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Making life more manageable Making life more manageable for poor peoplefor poor people
Chris RobertsChris RobertsHealth, Social Services and Health, Social Services and Children analytical team, Welsh Children analytical team, Welsh GovernmentGovernment
What will be covered
1. What ‘mitigation’ means and why it matters
2. Examples of why mitigation is needed
3. How making life more manageable brings quick and long-term benefits
4. What we can all do
The Welsh Government Action Plan 3 strands – distinct but 3 strands – distinct but
connectedconnected
‘Mitigation’ / ‘Alleviation’ / ‘making poor lives more
manageable’ Improves the ‘lived experience’ of poverty
and the subjective and objective well-being of poor people
Makes it more likely that young adults will find a way out of poverty and less likely that poor children will grow into poor adults
We should not underestimate the value of doing We should not underestimate the value of doing these!these!
But - why does poverty matter and what aspects of ‘lived experience’
can we affect?Poverty and social disadvantage can lead to ‘social exclusion’ – preventing full participation in economic, social and political life
‘Mitigation’ or ‘Alleviation’ = “..making more bearable”, “..moderating a condition”
It is about reducing the socially unjust and avoidable disadvantages poor people suffer because they are poor
Poor people often have poorer quality in public services
poorer quality in environment (safety, maintenance)
higher accident risks
poorer quality in food
poorer access to cultural and leisure facilities
poorer quality in clothing
poorer quality in housing
poorer access to goods & other services (or at higher cost)
These are not new problems e.g. ‘Inverse Care Law’
Unsurprisingly, poor people suffer more physical and mental illness, have poorer subjective well-being and die younger.
To illustrate – some examples:
Female life expectancy at birth
Source: Welsh Government, Statistical Directorate
Adults’ general health
Premature mortality
Infant mortality and low birthweight
Adolescent self-rated health
Adolescent life satisfaction
Adolescent breakfast consumption
Adolescent fruit consumption
Child pedestrian injuries
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Child
ped
estr
ian
inju
ries
from
mot
or v
ehic
le a
ccid
ents
by
depr
ivati
on q
uinti
le
Quintile 1 (Trend)
Quintile 2 (Trend)
Quintile 3 (Trend)
Quintile 4 (Trend)
Quintile 5 (Trend)
Source: Welsh Government, Statistical Directorate
Oral health
Very little of this is an inevitable consequence of
being poor
Most of it is socially unjust and most can be remedied
Welsh Government policy goal is to make sure that children are
“…not disadvantaged by poverty”
Can be read two ways:
Improving the ‘lived-experience’ of poverty Helps counter these disadvantages Improves long-term prospects, particularly for
children
Both are worth doing and OUR actions can help to achieve it
No child should suffer povertyIf they do, their lives should not be blighted by it
What we should aim forGeneral Rules
1. Equal access to, and quality of, universal public services; but preferably equitable provision - proportionate to need for individuals and areas
2. Equal access to goods and services supplied by funded 3rd sector organisations, but preferably equitable provision - proportionate to need for individuals and areas
3. Encouragement/support to private sector to provide equal access to needed goods and services
with no ‘poverty penalty’
What could make life fairer, less damaging and more bearable for
poor people?
More income
Fewer outgoings/goods in kind
Private sector services
Third Sector
Public Services
‘Poverty in all policies’
Thank you for your attention.Thank you for your attention.Acknowledgement: many thanks to Mike Harmer and Semele Mylona for their help
in preparing this presentation
We welcome your questions, suggestions, comments!
(Chris.Roberts@Wales.gsi.gov.uk)
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