High-risk groups slip through net

September 17, 2004 in Asylum and refugees, Disability, Mental Health

Vulnerable groups with the most complex needs are being
overlooked in the government’s drive to tackle deprivation,
according to new research.

The needs of people with physical or mental health issues, the
unskilled or unqualified, asylum seekers and refugees are being
missed despite a seven-year drive to reduce social inequality.

A report from the government’s Social Exclusion Unit,
published this week, warns: “Unless policy is able to address the
needs of the most disadvantaged groups, people in most need will be
left further behind.”

Reiterating the report’s findings, Kate Stanley, senior
researcher at the Institute for Public Policy Research, said
targeting inequality and social mobility needed “a bold political
conviction at a time when there are pressures on public
spending”.

Social exclusion minister Lord Rooker confirmed the report was
commissioned to “take stock of progress so far and identify those
most vulnerable groups who experience the most complex
problems”.

– Breaking the Cycle from www.socialexclusion.gov.uk