Understanding and Tackling Child Poverty on Peabody Estates

3. Understanding and tackling child poverty on Peabody estates 21 May 2019 Stephen Burns, Executive Director of Care and Communities

4. Project background, aims and objectives

5. About us • Peabody has over 150 years of history, experience and expertise. • Our mission is to help people make the most of their lives. • We have 133,000 residents, 8,000 care and support customers and work in the wider communities in which we operate. • Our community investment totals £90m over ten years through our charitable foundation. Child poverty research 2018

6. Background • In 2011-12 the University of York reviewed the current state of child poverty in London and on Peabody (PB) estates. They found that: • The majority of Peabody households were located in inner London boroughs (88%) where there were higher levels of deprivation compared to elsewhere in London / England. • A higher proportion of London’s children were assessed as poorer than children in other areas of the UK, driven by higher levels of unemployment and fewer dual earner households in the capital. • Child poverty was concentrated in the social rented sector. Child poverty research 2018

7. Aims and objectives • Child poverty is an issue which clearly still resonates with Peabody’s mission and values. The merger between Family Mosaic and Peabody brought new opportunities to maximise our impact. • We’ve refreshed the 2011 report to inform our strategic approach to child poverty going forward. Key objectives included: • Defining child poverty and identifying the key issues and challenges facing children growing up in low-income families. • Understanding what Peabody has done in recent years to tackle child poverty. • Establishing what future opportunities there are to alleviate child poverty in our communities. Child poverty research 2018

8. Approach • To develop our findings and recommendations we have undertaken the following activities. Document review Desktop research • General needs • Ages 0 – 16 • Key limitation: lack of primary research with residents. Interviews: 13 internal stakeholders & 12 external stakeholders Presentation & discussion Write-up & reporting Child poverty research 2018

9. Key findings – Trends in child poverty

10. Scale of the issue Absolute child poverty since 2010 27% children UK 30% children UK 35% children London 37% children London 1 in 5 experience persistent child poverty in London Significant variation in material deprivation across London Relative child poverty since 2010 Child poverty research 2018

11. Key challenges • Unemployment remains a key challenge, but in-work poverty is a growing trend. • Two thirds of children in poverty have at least one working parent. • 8% of employed tenants with children on zero hours contracts. • Changes to social security have disproportionately impacted on families with children, particularly lone parents. • Couples with children have lost £3,000 p/a on average. • Lone parents have lost £5,250 p/a on average. • Achieving decent living standards is challenging in London as costs are higher. • More children in poverty in the PRS in London than in social housing. • Childcare costs 35% higher than elsewhere. • Food and transport also more expensive. Child poverty research 2018

12. Key findings: Trends in child poverty Debt and destitution 3.8% of Peabody tenants have used a food bank in the last year, that figure rises to 6% for tenants with children Health and wellbeing “Food deserts”/ growth of takeaways in deprived areas. Conditions like asthma and rickets concentrated in poorest households Education and career prospects At the end of primary school children receiving free school meals are almost three terms behind more affluent peers. Child poverty research 2018

13. Key findings – Peabody’s approach

14. Key findings • We have sought to establish what Peabody has done in recent years to tackle child poverty and what future opportunities there are to alleviate child poverty in our communities. • We’ve condensedour key findings and conclusions against the following 3 themes: Maximising income and employment opportunities Local partnerships Reducing costs Child poverty research 2018

15. Maximising income and opportunities

16. Maximising income and employment opportunities • Employment support • Comprehensive accredited employment support available. • Enterprise opportunities also provided. • Youth services is focussed on improving the educational, employment and career prospects of young people. e.g. Make My Mark – offers young people a grant of up to £3k for projects that help them develop their career goals. • Training for residents as childminders, free childcare apprenticeships, and a free 12 week programme enabling customers on a lower income to gain an accredited level 2 or 3 qualification which can lead to employment in a primary school. • Future opportunities – Employment support • A more a bespoke offer for parents with young children / lone parents. E.g. flexible apprenticeships (LB Camden), partnerships with specialists (e.g. Timewise). • Review and expand existing KPIs to review, consider and monitor the quality of work placements incl. job security, financial outcomes, champion the London Living Wage, and routes to progression. • Enterprise opportunities could be tailored further to tackle barriers to employment. Child poverty research 2018

17. Maximising income and employment opportunities • Financial support and advice: • Partnerships in place with London Mutual Credit Union in Southwark and Lambeth, incl. piloting jam jar accounts with London Mutual Credit Union. Isn’t a widespread approach in other boroughs due to the variable quality of services available. • Piloted approach on Pembury to reduce rent arrears with families on the estate. • “On-boarding” support using information provided by Experian. • Signpost customers to debt charity Step Change • Co-location in Job Centres. • Future opportunities – Financial support and advice • Actively promote affordable and accessible alternatives to high street lenders and weekly payment retailers (e.g. review welcome pack to incl. further signposting to local services). • Develop additional partnerships with credit unions in key boroughs (e.g. Lewisham example). • Continue to monitor findings from latest arrears pilots – Insight led / outreach approach. • Review opportunities for further cross team working (e.g. co-location) • Influence policy to ensure adequate income without creating disincentives to work. Child poverty research 2018

18. Partnerships

19. Key findings : Local partnerships • Children’s Communities • Pembury represents an effective partnership with Hackney Council and Save the Children. Participation of 856 children and young people and that 95% of young people reporting that coming along to activities had made a positive difference to their lives. • Peabody is extending this model to both Thamesmead and Waltham Forest who are providing a range of activities, however there are challenges in further scalability. • Partnerships with children centres and primary schools also enables residents and those in the community to access early years provision in key boroughs. There may be further opportunities for Peabody to provide additional specialist early-years provision for young children below the age of 8 in other boroughs. • Future opportunities – Local partnerships • Consider utilising existing assets to partner with organisations to develop more specialist early-years provision across community hubs. Child poverty research 2018

20. Key findings : Local partnerships • Tenant Family Services Team • Foodbank signatories • Directly deliver parenting classes – challenges of resident take-up, external research has examined the role and impact of similar approaches on child poverty. • Work with local schools as part of a holistic approach to managing the wellbeing of local children, acting as the main point of contact for Peabody e.g. when there are concerns around the wellbeing of the child (risk of self-harm / suicide and abuse). • Signpost our residents to local Children’s Centres. • Future opportunities – Local partnerships • Proactively engage with stakeholders such as schools and local authorities to understand where partnerships and services could add most value / support the most vulnerable. • Harness TFST to deliver pro-active outreach. Child poverty research 2018

21. Reducing costs

22. Reducing costs • Childcare • Expanding a mobile crèche, as well as partnering with the New Economic Foundation. • Two Peabody spaces identified in Tower Hamlets and Lewisham for parent led childcare cooperatives. Parents volunteer their skills in nursery management (accountancy, cooking, crafts, and plumbing, cleaning) in exchange for up to 50% reduction in childcare costs. Enables employment and training opportunities for our childcare qualified residents. • Future opportunities – Childcare • Enable tenants to access interest free loans for childcare costs (e.g. lobbying or direct delivery – GLA). • Partner / signpost to peer-support programmes (e.g. Gingerbread) that raise awareness of existing childcare benefits available. • Work with Peabody’s commercial team to expand the existing audit of nurseries to include all community spaces to identify hubs which could be further developed into spaces for discounted childcare provision. Child poverty research 2018

23. Reducing costs • Committed to keeping rents low. • Examples of local work e.g. Thamesmead partnership with 2 local schools to tackle holiday hunger. • Upfront costs of a tenancy: • Hardship fund in place but relatively small. • Orbit gifted floor and window coverings to incoming tenants, saving new tenants an average of £500 each and reducing void costs by £200. • Future opportunities – Other costs • Consider opportunities to reduce fuel poverty and transport costs to maximise family incomes. • Expand up-front tenancy support to most vulnerable and review our void standard. E.g. Retain good quality flooring and window coverings in properties and gift them to incoming customers at the time of re-letting, provide furniture packs for those who are struggling financially. • Have a comprehensive plan to reduce food poverty across PB estates e.g. CPAG cost of a school day project, work with partners to tackle hunger throughout the year. • Continue to harness the value of children’s centres, using them to deliver concrete actions to tackle food poverty (incl. holiday hunger). E.g. hosting community supermarkets. Child poverty research 2018

24. Next steps

25. Next steps • Peabody Board support for research, conclusions and actions • Test conclusions and recommendations with residents and other stakeholders • Consider taking a more proactive and tailored approach to addressing the causes of poverty, as well as helping our tenants to manage the symptoms • Work with others to increase impact Child poverty research 2018

26. Further Information • https://www.peabody.org.uk/media/2113/child-poverty-report.pdf • https://www.peabody.org.uk/media/10307/pub_19_002_peabody_index_artwork-fin-update.pdf • https://www.peabody.org.uk/media/9935/pembury-impact-report-2018r1.pdf • Stephen.burns@Peabody.org.uk Child poverty research 2018