Housing Briefing

Housing

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

Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go?

Working with parents Research indicates that many lone parents are reluctant to make use of formal childcare due to trust issues. This hampers their ability to engage in employment and training opportunities.

Consider innovative approaches and improved partnerships with key stakeholders such as Communities First partnerships and frontline staff to promote childcare as an option for lone parents. Outreach work and awareness raising in the local community has been proven to ensure that parents and children participate and reluctant parents are encouraged to take up such provision.

http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/aio/242114 Practitioner guide to interagency working

Lack of affordable housing to rent and to buy

Local Authorities could consider using the income generated by the s106 process to employ an affordable housing officer to maximise the amount of affordable housing that can be gained from the planning process.

106 Agreement Toolkit

Preventing Arrears Develop sensitive recovery arrangements for rent arrears and evictions to ensure that vulnerable groups are not placed at greater risk and review the approach to supporting vulnerable groups in tenancies.

Exeter guidance on Rent Arrears Recovery

Income Poverty

Housing Education and Learning Opportunities / Addysg

Income Poverty


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

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

Housing Health Freedom from Abuse and Explotatuion / Iechyd, a rhyddid rhag cam-drin a

Income Poverty


Access to safe modes of transport to reduce incidence of RTC’s in deprived wards.

A review of safe routes to school schemes could be used to extend 20mph zones across Council areas where there is a high density of children and young people.

NPHS Deprivation and the health of Young People report

Housing Participation and Decision Making / Cymryd rhan yn y broses benderfynu

Income Poverty


Tenant Participation There is an increasing realisation of the role children and young people can play in tenant participation.

Review existing practice in relation to tenant participation and children and young people.

http://www.tpas.org.uk/sub_page.asp?cat=76&id=1 Involving Lone Parents

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

Housing A Safe Home and Community / Cartrefi a chymunedau diogel

Income Poverty


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 Workless-ness


Undertake the RTPI Cymru 'Negotiating Planning Agreements' training

http://www.rtpi.org.uk/download/3839/RTPI-Update-April-2008.pdf


Local Authorities should work with their Registered Social Landlord partners to employ Rural Housing Enablers to tackle the barriers to developing affordable housing in rural areas

DEFRA Report


Income Poverty


Preventing Arrears Certain groups of young people and families are more at risk of defaulting on tenancy agreements and mortgage payments due to their poverty and level of financial literacy.

Develop good quality housing management processes to help prevent arrears developing with sensitive early intervention when arrears develop.

Strategic Housing Function Toolkit National Youth Homelessness Scheme Case Studies

Preventing Arrears Help to improve tenancy security and transition into stable housing by linking the council’s approach to improving financial literacy skills of vulnerable young people and families to Local Housing Allowance agenda. This could be achieved by developing working arrangements between housing departments/housing benefit administrators and financial literacy educators.

Financial Inclusion Briefing (cih)

Lack of affordable housing to rent and to buy Authorities have improved their performance in the use of Section 106 agreements to secure affordable housing but further improvements still need to be made.

Review the Council’s approach to affordable housing and fully utilise the Welsh Assembly Government’s “Affordable Housing Toolkit” and attempt to priorities the housing needs of families experiencing poverty.

Affordable Housing Toolkit South West Good Practice Affordable Housing London JRF Understanding Planning Gain


Income Poverty


Benefits Administration The performance of benefits administration is varied across Wales. There are concerns about the fragmented way in which the benefit is currently delivered and the administrative complexity and delays that result from this, which in turn often leave families and young people with rent arrears (and in the most extreme cases, threats of eviction) through no fault of their own. Landlords’ cashflows can also be affected which can prejudice their renting to Housing Benefit claimants. The way in which Housing Benefit is administered can also act as a barrier to people entering employment.

Continually review and develop practice Benefits administration per-formance report

The new Local Housing Allowance (LHA) scheme aims to increase financial inclusion by paying housing benefit directly to individuals this poses two risks: 1. There is a possibility that more vulnerable families and young people will put their tenancies at risk through non-payment of rent. 2. Private landlords may face greater risk of non payment if the LHA process is not managed effectively and may be less likely to rent to people receiving LHA.

Develop a robust Local Housing Allowance Safeguards Policy for tenants and landlords that ensures that safeguards are in place to prevent the risk of tenants falling into arrears with their rent and losing their home due to eviction and to provide some assurances to landlords about potentially vulnerable tenants and those who are unlikely to pay.

Local Housing Allowance Safe-guards for tenants and Land-lords Policy

Sefton Safeguards policy

Housing Income Maximisation / Employment / Heb fod dan anfantais o achos tlodi

Income Poverty


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

Operating without a bank account can lead to significant costs leading to poor families hav-ing to pay a poverty premium.

Consider developing a multi agency approach (credit unions, voluntary sector, housing, health) to addressing financial inclusion for families and consider innovative approaches using the internet as a means of delivering accessibility to competitive rates/products.

http://www.rightsnet.org.uk/toolkit.shtml http://www.nowletstalkmoney.com/gb/en/default.html http://www.basic-skills.co.uk/ouractivities/financialliteracy/ http://www.pfeg.org/ http://www.learnaboutmoney.org/index.php http://www.moneymadeclear.fsa.gov.uk/


Income Poverty


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

There is currently no obligation on councils to take responsibility for promoting improved take-up of welfare benefits. Despite this, there is a growing expectation from Central Government that benefit checks and help to claim benefits should be integrated within council key services.

Consider the feasibility of providing holistic benefit checks for vulnerable families within key frontline services in partnership with the voluntary sector and encourage the take up of WTC/CTC and DLA (especially for children) and Attendance Allowance.

The unclaimed millions: dla and cancer pa-tients CPAG: Out of Reach: benefits for disabled children Citizens advice: Tax credit take-up resource pack

Councils within Wales have differing approaches to discretionary housing benefit payment which causes difficulties for advice services.

Consider developing national standards for discretionary housing benefit.

Discretionary Housing Payments Best Prac-tice Guide March 2008


Income Poverty


Research indicates that benefit take-up is an issue within Wales Official figures show 44% of couples with children are paying out much more than they need to in council tax. HMRC state that in 2005-2006, 60,000 families did not claim their entitlement to Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit which amounted to £80m of unclaimed Tax credits. (central estimates)

Consider the feasibility of undertaking in work benefit-take up take up activities with working families on low incomes. Such activity should be multiagency involving experts from the voluntary sector.

http://www.lga.gov.uk/lga/publications/publication-display.do?id=22235 http://www.entitledto.co.uk/default.aspx

Sustainable Procurement practices adopted by Councils and other public bodies can be utilised to support the local economy and worklessness.

Review sustainable procurement practices and explore potential to support the social aspect of sustainable procurement e.g. social contracts etc.

https://www.buy4wales.co.uk/UsefulResources/valuewalesp.html

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 Partner-ships


Service Poverty


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

Food Poverty The inequalities in what families eat – de-pending on their socioeconomic group, where they live in Wales, and their ethnic background – have not been recognised.

Think about establishing a group to work through the nutrition and food poverty toolkit.

http://www.heartforum.org.uk/downloads/Nut_TkitAll.pdf

Transport Lack of transport often acts as a barrier to taking up early years provision and parenting programmes. QCA

When planning early years services transport provision should be considered.


Service Poverty


Positive Behaviour Promoting positive behaviour within early years settings can be particularly challenging in deprived areas.

Utilise the Behaviour 4 Learning website which aims to ensure that teacher educators and trainees are provided with high quality relevant resources that enable trainers and trainees engage with the principles of behaviour for learning to improve the management of classroom behaviour, enable achievement and foster the emotional wellbeing of learners.

http://www.behaviour4learning.ac.uk/index.aspx?menuId=10126

Reaching Out Outreach work remains a particular challenge for early years programmes, specifically with regards to improving services for fathers, the parents of children with disabilities, and for ethnic minorities in areas with smaller minority populations

Consider innovative approaches to outreach for early years provision such as investing in Children’s Information Service Outreach.

Toolkit for Reaching Priority and Excluded Fami-lies


Service Poverty


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

Community Schooling Extended schooling and out-of-hours activities are particularly important to disadvantaged pupils: they do not enjoy the range and richness of out-of-school learning available to their more advantaged peers.

Explicitly target Community Schooling provision at the most disadvantaged communities/young people.

Community Focussed Schools: Making it happen a toolkit

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


Service Poverty


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

Community Schooling Extended schooling and out-of-hours activities are particularly important to disadvantaged pupils: they do not enjoy the range and richness of out-of-school learning available to their more advantaged peers.

Explicitly target Community Schooling provision at the most disadvantaged communities/young people.

Community Focussed Schools: Making it happen a toolkit

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


Service Poverty


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 organisations and encourage all partners to sign up to "Basic skills employer pledge". Complete and implement the action plan.

Basic-skills-Wales: employer_pledge

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

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

Basic-skills-Wales: post_16 resource

Housing Health Freedom from Abuse and Exploitation / Iechyd, a rhyddid rhag cam-drin a

Service Poverty


Access to a safe and healthy environment

It is very often the environment in which a child or young person is living that can have the most impact on their health. Children living in poverty are more likely to be exposed to substandard facilities, such as school toilets or a lack of open access play areas. The public health strategic framework will set out a vision of improved public health and wellbeing for all children and young people by 2020. But for the framework to be successful action at a local level must begin now with reviews of community facilities and a better understanding of the links between wellbeing and poverty.

Public Health Strategic Framework Route to Health Improvement (WLGA) Review of school toilets (WAG &WLGA)

Access to family planning services

Poverty and deprivation, poor educational achievement and low expectations have all been identified as key factors contributing to high rates of teenage pregnancy Poverty is a key risk factor for teenage pregnancy. Girls whose families are in social class V (unskilled manual) are ten times more likely to become teenage mothers than girls from professional backgrounds. They are also far less likely to have an abortion if they do become pregnant. Providing well targeted family planning and sexual education programmes are essential and linking this provision to the education curricula i.e. via P.S.E. would support the mainstreaming of some family planning and sexual health advice.

Brook information sheet Planned Teenage Pregnancy- JRF perspectives on teenage pregnancy and community based support mechanisms SCIE research briefing


Service Poverty


Workforce Development There is a perception that there are skills gaps in relation to the delivery of participation activities relating 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.

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 participation.

Download the National Participation 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.


Service Poverty


Lack of Resources There are limited practical re-sources for facilitating the participa-tion 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 / organi-sations

Sign up as a member to the participation e-briefings for the Participation 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 participation 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 remit for children and young people’s participation.

Limited local knowledge There is limited research on the lo-cal barriers to participation caused by child poverty

Undertake participatory approaches to explore the barriers to participation of hard to reach children and young people / children and young people liv-ing in poverty in particular.

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


Service Poverty


Homelessness Local authorities, through their homelessness strategies, should provide the direction and create the framework within which all agencies join up to bring together a range of accessible options that open up genuine opportunities for homeless people.

CHC homelessness toolkit

WLGA Homelessness and housing advice toolkit

Home Safety Accidents within the home are a major health problem throughout Wales and are associated with a range of factors including poor housing conditions and poverty.

Develop robust information provision and projects regarding the prevention of accidents with vulnerable families.

http://www.rospa.com/homesafety/wales/whsc/links.htm

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

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


Service Poverty


Homelessness Further develop services that help prevent people becoming homeless in the first place, such as ad-vice, mediation and ongoing support. Mediation workers

Youth Homelessness local Authority Preven-tion Tools/


Service Poverty


Fuel Poverty Utilise the Fuel Poverty Toolkit NEA Fuel Poverty Toolkit

Living in social housing is a key risk factor associated with child poverty and worklessness

Consider the potential for housing services to work with tenants to address worklessness. For example Sheffield Council, housing services and the local Jobcentre Plus (JCP) are joined-up and in some cases even co-located and in other local authorities planning, regeneration and Section 106 agreements have been utilised to address issues of worklessness and skills.

TESCO Stockport Regeneration Partner-ship

Registered social landlords and local au-thorities in Wales were owed over £34 million by their tenants at 31 March 2003. Total Council Tax arrears at April 2007 stand at £71 million. Action to recover this debt requires sensitivity.

Consider developing fair debt collection practices working in partnership with debt advice providers ( e.g. Send out debt advice referral forms with reminder letters and liability orders etc.) and developing a common all Wales methodology for calculating financial statements

Office of Fair Trading.16 Organisations

Repossessions are on the increasing. The Cost of re-housing someone is estimated to be £2000.

Consider establishing ‘Invest to save schemes’ to support for preventing repossessions via mortgage rescue schemes.

Richmondshire Mortgage Rescue Scheme Shelter: Preventing court action Adviceguide: Credit and debt fact sheets


Participation Poverty


Children’s Information Services Poor communication with parents about the range of services available limits participation.

Develop a range of materials to support the promotion of early years provision to parents who are at risk of experiencing poverty.

http://www.surestart.gov.uk/_doc/P0002522.pdf

Housing Health Freedom from Abuse and Exploitation / Iechyd, a rhyddid rhag cam-drin a



Engaging local people in learning about nutrition

Cymru Cooks Cymru Cooks supports the development of cookery clubs, as an out of school hours learning activity. Clubs can now register on the Cymru Cook website either by downloading an online form or a word document.

Cymru Cook website

Housing Play Sport, Leisure and Culture / Chwarae, campau, hamdden a'r pethe



Lack of local capacity A number of councils work in partnership with communities first partnerships, the arts council, sports councils and other voluntary sector providers to bid for funding and enhance local community capacity, specifically in the arts and cultural pursuits. Such collaboration ensures community needs are met whilst increasing facilities, access and engagement. The sports council, working with local authorities, has developed a programme called 5 x 60 aimed at increasing access to physical activity and sports. Sixth formers from across Wales have been trained to deliver support to younger children, enhancing both their skills and values and ensuring increased participation. Local grants are available from the Sports Council for Wales to support small enterprise organisations in their provision of local sporting opportunities. Grants are also available to a wide range of organisations to support the development of capacity.

The role of sport in regenerating commu-nities



Current Challenges What Can Be Done? Where To Go? Participation and Leisure Consider the creation of a virtual team to work with homeless

families in hostel and other settings. The idea of a virtual team is to bring together services such as a link social worker, education welfare, children’s worker and other agencies to co-ordinate their work. Each team member would retain their existing line management and job title but would be given time to contribute.

Participation and Leisure Children in hostels and in temporary accommo-dation have a loss of social contact with friends and limited play and leisure opportunities which can limit their development.

Review the need for a children’s worker to be employed within housing departments (using Women’s Aid as a model for this service) to assess and support children and their parents. Their role could include referral to other agencies, advice around childcare, provision of play and leisure at the hostel and information on local resources for children.

Education Participation Children and young people experiencing home-lessness/temporary accommodation issues are at risk of low educational participation.

Consider linking the Education Welfare Service to the support homeless families and families in temporary accommodation in maintaining children’s education. Consider developing a protocol to better identify, monitor and help homelessness children/children in temporary accommodation in attending their original school or in changing schools. You may wish to review the need for a dedicated worker within Education Welfare to specifically support children in temporary accommodation/ homeless families.




Charged for services such as leisure, culture and transport can often limit participation of children and young people in families with financial difficulties.

Review charging practice and policy in relation to fairer access to services

Lack of appropriate profession debt advice can adversely affect participation and access to services.

Develop a co-ordinated approach that links voluntary sector and statutory provision to deliver streamlined debt advice provision.

Citizens Advice Cymru is the lead Organisation of the Financial. Inclusion Fund project, which offers face to face debt advice in Wales

Families and young experiencing poverty often face difficulties accessing 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 Allowance claimants have access to bank accounts

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

Documents

Housing Briefing