Memorandum submitted by Capability Scotland
Capability Scotland is the country's leading
disability organisation working for a just Scotland. We work with
children, adults and families living with disability to support
them in their everyday lives. We also work with disabled people,
family members and carers to influence legislation, policy, practice
and attitudes.
1. WHAT IS
POVERTY
Capability Scotland's research has found that
families with disabled children are among the poorest in Scottish
society. Our research, conducted through the unique 1 in 4 poll,[29]
shows that social injustice impacts on families living with disability
in many ways. They experience poverty of income, poverty of choice
and poverty of opportunity.
A. Income—Families living with
disability not only experience absolute poverty in terms of their
income, but also relative poverty created by the hidden costs
of disability. Getting to and from hospital appointments and the
need to purchase special equipment or services for a disabled
child means that disposable income levels available to families
living with disability are lower than for a comparable household
without a disabled child. Take for example this case study:
John is a self-employed painter and decorator
who earns around £200 per week and Cathy is on extended maternity
leave, on no pay because their son who was born 6 months ago is
severely disabled. They live in the Western Isles, and since their
child's birth they have incurred travel costs exceeding £700.[30]
B. Choice—Many parents do not
have the choice of work available to them because of a lack of
suitable, affordable childcare. The one in four poll found that
nearly 70% of working parents with a disabled child relied on
family members to care for their disabled child and half of them
said they did so because of a lack of suitable or affordable childcare.[31]
Having a disabled child means that the decision
about whether or not to go back to work is very ucomplicated.
Mainstream childcare provision is often unable to accommodate
disabled children: inaccessible premises, a lack of trained staff
and cost combine to mean that parents of a disabled child rely
on informal childcare. This in itself minimizes the financial
appeal of working as they are then unable to access childcare
tax credits. The cost of suitable childcare can also be prohibitive:
"Private after school care is ludicrously
expensive. I pay £10 an hour for (it)." Parent of disabled
child.
Moreover, the need to balance employment obligations
with meeting the support needs of a disabled child can make working
impossible:
"You think you can start work when they
start school, there's always something on at school, therapists
or other appointments." Mother with disabled child.
Many parents do not have the choice of work
available to them because of a lack of suitable, affordable childcare.
The one in four poll found that nearly 70% of working parents
with a disabled child relied on family members to care for their
disabled child and half of them said they did so because of a
lack of suitable or affordable childcare.[32]
Having a disabled child means that the decision
about whether or not to go back to work is very complicated. Mainstream
childcare provision is often unable to accommodate disabled children:
inaccessible premises, a lack of trained staff and cost combine
to mean that parents of a disabled child rely on informal childcare.
This in itself minimizes the financial appeal of working as they
are then unable to access childcare tax credits. The cost of suitable
childcare can also be prohibitive:
"Private after school care is ludicrously
expensive. I pay £10 an hour for (it)." Parent of disabled
child.
Moreover, the need to balance employment obligations
with meeting the support needs of a disabled child can make working
impossible:
"You think you can start work when they
start school, there's always something on at school, therapists
or other appointments." Mother with disabled child.
At the same time, society's attitude towards
disability limits the lifestyle choices open to families with
disabled children. The one in four poll found that 30% of such
families had never enjoyed a family trip to the cinema and for
one in five the last family day out was more than two months ago
(the research was conducted just after October school holidays).[33]
C. Opportunity—Poverty, disability
and our culture combine to limit the life chances of disabled
children and young people. Capability Scotland's focus groups
with disabled young people uncovered a rapid limiting of aspiration.
At 12, children's aspirations are very much in line with non disabled
peers—when they grow up they all want to do different things.
By 17, they appear to have adopted much more narrow expectations
of the working world, with many seeking employment in information
technology:
"I'll probably go into computers because
its easy to go into and we know what its about. I don't know about
any other jobs." 16-year-old disabled boy.
Young people's aspirations are also dampened
by reality. They do not have the same skills or qualifications
as their non disabled peers: 19% of disabled people in the 16-24
age group have no qualifications, in comparison to just 6% of
non-disabled people.[34]
Low educational attainment is a key factor limiting disabled young
people's life chances.
Capability Scotland's research shows that being
a disabled child is markedly different from being a non-disabled
child, in so many ways. Worst of all, our culture and attitudes
to disability conspire to deny disabled children the opportunity
to be children, to have a childhood. Many disabled children have
few friends outside of school and as teenagers they spend disproportionate
amounts of their time in adult company:
"My wee sister has her friends staying and
I get to play with them, but its not the same. She's got friends
and I haven't." 14-year-old disabled girl
"I'd just like to go round to a friends
house without my mum." 14-year-old disabled girl.
Inaccessible streetscapes, transport, buildings
and facilities deny them the opportunity to enjoy ordinary teenage
activities. Disabled children and young people are excluded from
society because of attitudes and structures that simply do not
allow them to get involved.
"My daughter gets really upset when her
sister goes to art class and she can't join in. She's capable
of taking part, but there is no provision for a child with special
needs." Mother of a disabled child
2. THE EXTENT
OF POVERTY
Households with a disabled child are among the
poorest in Scotland in income terms. The statistics for participants
in Capability Scotland's 1 in 4 poll who have a dependent disabled
child are truly dismal: a fifth live on less than £200 per
week and their weekly spend on food is a third less than the amount
needed to provide an adequate diet.[35]
The 2002 Scottish House Condition Survey estimated
that 286,000 Scottish households were living in fuel poverty.
Through economic modelling the SHCS also estimated that for every
5% increase in fuel prices, an additional 30,000 households would
go into fuel poverty. Given the recent price rises, we anticipate
that the next figures will show over half a million households
spending more than 10% of their income in order to reach standard
heating levels.
Communities Scotland have already done—the
5% increase leads to 30,000 households and saying the massive
price hikes are undermining the progress previously made. Then
you can say you anticipate next figures will show us back over
the half a million mark (from 280,000)—but by how much is
unknown.
3. CONTRIBUTING
FACTORS
Disability is a key factor in poverty. The incomes
of disabled people are on average less than half of those earned
by non-disabled people. Only one in two disabled people of working
age are currently employed, compared with four out of five non-disabled
people, and they are less likely to have any educational qualifications.[36]
Such low income levels are caused by higher
than average dependency on state benefits.[37]
Employment levels are also lower than among families without disabled
children.[38]
At the same time, the nature of benefits accessed
by such families can exacerbate their low income levels: few receive
Income Support which acts as a gateway to a broad range of benefits
and state support.[39]Moreover,
families find it difficult to access benefits they are entitled
to. There is no obvious point of contact for people to access
benefits and often people simply miss out:
"Do they really want us to get Benefits...
they try and trick you with all the questions on the application
form." Parent of a disabled child.
"It took me three years to find out about
DLA and concessionary bus fares." Mother with a disabled
child.
4. IMPACT OF
GOVERNMENT POLICY
ON POVERTY
While many employment issues are reserved, the
Scottish Executive has control of Scotland's enterprise strategy
and puts £400 million into the enterprise budget each year.
More could be done through Scotland's enterprise network to enable
parents of disabled children to work. The Scottish Executive also
produces and funds the National Childcare Strategy. This and the
New Opportunities Fund out of school care programme can point
to an increase in childcare places for disabled children but parents
perceive that there has been little improvement. They still feel
that they lack the choices other families take for granted—choices
over childcare, over nature of employment, hours worked, who to
work for and whether to work or not. The choice to work or not
is effectively made for parents of disabled children because there
are too many obstacles to overcome.
However, the emphasis on employment as the route
out of poverty seen in the majority of government policy on poverty
and disabled people does not take sufficient account of the barriers
faced by many disabled people. Individualised support in the form
of information, services, aids, support and flexible employment
opportunities are necessary, as is a commitment to support those
who cannot work through improved benefits.
The application of the Disability Discrimination
Act to education will help address the lack of opportunities for
disabled young people, as will changes to general educational
strategy and the support needs process. But practically, more
needs to be done to ensure disabled children and young people
receive the same quality of education as their peers and most
importantly, enjoy the same opportunities to achieve qualifications
and then engage in lifelong learning opportunities.
There are a number of Scottish and National
initiatives aimed at alleviating fuel poverty, but they have largely
failed to recognise that many disabled people experience the same
problems as older people when it comes to heating their homes,
particularly low incomes, mobility problems and more time spent
in their homes.
At a national level, there is the Energy Efficiency
Commitment which requires gas and electricity suppliers to install
energy efficiency measures such as insulation in the homes of
customers. It is clear that energy efficiency improvements are
essential. However, it is also clear that those living in fuel
poverty are also likely to be experiencing general poverty. Every
means must be used to tackle fuel poverty in conjunction with
general poverty.
The Winter Fuel Payment and the Cold Weather
payments should be extended to people receiving disability related
benefits.
Capability Scotland
October 2006
29 Capability Scotland's 1 in 4 Poll, so named because
approximately one in four households in Scotland have a family
member who is disabled, is made up of disabled people, families
and carers across Scotland. Back
30
Family Fund Trust. Back
31
One in four poll, Capability Scotland (October 2002). Back
32
one in four poll, Capability Scotland (October 2002). Back
33
ibid. Back
34
Disability in Scotland 2002, Disability Rights Commission. Back
35
Living on the Edge, 1 in 4 poll, Capability Scotland (December
2001). Back
36
Strategy Unit (2005) Improving Life Chances of Disabled People
. London: Strategy Unit (http://www.strategy.gov.uk/downloads/work_areas/disability/disability_report/pdf/disability.pdf). Back
37
Benefits are the main income source for 40% of families with
a disabled child, ibid. Back
38
Nearly half of carers with disabled children are not in work
(1 in 4 poll, October 2002) compared to a national unemployment
rate of under 8% (Labour Force Survey, March 2003). Back
39
Two-thirds of families with benefits as a main source of income
do not receive free school meals or clothing grants, Living on
the Edge, 1 in 4 poll, Capability Scotland (December 2001). Back
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