Impact of Poverty - Measures and Outcomes The role of the Voluntary - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Impact of Poverty - Measures and Outcomes The role of the Voluntary Sector Yvonne Rodgers Director, Barnardo’s Cymru

What does child poverty mean for children? •Income poverty •Service poverty •Participation poverty ‘ Listen to us because we can help you do more things for us’ (child in Generation 2020 research, Barnardo’s Cymru, 2005)

Role of the Voluntary Sector Speaking out: – challenging accepted wisdom – greater freedom than local authorities Added value: – part of the public service – citizen at the centre – working together across sectors to deliver the best public service within the resources – vibrant voluntary sector – broader perspective, choice, contestability, innovation, profiling – specialist services

Rationale for Monitoring & Evaluation Our need for consistency and accessibility of information about what we do and to what effect • Development of the outcomes ‘hierarchy’: – direct link with ‘Rights to Action’ – service and service user level outcomes • Integral to service planning and reporting internally and to external funders and partners

Benefits • Children and young people centred • Rooted in individual outcomes – identifies changes for children, not the service • Focuses planning, analysis and evaluation • Consistent but flexible – can be aggregated in many ways • Comparable data – improves capacity for organisational learning and building a knowledge base • Motivational and engaging • “What difference are we making?”

Outcomes Hierarchy Rights to Action (Nation) Children and Young People outcomes (level 2) (Service Reports – what difference we made) Individual service user outcomes (level 3)

Outcomes Hierarchy – an example ARE NOT DISADVANTAGED BY POVERTY C&YP Live in C&YP have C&YP live in C&YP Engage in C&YP are ready decent homes access to households free further education, for employment and sustainable transport and employment or from low income material goods (9.2) communities training (9.1) (9.5) (9.4) (9.3) Service user has a Service user Service user positive attitude accesses work engages in towards experience and personal action employment, placements education or training planning (9.2.03) (9.2.04) (9.2.05)

Measurement Tools Rickter Scale Internally developed Core H scales Voice of the Eyeberg Goodmans CHILD Child Strength Behaviour & Difficulties Inventory Goldberg Solas General Health Questionnaire

Access to the seven core aims … • A flying start in life •A comprehensive range of education, training and learning opportunities •The best possible health, free from abuse, victimisation and exploitation •Play, leisure, sporting and cultural activities •Treated with respect and have their race and cultural identity recognised •A safe home and community •Children and young people not disadvantaged by poverty

Core Aim 1 The Early Years Core Aim 4- Access to play, leisure, sporting and leisure activities ‘ It’s like a playgroup down by me but until he’s three, I’d have to pay £13 pounds a week for him to go to play group and I can’t afford it, so at the moment he’s not even in a playgroup’ (Barnardo’s Cymru service user and young single mother, 2007)

Core Aim 2 – Education Core Aim 3 – Good physical, mental and emotional health and wellbeing. ‘ If you’re poor you’re bullied, which means you won’t try your best in school. You give up… If you don’t do well in school you’ll end up with a crap job and no money’ (young person consulted as work of CPTG, 2004)

Core Aim 5- participation in decision making ‘We do not get a say or get heard’ ‘Listen to us because we can help you do more things for us’ (children in Generation 2020 research, Barnardo’s Cymru, 2005)

Core Aim 6- A safe home and community Core Aim 7- not disadvantaged by poverty ‘I don’t want him (baby son) getting brought up in an area where it’s full of drugs and stuff like that… I don’t want him living in this dump when he is six’ (Barnardo’s Cymru service user and young single mother, 2007) ‘I felt like it needed to be done because I don’t think the government realise how difficult it is to live off a low income’ (Barnardo’s Cymru service user aged 22 participating in the ‘Keep the Promise’ March in London 2008).

A message to the planners from a panel of experts