APPENDIX 1
Examples of Save the Children's Anti-Poverty
Community Work in he UK
For many years Save the Children's work in the
UK has focussed on challenging the effects of social exclusion
and poor access to services. We have consistently worked in highly
disadvantaged neighbourhoods and with specific groups who are
particularly disadvantaged and discriminated-against (eg refugees
and asylum seekers, children excluded from school, or young people
leaving care for example) Our purpose is to develop and demonstrate
specific action which can be replicated.
Save the Children's approach to work in local
communities is typified by its emphasis on involving children
and young people in community decision-making, and by creating
opportunities for them to design and realise local initiatives.
We are determined to go beyond tokenistic consultation and secure
positive and active engagement by children and young people.
Our distinctive contribution is
— Community-based action in areas of
high deprivation.
— Specific action for identified groups
facing exceptional disadvantage.
Save the children prioritises
— work with local communities or identified
groups to support children, young people and families to challenge
the effects of low income and social exclusion themselves.
— research into the effects of income
poverty, poor services and social exclusion which enable us to
advocate for policy solutions, and to shape our own work with
local communities.
Some key examples of current and planned work in
local communities:
— In England & Wales, we are working
with children and young people to ensure their interests and concerns
are taken on board in mainstream regeneration schemes (eg Cynon
Valley in Wales and with Groundwork UK Durham, Macclesfield, Coventry,
Nottingham, Erewash in England).
— In Scotland we are working in 4 designated
social inclusion partnership areas (ie areas with high deprivation)
with children aged nine to 15 to promote their active participation
in community life. (The areas are South Edinburgh, Camlachie in
Glasgow, Thurso, Fort William).
— In Liverpool Save the Children is
working with CDS (a large housing association) and Groundwork
(a leading regeneration charity) on a scheme called We all live
Here to ensure that children's needs are taken into account by
public housing providers. This scheme recently won an award from
the National Council for Housing and Planning.
— In London we are developing a multi-faceted
approach to child poverty involving income, services, and participation
including:
Vietnamese children and young people in Deptford
and their access to services.
An advocacy rights project involving children
& young people with disabilities.
A project developing local anti poverty initiatives
to inform the Children's Fund, Sure Start and Connexions.
— We work with children from Gypsy
and Traveller families in Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and
Herefordshire and Birmingham in England mainly concerning education,
but also on health and accommodation issues.
— We work locally to ensure the rights
to education, social care and social integration of asylum-seeking
children.
— Across the UK a new revised phase
of our successful award scheme "Saying Power" was launched
in early 2003. Disadvantaged young people aged 16-21 can apply
for a place involving support for 18 months whilst they carry
out action which they have designed to challenge social exclusion
in their local community.
— "Here to HELP" is a three-year,
£150 million programme set up by British Gas, which involves
seven major charities (Family Welfare Association, Gingerbread,
Help the Aged, National Debtline, Royal National Institute of
the Blind (RNIB), Save the Children and Scope), plus local authorities
and housing associations around Britain. The aim is simple: to
provide easy and practical ways to make 500,000 homes across Britain
warmer, safer and more comfortable. Save the Children is working
within the British Gas `here to HELP' programme to encourage a
range of community-based organisations to tackle child poverty
and to involve children and young people in their programmes.
Save the Children will be launching pilot projects in eight very
different poor communities across Britain (4 in England, 2 in
Scotland and 2 in Wales). We will be working with local children
and young people to identify and address a range of issues that
concern them. We will then use this experience to encourage and
support a variety of other institutions across Britain to initiate
similar community-based work. We hope to launch a variety of initiatives
to draw attention to child poverty and to share our experience
of working with children and young people to tackle it, including
the dissemination of an anti-poverty pack based upon our learning.
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