5 Young people
77. The final section of this Report deals with young
adults, who must be effectively supported in their transition
to the workplace in order to remain out of poverty in the long
term. A successful strategy to break the generational cycle of
poverty must not allow children to slip below the poverty line
once they become young adults, yet the Government has applied
age-related criteria to both the national minimum wage and to
programmes of support such as Jobseeker's Allowance and Working
Tax Credits. In our previous Report on Poverty in Scotland,
we recommended that age-based discrimination should end. We concluded
that young people, including those on apprenticeships and work-based
trainees, should be able to support themselves to a decent standard
and should not become a source of cheap labour for unscrupulous
employers.
78. Written evidence from Barnardo's Scotland described
the importance of support at the moment when young people first
enter the job market, particularly for those who are living independently:
While there have been some changes in this system
to allow easier access, many young people still find it difficult
to obtain benefits when they are unable to live with their families.
It is particularly important that such young people have an adequate
income and are able to afford somewhere decent to live. The government
places great emphasis on getting young people into work, but it
is difficult to think about further education or employment when
you do not have a settled home or sufficient money for basic needs.
Young people who are living independently should get the same
rates of income support and JSA as those aged over 25.[92]
79. Many young adults can rely on the support of
a family when starting out on a career or when undertaking training
that will allow them to obtain the skills necessary for a life
free from poverty. Others, including children leaving care, will
need state support to make the transition successfully. Evidence
from the Prince's Trust Scotland suggests that the most vulnerable
young people suffer from multiple forms of deprivation:
The effects of low income are compounded by concentrations
of inequality into areas of disadvantage which increases the effects
of social exclusion. For example, 25 per cent of 16 to 19 year
olds in the 15 per cent most deprived areas are not in education,
employment or training compared to 11 per cent of 16 to 19 year
olds in the rest of Scotland. Over 40 per cent of children in
the 15 per cent most deprived areas are dependent on a recipient
of income support, compared with 10 per cent of children in the
rest of Scotland. Young people in poor areas are also more likely
to be registered for free school meals, absent from school, less
likely to achieve national attainment standards, they reach lower
levels of educational attainment and are less likely to continue
into further and higher education. All these factors make it more
likely that poverty and social exclusion will continue into the
next generation.[93]
The Trust goes on to describe the difficulties experienced
young people who are dependent on benefits in accessing training
courses. In order to retain eligibility for Jobseeker's Allowance,
only a limited number of hours can be spent in training each week:
Rigid application of eligibility criteria for JSA
and other benefits can work to the disadvantage of our clients
and prevents them participating on Prince's Trust courses as they
can be faced with the withdrawal of benefits (the 16 hour rule).
Sometimes we reluctantly have to advise young people that their
interest would not be best served by participating on one of our
courses as their principal means of support would be withdrawn.[94]
80. Our
evidence indicates that those young people who stand to gain the
most from training courses experience the greatest difficulties
in securing access and financial support. The generational cycle
of poverty will not be broken unless the Government ensures that
young adults are supported to gain the skills necessary for a
life free from poverty. Age-based discrimination in the tax and
benefits system undermines progress in this area and we therefore
recommend that it should end.
92 Ev 327 Back
93
Ev 323 Back
94
Ev 324 Back
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