Poverty, Disadvantage, and Social Exclusion

1. Poverty, Disadvantage, and Social Exclusion Jill Duerr BerrickSchool of Social Welfare University of California at Berkeley Association of Children’s Welfare Agencies Conference Sydney, Australia August 21, 2012

2. Presentation Overview • Money, kids, and the global economy • Families and economic vulnerability • Economic vulnerability, child outcomes, and maltreatment • Policy and practice implications

3. Parenting in “Hard Times?”

4. Trends in U.S. Unemployment U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

5. Periods of U.S. Recession

6. Recessions and Poverty

7. Trends in Australia’s Unemployment Rate Year ABS, 2009

8. Work-Related “Hardships”During the Great Recession Reduction in work hours Unemployment Pay Cut Involuntary move to part-time employment Pew Research Center, 2010

9. Child Poverty in a Global Context UNICEF, 2012

10. Child Poverty in Australia

11. Changes in the FamilyRelated to Economic Vulnerability

12. Factors Contributingto Family Economic Vulnerability

13. # Adults Available To support children Factors Contributingto Family Economic Vulnerability

14. # Adults Available To support children Number of children In the family to support Factors Contributingto Family Economic Vulnerability

15. # Adults Available To support children Parent’s work And wages Number of children In the family to support Factors Contributingto Family Economic Vulnerability

16. Number of adults available to support children Factors Contributingto Family Economic Vulnerability

17. # Adults Available to Support Children -- Australia • 66% of births to parents in a “registered marriage” • % of lone-parent families declining • Paternity establishment is improving ABS, 2010

18. “The majority of American children will live at least some part of their childhood in a family that does not include both biological parents.” Cancian, Meyer & Reed, 2010

19. “A quarter of all (Australian) children now spend some time during their first 15 years of life living in a lone parent family” Grey, 2004

20. Grandparent-headed families • 16,000 grandparent-headed families in Australia • <1% of all Australian families • 61% of grandparents are age 55 or older • 66% of grandparent caregivers are not employed • 64% depend on benefits or pension ABS, 2012; Dunne & Kettler, 2007; Shepley & Dann, 2006

21. U.S. Grandparents and the Recession

22. Recessions can affect the structure of the family The structure of the family can exacerbate the effects of a recession. Recessions and Families

23. Number of adults available to support children Number of children in the family to support Factors Contributingto Family Economic Vulnerability

24. Australian Family Size Fertility rate: 1.8 births per woman 2.2 births per Aboriginal woman Age at first birth 30.7 years • Australian Bureau of Statistics

25. Number of Children

26. Number of adults available to support children Parents’ work and wages Number of children in the family to support Factors Contributingto Family Economic Vulnerability

27. Number of adults available to support children Parents’ work and wages Number of children in the family to support Factors Contributingto Family Economic Vulnerability Gender

28. Mothers and Work • Mothers in 66% of couple-families work • Mothers in 60% of lone-parent families work • Australian gender-pay gap is approximately 17% ABS, 2012; National Center for Social and Economic Modeling, 2009

29. Number of adults available to support children Parents’ work and wages Number of children in the family to support Factors Contributingto Family Economic Vulnerability Race / Ethnicity

30. Unemployment in Australiaby Race/ Ethnicity Average Unemployment rate: 5.2% Unemployment rate Indigenous People: 15.8% Australian Bureau of Statistics

31. Number of adults available to support children Child Age Parents’ work and wages Number of children in the family to support Factors Contributingto Family Economic Vulnerability

32. The Macro-Economy Affects Families Differentially

33. Poverty’s Effects Poverty is not a benign event.

34. Infant deaths Low-birth weight Birth complications Poor nutrition Chronic health conditions Stunted growth More illnesses & injuries Poverty’s Effects on Child Well-Being

35. Environmental toxins Poor quality education High drop-out rates Teen pregnancy Criminal activity Brain development Poverty’s Effects on Child Well-Being

36. Poverty’s Effects on Learning The achievement gap starts early. At age 3, poor children have a vocabulary 1/3 as large as children in middle-class or higher families

37. The Macro-Economy Affects the Likelihood that Children will Live in Poverty which Affects the Experience of the Micro-Family Poverty

38. The Great Recession andFamily Well-Being Stress Depression Fear Children’s Behavior Change Anxiety Boomerang Kids Strained Relationships Hunger Homelessness Frame, 2001

39. Tough Economic Timesare Tough on Families

40. Family Poverty andFamily Well-Being Stress Depression Fear Children’s Behavior Change Anxiety Boomerang Kids Strained Relationships Hunger Homelessness Child Welfare Service Involvement?

41. What are the Effects of The Great Recession on Child Welfare Involvement? How is Poverty Implicated in Child Maltreatment?

42. Los Angeles Maltreatment Referrals

43. Increases in head trauma • Abuse-related head trauma • 6 pediatric cases per month < 12/31/07 • 9.3 per month > 1/1/08 Children’s Hospital Pittsburg

44. Unemployment and Maltreatment • For each 1% increase in unemployment, a 0.5 per 1,000 increase in confirmed maltreatment reports with a one-year delay. American Academy of Pediatrics

45. Maltreatment and Housing Instability Housing delinquency payments and mortgage foreclosures may be associated with abuse-related hospital admissions Wood et al., 2012

46. Understanding the link:Poverty, Family, Social Exclusion andMaltreatment

47. Poverty is the single most powerful predictor of child maltreatment

48. Unemployment & Maltreatment • Children living with unemployed parents or parents unattached to the labor force are 2x more likely to abused and 3x more likely to be neglected National Incidence Study-4

49. Poverty and Maltreatment • Children in families with <$15,000 annual income are 3x more likely to be abused and 7x more likely to be neglected. National Incidence Study-4

50. Are low-income Parents “Bad Parents?”