Social Policy in The Child Poverty Act 2010 - Essay Example

Introduction to Social Policy: The Child Poverty Act Introduction Social policy concerns the wellbeing of humanity in general and the social relations that are crucial for the wellbeing of humanity as well as the systems through which the welfare of humanity can be improved. For that matter, social policy tackles all the numerous and unique factors that may directly or indirect influence the quality of life led by individuals in a given society, collectively known as social problems (Clarke n.d, p.6). For instance, life is unimaginable without the things that make it worth living such as healthcare services, education, means of livelihood, love and security, among plenty other things. The numerous ways through which the essential social services can be organized i.e. by the government, official bodies, social and religious groups or local organizations, among others, is the domain of social policy. Social policy also describes the specific actions that are meant to influence the wellbeing of members of a given society by shaping the redistributing and access to goods and resources that are found in that particular society. Continuous government interventions into the welfare of its citizens has progressively led to the emergence of complexities in the social policy concept in the 21st century; furthermore, social policy varies from state to state based on the local, national, and supranational political influences. Social policy seeks to enhance the welfare of humans while meeting the essential human needs such as education, health, housing as well as social security; welfare state, social security, unemployment insurance, social care and housing, are some of the crucial areas of social policy. Generally, the history of social policy in the UK indicates a gradual shift from concern with personal issues that can be enhanced by individual, familial, or philanthropic efforts, to issues of general public concern, which can only be addressed through a more extensive, systematic and collective approach (Page n.d, p.17). The belief that the creation of welfare state is enough to ensure the gradual disappearance of social issues took centre stage in the post-war British society; consequently, this belief further encouraged the emergence of individualistic explanations of persistent issues in the post-1945 era. Nonetheless, by the end of 1960s, state welfare was seen to be contributing to, rather than helping to ameliorate social problems as it was believed; for instance, Marxist theorized that welfare state does not address such issues as poverty and unemployment because both of them sustain the capitalist society. Furthermore, a new ‘underclass’ phenomenon emerged due to the culture of dependence in the lower levels of the society due to the attractiveness of the welfare packages and benefits; the Thatcher and Major Conservative governments attempted to discourage dependence through cuts in benefits entitlement and the introduction of Job Seekers Allowance. This contemporary conservatism encouraged a vast proportion of the British population to embrace the virtues of individualism and free market while inculcating scepticism with regards to the role of collectivism in modern societies. With the return of the Labour Party to power in 1997, it was highly anticipated that a more structural approach to social problems would be pursued, but the government has been keen on forging a newer approach to both the cause and resolution of contemporary social problems. The new Labour Party strongly believes that social issues are created and exacerbated by numerous factors such as poorly functioning or out-dated state welfare services, thus, social problems can be addressed through purposeful partnership between the government and individuals. The 20th century British society inherited a strong poor law tradition (Glennerster et al., 2004, p.63); in these footsteps, the New Labour government made an ambitious commitment to eradicating child poverty in 1999 (Finch n.d, p.2). This paper will explore the Child Poverty Act 2010, paying particular attention to the social problems it seeks to address, its ideology, aims, implementation process, as well as its outcomes. The social problem(s) being addressed The Child Poverty Act 2010 seeks to address the issue of child poverty, which is recognized as one of the greatest barriers to enhancing outcomes for children as well as young people in the United Kingdom at the present (Fauth, Zoe & Enver 2013, p.4). Poverty, inequality and social exclusion are some of the crucial social challenges the government is seeking to address through social policy (Hills & Stewart, 2005); in 1997, poverty and inequality had hit its climax in the post-war Britain history and nearly more than one in every four children in the UK lived in abject poverty. The gap between individual earnings had widened greatly leading to immense income inequalities as well as deterioration in deprivation indicators; this saw the Labour government implement a comprehensive and ambitious social policy programme. The government has approached poverty and social exclusion as critical areas of concern that need to be addressed effectively to promote the overall quality of life and wellbeing of the citizens. The government has recognized the wide range of issues influencing poverty and social exclusion and conceptualized them as multi-faceted and interrelated; for instance, policy discussions have focused both on cash incomes and service delivery as well as on the long term factors influencing disadvantage and life chances for children. In as much as child poverty rates have declined gradually over the years, a vast proportion of children are still deprived a decent childhood without essentials such as decent housing, a nutritious diet, and sufficient food. Furthermore, the number of children in abject poverty is likely to increase following the tough economic climate and the cuts in welfare and services, particularly in urban areas (Maclnnes et al., 2013). Currently, statistics indicate that nearly 27% of children were living in relative poverty in 2010/2011, which implies that their households had incomes that comprised less than 60% of the present median income following housing costs. The ideological underpinning of the Child Poverty Act 2010 Reports indicate that many children, nearly 1.7 million, and their families in the UK live in severe poverty, which comprises of about 13% of all UK children; this number has risen steadily from 11% over the period 2004/2005- 2007/2008 against a backdrop of overall child poverty (Save the Children 2010, p.1). The End Child Poverty organization estimates that almost four million children in the UK live in poverty and 40% of children are raised in single-parent households (“Why End Children Poverty?” 2014). The Labour government made a commitment to eradicate child poverty by 2020 in 1999 in a speech that was validated by both Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, given that child poverty greatly undermine all efforts at improving outcomes for children and young people in the UK today. The Child Poverty Act 2010 is in effect a response to the dire need to eradicate the continuously deteriorating quality of life lived by a vast majority of UK children who are locked in abject poverty following large income disparities coupled with other social disadvantages that aggravate deprivation (Evans & Scarborough, 2006). Furthermore, the Child Poverty Act 2010 alongside the coalition government’s overarching programme and 2011 child poverty strategy are all confirmations of the Labour government’s commitment to the course and promise of eradicating child poverty by 2020. The aims of the policy The Child Poverty Act 2010 seeks to eradicate child poverty by the year 2020 through its numerous statutory child poverty targets and to half it by 2010 (“Child Poverty Act” 2010:1); the act requires that the UK government alongside the devolved nations in Scotland and Northern Ireland to establish strategies for eradicating child poverty. Furthermore, the act operationalized the Child Poverty Commission, which is tasked to advise the government on matters regarding child poverty while holding it accountable for the progress made in addressing the issue of child poverty. The national government has adopted a new approach to child poverty which seeks to address the causes of disadvantage as well as to transform the lives of families in general; this approach focuses on the need to look beyond income to focus on the home environment, housing, initial years as well as education and health services in addressing poverty and its negative influences respectively. The UK government’s child poverty policy strategy, therefore, focuses on supporting families to be financially independent, supporting family life and children’s life chances as well as on the role of the environment and transforming lives. Whereas supporting family lives entails eliminating the financial disincentives to work and enhancing financial management and supporting people to work, supporting family life and children’s life chances entails promoting attainment, health, housing early years, and the environment. Implementation of the Act From 1999, ending child poverty has been a key concern of the New Labour government, after many years of abandonment of the matter; in the course of the first decade of the millennium, governments have implemented numerous policies meant to help tackle the menace of child poverty. For instance, there have been tremendous increases in benefits to new child-targeted assistance as well as in strategies to help single parents find work as well as a wide range of other actions that seek to increase incomes for families living in severe poverty. Support for the child poverty eradication course has been at the core of party politics with the then Prime Minister David Cameron committing his party to addressing child poverty in 2007 arguing that it was at the core of all strategies to enhance welfare of children in UK. Following the cross-party consensus on the centrality of child poverty eradication in achieving improved welfare for the UK children, the Child Poverty Act 2010 was passed unanimously with support from both the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives. The Act was passed into law in 2010, tasking not only the current, but also all subsequent governments with the responsibility of eradicating child poverty; precisely, the act requires England, Scotland and Northern Ireland to establish mechanisms of tackling child poverty. The Child Poverty Act 2010 entrusts the local authorities with the task of preparing local child poverty needs assessment, thereby establishing the needs of disadvantaged children in every area, as well as the strategy for addressing this issue. Numerous child poverty reduction strategies seek to enhance the life chances of children to ensure that they too, do not end up poor as adults through the specific areas of education and parental employment (CPAG n.d, p.5). Outcomes of the Act The Child Poverty Act 2010 is undoubtedly a significant leap in the right direction insofar as tackling child poverty is concerned; in as much as the act does not in any way guarantee the eradication of child poverty, it does make it inevitable that the issue of child poverty will forever occupy a central place in social policy discourses (Allamby, 2010). The Labour government’s promise to eradicate child poverty by 2020 was not only sudden, but also overly ambitious; overall, the short term targets to reduce the number of children living in poor households by a quarter by 2004/2005 and by a half come 2010/2011 have not been met either, despite the comprehensive measures taken by the government so far (“Child Poverty in the UK” 2012, p.4). Nonetheless, the Act has led to some significant gains in terms of reduced numbers of children living in poor households while greatly improving the living conditions and life chances for a vast majority of children previously living in severe poverty over the years. For instance, the official relative poverty measure report indicates that child poverty generally fell by nearly one third, from a high of 27% in 1996/’97 to a low of 18% in 2010/’11; this implies that about 1.1 million UK children have been salvaged from the fangs of poverty (Judge 2012, p.5). Overall, the Child Poverty Act 2010 demonstrates the governments unwavering commitment to eradicating child poverty by 2020, given that it still remains the single most critical factor undermining the achievement of improved welfare for children and young adults across the UK. Tackling child poverty is indeed central to promoting the welfare of children since a vast majority of children live in severe poverty, deprived all the benefits of a decent childhood such as appropriate housing and proper nutrition, among other essentials. In as much as the short term targets of the Act have not been achieved, great success have been reported in terms of reduced numbers of children living in severe poverty as well as the living conditions and quality of life in most poor households in general. In that case, the Child Poverty Act remains a positive step in the right direction; thus, with appropriate stakeholder collaborations in place, the issue of child poverty in the UK will be addressed effectively. References “Child Poverty Act 2010: Chapter Nine”. (2010). [Online]. Available at: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2010/9/pdfs/ukpga_20100009_en.pdf “Child Poverty in the UK: The report on the 2010 target”. (2012). [Online]. 30th June, 2014. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/192213/child_poverty_in_the_uk_the_report_on_the_2010_target.pdf “Why End Children Poverty? (2014). [Online]. Available at: http://www.endchildpoverty.org.uk/why-end-child-poverty/key-facts. Allamby, L. (2010). Child Poverty Act - an analysis. [Online]. 30th June, 2014. Available at: http://www.lawcentreni.org/component/content/article/66-other/655-child-poverty-act-an-analysis.html Clarke, J. (n.d). Social Problems: Sociological Perspectives. CPAG. (n.d). The Implementation of the Child Poverty Act: Examining Child Poverty Strategies in London Local Authorities. [Online]. Available at: http://www.cpag.org.uk/sites/default/files/CPAG-child-poverty-strategies-1012_0.pdf Evans, M., & Scarborough, J. (2006). Can current policy end child poverty in Britain by 2020? [Online]. Available at: http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/can-current-policy-end-child-poverty-britain-2020 Fauth, B., Zoe, R., & Enver, S. (2013). Tackling Child Poverty and promoting children’s wellbeing: Lessons from Abroad. [Online]. Available at: http://www.ncb.org.uk/media/892335/tackling_child_poverty_1302013_final.pdf Finch, N. (n.d). Family Policy in the UK: Third report for the project “welfare policy and employment in the context of family change”. [Online]. Available at: https://www.york.ac.uk/inst/spru/research/nordic/ukpolicy.pdf Glennerster, H., et al. (2004). One hundred years of poverty and policy. [Online]. Available at: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/3913/1/One_hundred_years_of_poverty.pdf Hills, J., & Stewart, K. (2005). Policies towards poverty, inequality and exclusion since 1997. [Online]. Available at: http://www.jrf.org.uk/publications/policies-towards-poverty-inequality-and-exclusion-1997 Judge, L. (2012). Ending Child Poverty by 2020: Progress made and lessons learned. [Online]. Available at: http://www.cpag.org.uk/sites/default/files/CPAG-ECPby2020-1212.pdf Maclnnes, T., et al. (2013). Monitoring poverty and social exclusion 2013. Print Page, R. (n.d). The Exploration of Social Problems in the Field of Social Policy. Print. Save the Children. (2010). Measuring severe child poverty in the U.K: Policy Briefing. [Online]. Available at: http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/sites/default/files/docs/Measuring_child_poverty_in_the_UK_1.pdf Read More