Careers Wales www.careerswales.com

Careers Wales Education and Learning Opportunities / Addysg

Income Poverty

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

Working with Parents The impact of parental involvement and support on children’s education has been widely acknowledged. Parental engagement in deprived areas is often lower than in other areas.

Consider doing more outreach work, including out of hours support and working with vulnerable families.

"not too hard to reach: developing a tool to reach the most disadvantaged families" Teaching Expertise article

Sustainable Procurement In 2005 it was estimated that 35% of the £4 billion spent each year by the public sector in Wales was won by indigenous business supporting some 70,000 jobs. Every 1% increase to this figure should relate to an increase of some 2,000 jobs.

Develop a common partnership approach to sustainable procurement that ensures opportunities to support the local economy and skills development of young people are secured.

Buy Wales http://www.forumforthefuture.org.uk/node/1413 http://www.s-p-i-n.co.uk/toolkit.asp#Socio-Economic

Travelling to learn/work Transport is a significant barrier to accessing learning/ employment and training. Learners from less well-off backgrounds are further disadvantaged if they are not funded to travel to work placements.

Review local policy and guidance and develop travel plan to ensure that learners and workers in disadvantaged areas are able to access learning opportunities in the most efficient way possible. Developing a Transport impact assessment maybe a useful evaluative tool.

Sustrans travel planning WAG Funding Advice

Careers Wales Participation and Decision Making / Cymryd rhan yn y broses

Income Poverty

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

Lack of Awareness There is limited awareness of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Raise awareness of children and young people’s right to participate under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and Welsh Assembly Government policy e.g. Extending Entitlements.

Useful supporting websites on the UNCRC – list some here. Save the Children Wales UNCRC Monitoring Group and Funky Dragon information on website on UNCRC for children and young people. http://www.sccyp.org.uk/participation/resources.php

Being Worse Off Children and young people experiencing poverty should not be worse off as a result of their participation.

Fully review the individual costs of participation and ensure that up front costs are minimised.

Camden documents

Careers Wales A Safe Home and Community / Cartrefi a chymunedau diogel

Income Poverty

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

Economic inactivity In 2005-6 men and women living in social housing in Wales had a lower rate of economic activity and higher unemployment than those living in other tenures and of economic inactivity.

Explore ways of working in partnership to join up employment and housing solutions. Review housing related procurement processes and investigate the potential for social clauses and employment skills development. Link housing options advice with employment advice

DWP Report on Social Housing and Worklessness

Careers Wales Income Maximisation / Employment / Heb fod dan anfantais o achos tlodi

Income Poverty

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

There is little awareness among young people of the national minimum wage and employment rights in general.

Consider reviewing the potential role of the youth service, schools and Careers Wales in the promotion of basic employment rights.

TIGER This interactive guidance site run by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) can be used by workers, employers, professional advisers or anyone with an interest in knowing how the national minimum wage law works. BERR - Employment Relations The Employment Relations Directorate at the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform is responsible for the National Minimum Wage legislation. The website has a detailed guide to the National Minimum Wage, including a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs). Citizens advice: Tax credit take-up resource pack

Careers Wales Income Maximisation / Employment / Heb fod dan anfantais o achos tlodi

Income Poverty

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

The nature and degree of partnership working between Job Centre Plus and the local councils varies across Wales. To date only a small percentage of Council’s have signed up to the Job Centre Plus Local Employment Partnerships initiative (which aims to bring together Government and large employers to help 250,000 disadvantaged people into jobs within three years).

Consider the appropriateness of committing the Council to the Job Centre Plus’s Local Employment Initiative (the following public sector bodies have signed up to this Scheme Somerset County Council, Coventry City Council, Glasgow City Council, Middlesbrough City Council, NHS Wales, North Glamorgan NHS Trust, West Lothian Council, Birmingham City Council). Review HR policies to ensure that recruitment practices are inclusive and do not disadvantage vulnerable groups.

Local Employment Partnerships

Unemployment and worklessness in families are major factors in child poverty. Paid work is seen by the government as a route out of poverty, however the ability to achieve higher quality and sustainable jobs is also important.

Develop in partnership a cohesive local approach to reducing worklessness. That co-ordinates local resource, understanding, data and expertise. Consider the use of outreach services and IT solutions to assist in reducing Worklessness.

Joseph Rowntree Foundation Local initiatives to help workless people find and keep paid work

Careers Wales The Early Years (0-7) / Y blynyddoedd cynnar

Service Poverty

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

Basic Skills Improvement Develop robust approached to improving basic skills.

http://www.basic-skills-wales.org/bsastrategy/en/resources/early_years.cfm http://www.basic-skills-wales.org/bsastrategy/en/resources/early_years/family_programmes good_practicepack.cfm http://www.basic-skills-wales.org/bsastrategy/en/cross_phase/financial_literacy_homepage.cfm

Careers Wales Education and Learning Opportunities / Addysg

Service Poverty

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

Curriculum and Teaching Schools that are ‘learning organisations’ and prioritise classroom experiences and learning rather than teaching have been found to be successful in reducing the gaps in educational attainment caused by poverty.

Tailor the curriculum specifically to the needs of the pupils and consider flexible approaches to teaching methods.

14-19 Learning Peacehaven Community School

Basic Skills Low levels of basic skills in work hamper the ability of employees to progress and perpetuates in work poverty.

Prioritise basic skills within your own organi-sations and encourage all partners to sign up to "Basic skills employer pledge". Complete and implement the action plan.

Basic-skills-Wales: em-ployer_pledge

Raising Aspirations In many areas in Wales that are experiencing poverty there is a “perceived poverty of ambition”

Support and further develop a range of informal education provision that helps raise aspirations, confidence, self esteem and motivation.

extending_entitlement

Careers Wales Education and Learning Opportunities / Addysg

Service Poverty

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

Learning Coaches Undertake Learning Coach training on child poverty.

Learning Coaches (Wales)

Working with others Consider bringing in role models to show people from their own background that can be successful.

http://www.infed.org/biblio/role_model_education.htm http://www.teachers.tv/video/244

Working with Parents Parental engagement in supporting learning has been found to be a key factor in increasing the attainment of vulnerable pupils.

Consider using the Scottish toolkit parents as partners in learning toolkit to enhance current work.

teachernet. workingwithparents parents as partnersinlearning toolkit

Careers Wales Education and Learning Opportunities / Addysg

Service Poverty

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

Smooth Transitions In Wales, the proportion of young people not engaged in education, employment or training (NEET) aged 16-18 is at a relatively high level – at around 10-12% or 12,000 young people for nearly a decade.

Develop a partnership approach to the reduction of NEETs focusing on early intervention.

WAG Consultation paper on NEETs www.bild.org.uk/03books_autism.htm http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/children/docs/neet-toolkit.pdf

Smooth transitions Develop robust methods that track those at risk of becoming a NEET, deal swiftly with dropout and develop efficient coordinated youth support services.

TOOLKIT ALIGNING PROVISION Developing provision to meet PSA Targets for Attainment of Level 2 at 19 and Reduc-ing the proportion of Young People who are not in education, employment or training (NEET)

Information advice and Guidance Focus advice and guidance services for those at risk of disengagement.

The effectiveness of the Careers Wales Companies in supporting young people in making a successful transition from education to employment

Careers Wales Education and Learning Opportunities / Addysg

Service Poverty

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

Basic Skills Lack of basic skills limit the ability of pupils to partake in educational and skills based activities. This limits em-ployment opportunities

Work with the Basic Skills Cymru to develop a robust approach to developing Basic skills at-tainment at post 16.

Basic-skills-Wales: post_16 resource

Careers Wales Participation and Decision Making / Cymryd rhan yn y broses benderfynu

Service Poverty

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

Workforce Development There is a perception that there are skills gaps in relation to the delivery of participation activities relat-ing to child poverty.

Training adults in the participation of children and young people living in poverty so that they can support, encourage and facilitate this process.

The Participation Unit has a list of participation trainers from across Wales. The Unit is also piloting a Train the Trainers in children and young people’s participation which will cascade training across Wales.

Limited local knowledge There is limited research on the local barriers to par-ticipation caused by child poverty

Undertake participatory approaches to explore the bar-riers to participation of hard to reach children and young people / children and young people living in pov-erty in particular.

Download the good practice guide on ‘Ensuring Inclusion’ from www.participationworkerswales.org.uk Contact organisations with expertise in reaching hard to reach groups e.g. Black Vol-untary Sector Network

Careers Wales Participation and Decision Making / Cymryd rhan yn y broses benderfynu

Service Poverty

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

Lack of Resources There are limited practical resources for facilitating the participation of vulnerable children and young people with sensitive issues such as child poverty.

Use resources available e.g. Dyamix ‘Spice It Up’ pack for games and activities. Draw on good practice from other areas / or-ganisations

Sign up as a member to the par-ticipation e-briefings for the Par-ticipation Workers’ Network for Wales and get examples of good practice from across Wales. Download good practice guides on children and young people’s participation from www.participationworkerswales.org.uk. Liaise with local participation workers / youth forum workers who have a remit for the partici-pation of children and young people locally. Liaise with local school councils. Liaise with Funky Dragon, the Children and Young People’s Assembly for Wales, which has a national re-mit for children and young peo-ple’s participation.

Careers Wales Participation and Decision Making / Cymryd rhan yn y broses benderfynu

Service Poverty

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

Processes Improving the process of children and young people’s participation and the quality of their experience overall remains a key issue for practitioners.

Use the National Children and Young People’s Participation Standards as a guide. There are seven standards: information, it’s your choice, no discrimination, respect, you get something out of it, feedback and improving how we work. Keeping to these Standards will mean upholding what children and young people have identified as the core components of par-ticipation.

Download the National Participa-tion Standards document and the Self Assessment Pack from the website www.participationworkerswales.org.uk which shows how to measure and evidence against the Standards to improve good practice.

Careers Wales

Service Poverty

A Safe Home and Community / Cartrefi a chymunedau diogel

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

Homelessness Ensure that Youth Workers, Careers Wales staff and other officers dealing with unemployed young people are trained in homelessness is-sues

http://www.homelesspages.org.uk/index.asp

Careers Wales The Early Years (0-7) / Y blynyddoedd cynnar

Participation Poverty

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

Lone Parents Lone Parents participation Needs of disabled participation, ethnic minority.

Ensure that steps are taken to research the local needs of lone parents and other groups at risk of child poverty.

Day Care Trust

Careers Wales Income Maximisation / Emplyment / Heb fod dan anfantais o achos tlodi

Participation Poverty

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

Families and young experiencing poverty often face difficulties ac-cessing financial products and internet deals such as basic bank accounts.

Basic Bank accounts Toolkit E.g. Carmarthen LA and Carmarthen CAB have worked to ensure that Local Housing Al-lowance claimants have access to bank ac-counts

Basic Bank Account Toolkit for Housing Benefit claims is designed to guide other Local Authorities through the process of setting up the same kind of service we have with one bank and to address any questions