Child poverty focus needed to meet outcomes, says head of Sure Start

Child poverty will have to be tackled more rigorously if the five
outcomes set out by children in the Every Child Matters green paper
and the Children Act 1989 are to be achieved, experts warned last
week.

The head of Sure Start, Naomi Eisentadt, told Community Care LIVE
Children and Families that the government had allowed the impact of
poverty to slip down its agenda.

Instead it had prioritised the other four outcomes on children’s
health, safety, achievement and contribution to communities.

She said that, despite poverty being the key barrier to children’s
life chances, the government had failed to give adequate attention
to the outcome on children’s economic well-being.

“It’s harder to be healthy when you’re poor, it’s harder to stay
safe when you’re poor, and it’s harder to do well at school when
you’re poor,” she said, calling for economic well-being to be
pushed up the agenda.

Carole Bell, head of commissioning, quality assurance and review at
Hammersmith and Fulham children’s trust, told delegates that none
of the outcomes would be achieved if staff did not believe in the
merits and power of joint-working.

“We have to convince a lot of people that working together will
work,” Bell said.

But Westminster director of social and community services Julie
Jones admitted that the complexity of what councils were being
asked to do was “overwhelming”.

Jones said the best outcome for all children was to achieve well in
school. But there were major challenges for the council’s education
of children in care team, including the number of local education
authorities they had to deal with, a lack of school places and
placement moves.

She called on front-line education and social services staff to
remain “joined at the hip” but acknowledged that this was
complicated. Child poverty will have to be tackled more rigorously
if the five outcomes set out by children in the Every Child Matters
green paper and the Children Act 1989 are to be achieved, experts
warned last week.

The head of Sure Start, Naomi Eisentadt, told Community Care LIVE
Children and Families that the government had allowed the impact of
poverty to slip down its agenda.

Instead it had prioritised the other four outcomes on children’s
health, safety, achievement and contribution to communities.
She said that, despite poverty being the key barrier to children’s
life chances, the government had failed to give adequate attention
to the outcome on children’s economic well-being.

“It’s harder to be healthy when you’re poor, it’s harder to stay
safe when you’re poor, and it’s harder to do well at school when
you’re poor,” she said, calling for economic well-being to be
pushed up the agenda.

Carole Bell, head of commissioning, quality assurance and review at
Hammersmith and Fulham children’s trust, told delegates that none
of the outcomes would be achieved if staff did not believe in the
merits and power of joint-working.

“We have to convince a lot of people that working together will
work,” Bell said.
But Westminster director of social and community services Julie
Jones admitted that the complexity of what councils were being
asked to do was “overwhelming”.

Jones said the best outcome for all children was to achieve well in
school. But there were major challenges for the council’s education
of children in care team, including the number of local education
authorities they had to deal with, a lack of school places and
placement moves.

She called on front-line education and social services staff to
remain “joined at the hip” but acknowledged that this was
complicated. Child poverty will have to be tackled more rigorously
if the five outcomes set out by children in the Every Child Matters
green paper and the Children Act 1989 are to be achieved, experts
warned last week.

The head of Sure Start, Naomi Eisentadt, told Community Care LIVE
Children and Families that the government had allowed the impact of
poverty to slip down its agenda.

Instead it had prioritised the other four outcomes on children’s
health, safety, achievement and contribution to communities.
She said that, despite poverty being the key barrier to children’s
life chances, the government had failed to give adequate attention
to the outcome on children’s economic well-being.

“It’s harder to be healthy when you’re poor, it’s harder to stay
safe when you’re poor, and it’s harder to do well at school when
you’re poor,” she said, calling for economic well-being to be
pushed up the agenda.

Carole Bell, head of commissioning, quality assurance and review at
Hammersmith and Fulham children’s trust, told delegates that none
of the outcomes would be achieved if staff did not believe in the
merits and power of joint-working.

“We have to convince a lot of people that working together will
work,” Bell said.

But Westminster director of social and community services Julie
Jones admitted that the complexity of what councils were being
asked to do was “overwhelming”.

Jones said the best outcome for all children was to achieve well in
school. But there were major challenges for the council’s education
of children in care team, including the number of local education
authorities they had to deal with, a lack of school places and
placement moves.

She called on front-line education and social services staff to
remain “joined at the hip” but acknowledged that this was
complicated.