Poverty Debate

The Centre for Social Justice was in Bristol today for the first of their regional roadshow events designed to encourage voluntary groups in their work to mend Broken Britain.

Dr Samantha Callan, CSJ Chairman in Residence, Chris Bullivant, CSJ Projects Director, joined voluntary sector panelists Richard Cooper, the Source Cafe (pictured left); Charles Drew, Amber and John Nolan from the Nelson Trust.

The roadshow was attended by students, local voluntary groups and those interested in local politics.

For more details of the panelist groups visit:
www.amberweb.org

www.therealsource.co.uk

www.nelsontrust.com

This week, the Scottish Government published their strategy for tackling alcohol abuse. Central to this is the proposal to establish a minimum price per unit of alcohol. This would be accompanied by a ban on ‘irresponsible promotions’ and legislating for a Social Responsibility Fee.

Such pro-activity should be commended. Addiction – both drug and alcohol – is a key driver of poverty. It is also a key driver of crime, violence and anti-social behaviour. Directly and indirectly, it ruins lives, families and communities.
Unfortunately not everyone agrees with the Scottish Government’s approach. There appears to be a split between the medics and the retailers. Unsurprisingly the medics are for and the retailers against.

Fiona Moriarty of the Scottish Retail Consortium stated ‘Irresponsible drinking is not about price or availability’. This appears a foolish statement given the evidence. Following a reduction in the alcohol tax in Finland in 2004 retail consumption and alcohol-related hospital admissions increased significantly. Research conducted by the Institute of Alcohol Studies concluded that the price of ‘alcohol is one of the principal influences on levels of consumption and harm’.

The Centre for Social Justice has made this point repeatedly: consumption is related to price. Government has relied on industry self-regulation whilst at the same time introducing 24 hour drinking and standing by as alcohol gets (relatively) cheaper. This laissez faire approach to such a fundamental – and costly – problem is negligent.

Scotland’s alcohol problem may be significantly worse than England’s, but this is no reason to delay action. Breakthrough Britain’s Addiction paper clearly shows a rapidly worsening alcohol problem, we can’t afford to wait.

The Addiction paper recommended the introduction of a treatment tax on alcohol. This would help to tackle the price problem –beer should not be cheaper than bottles of water in supermarkets, or shots cheaper than soft drinks in bars – and raise much needed funds to support people to become addiction-free.

The Scottish Government have shown conviction and courage in making some tough decisions on the relationship between price and consumption. England must follow suit. 

A programme in Lambeth is successfully using peer counselling to steer young people away from gangs. The development by Lambeth council of the 2 XL programme, which uses leadership training along with one to one therapy to encourage young people to change their lifestyle, aims to tackle the problem of reoffending. 

To read the article in full, click here

The controversial Channel 4 “Boys and Girls Alone” programme aired this week conducting a ‘social experiment’ to see how children apart from their families would cope without any adult supervision.

But there is evidence of a growing curiosity about children’s ability to cope without family care when it is available. The Channel 4 team are not the only ones conducting a massive social experiment.

This week, for example, the Institute for Education reported that children cared for by grandparents faired worse than those in professional childcare. Assessed on ability to perform in tests, children cared for by their extended family were considered backwards and damaged.

Similarly, last month the value of kinship care took a back seat when a local authority placed a boy and a girl in the care of a couple even though the child’s grandparents had been caring for him. The grandparents were declared too old for the job despite providing a safe and loving environment.

The message has been loud and clear: “Move over Granny, the Super Nanny state is here!” The extended family is redundant in childcare.

And yet, last term, the CSJ published two papers to put heed to that notion. “Couldn’t Care Less” in its description of the deplorable Care system demonstrated that the state makes the worst parent while “The Next Generation” outlined the social science behind the need for a child’s relational and emotional nurture by family members.

In a day and age when parents feel the need to hand over their children to Channel 4 in order to see if their role as care giving adults is important, it is perhaps necessary to underline common sense: they are.

Additionally, both parents and grandparents are the first and primary source of nurture, development and welfare for children of all ages and, when it is available, public policy should celebrate and strengthen its vital role.

[Picture by Lena Tritscher]

The education pages have been filled this week with stories drawn from the latest Ofsted report: the transformation of schools through ‘back-to-basics’ discipline and targeted exclusions. While discipline will help, what really matters is the headteachers.

Formal discipline does have a role to play in turning round schools. It establishes that the school does not operate by the rules of the street; and that everyone is equal, subject to the same rules properly enforced. Children at the Robert Clack school agreed, saying the school was a success “because the rules were enforced”. Targeted exclusions are also necessary, both as a consequence of clear rules being applied consistently, but also because they remove unruly children from situations which profit neither them nor their classmates.

But focussing on discipline exclusively risks mistaking the tool for the craftsman. A school thrives because of the quality of its leadership, particularly its headteacher.

The transformation in each school cited in the Ofsted report began with the appointment of a new head, replacing an ineffective one. The headteacher’s first step was to create a vision for the school, and clear expectations of both staff and students. For example, just as students were expected to wear their uniform properly, teachers were expected to be role models and dress smartly themselves. Though some pupils were excluded, the overall purpose was to create an inclusive community: one head described how he would trawl the streets in the school minivan to bring truants back into school where they belong. In all the Ofsted cases, mass exclusions were a short term measure, replaced in the long run by intensive work with difficult children in the school.

Our Breakthrough Britain ‘Educational Failure’ report stressed that headteachers must be masters of their domain, properly rewarded and free from interference by government or quangos. ‘Discipline’ is just one of the tactics to be used by a headteacher committed to transforming a failing school.

[Picture by Cliff1066]

Government aims high with diversity targets – Guardian 19/6/09

Tory MP Tobias Ellwood attacked after confronting Bournemouth gang – Guardian 21/6/09

The former army officer was taken to hospital with hearing damage after attempting to put a stop to disruptive gang behaviour. I want case to go to trial, says Bournemouth East MP.

To read the article in full, click here

Worldwide production of heroin and cocaine falling, says UN drug chief – Guardian 24/6/09

The UN is calling for the treatment of drug problems as an illness, not a crime. Antonio Maria Costa, director of the UNODC, claims that "People who take drugs need medical help, not criminal retribution." The continuing challenge of monitoring and addressing the problems of drug production needs to focus on traffickers.

To read the article in full, click here

£1m asylum return scheme helped one family – Guardian 24/6/09

Children's Society says project was a failed opportunity to deal with 2,000 children locked up in immigration centres. Despite the ‘good intentions’ of the scheme, which aimed to help keep families out of asylum centres, only one family successfully returned home.

To read the article in full, click here