Making life more manageable for poor people Chris Roberts Health, Social Services and Children analytical team, Welsh Government.

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!

([email protected])