Sharing our knowledge with the Child Poverty Commission

Did you know that Birmingham has a Child Poverty Commission? The cross-partner Commission, which includes the Council, the University of Birmingham and The Children’s Society, was set up in March last year to look at ways of reducing child poverty and making sure children are not disadvantaged by their background.

It’s early days for this group, though, and the first stage is for them to get the fullest picture of the extent of the issue. So we’re very pleased that they’ve asked us to get involved and share our knowledge.

At its launch, the Council’s press release about the Commission said:

“As well as asking professionals to give evidence, the commission wants to listen to the everyday experiences of children and families living in poverty and understand poverty from their perspective and bring to life the stories of children and families behind the hard statistics.”

We were asked by the City Council to get involved as they recognise that our Pregnancy Outreach Workers Service (POWS) works with some of the most in-need families in the city. The Commission is keen to see case studies and information compiled via our Impact Assessment App, but they’re also really keen to hear some experiences first hand, so they’ll be visiting us in a few weeks’ time to meet some of the families we work with and hear how life is for them.

POWs’ experiences of Child Poverty

POWs support some of the most vulnerable women and families in the city, and they come face to face with child poverty on a daily basis. The issue is immense… and it’s growing.

Some of the women we work with don’t yet have a child so, in these cases, “child poverty” includes the strong potential for the baby to be born into poverty.

More than 75% of the women we support record “Financial Hardship” as a current issue when they are assessed. This means they have unmanaged debt, rent arrears, or a low income and, in many cases, all three. For many of the women we visit, we also record that their living accommodation is unsuitable. This could mean overcrowded, in need of repair, or unsafe, and of course we have to take into account the imminent arrival of a baby. The main barrier the women have to changing this is financial hardship.

Since the POW service changed last April to working with the most vulnerable women only, we’ve seen demand for food parcels and hardship payments double. We are also seeing a growing number of women who are underweight or suffering from dietary deficiencies. This issue becomes a real danger during pregnancy, both to mother and child.

Although we do what we can, there’s a limit. Frequently, despite the hard work of our POWs, we’re not able to make things all that much better. To be honest, we often feel a bit helpless. So we’re very pleased to be able to talk about our experiences to the Commission and, hopefully, help to make a difference.

Celina’s Story

Celina* came to the UK from the Caribbean because she had been suffering domestic abuse from her partner (she has actually suffered a miscarriage in the past as a result of the abuse). Legally she should have returned to her home country by now, but her partner has been threatening her family and she is understandably frightened to return.

Celina’s had a lot of complications and medical issues during and since the birth, but her baby is doing OK. Like most of the women POWS support, Celina has dire financial hardship, and because she is now an overstayer, she doesn’t have any access to funds at all. She cannot claim any financial support and wouldn’t be allowed to work even if she could. She has told us she is worried for her own survival.

Just before Christmas, Celina’s Pregnancy Outreach Worker Jacque took Celina a Christmas hamper which included a few essentials – food, baby items and toiletries – as well as a couple of treats for mum and baby. You can hear Celina’s reaction in the video below.

*name has been changed