|
|
14 October 2008
Government praises third sector and promises more support
 |
| Libby Purves (r) chairs a discussion with panellists including Maff Potts (ctr) and Bob Reitemeier (left) |
An end to short-term government funding for not-for-profit agencies and better access to advice and guidance for charities caught up in the credit crunch were promised by Rt Hon Stephen Timms MP, Financial Secretary, HM Treasury at a conference on social exclusion in London today (14 October).
Speaking at The Salvation Army's The Seeds of Exclusion Symposium at Westminster Central Hall, London, the MP for East Ham and Labour's Vice Chair for Faith Groups promised new guidance for government departments making clear that third sector funding should normally be for a minimum of three years.
'We want the third sector to thrive and know that one of the main obstacles is short-term government funding, undermining the certainty to make sound strategic decisions. Departments will have to report their progress on this front to the Minister for the Third Sector and I, in turn, will report it to Parliament.'
 |
Financial Secretary Stephen Timms MP addressing the Seeds of Exclusion symposium
|
Commenting on The Seeds of Exclusion, a recent piece of in-depth research with 438 people living in Salvation Army homeless centres, Stephen Timms also noted the 'Work for All' campaign by William Booth, founder of The Salvation Army, which led to the first labour exchange in East London in 1896 as 'an inspiration for this Government'.
Government particularly wanted to see central and local government open to partnerships with churches and faith organisations to help meet community needs, the minister said to an audience of politicians, third sector organisations and academics at the Symposium. He endorsed The Salvation Army's increasing involvement with Government in supporting people to find and enter work, stating faith communities were 'uniquely well placed to help' socially excluded people.
'Third sector organisations do superb work to help people overcome complex and severe problems,' said Stephen Timms. 'We applaud their ability to innovate and help people beyond the reach of government. The Salvation Army is in a unique position of trust, with strong relationships with some of Britain's most vulnerable citizens. The Seeds of Exclusion gives a voice to those who rarely have one - and allows Government to understand better what they are saying.'
 |
| Iain Duncan Smith MP warned of a growing undercurrent of 'chaotic and dysfunctional' people |
Later in the Symposium the Rt Hon Iain Duncan Smith MP, Chairman of the Centre for Social Justice, warned of a growing undercurrent of 'chaotic and dysfunctional' people who are unable to play any active part in society. He attacked social housing policy for 'ghettoising dysfunction and poverty' and branded the care system a 'failure'.
Iain Duncan Smith said: 'The cost of benefits and cost of crime are spent on 10 per cent of the population but, with the rate that this population is having children, that figure will rise to 20 per cent, which is not only difficult to sustain but will end up with society building bigger and bigger ghettos - this is wrong.'
He called for Government to focus its resources to help children aged 0-3, as this would have the greatest impact on their development. 'Government spends more money on children 13 years and over, at the latter stages of childhood, and spends very little at the early part of a child's life. But the one-to-one empathetic relationship is crucial in the nurturing of a child. The nature of nurture builds the child, with children in need of intensive care for the first year and a half of their lives. We have underestimated the important of this relationship both in society and in political terms.'
 The Seeds of Exclusion report from The Salvation Army, which is one of the leading providers of social welfare provision after the government, identifies poor childhood relationships as a key cause of social exclusion and warns that a new generation of children risks becoming socially excluded and even homeless unless urgent action is taken to tackle poor parenting.
Bob Reitemeier, Chief Executive of The Children's Society, highlighted the need for society as a whole to address growing inequalities which affect children and young people.
'We know that children who have poor schooling, housing and low standards of living are more likely to experience mental health difficulties than other children. This is unacceptable in Britain today and to change this requires much more social action by all of us,' said Mr Reitemeier.
Professor Pamela Taylor, Professor of Forensic Psychiatry in the Department of Psychological Medicine at Cardiff University's Wales College of Medicine was involved in the collecting of research data for The Seeds of Exclusion. She warned the current financial climate could leave the already socially excluded even further out in the cold. 'Many of the factors which we found to be associated with homelessness, such as fractures in family life and availability of alcohol and other substances, are on the increase.'
 |
| Dr Adrian Bonner highlights some of The Seeds of Exclusion report's key findings |
The Seeds of Exclusion report, produced with the University of Kent and Cardiff University, was based on an in-depth survey of 438 homeless people using Salvation Army homelessness services across the UK. The research found a high proportion of homeless people surveyed had a disruptive childhood, and suffered abuse and problematic relationships with their family and friends both now and in the past. It also identified mental health issues and the problems people face when transitioning from controlled environments to independent living as key seeds of social exclusion.
The report challenges government, society and The Salvation Army itself to do more to address the causes and outcomes of social exclusion. It also highlights the importance of the role of third sector groups, including The Salvation Army, who currently provide much of the support being received by this marginalised and largely forgotten group.
Video clips
|