Poverty, material deprivation, and children’s well-being

1. Poverty, material deprivation, and children’s well-being No Wrong Door conference October 23rd 2012 Gill Main gm544@york.ac.uk Bernie Flanagan - CYC Debbie Adair - CYC

2. What is poverty? • In pairs or small groups, discuss: • What does the word ‘poverty’ mean to you? • What kinds of associations does the word ‘poverty’ have for you?

3. Popular images of poverty

4. Ways of understanding poverty • Absolute poverty – • failure to meet basic biological needs • Primarily used in the developing world • Relative poverty – • Inability to live according to basic social and cultural norms • Dominant in the developed world • In reality, very difficult to distinguish between the two. But the meaning of poverty is highly contingent on space and time – • ‘Rich’ in the UK 100 years ago would be ‘poor’ now • ‘Rich’ in the developing world would be ‘poor’ in the developed world

5. Relative poverty is still a huge problem • Low birth rate, higher infant mortality rates, higher incidences of illness, disease and accidents in infancy and childhood • Lower educational attendance and attainment – more poor children grow up to be NEET, more have no qualifications. • Higher chance of low-paid work or worklessness in adulthood • Shorter lives – children who grow up in poverty have lower life expectancies than other children

6. Conceptions of poverty • Income poverty • Most common conception of poverty • Used in most policy and academic studies • What most people think of when ‘poverty’ is mentioned • Material deprivation • Direct measure of poverty – money is a way of acquiring decent living standards; material deprivation is a lack of decent living standards • Used in some UK poverty measures – combined low income and material deprivation • Social exclusion • Focus on processes involved in poverty – how lack of physical, social and psychological resources interact • Popular term, but lacks consistent and coherent definition and usage • Well-being • Very hot topic in policy at the moment! • Complete lack of consistent or coherent definition and usage • But the idea of a focus on ‘a good life’ rather than physical resources very appealing to lots of people

7. Your thoughts and experiences • What kinds of poverty do you encounter in your day-to-day work with children and young people? • How do you think poverty impacts on the lives of the children and young people who you work with? • What kind of conception of poverty do you think best suits your approach to working with children and young people? • How do you think an understanding of different ways of looking at poverty might inform or change how you work with children and young people?

8. Poverty in York - See Handout; • York has less poverty than most local authorities; • But it is concentrated in certain geographic areas and demographic groups and UK has low social mobility; • Massive challenges: • National prediction for future is rise; • Economic outlook; • Benefit changes; • Will policy progress social mobility.

9. Responses to Poverty • National Strategy; • Last government did much through benefit system and tax credits; • This government philosophy is to give families tools to work their way out of poverty; • Locally Strategy: • York Fairness Commission; • Targeting of support; • Work with those most affected; • Early Education.

10. Measuring material deprivation – what do children need? • Adult-derived list of items: • A family holiday away from home at least one week per year • Enough bedrooms for every child over 10 of a different sex to have their own room • Leisure equipment such as sports equipment or a bicycle • Celebrations on special occasions such as birthdays, Christmas or other religious festivals • Go swimming at least once a month • A hobby or leisure activity • Friends round for tea or a snack once a fortnight • Toddler group/nursery/playgroup at least once a week • Go on school trips • Outdoor space or facilities nearby where they can play safely

11. Measuring material deprivation – what do children need? • Child-derived list of items: • Pocket money once a week • Money to save each month • Brand-name trainers • An iPod or similar MP3 player • Cable or satellite TV at home • A garden or somewhere similar nearby to spend time safely • Access to a family car • Clothes to fit in with other people their age • A holiday away from home for one week each year • Monthly day-trips with family

12. Why the differences? • Well-being vs well-becoming • Adults tend to think of children as adults-to-be. Children think of themselves as beings as well as becomings. • Children tend to conceptualise poverty in terms of social exclusion • In focus groups, children reported being bullied and excluded if they lacked the ‘right’ clothes or the ‘right’ shoes • Some children felt that clothes and shoes should not matter, but they also told us that they would bully or exclude their friends if they were not dressed fashionably • Children who did not listen to the same music and watch the same TV programmes as their friends were unable to join in with conversations • Children were sensitive to the needs of their parents as well as to their own needs – things like a family holiday and family day-trips were important because they enhance family relationships by allowing children and parents to spend time together free from day-to-day stresses

13. Your thoughts • Based on your experiences, how do you think children and adults differ in how they understand and experience poverty? • How do you think these differences in conceptions can be used to help inform your work with children and young people? • How do you think policy frameworks (whether nationally, locally, or within organisations you work in) be informed to help reduce the impact of material deprivation on children’s lives?

14. Thank you!