take place in 2008.

CPAG's Annual Conference in London, titled Welfare Reform: whatever next? saw welfare rights advisers from across the UK debate recent welfare reforms, new government proposals and radical alternatives.

CPAG has received positive feedback for the conference from the welfare rights advisers who attended. Conference workshops allowed delegates to update their knowledge about recent reforms to the welfare system, helping them ensure the families they advise receive their full entitlement.

Keynote speaker, Roy Sainsbury, of the Social Policy Research Unit in York, made the case for a 'Single Working Age Benefit'. He called for long-term reform to tailor benefits-linked employment services to individual need, rather than categorising people into different benefit types.

Many thanks to all those who took part. The views expressed by delegates on welfare reform are now feeding into CPAG's lobbying and campaigning work.

The second edition of the Personal Finance Handbook has been launched at a reception in Parliament. The new edition is sponsored by Abbey and published with SAFE (Services Against Financial Exclusion) at Toynbee Hall.

Lack of financial advice can limit access for the poorest families to appropriate financial services. Many low income families find themselves without savings or in spiralling debt as a result. The book helps advisers to give people the information they need to manage debt and access financial services like savings and insurance, so they can plan for the security of their family.

The Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Kitty Ussher MP, provided the Foreword to the Handbook and spoke at the launch, paying tribute to the work of CPAG and SAFE. The event was attended by over 200 people, including local advisers from across the UK and MPs from all parties.

You can order the handbook here

29th Nov 2007
LONDON'S WELFARE TO WORK CONVENTION
This event, organised by Inclusion with CPAG and others, will bring together everyone involved in providing services to workless people in London. It is an opportunity to understand why London lags in the employment rate league and what can be done about it, with a mix of policy and practice, seminars and case studies, and plenty of opportunity to network.
Full details here

1.30pm on 7th Dec 2007
CPAG public debate
RIGHTS, ADVOCACY AND INDEPENDENCE:
are charities sleepwalking into a conflict of interests?
with Dame Suzi Leather and David Freud
(followed by CPAG Annual General Meeting)
Full details here

Wed 12th Dec 2007
Capita's 3rd annual
CHILD POVERTY SUMMIT
Kate Green (CPAG), Donald Hirsch (JRF), Chris Pond (OPF)
Jane Hall (DWP), Naomi Eisenstadt (Social Exclusion Task Force)
Central London
Full details here

Information about CPAG’s forthcoming welfare rights training courses can be linked to below. Our courses use expert trainers most are experienced welfare rights workers and have contributed to CPAG's handbooks. We provide a broad range of courses from introductions to welfare rights to advanced courses on specific areas.

Courses on the new Employment Support Allowance are now available.

CPAG’s reference library offers information, facts and figures on poverty and social exclusion in the UK. Use of the library is free to students, staff and researchers. It has an extensive collection of over 3,000 publications related to poverty and welfare rights, including all DWP research papers and an archive of CPAG’s own publications.

The library is open 3 days a week - usually Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday - by appointment, when the Information Officer will be available to assist researchers in person. One PC with internet access is available to use free of charge. A self service photocopier is available in the reception area to copy excerpts from books and journals at a cost of 5p per copy.

For further information and a map please visit our website at www.cpag.org.uk/info

Reducing Inequalities, Realising the talents of all by Leon Feinstein, Barbara Hearn, Zoe Renton, With Caroline Abrahams and Mary MacLeod (Family and Parenting Institute)
Working on welfare by Jennifer Moses and Mark Bell (Centre Forum)
Poverty Wealth and place in Britain 1968 to 2005 by Daniel Dorling, Jan Rigby, Ben Wheeler, Dimitris Ballas, Bethan Thomas, Eldin Fahmy, David Gordon and Ruth Lupton (Joseph Rowntree)
Factors influencing social mobility by Dr. Alex Nunn, Dr. Steve Johnson, Dr. Surya Monro, Dr. Tim Bickerstaffe and Sarah Kelsey (DWP Research Report No.450)

Child Poverty Action Group is a charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales.
Registered No. 1993854 : Registered office: 94 White Lion Street, London N1 9PF.
VAT no. 690 8081 17 : Registered charity no. 294841
www.cpag.org.uk