Transcript National Action Plan for Social Inclusion: 2007

Combating Poverty and Social
Exclusion – Irish Experience
Gerry Mangan
Director
Social Inclusion Division
Department-Social, Family Affairs
Ireland
Overview
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Nature and extent of poverty and inequality
Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion -the
challenges
Strategic and “Life Cycle” Approaches
National Action Plans and implementation
Poverty – Definition for Ireland
“People are living in poverty if their income and
resources (material, cultural and social) are so
inadequate as to preclude them from having a
standard of living which is regarded as acceptable by
Irish society generally. As a result of inadequate
income and resources people may be excluded and
marginalised from participating in activities which are
considered the norm for other people in society.”
,
Poverty - Measurement
Basic Poverty: Irish measure - consistent poverty
OECD measure - material deprivation
At Risk of Poverty: income below threshold – 60%
of average median income,
Depth of Poverty: how far are incomes below
threshold
Persistence of poverty: how long are people in
poverty
Who are the vulnerable?
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Children and families – lone parents,
larger families
Working age – unemployed, youth, people
with disabilities, addictions, immigrants,
ethnic minorities, travellers, ex prisoners
Older persons – living alone, and/or frail,
dependent, requiring care from family carers,
or in institutions
Tackling Poverty or “Poverties”
Poverty is multi-faceted and combating it
requires a multi-policy approach e.g.
 Employment & employment supports,
 Income supports
 Access to services: education, health, care
(for children, elderly, people with disabilities)
housing, transport, sports and culture etc
 Housing and Environmental supports
Challenge in 1980s – still the case?
“This poverty stemming from the years of economic
crisis is like a cancer growing away at our
society…..How is it possible to imagine that we have
(such high) social protection budgets …..and still we
have so many poor people? This is because the
poverty of today slips through the meshes of the
social protection net….. The fact is this costly system
is not doing its task” (Jacques Delors – EU
Commission President in 1980s)
Social Partnership – Consultation and
Engagement
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Social Partners: 4 pillars – employers, trade unions,
farmers, Community and Voluntary
Social Partnership: works to get agreement and
consensus through negotiations on pay, employment
and social provision to meet current challenges
Outcome: National agreements on these on which
National Action Plan on inclusion is based
Social partners then directly involved in the
monitoring and evaluation of implementation
Strategies to meet challenges
Key features of strategies:
 Analysis of social and economic trends
 Identify and document challenges, both statistically and through
consultation with social partners and other stakeholders
 Set clear long term goals and objectives
 Set more short term, time bound targets for meeting goals
Clear specific commitments to measures to meet objectives
 Work to achieve effective implementation, especially through
cooperation across Government at national and local levels to
achieve better outcomes through more integration
 Indicators to measure progress in achieving intended outcomes
 Monitoring & evaluation of implementation, and report annually
Evolution of National Anti-Poverty
Strategies in Ireland
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National Anti-Poverty strategy (NAPS) - Ireland’s response to
1995 UN Social Summit in Copenhagen on social development
“Sharing in Progress” first 10 year strategic plan for
1997- 2007, product of wide public consultation and
collaboration of Departments, agencies within Government
Similar approach for preparation of more ambitious
revised plan, Building an Inclusive Society for 2002 -2007
National Action Plan for Social Inclusion: 2007-2016 +
specific Chapter on social inclusion in National Development
Plan (NDP), based on wider social partnership agreement
Towards 2016
EU Open Method of Coordination: National Action Plans 2001 to present
National Strategies - Current
Social
Partnership
Towards 2016
National Action
Plan for Social
Inclusion
2007-2016
EU
OMC
Social
Inclusion
National
Development
Plan
2007-2013
North South
co-operation
Lifecycle approach in strategies
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Social Partners agreed a new framework in
Towards 2016 based on each stage of the life cycle:
– Childhood
– People of Working Age
– Older People, and, in addition,
– People With Disabilities
– Communities
to address key social challenges.
Main purpose: to design and coordinate public services
around individuals and their requirements, rather than
administrative boundaries
Aims of Lifecycle Approach
Assists in meeting strategic objectives through
 More coordinated, holistic approach to policy and
more emphasis on individual needs
 Facilitating and promoting a more “joined up”
approach to implementation/delivery
 Clearer basis for monitoring and for evaluation, and
streamlined reporting on progress;
 Facilitates consultation and communication with
social partners and other stakeholders.
Main outcomes to be achieved
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Children: end child poverty ,promote and
facilitate child development
Working Age & People with disabilities:
significant reduction in jobless households
and provide access to quality services
Older people: enable high proportion to live
comfortably at home, with access to quality
services & residential care, if required
Overall Poverty Reduction Target
To reduce the number of those
experiencing ‘consistent poverty’# to
between 2% and 4% by 2012, with the
aim of eliminating consistent poverty by
2016, using the revised definition.
# - relates to deprivation of certain basic
goods and services
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Children: Key Targets
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Targeted pre-school education for children in
designated areas (mainly disadvantaged);
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Halve the number of pupils with severe literacy
difficulties in primary schools serving
disadvantaged communities to less than 15%
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Ensure more than 90% of those aged 20-24 have
completed upper second level education
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Maintain value of child income supports at 33-35%
of minimum adult social welfare rate
Active Inclusion: Key Priority for Adult
Lifecycles
Essentially about social inclusion through
activation, where possible, of those furthest
from the labour market, and having three strands:
- link to the labour market through jobs, skills
- income support for a dignified life, and
- better access to quality services, or in UK terms
‘work for those who can, support for those who
cannot ‘
Why Focus on Employment
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Best route out of social exclusion – at risk of
poverty rate substantially lower for people in
work than those not in work
Potential for progression and gaining new
skills - not available to those out of work
Evidence of broader benefits not directly tied
to increases in income, including better
health and better social contacts
Need for Tailored Services
People furthest from labour market can face a
wide range of barriers
 Illness/disability/age
 Lack of key skills
 Complex family responsibilities
 Housing/location problems, and
Need to develop services that are
 focussed on the individual,
 reflect local labour market and other conditions,
 delivered in partnership
Working Age: Key Targets
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Introduce active case management for all those on
long term social welfare - long term unemployed,
lone parents, people with disabilities
– Support 50,000 into employment, education and
training with the aim of reducing by 20%, those
totally dependent on long term social welfare
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Maintain the lowest social welfare rate at least at
€185.80 in 2007 terms
Older People: Key Targets
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Extension of work life: may include in work training,
tackling age discrimination in the work place, and
supporting flexible working
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Continue to invest in community care services to
enable older people to remain living in the
community
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Maintain a minimum rate of €200 in 2007 terms for
all social welfare pensions and enhance if possible
(target E300 per week in Government programme).
Pension policy to be informed by Green Paper
People with Disabilities: Key
Targets
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Raise participation levels in education,
training and employment
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Additional 7,000 people in employment by
2010
Increase employment participation rate to
45% by 2016
Achieve overall participation rate of 50% in
education, training and employment by 2016
Communities: Key Targets
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Increased focus on the local dimension in developing services
for social inclusion – Local Government (eg extension of social
inclusion units), Community and Voluntary Sector
Housing - increase output by 60,000 for those unable to meet
their own needs by 2009
Health - 500 primary health care teams by 2011
Integration of migrants
– Develop overall strategy
– Provide an additional 550 teachers for language supports
– Improve translation services across public sector
Delivery
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Focus on outcomes
Bridge the gap between policy goals, objectives
and targets, and implementation
Strengthen integrated approaches
Ensure both national and local responses
Be open to change and ready to close/adapt
programmes
Accessible and flexible service delivery
Monitoring and evaluation of performance
Review Milestones (2008, 2010, 2013, 2016)
Making it happen! Implementation
Structures
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Cabinet Committee on Social Inclusion (chaired by Taoiseach/Prime
Minister), with Minister for Social and Family Affairs having main
responsibility in Government for social inclusion
Senior Officials – mainly policy coordination
“Towards 2016” Partnership Steering Group with representatives of
social partners
Social Inclusion Division – Department of Social and Family Affairs
Liaison officers in key Government Ministries
Social inclusion units in Local Authorities
Social Inclusion Forum – annual conferences with representatives of
all stakeholders – last one held on 5th November
Housing Forum
Technical Advisory Group – advises on data strategy/indicators
Social Inclusion Division
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Has responsibility for Government’s social inclusion
agenda
Coordinates development of National Action Plan for
inclusion (NAP incl) and other relevant strategies
Monitors, evaluates and reports on progress against
social inclusion targets in NAP incl
Monitors progress being achieved on priorities for
Ireland under OMC and prepares reports for the EU
Support functions: Communications, Poverty Impact
Assessment, Data and Research
Annual Social Inclusion Report
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Review progress of each lifecycle on a systematic
basis, drawing together relevant strategies and
reports
Social partners/other stakeholders consulted and
views also reported from partnership and Social
Inclusion Forum
Assessment of Progress achieved towards set
targets and actions
Identify new issues, especially of cross cutting
nature
Poverty: negative impact for both
economy and social cohesion
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“……poverty and inequality are evidence of
an inefficient society, which wastes human
resources, opportunities and life chances….
(and they)……will also weigh heavily on our
capacity to sustain economic growth for
years to come.”
OECD Secretariat to Ministerial Meeting,
2005.
Combating Poverty and Social
Exclusion
More Information, including latest social
inclusion report and strategic plan of
Social Inclusion Division on website:
www.socialinclusion.ie