Addressing policy implications of transgenerational poverty

Transcription

Addressing policy implications of
transgenerational poverty
February 2004
The Further and Higher Education Research Unit
University of Ulster
G McAleavy
K Collins
G Adamson
C O’Hagan
H A Donegan
B O’Reilly
This research was funded by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First
Minister and managed by the Research Branch of the Equality Directorate of
the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister.
The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of
Departments.
OFMDFM Equality Directorate
Table of Contents
Page number
Executive Summary
i
1.0 Introduction
1
1.1 New Targeting Social Need policy
1
1.2 Poverty and social exclusion
1
1.3 Case study: St. Vincent de Paul (SVP)
2
1.4 Rationale
3
1.5 Transgenerational poverty
3
1.6 The role of the research
5
2.0 Methodology
7
2.1 Sample
7
2.2 Family context and caring responsibilities
7
2.3 Transgenerational sample
8
2.4 Organisation of results
8
3.0 Results
9
3.1 SVP support
9
3.2 Financial and employment status
12
3.3 Housing
23
3.4 Transport and transport disadvantage
27
3.5 Access to services
30
3.6 The social environment
32
3.7 Health
35
3.8 Education and educational disadvantage
40
3.9 Aspirations
48
3.10 Respondents in employment
53
Page number
4.0 Qualitative interviews
59
5.0 Discussion
77
5.1 Key challenges
86
References
90
Appendix
99
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Introduction
The research project is a study designed to provide an analysis of the nature
and causes of disadvantage experienced by the Society of St. Vincent de
Paul’s client group. This will enable the Society to address disadvantage from
one generation to the next. It will also inform government departments in
devising and implementing strategies for directly helping clients to move out of
poverty. A central reason for the study was to enable the Society to prevent
the transmission of social exclusion and enabling statutory and voluntary
sectors to work more closely together. Although various studies have identified
a host of factors implicated in, and correlating with, transgenerational
disadvantage, the combined effect of these variables needs to be better
understood.
The evidence collected has been analysed to provide insights into ways in
which government bodies can effectively collaborate with voluntary bodies,
using SVP as an exemplar, to improve services to people in poverty.
Aims of the study
The overall aim was to examine the nature of disadvantage as experienced by
SVP clients, as a unique population, accessing services from SVP as a
voluntary body, with a focus on key objectives:
•
To provide a brief description of the characteristics of the SVP clients,
including gender, marital status, community affiliation, ethnic origin,
number of dependants, employment status, income type, health,
environment, access to services, educational qualifications, aspirations,
self-esteem and self-efficacy.
•
To explore transgenerational aspects of poverty (the status of their of
health, income, employment status, educational achievements, selfesteem, self-efficacy and aspirations) and the impact on health and
general exclusion from society.
Page i
•
To assess children’s degree of disengagement from the education
system including; exclusions from school, level of attendance, future
aspirations for their children and the overall family educational profile
through the generations (i.e. mother, father, client’s mother and father,
partner’s mother and father, and siblings).
•
To examine the responses of persons in employment who have
identified themselves as being in need, in relation to the main themes
detailed in the questionnaire; education, health, aspirations, self-esteem,
self-efficacy, environment and access to services.
•
To examine the implications of the study for the SVP/community sector
in general, in terms of developing effective strategies.
•
To examine the implications for government intervention and strategies.
Methodology
The experiences of SVP clients were explored through personal interview
(structured questionnaires) and semi-structured interviews. The surveys were
carried out, face to face with the clients, by trained SVP members who
followed a detailed protocol on each occasion at both stages of the research
process. The co-ordination of the research by the research team and staff at
SVP head office in Belfast ensured that confidentiality was foremost throughout
the collection process. The 19 areas of the Northern Region were represented
in the research, which involved a total of 360 clients from different conferences
within each area council.
Key findings
The demographic profile of the sample group (n=360) indicates a majority of
female respondents (86% female and 14% male), aged between 18-70+ years
of age, with 81% Roman Catholic, 12.3% Protestant, 3.1% mixed religion,
2.5% ‘none’ and 1.1% other denomination represented. 22% are married,
21.7% are single parents, while 19.5% are single, 13.9% are separated, 11.1%
divorced, 7.8% are widowed and 3.9% are cohabiting. In terms of ethnic
origin, 97.5% are White, while Chinese, Black, Mixed Ethnic Origin and Irish
Traveller are represented in the remaining 2.5%.
Page ii
Information on all the clients interviewed in the study
Theme 1: Support received from SVP services
•
SVP services have been accessed by respondents in this sample for
an average of 6 years, ranging from 3 months to 26 years.
•
Financial assistance, followed by friendship and support, represented
the key services accessed predominantly by respondents, with many
receiving support on a number of levels.
•
43% have received an emergency visit from a Society member for
food, fuel or financial assistance in a time of crisis over the last 2 years.
Theme 2: Income and employment details
67.9% of the sample are unemployed, 13.5% are employed, while 9.5% are
incapacitated and 8.6% are retired.
Employed respondents
•
Employed respondents tend to be female aged 31-50, either a single
parent or are of single status and have dependants. 38.3% are in
permanent part-time posts, followed by permanent full-time (25.5%).
The mean number of hours worked is 22.56 per week with 5.5 years
representing the mean length of time in the post. The average net
salary is reported by respondents to be £118.95 per week. The
average income per week for permanent part-time positions is £80.63,
while permanent full-time is £168.33.
•
52.1% declare being in receipt of at least one state benefit; the most
commonly reported benefit being collected is child benefit, followed by
income support and housing benefit. 45.6% of the employed group get
working families tax credit as part of their income.
Unemployed respondents
•
The average number of years clients in this sample have been
economically inactive is 10.26, ranging from 5 months to 40 years. Of
those who stated the length of time they have been without work,
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13.3% have been unemployed for 20 years or more, 33.1% have had
this status between 10 and 19 years, while 53.4% have been out of
work for a lesser period (5 months – 9 years).
•
The most recurring reported reasons for leaving work are family
commitments followed by illness.
Indicators of employment/unemployment deprivation
•
25.3% receive Incapacity Benefit, 5.8% Severe Disablement Allowance
and 6.1% are on New Deal.
Income derived from state benefits
•
319 respondents (88.6%) reported being in receipt of at least one state
benefit. Of this group 19.4% receive one benefit, 32.9% receive two,
33.5% receive three, while 11.6% are in receipt of four, 2.2% receive
five and only one person reported receiving six different state benefits.
•
Income Support is a dominant benefit across all groups, followed by
Housing Benefit, Child Benefit and DLA. The mean amount of benefit
received is highest for the unemployed (£141.50) and incapacitated
groups (£142.50), with employed respondents having the lowest
average amount of benefits (£87.51).
Indicators of income deprivation
•
From the current sample, 86.4% receive Income Support, 7.9%
Jobseekers Allowance and 8.5% Working Families Tax Credit.
Theme 3: Expenditure
•
The most costly items in terms of weekly expenditure were on average
electricity (£12.07), house keeping (£58.80) and telephone expenditure
(£8.73).
•
The overall average of the total expenditure for respondents indicates
that the employed group has the highest expenditure levels (£201.48),
with less difference noted between the unemployed (£134.38) and
incapacitated groups (£128.51), while retired respondents have the
lowest overall average expenditure (£85.09).
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Debt
•
61.4% of respondents reported having at least one debt commitment.
The most common forms of debt are catalogue repayments (42.8%),
credit union loans (42.8%), followed by Social Fund Loans (37.1%).
•
Respondents in the unemployed group had the highest mean score for
reported debts, followed closely by the incapacitated group and then
the employed group.
•
Payments to a catalogue is the primary debt for the employed, retired
and incapacitated groups, while repayment to a Social Fund Loan is
the main debt reported by unemployed respondents.
SVP support
•
Unemployed respondents are more likely than employed individuals to
have family members who have accessed support in the past.
•
Support from the Society is primarily financial, with three out of the four
groups (employed, unemployed and incapacitated) seeking financial
help from the Society.
•
Friendship, more than any other service, is the main type of aid retired
respondents receive from SVP.
Theme 4: Housing
Ownership and housing type
•
The majority of respondents are Housing Executive tenants living in
either terrace or semi-detached houses.
•
The largest percentage of respondents living in detached dwellings are
owner occupiers.
Indicators of housing distress
•
81.7% of homes have central heating / 18.3% are without central
heating.
•
76.3% are insulated / 23.7% are without insulation.
•
86.9% have a garden / 13.1% do not have a garden.
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Fuel poverty
•
79% of respondents who gave complete information relating to income
and fuel expenditure spend 10% or more of their income on fuel, i.e.
experience fuel poverty.
Fuel expenditure
•
Fuel costs account for 10-30% of total weekly expenditure.
Theme 5: Transport
•
31.6% of the sample has access to a car.
•
19% are car owners, referring to themselves or their partner.
•
67.7% do not have a driving licence.
Theme 6: Access to services
•
Services accessed most frequently were a GP, a health visitor and a
social worker.
•
31% who indicated they accessed a GP surgery did so fortnightly or
more often.
•
The most common transport method for accessing statutory services
was by foot, by car or through a home visit.
•
Within the items used to assess geographical access to services,
access to a pharmacist had the highest percentage ratings for ‘very
good’.
•
Access to a museum and an A&E hospital were rated most frequently
as ‘very poor’.
Theme 7: Social environment
•
Respondents had greatest concern about speeding traffic, child safety
and crime in their local neighbourhoods.
Experience of crime
•
62% have experienced at least one crime, mainly violence against the
person, criminal damage or burglary.
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•
26% of the sample has endured two or more crimes.
•
Unemployed people were more likely than employed, retired or
incapacitated respondents to have experienced criminal damage.
Theme 8: Health
•
54.4% of the sample have experienced a serious illness in the last five
years, either themselves or their family.
•
65.5% of the sample are taking medication for their complaint,
predominantly anti-depressants, followed by ‘tablets’, inhalers and
painkillers. The average length of time that medication has been taken
is 5.8 years, ranging from 2 months to 50 years.
The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ12)
•
Following the classification used with the GHQ12 in the Health and
Wellbeing Survey (2001), the largest percentage of the SVP sample
are defined as ‘depressed’, with the lowest percentage of the current
study’s respondents appearing in the ‘Happy’ grouping.
Self-Esteem
•
Using the Rosenberg’s self report measure of self-esteem to examine
how individuals feel about themselves, SVP respondents report a
slightly favourable Rosenberg Self-esteem scale score, but it should be
noted that a substantial number of the sample tend to score towards
the lower end of the self-esteem scale. In comparison to other similar
studies the SVP result is slightly lower than other typical values found.
Self-Efficacy
•
The General Self-efficacy scale (GSE) (Sherer et al, 1982) is a self-report
instrument used to assess an individual's beliefs in their capability to
organise and execute courses of action required to manage
prospective situations.
•
A number of SVP clients scored very low in terms of self-efficacy,
although the overall profile of GSE scores suggests that respondents in
the SVP sample, on average, exhibit a relatively medium level of
self-efficacy.
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Theme 9: Educational achievement
•
46.4% reported that they did not have any qualifications.
•
Qualifications are predominantly Level 2 type qualifications (restricting
the extent of effective participation in the labour market - especially for
18-30 year olds with qualifications but not in employment).
Family patterns of educational achievement
•
Sons and daughters of respondents are the most likely family members
to have obtained qualifications, predominantly at GCSE level.
•
24% of respondents with no qualifications reported that at least one
family member has qualifications.
Patterns of progression and participation
•
Individuals who have qualifications were more likely than those without
qualifications to have progressed to Further Education (FE).
•
94% of respondents who are currently employed and who went to
Further Education have qualifications.
Family patterns of progression
•
16.7% of the sample progressed to Further Education after leaving
school.
•
28.3% of the progressing group passed the transfer test, as did 23% of
family members.
Educational achievement and employment status
•
No individual in the 18-30 age group without qualifications is employed.
•
82.2% recognised the importance of education and its role in
employability, rating it as ‘very important’.
Attendance and absenteeism
•
23% of households with dependants report absences from school of at
least a few times a month (18% of boys and 21.9% of girls).
•
58% of absenteeism at this rate refers to one dependant households,
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26.9% relates to two dependant households, 11.1% refers to three
dependants, 2.6% to four dependants and 7% for households with five
dependants.
•
95% of these households have free school meals (FSM) entitlement.
Theme 10: Aspirations
•
For the respondent: better standard of living, employment, better
health, housing, education, environment and peace and happiness.
•
For their career/job: return to work or secure employment, improve
current work situation, return to education, continue with education,
improve income standards, no aspirations for career/job.
•
For their children: better education, secure employment, better
standards of living and opportunities, happiness and peace, health.
•
For their partner: better employment prospects, improved health,
happiness, better standard of living, no aspirations/negative aspirations.
Qualitative Interviews
The comments are presented under the headings of Government
Departments, with responsibilities for the particular areas cited.
Education
Clients expressed a strong wish for a good education for their children
including access to higher education. They cited lack of education as a barrier
to employment and wished for education for themselves, believing that their
own lack of education was partly responsible for their current situation.
"Lack of qualifications would be the main barrier [to improving life]".
Parents were concerned, however, that they could not afford to pay for the full
range of school activities for their children and were concerned that their
children might suffer stigma on account of this.
DSD & DE
Parents were concerned that benefits were not sufficient to enable them to
provide for school requirements. In particular, parents complained that there is
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no grant for uniforms for primary school children and, in addition, that the
uniform grant for secondary school children is no longer adequate. Parents
also stated that they have to provide money for milk, PE, school visits and
other items which they cannot afford.
DHSSPS
Clients had a high rate of depression and stress as well as physical illness. In
addition to their own health problems, clients reported that they frequently had
to care for dependants with poor health. Since clients made it clear that
chronic stress was caused by living conditions and lack of finance, it is
apparent that interdepartmental action will be required to address these health
problems.
"The stress is just like a black blanket over you … the stress works on your
body, taking the cold spots … I think stress is a killer. It leaves your body open
to everything."
DHSSPS, DSD & DE
These problems of poor physical and mental well-being appear to be related to
housing issues, including fuel poverty, the constant fear for personal safety and
the effects of isolation.
"There is no bath for the baby [partner] has a bad back and legs … there is
also living in the middle of the town with all the noise, windows getting
smashed and places getting broke into, worrying if your pram is going to be
stolen as you have to leave it downstairs."
Loneliness was experienced by most clients and resulted from lack of money,
lack of confidence, experience of stigma, exclusion from networks, childcare
responsibilities, transport difficulties and the pervasive fear of crime. There
must be concern that isolated parents may have fewer opportunities for
improving the social skills of their children, with the consequent implications for
educational development.
Profile: a transgenerational client
•
This was likely to be a 22-40 year old female, either married or a single
parent with dependants, who has been accessing the Society for an
Page x
average of 7.4 years for financial assistance or friendship and support.
Female relatives accessed support in the past, primarily the mother,
with 18.4% having more than one family member involved with SVP.
Of this group, the pattern of support sought is mainly financial across
different family members.
•
Persons in this category are likely to be unemployed and in 54% of
cases have been out of work for more than 10 years, living on an
average income of £130 per week derived predominantly through state
benefits. They are likely to have had a Social Fund Loan and are
repaying at least one debt, on average £67 per week.
•
60.7% have themselves or their family had a serious illness in the last
five years, with 64% currently attending a GP, hospital or clinic. 46% of
this group report depression or other mental health problems as the
reason for their attendance. They are taking medication, primarily
antidepressants, for an average of 5 years.
•
40% have experienced at least one crime, either criminal damage or
violence against the person (e.g. intimidation or harassment).
Speeding traffic, bullying or harassment and child safety are primary
environmental concerns.
•
40.3% have at least one qualification, while 54.4% have no
qualifications. The majority did not pass the transfer test and those
who progressed to FE after leaving school were more likely to obtain
qualifications.
•
The aspirations of the transgenerational clients are for better health,
happiness, financial security, improved housing, to return to work and
to improve their current situation either through employment or
education. They hope their children stay at school, obtain
qualifications, progress to Further and Higher Education, get a good job
and avail of opportunities missed by the respondent.
Profile: an employed client
•
47 (13%) of the sample are employed. The largest percentage are
female, are represented in the 31-50 age ranges, are mainly single
parents or are of single status and have dependants.
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•
The largest percentage are in permanent part-time work followed by
permanent full-time. The mean number of hours worked is 22.56 per
week with 5.5 years representing the mean length of time in the post.
The average net salary is reported by respondents to be £118.95 per
week (ranging from £10 to £298). The average income per week for
permanent part-time positions is £80.63, while permanent full-time is
£168.33.
Housing
•
53% are Housing Executive tenants and 28% are owner occupiers in
either terraced or semi-detached houses. 26% have no central
heating, 23% have no insulation and 37% are waiting for repairs to their
homes to be completed. 41% experience fuel poverty.
Income
•
93% of employed respondents receive at least one state benefit in
addition to any income obtained from employment. Of this group,
55.8% receive one benefit, predominantly child benefit, while 25.6% get
two benefits, with smaller numbers receiving three or four benefits.
•
45.6% avail of Working Families Tax Credit, of which 66.7% have
permanent full-time or permanent part-time contracts.
Debt
•
76% of employed individuals have debt commitments.
•
Payments to a catalogue were the most likely form of debt, followed by
Social Fund Loan and credit union repayments.
•
The average debt commitment of an employed person is £31 per week,
which represents 18.8% of the weekly expenditure.
Education
•
65.2% of employed respondents indicated that they had at least one
qualification, with CSEs and NVQs most frequently awarded.
•
34.8% progressed to Further Education after leaving school, while 63%
went straight to work and only one person became unemployed. Of the
group that progressed to Further Education, 75% had qualifications and
25% passed the transfer test.
Page xii
•
Overall, 17.4% of the employed group passed the transfer test. In
terms of employment patterns, the 63% who went straight to work after
leaving school reported being employed at the time the survey was
completed.
Transport
•
Respondents in the employed group are more likely to hold a driving
licence or have access to a car. Overall, 40% of employed individuals
have access to a car, while 49% have a driving licence.
Health
•
Employed individuals were least likely to have any current physical or
mental health problems, to be attending a doctor or to be taking
medication.
SVP support
•
The average length of time an employed respondent has been
accessing SVP support is 4 years ranging from 3 months to 20 years.
•
Financial assistance dominated the type of support received by
employed individuals, followed by friendship.
•
Respondents who are not employed are more likely than employed
individuals to have family members who have accessed support in the
past.
Key challenges
Benefits
Since debt (including the burden of Social Fund Loans) is a major issue for
clients, Government should consider assisting clients in relation to financial
management, for example by supporting entry to Credit Unions.
Health
The issue of mental health needs to be addressed as a systemic problem
requiring both interdepartmental co-operation and collaboration between the
statutory and voluntary sectors.
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Social Exclusion
There is a strong case for Departments and Agencies to engage more with
disadvantaged people and their advocates to ensure they are able to
contribute to policy development.
Education
Since clients recognise strongly the importance of education, Departments
should note that ‘Education Poverty’ is a key factor to be addressed. More
attention needs to be paid to pupils who are intermittent attenders, in particular
girls from disadvantaged backgrounds who may be engaged in waged or
unwaged labour within families or communities. There is a need for flexible
forms of education for adults, authored in local areas and with the provision of
childcare.
Transport and Access to Services
There is a need to address barriers to accessing services. These barriers
include inadequate public transport and the restrictions imposed by perceived
sectarian boundaries. Provision of essential services on a single site could be
beneficial for families and persons with disabilities.
Disabilities
There should be further investigation into the reasons why many incapacitated
persons do not rate education highly.
Public Safety
Given the concern about the perceived high level of crime it is important to
reconsider official reporting categories, since issues such as harassment may
not be fully reflected owing to respondents’ lack of awareness that these
behaviours are not lawful. Fear of crime, whether or not it is justified, can
contribute to social isolation and lack of confidence.
Statutory-Voluntary Policy
Collaboration between statutory bodies and voluntary organisations that are
actively involved with people living in areas where there is acute poverty
should be enhanced to enable the delivery of more effective services.
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Visual illustrations of key findings
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Page xviii
Page xix
Page xx
Page xxi
1.0
Introduction
1.1
New Targeting Social Need (TSN) policy
This study, based on a survey of clients served by St Vincent de Paul (SVP), is
designed to inform government policy in relation to targeting social need at the
most disadvantaged groups in society. The high level of access afforded to
SVP as a consequence of longstanding work in disadvantaged communities
has enabled the researchers to collect evidence from clients across a wide
range of communities in Northern Ireland. New TSN policy aims have been
articulated by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister as
follows.
“New TSN aims to reduce levels of disadvantage and poverty by directing
resources and efforts towards those individuals, groups and areas objectively
defined as being in greatest need" (OFMDFM: New TSN Research: Poverty in
Northern Ireland, Summary Report: 3). Key policy areas include addressing
unemployment levels, increasing employability and reducing inequalities in
housing, health and education. Across government departments, responsibilities
and targets within the New TSN agenda are detailed in departmental action
plans, in terms of relevance/needs, process, activities/outputs, outcomes and
impacts. Outcomes are examined in relation to ‘needs and inequalities’,
‘employability’ and ‘promoting social inclusion’ (PSI), while the term ‘impacts’
refers to ‘reducing inequalities’.
Within the current research, key policy areas relating to New TSN are
addressed through analysis of responses from SVP clients to pertinent themes
gathered from face-to-face structured and semi-structured interviews. The
questions posed to clients were designed to elicit data that could be mapped
onto the Northern Ireland Measures of Deprivation (Noble, 2001) relating to the
seven domains of deprivation and their corresponding indicators.
1.2
Poverty and social exclusion
Defining poverty in terms of disadvantage, marginalisation and inequality
highlights the breadth of this issue and the consequences, direct and indirect,
that are experienced by those suffering from deprivation. In this respect,
poverty, as a concept, cannot be understood solely in terms of income
deprivation, but instead should encompass all aspects of a person’s life that
are affected by, or are relevant to, the social exclusion they are experiencing.
Page 1
In defining social exclusion, Teague and Wilson (1995:79) state:
"By social exclusion we mean not just a static snapshot of inequality but
a set of processes, including within the labour market and the welfare
system, by which individuals, households and communities or even whole
social groups are pushed towards or kept within the margins of society".
Arriving at an understanding of poverty through examining the different
domains of an individual’s life can help explain how social exclusion is
maintained when barriers to participation in active citizenship are enforced
through multiple layers of disadvantage. A clearer picture can, then, emerge of
the creation and impact of multiple disadvantage through the identification of
the nature of poverty at an individual level.
1.3
Case study: St. Vincent de Paul (SVP)
The particular strength of this study is that researchers have been afforded
access to data from persons who have approached an organisation for support
of both a financial and a personal nature. The members of SVP, on a purely
voluntary basis, have long term experience of visiting persons, mainly in their
homes but also in prisons, hospitals, day centres and hostels, seeking support
and interacting with them on a person-to-person basis.
St. Vincent de Paul, established in 1833, is a world-wide Society concerned
with alleviating need and redressing all situations that cause it. All individuals
in need are served regardless of creed, opinion, colour, origin, ethnic
background or gender. The Society is in a unique position to investigate the
needs of disadvantaged groups; the clients include both Catholics and
Protestants; the Travelling community; the unemployed; the low waged; ‘lone’
parents; from both rural and urban communities; and families who are in need
and disadvantaged for various reasons. In addressing these aims SVP has
initiated programmes of collaborative action with other agencies, since the
scope of the current activities of the Society are on a large scale. In Northern
Ireland the Society has 2,500 active voluntary members organised into 19
Regions (geographical areas), which cover the whole of Northern Ireland.
The Society has noted (SVP 1998:1) that "the recognition of the need for
individuals and groups to make things happen for themselves is a key
concept...[and]... is strongly linked to enabling individuals and groups to
Page 2
participate in an active way in shaping society". It has been further noted that
(ibid.) "many groups are excluded through underlying structural causes like
unemployment and early school leaving and that positive action programmes
targeting those affected is essential".
1.4
Rationale
The research project is an action-focused study designed to provide an
analysis of the nature and causes of disadvantage of the Society's client group
in order to enable the Society to devise and implement a strategy for directly
assisting clients to improve their situation.
The unique population from which the sample is drawn serves to highlight the
processes involved in experiencing disadvantage and provides insights into the
nature and extent of their poverty. The population is composed of people
across Northern Ireland who have sought assistance from SVP as a voluntary
body. The clients’ experiences of singular and multiple disadvantage have
been recorded through the collection and analysis of quantitative and
qualitative data. These experiences both inform and contribute to further the
understanding of social exclusion and poverty. The study has shown that for a
number of clients’ poverty has been a transgenerational experience, as they
have reported family histories that involve different degrees of disadvantage.
The study however, also provides a focus on clients who have a
transgenerational relationship with SVP and this information is presented
separately in the study.
1.5
Transgenerational poverty
Transgenerational disadvantage refers to the transmission of social
disadvantage from one generation to the next. Various studies, including
cross-cultural comparative research, have identified a myriad of factors
implicated in, and correlating with, transgenerational disadvantage.
Researchers have identified factors such as economic deprivation (e.g.
Evason, Woods and Jordan, 1995; Gadsden, 1995), employment status (e.g.
Whyte, 1992), educational underachievement (e.g. Whyte, 1992), low literacy
levels (e.g. Whyte, 1993) and variables such as psychiatric morbidity (e.g.
Harrison, Barrow and Creed, 1998) as being relevant. In addition, physiological
ill-health (e.g. Reading, 1997) and other, less pronounced and more subtle
variables, such as diluted levels of perceived self-efficacy (e.g. Singh, 1985)
Page 3
have been identified as being important. The contributions of each of these
factors to the phenomenon of transgenerational disadvantage are not very well
understood in terms of their combined interactive impact (i.e. what the effect
type is - e.g. multiplicative or additive), but what is evident from this research is
that the life chances of an individual at risk are likely to be very unfavourable.
Moreover, the nature and impact of these factors in relation to
transgenerational disadvantage across subgroups within various societies is
difficult to estimate, not just because of the complexity of the factors involved,
but because research aimed at quantifying the extent of trans-generational
disadvantage needs to take into account the contextual variations of the area
under study (Schorr, 1994).
Research indicates, however, that when the characteristics underlying
transgenerational disadvantage are quantified and well understood for a given
population then it is possible to develop and implement intervention strategies
to diminish its occurrence within that population (e.g. Oyemade, 1985; Schorr
and Schorr, 1988; Schorr 1991). Schorr and Schorr (1988) for example, state
that by introducing intensive programs relating to both health and family
support, and by offering education programs to those in disadvantage, then the
links between early disadvantage and later joblessness, welfare dependence,
and crime can be broken.
In addition to initiating intervention programmes offering routes out of
disadvantage, previous research indicates that an effective means of
alleviating transgenerational disadvantage is through empowering the clients
and by acting as advocates on their behalf. Perkins (1995) for example,
discusses how a disadvantaged community can be advanced through the
concept of empowerment: noting that empowerment-oriented support and
advocacy interventions include community development, crime prevention and
environmental action, and also requires the implementation of self-help and
consciousness-raising groups. Competence-building primary prevention
programs like Project Head Start and problem solving training and other
educational schemes are given as exemplars of the empowerment philosophy.
The research detailed above suggests that through undertaking an empirical
research programme, which provides evidence-based findings, it will be
possible to derive intervention strategies to alleviate transgenerational
disadvantage. In addition, by identifying contexts in which the empowerment
Page 4
model can be implemented and illuminating how SVP can act as advocates
and by promoting self-advocacy, both SVP volunteers and the clients
themselves can become agents of social change.
Measuring and understanding poverty requires the recognition that it is about
more than money or the lack of it. While it is important, income alone does not
provide an inclusive picture of the impact and experience of poverty. The
cumulative effect of low income on health, housing, access to services and
education creates and helps to maintain the social exclusion of individuals
living with, and on the edge of, poverty.
1.6
The role of the research
Aim
The overall aim was to examine the nature of disadvantage as experienced by
SVP clients, as a unique population, accessing services from SVP as a
voluntary body, with a focus on key objectives:
•
To provide a brief description of the characteristics of the SVP clients,
including; gender, marital status, community affiliation, ethnic origin,
number of dependents, employment status, income type, health,
environment, access to services, educational qualifications, aspirations,
self-esteem and self-efficacy.
•
To explore transgenerational aspects of poverty (the status of their
health, income, employment status, educational achievements, selfesteem, self-efficacy and aspirations) and the impact on health and
general exclusion from society.
•
To assess childrens’ degree of disengagement from the education
system including; exclusions from school, level of attendance and
future aspirations for their children, the family’s overall educational
profile through the generations (i.e. mother, father, client’s mother and
father, partner’s mother and father, and siblings).
•
To examine the responses of persons in employment who have
identified themselves as being in need, in relation to the main themes
Page 5
detailed in the questionnaire; education, health, aspirations, self-esteem,
self-efficacy, environment and access to services.
•
To examine the implications of the study for the SVP/community sector
in general, in terms of developing effective strategies.
•
To examine the implications for government intervention and strategies.
Page 6
2.0
Methodology
The programme of research was undertaken in consultation with SVP and
followed two main phases of data collection; survey data obtained through
face-to-face structured interviews (questionnaires) with a sample drawn from
the 230 conferences across the Northern Region; and interview data collected
from a sub-sample of 24 clients who also participated in Phase 1. The sample
reflected the client base of the society and took account of gender, age, marital
status and occupational status. The collection of data involved training of the
SVP members conducting the face-to-face interviews at both the quantitative
and qualitative stages. The involvement of society members was viewed as
crucial to the success of the project, particularly in relation to the collection of
rich and valid data. Their relationship with the clients enabled them to
complete the questionnaire and interview selected clients in an environment
where a relationship of trust and familiarity had been built up. In respect of the
questionnaire design a pilot study involving 24 households was undertaken.
The first section of the questionnaire provides information on the biographical
and demographic background of the sample group. For the purposes of this
research the profile of the sample group is described in terms of location,
gender, age, community affiliation, ethnic origin, in addition to family situation
(ie. dependents), caring responsibilities for others, housing/accommodation
status and transport options.
2.1
Sample
The demographic profile of the sample group (n=360) indicates a majority of
female respondents (86% female and 14% male), aged between 18-70+ years
of age, with 81% Roman Catholic, 12.3% Protestant, 3.1% mixed religion,
2.5% ‘none’ and 1.1% other denominations represented. 22% are married,
21.7% are single parents, while 19.5% reported to be single, 13.9% are
separated, 11.1% divorced, 7.8% widowed and 3.9% cohabiting. In terms of
ethnic origin, 97.5% are white, while Chinese, Black, Mixed Ethnic Origin and
Irish Traveller are represented.
2.2
Family context and caring responsibilities
The majority reported having dependants (individuals who are financially
dependent upon the respondent) (76.3%), ranging from one dependant to nine
dependants (with an average age of 12.74 years). In terms of foster care,
Page 7
eighteen clients (6.6%) have had children placed in foster care, ranging from a
2 week period to 16 years in care.
2.3
Transgenerational sample
This group refers to individuals who reported having, or have in the past had,
family members who accessed the services of St. Vincent de Paul; a total of
33.9% can be referred to as transgenerational based on this information. This
suggests that individuals who are transgenerational tend to be female, aged
between 22-40 years, are of married or single parent status, with dependants.
These socio-demographic characteristics were used to further identify a profile
of this group in terms of key socio-economic indicators that may help illuminate
this transgenerational pattern of disadvantage and social exclusion. The
indicators included: income, employment status, debt, health, educational
qualifications, access to services, housing and transport provision.
These indicators have been examined at individual and combined levels to
facilitate the analysis of transgenerational patterns in this sample. For the
purposes of this section, transgenerational will only refer to individuals who
indicated family members’ involvement with SVP.
2.4
Organisation of results
The quantitative data is presented in the first section and is mapped to the
thematic categorisation used in the questionnaire. The ten subsections of the
questionnaire represent key policy areas relating to social disadvantage. The
findings are presented under each of these themes explored in the
questionnaire.
Analysis of the qualitative data based on 23 semi-structured interviews is
presented separately.
Page 8
3.0
Results
3.1
Nature and extent of support received from SVP
In order to explore the extent and nature of support received by respondents
from SVP a number of questions were asked which identified the type of
support received, the extent of crisis interventions, the length of time support
has been accessed, how contact was initially made and transgenerational
patterns of support.
Contact with the Society
Respondents have been accessing services from SVP for an average of 5.8
years (ranging from 3 months to 40 years). Respondents mainly found out
about the Society through a friend (39.5%), followed by a member of their
family or through the church (20.7%). Other sources of information about SVP
were statutory and voluntary bodies such as Woman's Aid, a health visitor or
social worker, a GP, visits to SVP shops or their neighbour. Making initial
contact with the Society in order to access services was by means of
contacting a friend (26.4%) or a local representative (23.8%). Other ways of
making contact included; going through the local church, writing a letter to the
Society, or through contacting someone else, such as a health visitor or social
worker.
Type of support accessed by respondents
Financial assistance emerged as the most frequent type of support accessed
by SVP respondents in this sample (92.6%), followed by friendship or support
(75.1%), help with form filling (36.7%), advocacy support (24.1%), help with
marriage related problems (22.8%) and support following a bereavement
(21.9%).
Further explorations across a number of factors indicated that:
•
60+ year olds were more likely to seek friendship support from SVP
than other age groups.
•
Respondents in the 50+ age group were also more likely to get support
for a bereavement they had experienced.
•
Individuals with single or single parent status significantly requested
more help with form filling than any other group.
Page 9
•
Divorced or separated respondents sought help with marriage
breakdown significantly more than any other group.
•
Friendship support was sought significantly less often by married or
cohabiting individuals than single, single parent, widowed or separated
respondents.
•
Respondents with dependants were significantly more likely than those
without dependants to seek support for marriage breakdown.
•
Retired or incapacitated respondents were significantly more likely than
employed or unemployed individuals to get help with form filling from
the Society.
Emergency visits - crisis interventions
Overall, 43.6% have had an emergency visit from a Society member in the last
two years, to help mainly with food, fuel and financial assistance. It emerges
that transgenerational unemployed respondents were significantly more likely
than any other group to receive an emergency visit.
Transgenerational group – SVP support
The duration, nature and type of support provided by the Society has been
explored to identify transgenerational clients. Overall, respondents in the
transgenerational group have been accessing SVP services on average 7.4
years, ranging from 3 months to 25 years. In comparison, non-transgenerational
respondents have received support from SVP for an average of 5.2 years,
ranging from 4 months to 40 years.
It emerges that respondents were most likely to find out about the services of
the Society through either a member of their own family (34%), through a
friend (30%) or through their church (18%). The initial point of contact with the
Society is given as either through a phone call to a local representative (26%)
or by some other way not listed (26%), which includes; making contact through
their priest or local church, by sending a letter to the local conference or
through social services.
Type of support accessed by transgenerational respondents
A SVP proforma was used in the questionnaire to identify the type of support
respondents received from the Society. It emerged that 95.5% of the
transgenerational group accessed support for financial problems, while 72%
Page 10
accessed SVP for friendship support. This was followed by help with form
filling (41.2%) and advocacy related support (34%). Support for marriage
breakdown and alcohol/substance misuse was sought less often (Table 1).
46.5% of respondents in the transgenerational group received one type of
support from SVP, 28.9% received two kinds of support, while smaller numbers
accessed three or more types of support services offered by SVP (three types:
14%, four types: 5.3%, five types: 5.3%).
Table 1:
Type of Support Accessed by Transgenerational
Respondents
Category of support
Valid Percent
Marriage breakdown
19.6
Financial problems
95.5
Form filling
41.2
Bereavement
28.0
Alcohol and substance misuse
15.9
Friendship and support
72.6
Advocacy
34.0
Family history of SVP support
The history of support accessed by other family members was explored by
establishing which family member accessed support, the nature of this support
and how long the support was received. Overall, the mother is the most likely
family member to have accessed or be currently accessing support from the
Society. The sister emerges as the next most likely family member to be
receiving assistance from the Society, followed by father, aunt and daughter.
Five female relatives were listed as receiving support as opposed to four male
relatives in this transgenerational sample.
Transgenerational family patterns
18.4% of the transgenerational group have more than one family member who
has either previously accessed SVP support or is currently receiving
assistance from the Society. Of this group, all but one respondent has two
family members accessing support. One individual has three female relatives
who have in the past or are currently receiving support from SVP, ie.
grandmother, mother, aunt.
Page 11
71% of the group with more than one family member who have accessed SVP
support are under the age of 40, have no qualifications, have a family tradition
of progressing to work after leaving school and did not sit or pass the transfer
test. The type of support received from SVP follows a family pattern,
dominated by financial assistance, with 57% of the group having received an
emergency visit from a Society member. 57% stated they went into
employment upon leaving school. However, only one of this group is currently
employed.
Emergency visits for the transgenerational group
A total of 54.5% of the transgenerational group have received an emergency
visit from a Society member. Furthermore, individuals who report receiving an
emergency visit are significantly more likely to have been in the
transgenerational group than those who are not. In addition, 20% of this group
(respondents who have received an emergency visit) have more than one
family member who have accessed or are accessing support from SVP.
3.2
Financial and Employment Status
This section contains information on the employment status of individuals, the
type or types of income, details of type and amount of expenditure and debts.
Further explorations of the data in terms of biographical information and
pertinent factors or indicators relating to social need are also presented in this
section.
The majority of respondents in the sample reported being unemployed (68%),
13.5% are employed, while 9.5% are incapacitated and 9% are retired.
Employed respondents
Details of individuals in the employed category are reported in terms of:
contract type, number of hours worked, length of time in employment, salary
per week, transport to work and previous employment history. A total of 47
individuals reported being in employment to some degree, with two in this
group having two jobs. One of these individuals holds two permanent part-time
posts (single parent female aged 41-60 with one dependant) while the other
has a permanent full-time and part-time job (single male aged 31-40 with no
dependants). The demographic profile of this group is summarised in Table 2.
Page 12
It emerged that the largest percentage of respondents are female (88%), are in
the 31-50 age range (70%), are mainly single parent (23%) or are of single
status (21%) and 85% have dependants (Table 2).
Table 2:
Demographic information for the employed group
Variable
Gender
Age
Current status
Community affiliation
Valid Percent
Male
13.0
Female
87.0
18-21
4.3
22-30
17.0
31-40
46.8
41-50
23.4
51-60
4.3
61-70
4.3
Married
17.4
Single
21.7
Widowed
6.5
Separated
19.6
Divorced
10.9
Single Parent
23.9
Protestant
Catholic
Dependants
2.2
93.3
Mixed
2.2
None
2.2
Yes
85.1
No
14.9
The largest percentage of employed respondents are in permanent part-time
posts (38%), followed by permanent full-time (25%). The average income per
week for permanent part-time positions is £80.63, while permanent full-time is
£168.33. Respondents travel on average 5 miles to get to work and most
often get there on foot, in their own car or by bus, taking on average, 18
minutes to get there.
Page 13
Of the 47 self-reported employed individuals, 51% (24) declare being in receipt
of at least one state benefit; of this group 11 receive two benefits, 7 collect
three different benefits and 1 person receives four state benefits. The most
commonly reported benefit being collected is Child Benefit, followed by Income
Support and Housing Benefit. 46% of the employed group gains Working
Families Tax Credit as part of their income; 16 of this group stated their
contract type and it emerged that 14 are permanently employed (6 holding full
and part-time positions).
Unemployed respondents
The average number of years that respondents have been unemployed is
10.26. This ranges from 5 months to 40 years. Of those who stated the
length of time they have been without work, 7% have been unemployed
between 0-11 months, 44% between 12 months and 9 years, 33% have been
out of work for a period of 10-19 years and 16% have been unemployed for
20+ years. The most recurring reported reason for leaving work is family
commitments (68.1%), followed by illness (35.2%).
Biographical information on this group reveals that 91.5% are female, most
likely to be in the 22-40 age group (65.2%), be married (23.6%) and have
dependants (86.4%). 78.1% of the group are Catholic and 13.9% Protestant
(Table 3).
Page 14
Table 3:
Demographic information for the unemployed group
Variable
Gender
Valid Percent
Male
Female
Age
Current status
4.2
22-30
27.1
31-40
38.1
41-50
19.5
51-60
8.9
61-70
2.1
Married
Single
Dependants
91.5
18-21
Co-habiting
Community affiliation
8.5
23.6
5.9
14.8
Widowed
4.2
Separated
15.2
Divorced
10.1
Single Parents
26.2
Protestant
13.9
Catholic
78.1
Mixed
3.8
None
3.0
Other
1.3
Yes
86.4
No
13.6
Incapacitated respondents
Biographical information for this group indicates that 66.7% are female and
33.3% are male, 66.3% are aged 41-60 and 36.4% are of single status, with
50% having dependants (Table 4).
Page 15
Table 4:
Demographic information for the incapacitated group
Variable
Gender
Age
Current status
Valid Percent
Male
33.3
Female
66.7
18-21
3.0
22-30
6.1
31-40
12.1
41-50
30.3
51-60
33.3
61-70
15.2
Married
21.2
Single
36.4
Widowed
6.1
Separated
6.1
Divorced
Single parent
Affiliation
Dependants
24.2
6.1
Protestant
18.2
Catholic
75.8
Mixed
3.0
None
3.0
Yes
50.0
No
50.0
Retired respondents
The retired group comprises 63.3% female and 36.7% male, with 60% in the
70+ age group. Most of this group reported that they are either single (30%)
or widowed (33.3%), with 14.3% stating that they have dependants (Table 5).
Page 16
Table 5:
Demographic information for the retired group
Variable
Gender
Age
Current status
Affiliation
Valid Percent
Male
36.7
Female
63.3
41-50
3.3
51-60
10.0
61-70
26.7
70+
60.0
Married
23.3
Single
30.0
Widowed
33.3
Separated
3.3
Divorced
6.7
Single parent
3.3
Protestant
3.3
Catholic
Other
Dependants
93.3
3.3
Yes
14.3
No
85.7
Benefits
A total number of 319 respondents reported being in receipt of at least one
state benefit (Table 6 presents a breakdown by occupational status). Overall,
19.4% are in receipt of one benefit, 32.9% receive two, 33.5% receive three,
while 11.6% are eligible for four, 2.2% receive five and only one person
reported receiving six different state benefits. The unemployed and
incapacitated groups contain a larger number of respondents who receive two,
three or four benefits than individuals receiving only one benefit. The retired
and employed groups have a greater number receiving one or two benefits
than multiple benefits.
Page 17
The type and prevalence of benefits varied between the groups. For the
employed group, Child Benefit is reported most often, followed by Housing
Benefit and Income Support. Individuals who are unemployed receive Child
Benefit most often, followed closely by Income Support and then Housing
Benefit. The retired group report receiving Income Support most often, then
Retirement Pension and Housing Benefit. Finally, respondents in the
incapacitated category primarily receive Income Support, Disability Living
Allowance (DLA) and Incapacity Benefit. It appears therefore, that Income
Support is a dominant benefit across all groups, followed by Housing Benefit,
then Child Benefit and DLA. The mean amount of benefit received is highest
for the unemployed (£141.50) and incapacitated groups (£142.50), with
employed respondents having the lowest average amount of benefits (£87.51)
(Figure 1).
Table 6:
Number of benefits respondents in receipt of, by employment
status
Employment status
Number of benefits
Valid Percent
Employed
(n=43 in receipt of benefits)
1
2
3
4
55.8
25.6
16.2
2.3
Unemployed
1
2
3
4
5
6
10.3
35
39.7
11.7
2.8
0.5
Retired
1
2
3
4
37.9
37.9
6.9
17.2
Incapacitated
1
2
3
4
5
15.1
24.2
39.4
18.2
3.0
Page 18
Figure 1:
Reported amount (£) of benefits respondents are in receipt of
(mean and median).
160
Mean benefit
140
Median benefit
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Employed Unemployed
Retired
Incapacitated
Indicators of income deprivation
Following the Noble Measures of Multiple Deprivation (2001), income
deprivation is assessed by non-overlapping claims for certain state benefits:
Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance (JSA), Working Families Tax Credit
(WFTC), and Disability Working Allowance. From the current sample, 86.4%
(241) receive Income Support, 7.9% (11) JSA and 8.5% (25) WFTC. No
individual is in receipt of Disability Working Allowance. Of the clients claiming
benefits, therefore, 86.8% (277 clients claiming Income Support/JSA/WFTC as
a % of 319 clients on benefit) may be considered as being deprived. Related
to this is the calculation of entitlement to Free School Meals (FSM), an
indicator of deprivation used in the past to highlight families in economic
disadvantage. FSM entitlement is given to individuals with school children in
full-time education who are in receipt of Income Support or Jobseekers
Allowance. 44.4% of all the respondents have an entitlement to FSM; this
means that 77% of children in the families surveyed were entitled to FSM.
Indicators of employment deprivation
Indicators of employment deprivation include being in receipt of Incapacity
Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance and participating in New Deal.
Responses indicate that 25.3% receive Incapacity Benefit, 5.8% Severe
Disablement Allowance and 6.1% are on New Deal (Table 7).
Page 19
Table 7:
Indicators of employment/unemployment deprivation
In receipt of:
Valid Percent
Incapacity Benefit
25.3
Severe disablement allowance
5.8
New Deal
6.1
Expenditure
An expenditure list was provided to respondents and they were asked to state
the weekly amount spent, where relevant on each item. Electricity (£12.07)
house keeping (£58.80) and telephone expenditure (£8.73) were the most
frequently reported expenditure, with ground rent, fines and prescription
charges reported least often. The overall mean of the total expenditure for
respondents indicates that the employed group have the highest expenditure
levels (£201.48), with less difference noted between the unemployed (£134.38)
and incapacitated groups (£128.51, Figure 2), while retired respondents have
the lowest overall mean expenditure (£85.09).
Figure 2:
Weekly expenditure (£) by economic status (mean and
median)
250
Mean weekly expenditure
225
Median weekly expenditure
200
175
150
125
100
75
50
25
Employed Unemployed
Retired
Incapacitated
Debts
Overall, 61.4% of respondents reported having at least one debt commitment.
The breakdown by economic status is given in Table 8. The most common
form of debts are catalogue repayments (42.8%), Credit Union loans (42.8%),
and Social Fund Loans (37.1%) (Table 8).
Page 20
Table 8:
Number of debts by employment status
Employment status
Figure 3:
Number of debts
Valid Percent
Employed
(n=35 reported debts)
1
2
3
4
5
25.7
34.3
22.9
8.6
8.6
Unemployed
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
37.4
25.8
20.8
8.6
4.9
1.2
0.6
0.6
Retired
1
2
3
63.6
18.2
18.2
Incapacitated
1
2
3
4
5
7
30.0
40.0
10.0
10.0
5.0
5.0
Reported amount of debt (£s) for respondents (mean and
median)
60
Mean debt
50
Median debt
40
30
20
10
0
Employed Unemployed
Retired
Page 21
Incapacitated
Respondents in the unemployed group had the highest mean score for
reported debts, followed closely by the incapacitated group and then the
employed group (see Figure 3). Breakdown by debt type reveals that payment
to a catalogue is the primary debt for the employed, retired and incapacitated
groups, while repayment for a Social Fund Loan is the main debt reported by
unemployed respondents. Conversely, the second most likely debt to be
reported for the employed and incapacitated groups is payment relating to a
Social Fund loan, with unemployed individuals listing catalogue repayments as
the second most common form of debt. The third most frequently reported
debt is Credit Union loans (employed, unemployed and incapacitated groups),
indicating membership of a Credit Union.
SVP support
In terms of the occupational groups the type of support received by clients
from SVP was primarily financial assistance. Three out of the four groups
(employed, unemployed and incapacitated) seek financial help from the
Society. The retired group report that friendship is the main type of aid they
get from SVP. Friendship is reported by the other three groups as the second
most common form of support they receive from Society members, followed by
assistance with form filling and then advocacy and support.
Transgenerational group - employment status
The majority of this group are unemployed (74.1%), with 9.3% employed,
11.1% incapacitated and 5.6% retired. 54% of the unemployed group have
been without work for 10 years or more. Furthermore, a significant association
is identified between employment status and transgenerational status
indicating that respondents who are not employed are more likely than
employed individuals to have family members who have accessed support in
the past. Similarly, individuals who report that they are incapacitated are more
likely to have family members who have accessed support from SVP in the
past than non-incapacitated respondents.
In terms of income and expenditure the average amount received in benefit is
calculated at £140 for this group, while £130 is spent on average on weekly
expenditure, such as bills, food, fuel, transport and school costs. Debt
commitments indicate that £67 is the mean amount of overall debt in the
transgenerational group based on the number of respondents indicating their
debt payments (n=76). 30% reported having a Credit Union loan, which
Page 22
suggests the same percentage are members of a Credit Union. Social security
loans, specifically the Social Fund loan, has been received by 71.4% of the
transgenerational group, based on the information that they are currently
undertaking repayments.
3.3
Housing
Respondents’ housing status, both in terms of accommodation type and
ownership type, was established. The standard and condition of houses were
identified through items relating to ‘central heating’, ‘insulation’, ‘ownership of a
garden’ and ‘awaiting repairs’. Within the Multiple Measures of Deprivation the
domain of housing was represented by indicators of housing stress such as:
housing in disrepair, houses without central heating and housing without
insulation. Questions relating to each of these were incorporated within the
questionnaire in order to provide a description of the status of houses
inhabited by the SVP client base.
Overall, 81.7% of homes have central heating, 76.3% are insulated, 86.9%
have a garden while 32.5% are awaiting repairs to the property. In terms of
ownership type, 13.1% of Housing Executive tenants reported an absence of
central heating in their home, representing the largest percentage without
central heating. A similar pattern emerged for lack of insulation (13.3%), not
having a garden (6.0%) and awaiting repairs (22.8%), with Housing Executive
tenants representing the largest percentage of clients in relation to each of
these housing indicators. The average length of time respondents are waiting
for repairs to be carried out on their property is fifteen months, with 32% of this
group waiting two years and more. One individual reported to be waiting ten
years for work to be done to their house.
Fuel poverty
The calculation of fuel poverty was based on the definition adopted by the
Family Expenditure Survey (NISRA, 2001), where households spend more
than 10% of their income to obtain a satisfactory level of heating, which is
20ºC in the living room and 18ºC in other occupied rooms. Based on this
measure, 79% of respondents who gave complete information relating to
income (n=196) spend 10% or more on fuel.
Page 23
Of the figures available for fuel poverty, more Housing Executive tenants
(83%), than homeowners (77%), private tenants (29%) and housing
association tenants (50%) experience fuel poverty. Based on the data, 94% of
respondents who have no central heating are in fuel poverty as are 81% with
no insulation and 70% awaiting repairs to be completed on their property.
Expenditure on fuel
The results suggest that fuel costs account for 10-30% of total weekly
expenditure for respondents in this sample (see Figure 4), with the more
expensive fuel types, such as coal and electricity serving as the main sources
of fuel. An average of £27 per week is spent by households on fuel. A
breakdown of expenditure on fuel indicates that more money is spent on coal
by households per week (£17.55) than other fuel types; oil (£12.52) and gas
(£7.97). Weekly electricity costs are on average £12 per week. Comparing
Northern Ireland annual fuel costs with projected annual fuel costs for this
sample, indications are that SVP clients are more reliant on solid fuel as a
heating fuel and are spending more annually than the Northern Ireland
average (Figures 5-6).
Figure 4:
Percent of weekly expenditure spent of fuel
50
40
30
20
10
0
5-9%
10-20%
21-30%
Page 24
31-40%
41-50%
Annual expenditure on fuel (comparisons with Northern Ireland)
Figure 5:
SVP representatives’ projected annual fuel costs
1000
912
800
651
624
600
414
400
200
0
Gas
Figure 6:
Oil
Sold Fuel
Electricity
Annual heating costs – Northern Ireland domestic fuels
1000
800
747
674
631
600
519
400
200
0
Gas
Oil
Sold Fuel
Electricity
Transgenerational group - housing
The majority of respondents in this group live in terraced or semi-detached
houses and live in property owned by the Housing Executive. Indicators of
housing distress highlight that 14.2% of individuals have no central heating,
16.7% have no insulation, 11.5% have no gardens and 28.4% are awaiting
repairs. (see Table 9). As the most common ownership type, Housing
Executive rented houses had the largest number of respondents living in
properties with no central heating, no insulation, without a garden and awaiting
repairs.
Page 25
6% of respondents experiencing poor housing conditions live in houses which
have three of the four indicators of housing distress as assessed in this study,
22% occupy houses which have two indicators and 71% report that their home
has one of the indicators. In each case, the largest number of houses are
Housing Executive rented.
Table 9:
Indicators
Valid Percent
No central heating
14.2
No insulation
16.7
No garden
11.5
Awaiting repairs
28.4
Fuel poverty
Based on the measure for fuel poverty mentioned previously, 63% of the
transgenerational group spend more than 10% on fuel. One of the contributing
factors to fuel poverty is the energy efficiency of the dwelling, with lack of
central heating and insulation adding to the difficulty of maintaining a
satisfactory level of heating. Of the transgenerational respondents
experiencing fuel poverty, 56% have no central heating, while 47% have no
insulation. A smaller number report being without both central heating and
insulation (11%), all of whom are Housing Executive tenants. In terms of
ownership type, 66% of Housing Executive tenants in the transgenerational
group are in fuel poverty, with 61% of private rented tenants spending 10% or
more of their income on heating, while all of the owner occupied respondents
and only one of the housing associations tenants are in fuel poverty. These
figures are based on available data for weekly fuel expenditure and weekly
income.
Fuel type is an important factor in fuel poverty with expensive heating systems
adding to heating costs. Overall, 90.3% of transgenerational respondents
indicated the amount spent weekly on electricity, while 60% provided the
amounts spent weekly on coal, 23% had purchased oil and 14% gave costs
associated with gas heating.
Page 26
3.4
Transport and transport disadvantage
This section explores the transport patterns of respondents in relation to the
types of transport used, the extent of private transport, quality of service and
the impact of transport inadequacies in disadvantaging respondents.
Car ownership and access to a car
Overall 31.6% of the sample has access to a car; for 19% this access is to a
car owned by either themselves or their partner, while 32.3% hold a driving
licence and 67.7% do not have a driving licence. Having access to a car and
holding a driving licence are significantly associated. Similarly, having access
to a car was significantly associated with being part of a motability scheme.
Employed or incapacitated respondents were significantly more likely to have a
driving licence and have access to a car (Figures 7-8).
Figure 7:
Proportion within economic status who hold a driving license
50
40
30
20
10
0
Employed Unemployed
Figure 8:
Retired
Incapacitated
Proportion within economic status with access to a car
50
40
30
20
10
0
Employed Unemployed
Retired
Incapacitated
Page 27
Conversely, 18-30 year olds and transgenerational respondents were
significantly more likely not to have a driving licence.
Housing ownership and access to a car
Lack of access to a car referred more often to tenants than homeowners,
predominantly Housing Executive tenants, followed by private renting tenants
(Figure 9). Housing Executive tenants were also significantly more likely not to
have a driving licence.
Figure 9:
Lack of access to a car by housing ownership
Housing association tenant (9%)
Private tenant (14%)
Home owner (11%)
Housing executive tenant (66%)
Transport options
Overall, respondents rated the transport options in their local area as ‘good’.
Transport costs
42.2% of the sample stated how much they spent on public transport per week
(£8.67), while 17% reported expenditure related to private transport (£18.53).
5% of respondents’ income is spent on public transport costs, which accounts
for 7% of total weekly expenditure. 11% of incomes goes towards private
transport costs, which represents 12% of total weekly expenditure.
Transport choices
Based on the responses received, travelling to places by foot (67.3%), family
car (35.1%), bus (13.5%) or taxi (10.3%) are the most common forms of
transport used on a daily basis. On a weekly basis, this changes to getting a
lift with someone (26%), a taxi (22.4%) or taking the bus (23.3%).
Page 28
Perceptions of public transport
Figure 10: Convenience of service
Figure 11: Frequency of service
80
80
69.2
70
70
62.3
60
60
50
50
40
30
40
37.7
30.8
30
20
20
10
10
0
0
Poor
Good
Poor
Good
Figure 12: Cost of service
Figure 13: Personal safety
80
80
70
70
60
60
50
48.8
51.2
63.9
50
40
40
30
30
20
20
10
10
36.1
0
0
Poor
Poor
Good
Good
Cost of public transport was viewed more negatively by respondents than other
issues. Although there was a general positive rating of public transport in
terms of frequency of service, convenience of service and personal safety (see
Figures 10-13), differences across area councils were noted.
Transgenerational group – transport
76.3% state that they do not have a driving licence, while 31.1% report having
access to a car. Weekly expenditure on transport differed between private
(£22.97) and public transport (£7.17), with a larger percentage relying on
public rather than private forms of transport.
The quality, frequency and cost effectiveness of public transport was assessed
and it emerges that while 56.8% rated the frequency of services positively
(good and very good), 33.7% believed it is either poor or very poor. Similarly,
Page 29
63.4% rated the convenience of service positively, while 16.7% reported this to
be either poor or very poor. 43.6% stated that the cost of public transport was
either good or very good, with 33.3% rating it negatively. In terms of personal
safety, 44.1% believed they had few concerns about their safety on public
transport, while 33.3% felt personal safety was addressed in a poor or very
poor way.
3.5 Access to services
In order to explore the accessibility of key services within respondents’ areas
of residence, the frequency of accessing these services was established,
followed by respondents’ perception of their availability in their local
community.
It emerged that the statutory services accessed most frequently were a GP, a
health visitor and a social worker. 31% who indicated they accessed a GP
surgery did so fortnightly or more often, 33% went on a monthly basis, while
36% accessed a GP surgery at different times, generally out of necessity.
The most common transport method of accessing statutory services was by
foot, by car or through a home visit. (The latter category may be explained by
the finding that a social worker and health visitor were accessed quite often by
respondents, the nature of these services makes home visits more likely.)
Accessing services through public transport indicated differences between
areas in relation to individuals making trips that involved more than one public
transport connection.
Availability of services
Based on the NI Measures of Deprivation, the following are indicators of
deprivation of geographical access to key services: access to a post office,
GP surgery, A&E hospital, dentist, optician, pharmacist, library, museum and
social security or T&EA office. Following this classification and based on the
responses received, access to a museum was most often not available,
followed by an A&E hospital. Overall, the ratings for each of the services are
generally ‘good’, with the exception of museum, which has more negative
ratings than any other item, although it also had the lowest response rate of
the items listed. Within the categories, access to a pharmacist had the highest
percentage ratings for ‘very good’. At the other end of the scale access to a
museum and an A&E hospital were rated most frequently as ‘very poor’
(Table 10).
Page 30
Table 10:
Respondents’ rating of key services in their local area
Percentage
Key services
Very
Very
Not
poor
Poor
Good
good available Total
Post Office
5.0
10.9
61.6
19.9
2.6 100.0
GP’s surgery
6.1
10.8
56.1
19.6
7.3 100.0
A&E hospital
22.9
22.3
35.5
9.2
10.1 100.0
Dentist
4.8
14.2
59.6
15.7
5.7 100.0
Optician
5.3
14.6
58.6
15.3
6.2 100.0
Pharmacist
4.4
6.8
60.4
26.0
2.4 100.0
Library
5.5
11.9
54.3
19.9
8.4 100.0
Museum
31.6
14.0
11.0
5.1
38.2 100.0
Social Security Office
16.3
21.4
45.4
8.0
8.9 100.0
Transgenerational group - accessibility and availability of services
A number of services and key elements of the environmental infrastructure
(e.g. street lighting, street cleaning, parks, public phones, traffic safety
measures) were rated by respondents.
The overall ratings across the services listed indicated that children's play
space is rated most negatively (35.4%), followed by access to a museum
(34%), access to parks (28%) and games or sports facilities (25%). The
inclusion of access to a museum in the list is derived from its status as an
indicator on the multiple measures of deprivation, under environment, where it
is used to assess cultural deprivation. Furthermore, access to an A&E
hospital, to public phones and a community centre were rated as very poor by
20% or more of respondents. In contrast, access to a church (40%), a primary
Page 31
school (38%) and a pharmacist (27%) were rated most positively by
respondents. The lack of availability of these services was also explored and it
emerged that museum (39.8%), zebra crossings (21.2%) and respite care in
emergencies (20%) were most likely to be not available to respondents. Some
caution should be exercised with respect to some of these results as a smaller
number of respondents gave ratings for museums, zebra crossings and respite
care in emergencies.
It emerges that a larger percentage of respondents rated access to a
pharmacist as better than access to a GP's surgery, with fewer also stating
lack of availability of a pharmacy than a doctor's surgery. It is interesting to
note the frequency of attendance and availability of both types of services,
given the finding in the health section that 64% are currently attending a
doctor, hospital or clinic and are taking medication.
The impact of location on the availability and accessibility of services indicated
that key services rated most negatively or not available, such as access to
parks, children's play space and games/sports facilities, varied across both
rural and urban areas.
3.6
The Social Environment
Respondents’ concerns about their local environment in terms of key issues
such as crime, child safety, vandalism and speeding traffic were explored in
this section, alongside individuals' experience of crime.
Overall, the largest number of responses was given in relation to speeding
traffic, crime and child safety. 92.8% of respondents expressed the greatest
level of concern about speeding traffic (‘very concerned’ and ‘concerned’),
while 88.5% were concerned about child safety. For the purposes of the
research, respondents were informed that child safety referred to road safety.
Concerns about crime against the individual in the local neighbourhood was
reported by 80.4% of respondents. Less concern was reported in relation to
scruffy/neglected buildings or gardens and in relation to absence of pavements
(Table 11).
Page 32
Table 11:
Respondents concerns about their local environment
Percentage
Very
Not Not at all
concerned Concerned concerned concerned
Child safety
Crime against the individual
Pavement safety
Absence of pavements
Litter/rubbish/
dumping
Vandalism
Graffiti
Scruffy/neglected buildings
Scruffy/
Neglected gardens
Speeding traffic
Bullying/harassment
Total
57.1
47.0
32.9
25.3
31.4
33.4
34.6
23.8
8.9
15.5
28.2
38.7
2.6
4.1
4.3
12.3
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
36.7
46.5
38.2
24.7
33.7
34.2
31.8
33.0
24.0
16.1
26.0
35.2
5.7
3.2
4.1
7.1
100.0
100.0
100.0
100.0
21.4
65.0
49.5
32.9
27.8
24.1
39.3
6.0
21.3
6.3 100.0
1.2 100.0
5.2 100.0
Experience of crime
Respondents often experienced more than one of the crimes listed on the
questionnaire (see Figure 14). Overall, 62% of the sample has experienced at
least one crime, with 26% suffering two or more crimes. Of the group who
reported crimes, 42.4% experienced one crime, 29% endured two crimes, 13%
suffered three, 8% experienced four, 4% reported five crimes, one person
suffered six different crimes and 1.8% experienced seven of the crimes listed.
The group who experienced four or more crimes tended to be in the 31-40 age
group, female with dependants, single or single parent status, unemployed and
living in Housing Executive accommodation.
Page 33
Figure 14: Number of crimes experienced by respondents
2%
4% 1%
1 crime
8%
2 crimes
13%
43%
3 crimes
4 crimes
5 crimes
6 crimes
7 crimes
29%
Table 12 outlines the proportion of individuals who reported experiencing each
of the separate crimes. 18.6% of the sample have endured violence against
the person (excluding assault, a category that can include intimidation,
harassment and sexual crimes). Similar numbers report experiencing criminal
damage (18.3%) and burglary (18%).
Additional analysis suggests that unemployed people were significantly more
likely than employed, retired or incapacitated to have experienced criminal
damage.
Table 12:
Respondents' experiences of crime
Valid Percent
Violence against person excluding assault
Criminal damage
Burglary
Common assault
Serious assault
Theft of a car
Theft from a car
Burglary from a building other than a dwelling
Note: Individuals could respond in each category
Page 34
18.6
18.3
18.0
14.2
12.2
7.7
6.7
3.3
Transgenerational group – social environment
Respondents were asked to rate how concerned they are about issues
affecting their community and local environment, such as child safety,
vandalism and speeding traffic. Of the items listed, speeding traffic (70%) and
bullying/harassment (58%) emerged as the issues transgenerational
respondents are most concerned about in their local area of residence,
followed by child safety (53.8%), crime (46.7%) and vandalism (46.5%). Items
shown to be of less concern are absence of pavements (40%),
scruffy/neglected gardens (40%) and scruffy/neglected buildings (35.6%).
These findings are not surprising given that a large percentage of people
reported they experienced crimes such as violence against the person
(excluding assault, which includes intimidation and harassment, criminal
damage and burglary).
Issues such as vandalism, scruffy/neglected buildings or gardens are used in
the Multiple Measures of Deprivation (Noble, 2001) to assess environmental
deprivation and have been rated by these respondents as things they are
concerned about in the local area, particularly vandalism. Concerns about
speeding traffic and child safety (referring to road safety) can be related to
respondents' perceptions of traffic measures used within their community.
Over 50% of reported views about traffic measures were negative (‘very poor’
and ‘poor’). Similarly, children's play space was rated most negatively overall
by respondents and may contribute to the concerns individuals have about
traffic and child safety in their local area.
3.7
Health
This section of the questionnaire is concerned with the examination of
respondents’ current health status, family history in relation to health,
attendance at a health care service and medication being taken as a result of
an illness. In addition, the GHQ12, a standardised instrument designed to
measure health and well-being, was embedded within this section.
It emerges that 54.4% of the sample have experienced a serious illness in the
last five years, referring to either themselves or their family. 55.4% have a
history of illness in their family, ranging from heart related problems, cancer,
asthma to diabetes. Angina, high blood pressure and heart disease were
reported most frequently by respondents in terms of family history of illnesses,
followed by cancer and asthma.
Page 35
Currently, 50.8% reported experiencing a physical or mental health problem,
which related to themselves or their family, with 63.8% stating that they are
attending a doctor, hospital or clinic for their condition. A further 65.5% are
taking medication for their complaint.
Respondents’ families were most likely to have suffered from heart related
problems, cancer or asthma were the illnesses respondents’ families were
most likely to suffer from over the last five years. Depression and other mental
health problems figured quite highly, as did other illnesses such as kidney
problems, back pain and broken bones.
Current medical problems tend to relate to either depression or other mental
health issues, including alcoholism, anxiety, schizophrenia and obsessive
compulsive disorder (OCD). Respondents most often reported that either they
themselves or their family were suffering from one or more of these conditions,
explaining why most respondents stated that they are currently attending a
doctor’s surgery, clinic or hospital to receive medical support for depression or
other mental health problems. Linked to this is the finding that 65.5% are
taking medication, predominantly anti-depressants, followed by other types of
tablets, inhalers and painkillers. The average length of time that medication
has been taken is 5.8 years, ranging from 2 months to 50 years. Furthermore,
92% are registered with a dentist.
Social support
75% of SVP clients in this sample accessed SVP for friendship and support.
This is the second most frequently reported reason why support is sought,
perhaps indicating a lack of social support from within their own extended
family or community. The highest percentage of respondents seeking social
support from SVP were in the 31-40 age group, while fewer clients aged 18-21
accessed Society services for friendship and support.
Standardised Instruments
Standardised instruments were employed in the survey with a view to exploring
the typical collective status of SVP clients on a number of important
psychosocial dimensions.
Page 36
The General Health Questionnaire (GHQ12)
In line with the Northern Ireland Health and Social Well-being Survey (2001)
the scores from the GHQ12 were recoded into the three broad categories of
‘Happy’, ‘Not Depressed’, and ‘Depressed’: this approach is taken in order to
facilitate comparisons across the SVP sample and the Northern Ireland Health
and Social Well-being Survey sample. The Northern Ireland Health and Social
Well-being Survey (NISRA, 2001) is a large-scale study conducted by the
government’s Central Survey Unit on behalf of the Department of Health,
Social Services and Public Safety and is designed to achieve a representative
sample of adults aged 16 years and over living in Northern Ireland. The
survey was conducted in 2001 and comprised a random sample of 5,000
private postal addresses. The results of the survey are based on a total
sample size of 5,205 individuals (Health and Social Well-being Survey, NISRA,
2001).
It is evident in Figure 15 that a substantial number of SVP respondents fall
within a range which could be best characterised as ‘depressed’. Indeed,
following the classification scheme employed by the government survey, it has
emerged that the largest percentage of the SVP sample is defined as
‘depressed’. Furthermore, the lowest percentage of the current study’s
respondents appear in the ‘Happy’ grouping. Perhaps some of these findings
are not surprising considering that they are derived from a group who are likely
to be economically and socially disadvantaged.
Figure 15: Showing the distribution the GHQ12 collapsed into the three
categories.
50
45
40
32
30
23
20
10
0
Happy
Not Depressed
Page 37
Depressed
Figure 16 displays the percentages for the SVP survey and the Northern
Ireland Health and Social Well-being Survey. Here it is quite clear that
extremely large differences in proportions occur between the sample, which is
representative of the Northern Ireland population in general, and the SVP client
sample. In relation to the ‘Depression’ grouping in Figure 16, it is evident that
more than double the percentage of respondents from the SVP sample are in
this grouping compared to the Northern Ireland sample. A similar observation,
except in the opposite direction, is that less than half of the SVP sample
percentage are classified as ‘Happy’ compared to the percentage occurring in
this classification for the Northern Ireland Health and Social Well-being sample.
Overall, the profile of percentages across the samples is striking as illustrated
in Figure 16.
Figure 16: Showing GHQ12 scores for SVP clients and NI Survey data.
60
SVP
50
50
NI
45
40
32
30
29
23
21
20
10
0
Happy
Not Depressed
Depressed
The GHQ12 data derived from this survey provide a vivid and striking
illustration of the psychological disposition of SVP clients. Recalling that the
primary purpose of the GHQ12 instrument is to assess the general extent of
psychological well-being, it is perhaps distressing to realise that the prevalence
of psychological morbidity in SVP clients, as evidenced by this standardised
psychometric instrument, is extremely elevated relative to the general
population.
Self-esteem: The Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale
The distribution of scores for the Rosenberg Self-esteem scale suggests that
individuals in the sample are widely dispersed in terms of self-esteem scores –
Page 38
some individuals score towards the lower end of the scale, while others report
high levels of self-esteem, but most fall around the middle of the scale. In
general, the distribution of scores is fairly normal in form, although it is
somewhat negatively skewed. The most typical value in this distribution is a
self-esteem score of approximately 35 (mean = 35.32). As possible values
range from 10 to 50, this suggests that SVP respondents, in the main, report a
slightly favourable Rosenberg Self-esteem scale score. However it should be
noted that a substantial number of the sample tend to score towards the lower
end of the self-esteem scale. In comparison to other similar studies the SVP
sample are slightly lower than other typical values found. For example, the
West of Scotland Study (McIntyre et al., 1998), which involved a communitybased sample, produced a mean self-esteem score of approximately 39
(transformed).
The General Self-efficacy Scale (GSE12)
The overall profile of GSE scores suggests that respondents in the SVP
sample, on average, exhibit a relatively medium level of self-efficacy.
Overview of the relationships across the standardised scales
This section explores the relationships between the scores obtained on the
standardised instruments. Inferential statistics were used to determine if the
relationship between scale scores is statistically significant.
The correlation between GHQ12 and self-esteem has a Pearson’s correlation
coefficient of r = –0.627 (p<0.001). Since this value is negative it indicates
that there is an inverse relationship between GHQ and self-esteem: those
individuals who score high on the GHQ, score low in terms of self-esteem.
Similarly, the Pearson’s correlation coefficient for the relationship between
GHQ and self-efficacy is statistically significant (r = –0.431; p<0.001), and in a
direction that indicates that high scores in relation to GHQ are associated with
low self-efficacy scores. The correlation between self-esteem and self-efficacy
is strong and positively correlated (r = 0.68; p< 0.001).
The standardised instruments used in this study provide findings that are both
salient and informative. In general, a substantial proportion of SVP
respondents report GHQ12 scores that are in a range indicative of mental
health problems such as depression and anxiety. Moreover, it is evident that
for those individuals who score high on the GHQ12, their levels of self-esteem
Page 39
and self-efficacy occur towards the lower end of each of these constructs. In
total, these findings point to the fact that many of the SVP clients are currently
experiencing a poor state of psychological health and well-being.
Transgenerational clients - health
Health status of respondents and family history of illnesses is explored in this
section through a number of questions. It emerges that 60.7% of individuals in
this group or their family have had a serious illness in the last five years.
Heart related problems are reported most frequently by clients, followed by
depression or mental health problems, cancer and arthritis. 63.6% stated that
there is a history of illness in their family. A similar pattern for family history of
illness emerges, whereby, cardiac related illnesses, cancer and depression or
mental health problems are reported most often by respondents. Asthma
however, emerges as the third most likely illness to have a history within
families.
Current state of health
64% of the transgenerational group were attending a hospital, GP, clinic or
alternative medicine therapist at the time the questionnaire was completed. Of
this group, 46.3% reported that the current problem relates to depression or
other mental health issues. A much lower number indicated that they are
suffering from heart related illnesses (9.8%), followed by alcoholism (7.8%)
and blood pressure problems (7.8%). The same number of respondents
reported that they were taking medication for their current medical condition.
Type of medication is closely related to reported current medical condition, as
anti-depressants were reported most often as the type of medication being
taken by respondents (44.4%), followed closely by painkillers (33.3%). The
average length of time taking the reported medication is 5.5 years.
Respondents who are currently seeking medical help for their condition are
more likely to be in the 50+ age groups. Finally, in relation to dental care,
90.3% are registered with a dentist.
3.8
Education and Educational Disadvantage
Each client’s educational history was explored through his/her record of
achievement, progression, attendance and exclusion. The attitude of
respondents to education and the importance of education in employment
were also examined.
Page 40
Respondents were provided with a list of qualifications and asked to indicate
which they have obtained. These ranged from CSE level to third level
qualifications. Individuals with no qualifications were also identified.
Educational achievement
Overall, 46.4% reported that they did not have any qualifications. The 2001
Census Figures state that 41.6% of the NI population have no qualifications.
Of those who reported obtaining school based qualifications, CSEs were
reported most often by respondents (38.7%) (see Table 13). This was followed
by O levels (34.1%) and GCSEs (29.7%), indicating that respondents were
most likely to hold Level 2 type qualifications.
A range of respondents indicated that they had various occupational and
vocational qualifications, including City and Guilds, BTEC, GNVQ and NVQs.
Since the greater percentage had acquired City and Guilds and NVQs, namely
occupational qualifications, it suggests that these respondents did not proceed
to the vocational BTEC or GNVQ awards which may offer opportunities for
progression to higher education. Furthermore:
•
Individuals who were 50+ years of age were significantly more likely
than younger age groups to report having no qualifications.
•
In terms of current status, married or widowed respondents were
significantly more likely than any other group to report not having
qualifications.
•
Respondents without qualifications were significantly more likely not to
have taken the transfer test than those who either passed or did not
pass the test. In comparison, respondents with qualifications were
more likely to have passed the transfer test.
Page 41
Table 13:
Respondents reporting qualifications
Qualifications
Valid Percent
CSE
38.7
O level
34.1
City & Guilds
24.3
Technical qualification
6.1
GCSE
29.7
A level
16.9
As level
.8
BTEC
7.5
GNVQ
6.0
NVQ
20.7
Degree
5.3
Masters
.8
None
46.4
In addition to the information in Table 13, a total of 51 partners were identified
in the education section through responses to the number of qualifications their
partners had obtained. 68.6% of this group had no qualifications. Of the
31.4% with qualifications, 20% had CSEs, while smaller numbers obtained
O levels, GCSEs and NVQs.
Family patterns of educational achievement suggest that sons and daughters
of respondents are the most likely family members to have obtained
qualifications, the main qualification being acquired at GCSE level. 24% of
respondents with no qualifications reported at least one family member has
qualifications. 12.6% referred to a second family member with qualifications,
7% listed a third member, while 4% reported that a fourth family member had
qualifications. As before, the qualification type tended to be at GCSE level,
followed by O levels.
Patterns of progression and participation
Individuals who have qualifications were significantly more likely than those
without qualifications to have progressed to Further Education. Employment
patterns indicate that the majority of respondents are currently not working and
Page 42
are registered unemployed, incapacitated or retired. This applied whether
respondents went straight to work after leaving school or progressed to Further
Education (Table 14). 94% of respondents who are currently employed and
went to Further Education have qualifications. Only one individual in that
group reported having no qualifications. 25% of this group are
transgenerational in terms of support accessed from SVP. Overall, an
individual who has been to Further Education after leaving school, is currently
in employment and has qualifications, tends to be female aged 31-40 who is
single with dependants.
Table 14:
Employment pattern of respondents after leaving school
Status when left school
Currently
Employed
Currently
Unemployed
Currently
Retired
Currently
Incapacitated
Straight to work (68.9%)
12.6
64.3
10.4
12.6
Further Education (14.4%)
27.1
62.7
6.8
3.4
Unemployed (13.7%)
4.3
91.3
4.3
Family patterns of progression
14.4% of the sample progressed to Further Education after leaving school.
Family patterns of progression indicated that 2.2% of respondents’ mothers
and 1.3% of respondents’ fathers participated in Further Education, while
10.2% referred to sons’ involvement and 9.4% referred to daughters’. Of the
respondents who progressed, 18.3% indicated that one other family member
(predominantly sons or daughters) had participated in Further Education, while
3.3% reported the involvement of two and three family members. 28.3% of the
progressing group passed the transfer test as did 23% of family members.
Educational expenses
A total of 35 respondents indicated that they paid for school meals and spent
on average £14 per week. 77% of children in this sample have free school
meal entitlement. Furthermore, £8 was spent on average per week in
households reporting expenditure on other school costs (n=113), ranging from
£1.00 to £30.00.
Page 43
Employment status and educational achievement
None of the 18-30 year old respondents without qualifications are in
employment. This age group represents 25% of the sample; however only 11%
are employed, 64.8% have qualifications and 35.2% have no qualifications.
Employed clients without qualifications are all 31 years of age or over. A
similar pattern is shown for incapacitated respondents with respect to
qualifications. 93% of respondents in the employed group who progressed to
Further Education after leaving school have qualifications. In comparison,
84.6% of respondents without qualifications in the employed group went
straight to work after completing compulsory education.
Attitudes to education
A trend in the results suggests that respondents without qualifications were
more likely to rate education and the value placed on it by them as 'not very
important' or 'not at all important'. Similarly, individuals with qualifications were
more likely to rate the value of education as either 'quite important' or 'very
important'. Age differences revealed that respondents in the 22-50 age range
considered education to be 'very important' to themselves and their family.
The importance of education and its role in employability is recognised by a
large percentage of this sample; 82.2% believe it is very important while a
further 15.1% see it as quite important. A trend in the data suggests that the
incapacitated group were more likely than employed, unemployed or retired
respondents to rate the value of education as not very important in terms of
their family’s employment.
Respondents were asked about their children's attendance at and absenteeism
from school. It emerges that 18% of boys and 21.9% of girls are absent from
school a few times a month or more often. Overall, this represents 20% of
respondents’ children who are not at school as often as a few times a week
and possibly a few times a month.
A total of 62 households (23%) in the sample reported that their child or
children were absent from school at least a few times a month. Figure 17
indicates that 36 families have one child who is absent for this amount of time,
17 families report that two children are not at school at least a few times a
month, 6 families have three children, 1 family has four children and 2 families
Page 44
have five children with this attendance pattern. 95% of households with
children absent from school a few times a month or more often have FSM
entitlement.
Family background of these families indicates that only 4.8% of respondents
are employed, while the remainder are either unemployed or incapacitated. In
addition, 14.5% progressed to Further Education after leaving school, 16%
became unemployed after completing compulsory education and 69.7% went
straight to work. 38.7% report having qualifications, while 12.9% passed the
transfer test. Of the group reporting qualifications, 20.8% also passed the
transfer test.
53.7% of households with one dependant reported absenteeism for that child
at least a few times a month or more often. 26.9% related to absenteeism for
households with two dependants, 11.1% referred to households with three
dependants, 2.6% for four dependants and 7% for households with five
dependants.
In terms of exclusions, 3 children in the sample are currently excluded from
school, while 5 reported exclusions in the past. One boy who is currently
excluded also reported past exclusions. The attendance record of this boy
indicates absences from school a few times a week, with approximately 10
exclusions in the last 2 years. Further information about his background can be
found in the section on transgenerational respondents.
Figure 17: Number of families with children absent at least a few times a
month.
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
1
2
3
Children
Page 45
4
5
It is likely that if young people go into unemployment and inactivity at 16-17,
there are greater chances of becoming long-term unemployed when older. In
this sample, 12.7% who became unemployed when leaving compulsory
education are currently economically inactive and have on average not been
participating in the labour market for approximately 9 years (ranging from 5
months to 26 years).
Transgenerational group – education
Educational status
A total of 46 (40.3%) in the transgenerational group reported to have at least
one qualification. Of this subgroup, 47.8% have one qualification, 39.1% have
two, while 10.9% reported having three qualifications and one individual
possessed four qualifications. 54.4% stated that they had no qualifications
(59.6% if missing data is included, i.e. 6 who did not state anything). 69% of
the trangenerational group have Free School Meal (FSM) entitlement (number
of respondents with dependants in receipt of Income Support or job seekers
allowance). Of this group, 33.3% have GCSEs, while 58.3% have no
qualifications. Age differences in terms of no qualifications found that 25.6%
are under the age of 30 (1.4%: 18-21, 24.2%: 22-30). The 22-30 age group
has the largest percentage of respondents in the transgenerational group
without qualifications (see Table 15).
Table 15:
Transgenerational clients’ educational achievements
Qualification type
Valid Percent
CSE
O Level
City & Guilds
Technical qualification
GCSE
A Level
AS Level
BTEC
GNVQ
NVQ
Degree
No Qualifications
28.6
26.5
20.8
4.9
32.7
11.4
2.5
2.4
4.8
23.4
4.8
54.4
Page 46
Progression
Respondents who did not enter Further Education after leaving full-time
education were significantly more likely to have no qualifications than those
who progressed to Further Education. Similarly, respondents with no
qualifications were more likely to go straight to work or become unemployed
than progress to another level of education (see Figure 18).
Figure 18: Progression route of transgenerational respondents with and
without qualifications
50
40
30
After leaving school
20
Go straight to work
10
Further Education
Become unemployed
0
No qualifications
Qualifications
Selective schooling
Respondents in this group tended to report that they did not pass the transfer
test or did not sit it. This pattern is repeated for respondent's partner, mother,
father and partner's mother and father. A comparable number of respondents'
children passed, did not pass or did not sit the transfer test. A similar number
of individuals with (54.2%) and without (49%) qualifications in the
transgenerational group reported to have not passed the transfer test.
Respondents were asked about attendance and absenteeism of their children
at school. On a rating scale, a total of 19.4% of respondents’ sons were
absent from school a few times a month or more often. Of this group, 41.1%
were absent from school as frequently as a few times a fortnight, a few times a
week and in one case, almost daily. The attendance pattern of daughters was
less frequent, with 30% absent at least a few times a month or more often. In
this group, 16.7% were absent from school a few times a fortnight, while
83.3% missed school a few times a month. 76.5% of boys absent from school
Page 47
a few times a month or more often had a parent with no qualifications as
opposed to 23.5% who have a parent with qualifications. Children
experiencing this level of absenteeism who have parents with no qualifications
are all entitled to FSM. For girls a reverse pattern emerged; 44.4% absent
from school a few times a month or more often had a parent with no
qualifications, while 55.6% of these girls have a parent with qualifications.
Background to a pattern of exclusion
One of the respondents in the transgenerational group reported that they
have a child currently excluded from school, with three individuals reporting
that they have had children with exclusions in the past. The child currently
excluded is a 15 year old boy who has been excluded in the past; reported
10 exclusions, lasting up to 4 months, were reported. The reason given for
the current exclusion is 'bad temper', with 'bad temper, language and attitude'
explaining previous exclusions, both in terms of the school's and parent's
reason for the exclusion. The educational history of this boy's family is that
his mother has no qualifications, went straight to work after leaving school,
as did her mother and father, and did not pass the transfer test. His mother
has also reported that he is absent from school a few times a week. He has
FSM entitlement and lives in an urban location. The support received from
SVP has been listed as support for alcohol/substance misuse and friendship,
with the respondent's mother receiving financial support from the Society
over a 10 year period.
3.9 Aspirations
The prospect of a brighter future is articulated through the aspirations voiced
by different individuals in this sample, in terms of their own future, their career
or employment status and their children’s future. The mechanisms or
processes that would enable this to occur have emerged from an
understanding of what is needed to improve their current situation, through an
awareness of and often, their experience of, the barriers that prevent them
from being socially included: better health, income, housing, education and
environment. Since these factors operate at an individual and multiple level to
create and maintain disadvantage, respondents’ aspirations reflect their desire
to escape one if not all of these levels, through equipping themselves with
Page 48
better standards of educational qualifications, leading to improved financial
security, standard of living, housing, health and transport.
Aspirations for self
Multiple responses were given by individuals regarding the aspirations they
held for the future in relation to their own life. Respondents often combined
aspirations for happiness and peace of mind with better health, gaining
employment and improved income. Desire for an overall improvement in their
standard of living or current situation was often related to hopes for better
levels of education, leading to better job opportunities and improved income.
Better housing was defined, quite often, in relation to living in areas which
were safer and quieter.
"An improvement in living and social conditions, living in a debt and
stress free environment"
Key themes to emerge therefore were:
•
Health
•
Housing
•
Education
•
Environment
•
Employment
•
Peace and happiness
•
Better standard of living
An acceptable definition of standard of living may vary from one respondent to
another. In one case this may mean a better income, a new house and new
car, however for others the ‘standard’ may be much more modest, for example:
"To live in comfortable accommodation with central heating"
Page 49
Despite the finding that generally respondents had positive aspirations for the
future, which may vary in degree, some individuals expressed a lack of hope
for any change to their current situation, as one client stated:
"Reality dictates a future of struggling to get by"
Career aspirations
"Get Further Education in order to get a good salaried job"
Fewer respondents (n=220) indicated aspirations they had for work or careers.
For those who responded, returning to work or finding a job was the most
frequently cited aspiration in relation to career or employment status. In order
to achieve this, respondents recognised the need for education and better
standard of qualifications which not only enabled them to access the labour
market but would increase the likelihood of better paid jobs.
"To improve my skills by doing a short course in the future"
Responses can be categorised in terms of:
•
Returning to work or securing employment
•
Improving current work situation
•
Returning to education
•
Continuing with education
•
Improving income standards
•
No aspirations for career/job
The lack of aspirations in relation to career or job was often explained in terms
of barriers such as child care, health and education that would prevent
respondents from either returning to work or maintaining a career.
Aspirations for children
"To realise their full potential in life through education, not to be
dependent on benefits"
Page 50
The responses strongly suggested that respondents wanted the best for their
children through educational achievement, leading to improved job
opportunities, better incomes and enabling them to build better lives.
Respondents’ awareness and understanding of the connection between
education and employment was reiterated throughout the responses to this
question. The desire for their children to lead happy and peaceful lives in safe
environments described a main pattern in the responses given. Patterns in
responses often referred to:
•
Better education
•
Securing employment
•
Better standards of living and opportunities
•
Happiness and peace
•
Health
Often respondents indicated that they did not want their children to replicate
the ‘mistakes’ they had made, and avail of the opportunities made to them
through better education and jobs:
"Good education, not to throw away opportunities and not make the
same mistakes as myself"
However, some respondents did recognise the barriers that existed which
would prevent their children from progressing, despite their best wishes that
their children would progress in education and go to university.
"I want her to progress, but the reality is, I could not afford to send her
there"
Aspirations for partner
"You marry nothing, you get nothing"
A smaller number of respondents reported any aspirations they held with
respect to their partner (n=88). These could be categorised as follows:
•
Better employment prospects
Page 51
•
Improved health
•
Happiness
•
Better standard of living
•
No aspirations/negative aspirations
In relation to health, respondents referred mainly to problems with alcohol,
depression or mental health difficulties. Respondents who did not have any
positive aspirations for their partner indicated that they would prefer their
partner to stay out of their lives or to contribute more positively to the lives of
their children.
"To get work and be there more for the children"
Transgenerational clients’ aspirations
This section provided respondents with an opportunity to discuss their
aspirations for themselves, their work/career, their children and their partners.
A converging of aspirations across the group suggests that individuals shared
similar views on the things they aspire to for themselves and their family.
Health, happiness, employment, children’s well being, financial security,
housing and the social environment represented key elements of respondents’
future desires. Similarly, returning to work, improving income or financial
status, education or training all figured in the aspirational requests of
individuals with respect to their careers or employment status. In addition, the
barriers to employment, such as childcare, family commitments and health,
were reported as reasons why returning to work or pursuing career choices are
unlikely to be a reality.
Aspirations for respondents’ children centred on doing well at school, obtaining
qualifications, progressing to further or higher education, securing employment,
being happy, healthy and having a better quality of life and opportunities than
their parents. Educational success was linked very much with job security
when respondents discussed their aspirations for their children, resulting in
better houses and an improved quality of life.
Finally, a smaller number commented on aspirations they held for their
partners. These were dominated by hopes for better employment, health and
happiness. In relation to health, it emerges that five of the nine respondents
Page 52
who made reference to improvements in their partner’s health specifically
referred to alcoholism or depression. A number of respondents indicated that
they did not have any aspirations for their partners or that lack of involvement
in their lives would be a positive step.
3.10 Respondents in employment
Details of individuals who report being employed are provided in terms of
contract type, number of hours worked, length of time in employment, salary
per week, transport to work and previous employment history. A total of 47
individuals reported being in employment to some degree, with two in this
group having two jobs. One of these individuals holds two permanent part
time posts (single parent female aged 41-60 with one dependent) while the
other has a permanent full-time and part-time job (single male aged 31-40 with
no dependants). The demographic profile of this group has been summarised
in Table 16.
Table 16:
Demographic information for the employed group
Variable
Gender
Age
Current status
Affiliation
Dependants
Valid Percent
Male
Female
18-21
22-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
Married
Single
Widowed
Separated
Divorced
Single parent
Protestant
Catholic
Mixed
None
Yes
No
Page 53
13.0
87.0
4.3
17.0
46.8
23.4
4.3
4.3
17.4
21.7
6.5
19.6
10.9
23.9
2.2
93.3
2.2
2.2
85.1
14.9
The largest percentage of employed respondents is in permanent part-time
posts (38.8%), followed by permanent full-time (25.3%). The mean number of
hours worked in this job is 22.56 per week with 5.5 years representing the
mean length of time in the post. The average net salary is reported by
respondents to be £118.95 per week (ranging from £10 to £298). The average
income per week for permanent part-time positions is £80.63, while permanent
full-time is £168.33. Respondents travel on average 5 miles to get to work and
most often get there on foot, in their own car or by bus, taking on average 18
minutes to travel to work.
Housing
In terms of housing ownership, 53% are Housing Executive tenants and 28%
are owner occupiers in either terraced or semi-detached houses. 26% have
no central heating, 23% have no insulation and 37% are waiting for repairs to
their homes to be completed. 41% experience fuel poverty, i.e. where 10% or
more of their income is spent on fuel costs.
Fuel type impacts on fuel expenditure and it emerges that within the employed
group 89% reported electricity cost, 58.7% stated coal expenses, 34.8% gave
amount spent on oil heating, while 13% reported fuel expenditure relating to
gas systems.
Income derived from state benefits
93% of employed respondents receive at least one state benefit in addition to
any income obtained from employment. Of this group, 55.8% receive one
benefit, predominantly Child Benefit, while 25.6% get two benefits, with smaller
numbers receiving three or four benefits. In relation to Working Families Tax
Credit, 45.6% were availing of this, of which 66.7% had permanent full-time or
permanent part-time contracts.
Debts
76% of employed individuals have debt commitments. 34.3% have two debts,
while 25.7% have one debt and 22.9% have three. Payments to a catalogue
were the most likely form of debt, followed by Social Fund Loan and Credit
Union repayments. The average debt commitment of an employed person is
£31 per week. Based on an average income of £165.49 (salary + state
benefit), this represents 18.8% of the weekly income.
Page 54
SVP support
The average length of time an employed respondent has been accessing SVP
support is 4 years, ranging from 3 months to 20 years. Finding out about the
services offered by the Society came through a friend (51.2%) or their church
(20%). Similarly, making initial contact took place through a friend (33.3%) or
by a local SVP member making contact with the person (24.4%).
Financial assistance dominated the type of support received by employed
individuals (80%), followed by friendship (54%). The extent of the support
varied, with a larger number (35%) accessing only one type of service, while
26% availed of two. Two people were receiving all the support SVP offered
within their provision of services. The main type of voluntary support accessed
by employed respondents was derived from SVP, while accessing the GP,
health visitor and social worker were the main statutory services utilised by this
group.
A significant association between employment status and transgenerational
status is identified, with respondents who are not employed significantly more
likely than employed individuals to have family members who have accessed
support in the past. Similarly, individuals who reported that they are
incapacitated are more likely to have family members who have accessed
support from SVP in the past than non-incapacitated respondents.
Education and employment status
65.2% of employed respondents indicated that they had at least one
qualification. It emerges that CSEs and NVQs are the most frequently reported
qualifications by individuals in this group. 33.3% reported having one
qualification, while 36.7% have two, 16.7% stated they have three different
qualifications and 13.3% have four qualifications. Employed individuals with
qualifications tend to be non-transgenerational, in that, family members have
not accessed SVP services, with 26.7% identified as transgenerational. All but
one of this group receive financial support from SVP.
A total of 34.8% progressed to Further Education after leaving school, while
63% went straight to work and only one person became unemployed. Of the
group that progressed to Further Education, 75% had qualifications and 25%
passed the transfer test. Overall, 17.4% of the employed group passed the
transfer test, 87.5% obtaining qualifications. In terms of employment patterns,
Page 55
the 63% who went straight to work after leaving school, reported being
employed at the time the survey was completed. The 34.8% who progressed
to Further Education constituted the other part of the employed group. This is
in comparison to the unemployed group, where individuals were more likely to
become unemployed immediately after leaving school than progressing to
Further Education. Becoming unemployed after completing compulsory
education was more likely to be reported by unemployed respondents than any
other group.
Transport
Respondents in the employed group are significantly more likely to hold a
driving licence than unemployed, retired or incapacitated individuals. Similarly,
employed and incapacitated respondents are significantly more likely than
retired or unemployed clients to have access to a car. Overall, 40% of
employed individuals have access to a car, while 49% have a driving license.
Health
Differences in responses related to health suggest that employed individuals
were least likely to have any current physical or mental health problem than
unemployed, retired or incapacitated respondents. Similarly, employed clients
were least likely to be attending a doctor and taking medication.
Employment status and Standardised Instruments
This section is concerned with SVP clients who self-reported as either
employed or unemployed. It should be noted that statuses other than
employed or unemployed exist in the sample (e.g. retired and incapacitated),
but the focus of this section is on these two groupings only. A series of
inferential statistics were conducted in order to explore the differential
performance of employed and unemployed groups in terms of their scores on
General Health questionnaire, the Rosenberg Self-esteem questionnaire, and
the General Self-efficacy questionnaire. In part, this section aims to provide
insights into the contributory nature (if any) of employment status on the
psychosocial health and well being of SVP clients.
In the entire sample a total of 47 clients were employed and 237 were
unemployed. Obviously, there is a substantial difference in terms of group
size; consequently some caution needs to be exercised when interpreting the
inferential statistics in this section. In order to compensate for group size
Page 56
discrepancies, which might violate the assumptions associated with parametric
statistics, nonparametric statistics were also performed.
Employment status and General Health Questionnaire 12
This subsection compares the unemployed and employed respondents in
terms of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ12). From the analysis it is
evident that on the GHQ12, the unemployed group has a higher mean score
than the employed group, with the standard deviations similar across the two
groups. A significant mean difference is evident between the unemployed and
employed groups in terms of scores on the GHQ12. From these results it can
be inferred that the unemployed group score significantly higher on the GHQ
scale compared to the employed group. This indicates that individuals who
are unemployed are experiencing greater psychological distress than the
employed.
Employment status and Self-esteem
terms of scores on the Rosenberg Self-esteem scale (RSE), with higher scores
on the RSE illustrative of higher self-esteem scores. It emerges that little
difference exists between the means of these groups. Furthermore, inferential
statistics (t-test and Mann-Whitney) also demonstrated that there was no
significant difference between the unemployed and employed groups in terms
of Rosenberg Self-esteem scores. These results suggest that regardless of
whether SVP clients are employed or not, their self-esteem scores are fairly
comparable.
Employment status and Self-efficacy
terms of scores on the General Self-efficacy scale (GSE12). Like the RSE
scale, higher scores on the GSE reflect higher levels of Self-efficacy. The
employed group has a higher mean score on the General Self-efficacy scale
relative to the unemployed group. This suggests that the unemployed group
has somewhat less confidence in their ‘ability to organize and execute the
courses of action required to manage prospective situations’, at least when
compared to those respondents that are employed. To establish if this
difference is statistically significant, a t-test and a Mann-Whitney test were
applied to the data. The results show that there is a significant statistical
difference between the unemployed and the employed in terms of self-efficacy.
Page 57
Summary of employment status and well-being for SVP clients
Figure 19 presents the mean scores for the employed and unemployed groups
in terms of their Self-efficacy, Self-esteem, and the General Health
Questionnaire scores.
Figure 19: Shows the mean score for each construct by employment
status
50
45
41
40
36
35
30
26
28
Status of client
20
Employed
10
Unemployed
0
Self-efficacy
Self-esteem
GHQ12
It is clear from inspecting the mean scores in Figure 19 that the unemployed
group scores, on average, in a direction which suggests that the respondents
are experiencing greater psychological disadvantage than the employed group.
Specifically, the unemployed group scores less in terms of Self-efficacy and
Self-esteem, and also reports a higher mean score on the General Health
Questionnaire. Statistical analysis revealed that the unemployed group scored
significantly different to the employed group on two of these three constructs,
namely, the General Health Questionnaire and the General Self-efficacy
Questionnaire. Overall these results indicate that while the SVP clients are
disadvantaged as an entire group, the unemployed subgroup suffers poorer
psychological health and well-being.
Page 58
4.0
Qualitative Interviews
In this section, the discussion is presented under the headings of government
departments that are charged with responsibilities in the particular area under
review. It should be noted, however, that the issues raised by respondents
necessarily range across departmental interests.
Methodology
Respondents, when initially presented with the face-to-face structured
interview (questionnaire) were informed that they might be contacted to see if
they wished to participate in a follow up semi-structured interview.
Respondents were selected in line with a sampling frame based on
demographic variables which were mapped onto the structured interview
sampling frame. The interviews were carried out by SVP members who were
trained by the researchers; the interview procedure involved two members of
SVP, one of whom took responsibility for asking the questions. The answers
were tape recorded and transcribed or written down during the interview if the
respondent did not wish it to be recorded. The responses were analysed to
identify commonalities and patterns across the interviewees in relation to the
central themes of the study and any other issues that arose.
The interviews carried out have clearly demonstrated the transgenerational
disadvantage and social isolation experienced by this group of respondents.
Factors such as economic deprivation, low levels of fortitude and self-esteem,
educational underachievement, poor levels of personal health and familial
illnesses [including psychiatric well-being] were reported to contribute to the
social and cultural difficulties experienced by families living with poverty.
Respondents all reported hardship, which was explained both in terms of low
levels of income and diminishing echelons of social capital. The majority of
interviewees were female and unemployed with dependants. A significant
number were lone or single parents (9 respondents). Survival strategies have
often developed in coping with entrapment but the isolation felt by most
respondents (21), meant that they viewed the future as bleak, mainly as a
result of the circular nature of poverty. One respondent said that they could
not see a future given the ‘vicious circle’ they found themselves in. Deprivation
is viewed by all respondents in terms of financial security, though it is worth
noting the range of factors which appear to contribute to the overall needs of
those at risk. Individuals are learning to cope with the difficulties of poverty.
Page 59
The cost of coping, however, would appear to have many effects. The
contributing factors and effects are quite similar in many cases.
Education
Education emerged as a central theme in terms of: wishing for a high level of
education for children, including access to higher education; identifying lack of
education as a barrier to employment; wishing for education for self; identifying
personal lack of education as a reason for the current situation.
"You are trying to stress for them [children] a good education and good
jobs"
"An education would give you hope to go out and get a job"
"We are going through our immigration appeal and this needs to be
successful so we can be free to work and study"
While there is limited data on the progress of immigrants from ethnic minorities
in Northern Ireland, there may be a concern that, without appropriate support
being available, immigrants might be locked into a pattern of transgenerational
poverty. In particular, it is important that the educational needs of both children
and adults are addressed.
"Lack of education and opportunities are the main barriers to a better
life"
"For my son I would not like to have to worry about the future and
education"
"…not having enough education so I can’t really get a job…..I would
love to work with children"
"I know a job with low pay is not the answer so I want to go to night
classes to get some qualifications so I can get a better paid job."
"Lack of qualifications would be the main barrier [to improving life]"
"I want nothing but the best for my family, especially my eldest girl who
wants to go to university"
Page 60
"Personally I can see a change in the immediate future. I have returned
to school and have successfully gained NVQs in child care"
"I want the best for [child’s name] and I will see that she gets a good
education and goes to university"
"Leaving school too early without qualifications [cited as a major cause
of current situation]"
"There are loads of things I would like especially when the girls come in
and say they would like things or go on a school trip…."
"You need qualifications even to get a job"
While the importance of education was recognised, there was also an acute
awareness of the barriers to becoming educated, both for the parents and the
children. In particular, school attendance was viewed as requiring expenditure
to an extent that was not reflected in the benefits received and parents grieved
over their consequent inability to ensure that their children participated in the
full range of school activities. There was an accompanying concern that the
self esteem of their children might be adversely affected by stigma.
"It is like being on a diet, you have to allow a wee treat now and again
so maybe you have to allow not to pay that, to have the treat and get the
girls something for school"
"I hope the loan system is abolished so they [children] won’t be in debt.
I don’t want them to go abroad after uni and I would like to go back.
But it is hard to get transport, the times you do have to travel to get to a
college. Maybe it would be easier to bring the smaller courses into
these areas so you don’t have to travel. I hope to have financial support
to do these courses. Files and books etc cost a lot of money"
DSD & DE
Many of the issues relating to education may assist in informing a range of
government departments as respondents consistently emphasised the link, as
they perceived it, between achieving educational potential and having the
necessary resources to do so. Since there is now a high awareness of the
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importance of education, parents are now deeply concerned that their children
(and themselves) are enabled to gain appropriate qualifications and experience
the social benefits of schooling. Their concerns go beyond simply satisfying
the statutory requirements for attendance, and significant involvement with the
education system is now being desired. Delivering improvement will require
considerable interdepartmental co-operation since the barriers articulated by
respondents fall within the remit of a number of different departments.
At the most basic level, parents were concerned that their children were able
to attend school without suffering any stigma that might be attached to them
through revealing the financial status of their families. The increasing
requirements of schools in terms of parental expenditure on their children were
cited. It was accepted that this was a complex area since some expenditure
was, strictly speaking, optional but parents felt that there was pressure for to
conform.
[Sources of help] "As far as the DHSS are concerned some sort of fund
for kids, even if it is paid straight to the school, for school trips or
uniforms. You can get a certain amount but you get £50 per child but
you pay this for a blazer, so how do you pay for everything else. That is
a bit of a laugh. Even if you had to pay a small amount back. I know
some parents would take it and drink it so even if they give it to the
school to stop, but I would not do anything with it like that, so this might
help this"
"…the only way I would struggle would be at the likes of when they are
going back to school, their birthdays and things like that"
"My big worry would be school uniforms when you are buying two of
each. I had a new school bag to buy and that would stress you out as
you are trying to get this or that and another. I had to borrow money off
a friend to get the two uniforms. So I am worried about paying that
back now"
"If you knew about school trips you need to save a bit for a couple of
weeks to scrimp and save to get them away"
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"You don’t get grants for uniforms for primary school children but you
do for secondary…the government is not giving me enough to live on.
Trying to pay for clothes, trips, shoes and everything else"
"I used to get a grant for school uniform which is compulsory but they
won’t give a grant because they say it is not compulsory but it is. I buy
something similar if I can"
"[Child’s name] needs things and uniforms for school. She will have
money to take in for milk, P.E. etc over the next few weeks. I don’t get
any help with those either. £1 may not seem a lot – but it is when you
don’t have it"
There is, clearly, concern about the provision of uniform grants to families on
the grounds that the definition of ‘compulsory’ is contested by government,
particularly in relation to primary schools. It would appear, however, that
primary schools are increasingly specifying uniforms for the pupils. While the
uniforms may consist of a sweater and skirt/trousers, it should be noted that
the sweater usually has a logo imprinted and this may mean that it is not
possible for parents to ‘shop around’ for best value. In secondary schools,
specification of particular forms of blazer (eg pure wool) and school emblem
may mean that, again, the cost is much greater than the value of any grant
awarded. There may also be requirements for further items (special ties,
physical education clothing, clothing for practical classes).
Consequently, it is necessary for the government to review the position on
grants for uniforms and for schools to reconsider school policy on uniforms. It
should be noted that one reason often given for school uniform policies is that
differences among children are minimized; in fact the parents are concerned
that the opposite is the case as the uniform specification involves costs that
are higher than the usual costs for a particular garment. The solution given by
one parent was to purchase garments similar to the required clothing. Again,
children may well be sensitive to garments that are less expensive as the small
differences are apparent to them. There are, also, demands being made on
families with regard to a range of expenses for school which parents have to
meet from a limited income. It may be claimed that these expenses, or some
of the expenses, are voluntary but items such as school milk may be difficult
for children to bypass without significant loss of face. Since the cost of items
accumulates with the number of children from any given family, the costs can
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be significant and one concern is that the parent, usually the mother in this
study, is undergoing personal deprivation to fund the children.
It may now be appropriate to instigate a review of the actual cost of school
attendance so that benefits or grants can be adjusted and schools can be
informed regarding the impact of particular requirements on all pupils.
If policies on inclusion are to be effective, then it is important to consider the
effects on children of being perceived as ‘different’ if they attend a school
where most children are in uniform and they are not. Children can be
identified as being ‘different’ by other children if they have a different
appearance and such children could find themselves excluded from
association with other children. In addition, children who are unable to fully
participate in the curriculum or in extra-curricular activities may be adversely
affected firstly through an ability to experience the educational benefits of
these aspects of schooling and secondly by developing self concepts of
themselves as lacking capability.
Participation in contemporary society and work increasingly requires that
citizens have a wide range of social skills as well as intellectual achievements.
Failure to develop appropriate social skills may adversely affect the
opportunities for pupils to acquire the necessary confidence in themselves to
enable them to acquire a complete education.
Research has shown that employers are becoming more demanding in terms
of requiring academic, technical and interpersonal skills from applicants:
"Employers across all sectors are consistent in reporting what may be
termed a lack of work readiness skills in sections of the workforce. These
include basic skills of literacy and numeracy, interpersonal and
communication skills; basic IT skills; plus attitudes to work, motivation
and personality" (The NI Skills Monitoring Survey 2002).
In this context it is, therefore paramount that all pupils are given opportunities
to avail of the curricular and extra-curricular activities provided by schools and
colleges. The issue of access to computers and the internet for children who
require these facilities in order to obtain information for school work was a
source of concern for respondents.
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"Having a computer isn’t a problem at the minute because they are too
young, but when they get older that will be a problem"
"I am doing a course and my brother gave me a computer but I have no
printer"
"Computers and breaks" [Things you are missing out on]
"I couldn’t afford a computer"
"We do have a computer but can’t access the internet as it is too
expensive"
"[Child] would love to have a computer and the internet - but it is
impossible for me to do that. Sometimes I could cry, I feel that I am not
as good a provider as say some of my neighbours "
"If the kids want to use the internet or computer they would have to go to
a friend’s house or the library. We would love to have it but can’t afford
it"
The increasing use of computers and the internet for study appears to be
pointing towards a situation where students will find it necessary to have
access, especially given the curricular trend for students to research topics,
even at the primary level of education. Currently, as one respondent indicated,
it is possible to have access if you are a member of a public library. The
problem faced by many parents is that it may be difficult to access the library
owing to transport difficulties and this may be compounded greatly in rural
areas where distances are likely to be large.
From a policy perspective it would appear that interdepartmental action would
be required if the two forms of access, physical and electronic are to be
enhanced. The DE may wish to consider the potential for locating access
points in appropriate neighbourhoods; there is the potential for synergy if the
access points were located in accommodation that also served other functions
such as homework club or breakfast club. It has been possible for the
Housing Executive to make accommodation available for socially desirable
purposes in areas of disadvantage in the past, and collaboration with DE in
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relation to the establishment of these facilities should be considered. It is also
necessary to pose questions concerning whether benefit levels should reflect
the need for families to become involved in the networked society.
DSD and DE
SVP has enabled clients to join a Credit Union by acting as guarantor when
the family did not have the capital to deposit in order to become a member.
This is an important issue to consider since respondents found the Credit
Union service to contribute positively, not only to their immediate financial
needs, but to their planning for the future, providing practical financial
education.
"The thought of having no money to pay every bill but the Credit Union
has been my saving, the interest is low and when there is something the
girls want you can go there. But you have to be careful you don’t go
overboard on that too, but you get nothing for nothing, you still have to
pay it back and then a bill comes in on top of that."
The respondent, in this case, recognised that the Credit Union is not a
panacea but also appreciated the opportunity to plan and have some degree of
control over her finances. The liaison between SVP and the Credit Unions is,
clearly a source of strength and an area that needs to be noted and supported
by government agencies in order to address financial exclusion; this issue has
become increasingly important as financial institutions move out of
disadvantaged areas and vendors increasingly require transactions to be made
through bank accounts and are imposing premiums on purchasers who do not
have access to services such as direct debit or electronic ordering.
Many factors have contributed to the difficulties experienced by those in
poverty. Poor housing conditions, fuel deprivation, housing expenses, low
levels of educational attainment and unemployment are among the most
frequently reported. There are however many hidden expenses which affect
the familial struggle with poverty: school uniforms and other clothing costs,
school lunch costs, school events and trips, family illnesses and
medication/treatment expenses, travel costs and access to public transport
(e.g. at weekends and during summer holidays), availability of social
resources, cost of therapeutic facilities and care for those with illnesses.
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Some respondents suggested that the ‘lack of money’ becomes the ‘struggle’
in terms of ‘making ends meet’. It would seem that added financial difficulties
evolve as individuals (usually the mother) try to ‘stretch’ their resources by
constructing effective budgeting techniques; for example one respondent said
she would ‘plan for bills’ and another said she could ‘cope’ because she
‘doesn’t spend money’. Credit is a service, which a significant number of
people require when coping with the stress of deprivation, particularly in
meeting the demands of children. One respondent explained that she survives
by ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’, whilst another said she just says ‘no to the kids
when they want something’ rather than follow the ‘debt trap’.
It is apparent that the SVP shop is viewed as a source of assistance in that it
enables respondents to make vital purchases that would have been beyond
their reach. The shop can also be a source of social support:
"I go in even for a chat and a nosey around"
There are many voluntary shops in existence but they appear to exist mainly to
generate income for the organisation to dispense. While this is clearly a
worthwhile aim, it should be noted that a key purpose of the SVP shops is also
to provide low cost items (clothing, renovated ‘white goods’, basic furniture) for
clients. In the past there were a range of shops selling used goods and ‘pawn
shops’ that also afforded a form of credit in working class areas. Given the
disappearance of this sector, and given the government’s commitment to
sustainability (e.g. see the Agenda 21 policy framework) it would appear that a
policy of providing support for charitable retail outlets designed to directly serve
disadvantaged populations should be considered. Currently there are
constraints on the service that can be offered owing to the regulation
surrounding charitable institutions. One view, from the Society, is that SVP
may launder clothing that is supplied but any alteration made to the clothing
(e.g. adding a school badge, mending) could be construed as a breach of the
conditions surrounding charitable status.
The effects of social isolation and deprivation are most significant in the
aspirational responses across this study. Individuals show little affiliation with,
and value for, the situation they find themselves in and often see no way out,
whilst demonstrating some hope for the future of their children. One
respondent said, for example, that ‘it all comes down to money at the end of
the day’ and that improvement would only come if she had ‘more money’.
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The role of government in improving access to financial services should be
reconsidered in the light of the potential for encouraging membership of Credit
Unions. SVP has assisted by providing the necessary deposit for clients to
join a Credit Union; given the low rate of default by members of Credit Unions
(see Co-operatives and Disadvantage, OFMDFM, 2001) there would appear to
be relatively little risk for government in offering this service in appropriate
circumstances. In addition, it may be appropriate for DE and DEL to consider
the role of Credit Unions in curricular programmes in schools and colleges
concerned with domestic financial management.
DHSSPS
All the respondents mentioned health problems and even when they stated at
the beginning of the interviews that they had no problems, it emerged at a later
stage that there were health issues, with depression and stress being
invariably cited. From the perspective of health professionals dealing with
disadvantaged populations, it is important to note the mental as well as the
physical effects of poverty. As well as coping with their own health problems,
respondents reported that they frequently had to care for dependants with poor
health. Five families had a child with asthma and one parent, also, suffered
from asthma. Ten of the respondents were on medication for stress, one was
attending a psychiatrist, one attended a psychologist and one attended a
‘stress clinic’ and emphasised that no medication was involved. Health issues
were inseparable from the living conditions experienced by respondents as the
pressure of lack of finance and the consequences inevitably led to chronic
stress. This suggests that a holistic concept of health is required if the health
issues cited are to be addressed. The problems affecting respondents require
actions from different statutory agencies (health, housing, education, police,
transport) and, also, from communities to secure co-operation for implementing
change in collaboration with voluntary bodies working on the ground in the
heart of the most disadvantaged areas.
"The stress is just like a black blanket over you…As a big family we have
had two suicides and two brothers’ deaths, one two weeks before my
husband [died]..The stress works on your body, taking the cold spots…It
comes out in bad temper also. I think stress is a killer. It leaves your
body open to everything. To have a helping hand and every now and
then…Nobody can guarantee anything but someone to sort out the
monsters…Somebody who will say you are ok, there are others like you.
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Stigma is something you fight all the time. It is something I have had to
work at since becoming a single mother, you don’t have anyone to
discuss things with."
"You would think it would only be stress during the day but I go to bed
and lie there worrying so it is a constant stress, you don’t have a night’s
sleep. I do shout at the kids when I am stressed and it is not their fault,
they are only asking what other kids are wanting."
DHSSPS, DSD, DE
The conditions giving rise to these problems of poor physical and mental
well-being appear to be related to housing issues, including fuel poverty and
the constant fear for personal safety.
"I get so down in the dumps, especially when I walk into someone else’s
house and see how nice they have it and I can’t even afford a tin of
paint. When I go out on a Thursday and get my money but pay
everything out I am left with a couple of pound and it really depresses
you. Me myself I have no social life unless there is someone to take me
out as I can’t pay my own way…I really want to get out and mix with
others. It is bad being in the house all day."
"Sometimes I don’t sleep well because I put myself into debt with HP and
that, so especially at Christmas when I do this, I wouldn’t sleep well.
How am I going to juggle and pay this. I asked for extra help with the
rent, I was very stressed, a bit of overeating, tearful and emotional. I
have been up to the GP several times but I don’t like to waste their time
because I feel there are other people who need the doctor more than me.
I went down to a counsellor at [X mental hospital] at one time because I
thought I was losing my mind. I thought I was going mad. I don’t really
have anybody to talk to except my mother, but I wanted to talk to an
outsider. I haven’t had any heating since before the summer, because of
the money. It is terrible. Even in winter I go to bed early and put an
extra duvet on the bed and my son goes to bed too for body heat."
"There is no bath for the baby..[partner] has a bad back and legs…There
is also living in the middle of the town with all the noise, windows
getting smashed and places getting broke into, worrying if your pram is
going to be stolen as you have to leave it downstairs".
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Fear of crime tended to constrain the movement patterns of respondents and
this, in turn reduced the possibilities for social networking, friendship and
community support, especially since respondents tended to be female single
parents. Consequently, a constant theme was the loneliness experienced by
having to deal with a family without support. This feeling was exacerbated by
being incarcerated in the house owing to lack of money, lack of confidence,
experience of stigma, exclusion from networks, childcare responsibilities and
transport expense or inadequacy. Parents with impoverished social networks
who are restricted in terms of their capacity to move around their environment
may be likely to have fewer opportunities for improving their social skills,
which, in turn, may inhibit their ability to pass on such skills to their children.
Given the importance of these skills in terms of education and the
contemporary employment market there is the possibility that both parents and
children may be locked in a cycle of increasing exclusion. Clearly there are a
range of issues impacting on health that require a collaborative approach in
terms of providing a safer environment, improved physical access to facilities
and opportunities for community networking.
Health concerns are, then, social, political and economic issues and the
support of community networks should be considered as an essential aspect of
policy rather than a peripheral matter. Health professionals who work in the
community are in a key position to identify persons at risk of ill health owing to
the pressure of poverty and the capacity to effect partnership across bodies
working in communities with the poor should be recognised as a key
professional competence. The informal links between health professional and
SVP demonstrates the potential for collaboration between statutory and
voluntary sectors. In terms of the preparation of professionals to work in the
community (medical practitioners, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational
therapists, social workers and health visitors) it would be helpful if training
programmes were reviewed to enhance the capacity of professionals to be
aware of the extent to which voluntary work exists and how it might best be
supported.
"My Health Visitor would be good enough to me and I would talk to
her…The Health Visitor contacted them [SVP] and they were very quick
to come back to me…It is the personal touch and confidentiality with
them, you are not just a number."
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The health of parents is not helped by the privations listed in relation to lack of
proper diet.
"I would sit them down to a dinner and turn around and have beans on
toast myself so they can have food. It is hard to make things stretch"
"If mummy wasn’t cooking for me it would be spuds and beans [for
dinner]"
"In summer it is difficult as the food bill soars as they are in the house"
The responses raise concerns about the welfare of mothers as well as children
and the ubiquitous stress which is reported may be intensified by the lack of
adequate nutrition. The final comment suggests that it is necessary to rethink
the policy of only offering school meals during the school terms as lone
parents are being placed under the burden of providing a meal, perhaps for a
number of children on slender resources. There would seem to be a strong
case for the provision of school meals during holiday periods since these
families would be entitled to free school meals during term time or taking
account of this need in terms of benefit payments. It should be noted that SVP
provides ‘breakfast clubs’ for children and there is a body of evidence,
including that from SVP members to suggest that this form of provision is very
beneficial both in terms of enhancing nutrition and creating a positive attitude
towards school among the children. In addition, there is a case for supporting
projects designed to ensure that affordable fresh food is available in
communities. Currently there are a range of small scale projects in this area
being supported by local councils, Education and Library Boards and Health
Education bodies.
SVP is currently involved in efforts to establish food co-operatives in
disadvantaged areas. While it may be appropriate to review these initiatives,
this should be done with the intention of ameliorating nutritional levels on a
statutory basis, as is the case with free school meals. The Civic Forum has
already drawn attention to the need to closely examine the nutritional value of
school meals, given the development of a ‘snack’ culture in some schools and
to insist on appropriate standards of provision.
Currently concerns have been raised about the physical fitness of children in
the light of evidence that there is a decline in fitness, an increase in the
Page 71
incidence of obesity and a diminution in the autonomy accorded to children
through being confined within homes owing to concerns for child safety.
Parents reflected this concern in their regrets that they could not assist their
children to participate in active pursuits and they, themselves were confined
through their circumstances.
"Around this area there is very little for children to do and be outside.
The swimming pool is too far away and it would mean buses and taxis
which I cannot afford. I would love to take them to the park but that is
really for older children. I know my two oldest would love to go
swimming but I am a single mum and it doesn’t work".
"I would just love to have a house where my child could go out and play
in the garden. You can’t go out here as it is on the main road".
"I never get out and have not been to the cinema in years or leisure
centres or anything like that".
"I haven’t had a proper holiday in years and my only social life is a trip
to the bingo once a week. I mostly sit on my own at night and watch
TV".
Respondents noted the beneficial effect of exercise on children and
themselves.
"Being left with the two boys that is where my stress has come from. I
am still on them and take one a day of the antidepressants. If I am out
and about with the boys down to the beach it makes me feel better and it
doesn’t cost anything. The boys don’t go on about sweets or anything".
The lack of money, however, has led parents to circumscribe their lives so that
they become house-bound.
"I would miss out on holidays because I don’t really get holidays and
nights out are few and far between, because of the two small
children…..I really don’t have the money so I don’t go out much
shopping to be honest because I don’t like saying no [to child with
disability] and I hate to see him crying, other than to do groceries I
don’t go out".
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The issue of exercise has to be considered in relation to access to facilities,
affordability, motivation, social networking and knowledge of what is available.
While this inevitably becomes a health concern, there is a clear requirement
for interdepartmental collaboration to address community involvement,
transport, education (for parents and children) and provision of affordable
facilities for leisure and exercise purposes. In effect it is necessary to move
from a position where immediate needs are perceived as requiring government
action to a position where the future health and well-being of a generation can
be assured by the provision of such facilities. Many facilities already exist (e.g.
leisure centres, school/college/university facilities, private health and fitness
centres) and it is important to consider how this infrastructure can be adapted
to meet the needs of those most likely to suffer physical or mental health
problems, caused or exacerbated by lack of exercise. In particular, during the
summer months, educational facilities may be under-utilised at a time when
many parents would benefit from being afforded access, for themselves as well
as their children.
Social Support
In terms of policy development it is informative to note that, while a range of
material necessities were cited as being valued in relation to SVP assistance;
the most frequently cited type of assistance was the social contact which was
often long term and regarded by many respondents as friendship.
In terms of addressing the needs of respondents in a holistic manner, a
starting point is to consider the importance of the social contact. In general,
statutory support is provided in respect of many problems identified but there
may be the assumption that resolving an individual problem should signal the
termination of the support. The research has revealed that many respondents
suffer from ongoing loneliness and lack of social contact and wish for personal
support to be provided over a lengthy period of time. Since the social contact
may be a key factor in ensuring health and providing the basis for effective
involvement in education, it is important to consider how the statutory sector
can work together with voluntary bodies to improve systems for personal
support.
The comments from respondents made it clear that health professionals are,
currently, working to collaborate with SVP and it would be useful if this form of
joint working could be supported through explicit policy and practice.
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Individuals, in many cases, reported the associated personal support they
required in helping them to cope with the difficulties of poverty, highlighting in a
large number of cases the importance of ‘company and advice’ and
‘friendship’. For example one respondent suggested SVP’s advice and
friendship was like a ‘life line’, whilst another respondent explained the
importance of the professional ‘friendship’ that had developed and offered
‘complete confidence’. The degree of trust and the resources, both in terms of
aid and social networking, offered by SVP, suggests a form of support that
appears to help sustain individuals during the impact of hardship; for example
one respondent reported "Thank God I don’t need them (SVP) as much now
and they call as friends… I don’t like to ask too often. I feel that I would love
to be able to repay their kindness….He (SVP volunteer) doesn’t judge or make
any suggestions and I find myself more positive and encouraged….."
The material support is cited by respondents in conjunction with the personal
affirmation they have received.
"It [SVP support] is perfect. They have become very good friends. This
is the first year I have got a lend of money and we got to Corrymeela
through SVP. The heating if it wasn’t for SVP I would not have heating
and the Christmas hamper and stocking fillers. I can’t see how this
could be improved."
"I don’t feel intimidated when you visit in pairs as you are very friendly
people. I’m a shy person but I feel I can talk to you like to you now."
"I still love it that someone calls if I don’t need money. I want to thank
everyone and tell them how much they have helped me."
"They helped me more than social workers and they get things done,
ringing the Housing Executive and other things like filling in forms."
"I am very grateful to SVP especially for their friendship, to have the
knowledge I could call on someone and it would be in complete
confidence is very reassuring."
"SVP is a life line as I frequently visit the shop and find it wonderful for
providing clothes for the children and myself. I appreciate the low cost
of things there and how much it means to get out as I get out so little."
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"I often think that the Society could view themselves better or highlight
themselves a bit more. I always think the advert on TV is a bit dreary
and no one should be that desperate before they go and get help. Even if
there was five minute clips, or start a programme, a show on the side to
give advice with parenting, cope with bereavement, filling in forms. All
this hush hush about being involved with the Society but I am not like
that. You automatically think it is just for Catholics, but Protestants are
helped too…..I don’t hide it. I let them know and these are our future, I
want them to know that SVP helped me. I think it should be more open
and more publicity about it."
"..they don’t make you feel that you are a nobody, you don’t make me
feel, ‘look at her’, although I would be embarrassed. You just come in
and talk away and it is so friendly an atmosphere. Maybe other
organisations would make me feel uptight and ashamed of myself
because I don’t have the money."
Limitations on social activity and social networking among the group can result
in low levels of social capital and subsequently a lack of individual
empowerment [and control]. One respondent added that her health problems
were ‘really due to loneliness’. It is apparent that social isolation may have a
range of detrimental effects on respondents and, where the respondent is a
parent, possible consequences for the health and general development of the
children.
Conclusion
One common theme articulated by lone parents was the concept of stigma as
they considered that they were stereotyped and undervalued as persons on
account of their status. This seemed to be the case whether the parents had
become lone parents through the decease of a partner or the break-up of a
relationship. This suggests that respondents feel that the basis of the stigma
is no longer moral but, rather, economic and the nexus of economic values has
superseded traditional forms of social judgement.
In other words, the notion of being poor has been reconceptualised in a
context where lack of finance is viewed as a personal deficiency so that
groups, such as lone parents are subject to exclusion on account of their
financial status. The emergence of different types of family poses challenges
Page 75
to the education system in terms of ensuring that the curriculum and education
policies are guided by an understanding that many families are under
considerable stress. Equally such families will wish to have their image
reflected within curriculum materials so that the stigma they feel, through being
considered different, may be diminished.
While respondents have limited control over their circumstances, they have
valuable insights into methods for improving their position. It would be helpful
if the disadvantaged and their advocates had opportunities to contribute to the
development of the policies of statutory bodies and shape the practices of
professionals. The prevalence of social isolation, in a society where the
concept, or the myth, of friendly communities has been pervasive, suggests
that there have been far reaching changes in the development of community
relationships and the values and ideologies that have been espoused within
our society. The voices of the socially excluded are likely to be overlooked
because they are struggling to exist and are probably the least likely groups to
be in a position to make their views heard.
The challenges to be faced are as much to do with addressing the
complacency of communities in the face of persistent and enduring poverty
that is affecting their neighbours. The respondents are constrained by a range
of factors such as the need for child care, difficulties in accessing facilities
owing to cost and transport issues, the constant need to survive and the
personal isolation and solitude that has been imposed on them, with the
resultant negative impact on their health and well-being. They are willing,
however, to do what is in their power to make progress and have clear ideas
concerning how they can be assisted.
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5.0
Discussion
SVP support
While there is a significant group of clients that is transgenerational in the
sense that their families have accessed SVP previously, it would appear that
most clients have a relationship with SVP which has endured over a lengthy
period of time. Furthermore, the fact that nearly half the sample have sought
an emergency visit suggests that the clients are experiencing a significant lack
of control over their lives. It is clear that clients require personal support as
well as financial help; the personal support requested has included practical
assistance (form filling), advocacy and friendship. The data from other
sections show that many clients are isolated, their marginalisation
compounded by depression, onerous caring responsibilities and fear (of crime
and of harm to children). The SVP service provides a link to normality and has
the potential to help re-connect clients with society through the provision of
support directed towards enabling clients to become more capable of
managing the challenges they face.
In relation to statutory support for the SVP service, there are opportunities to
strengthen advocacy through the provision of direct communication channels
to statutory agencies. In practice, researchers noted that SVP members have
worked, over the years, to establish such channels on an informal basis but
have, often, been confounded when persons within agencies change roles and
the new appointment has no knowledge of previous relationships that have
been built up. What is needed is a recognition of the value of advocacy and
for such relationships to be supported within statutory agencies.
Income
The extent of poverty may be gauged by the high level of unemployment and
the duration of unemployment which suggests that long term exclusion from
the workforce is a reality for many. For clients in work, the low average wage
levels, which have to be enhanced by family tax credit in many cases, suggest
that the financial incentive to seek employment may be weak. While debt is a
feature of modern society, the reliance on ‘catalogues’ with the consequence of
high repayments, suggests that the promotion of financial inclusion measures
should be a priority in terms of policy. The fact that much debt relates to the
Social Fund raises issues concerning the rationale for this means of supporting
people in need and a consideration of the return to the previous system
whereby payments could be made in circumstances of great need.
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There is potential for collaboration between statutory bodies and SVP in
relation to financial exclusion. Given the high rate of Credit Union membership
(42.8%) it is apparent that the respondents inhabit communities where the
concept of community finance is understood. Many families may be unable to
join a Credit Union because they are in debt (possibly in respect of a Social
Fund loan) and are not able to make the initial required savings. The SVP has
assisted clients in this position by providing a guarantee for a loan, thus
enabling clients to have access to affordable finance. This is an area where
statutory bodies have a role to play in supporting the voluntary sector in
guaranteeing loans for people who wish to join Credit Unions.
The low rate
of default on Credit Union loans means that the risk to government finance
would be marginal and, in any case, a risk assessment could be carried out via
a pilot scheme whereby a statutory body established a collaborative project
with a voluntary organisation. If respondents were unemployed or
incapacitated they were more likely to have experienced transgenerational
poverty and this suggests that priority should be accorded to assisting
respondents to access worthwhile employment.
Transport and access to services
The association between being male, employed and more likely to have a
driving licence suggests that the predominantly female clients surveyed may
have restricted employment opportunities owing to lack of a licence and
access to a car. In particular, the transport concerns of clients in the Omagh
district council area should lead to a consideration of the implications for
clients in rural areas who are constrained by lack of appropriate transport
options. In addition, however, the position of respondents in areas such as
North Belfast whose trajectories across the area they inhabit may be severely
constrained by perceived sectarian boundaries should be considered. The
differential between men and women in relation to possession of a driving
licence suggests that women view the possibility of access to a car less
positively than men. In this respect access may be gendered insofar as
woman are less likely to have access to a car in a society where, increasingly,
key aspects of modern life (shops, cultural centres, employment) are out of
reach. Restricted access means limitations on choice, and in the case of
shops, may mean inability to purchase fresh food and the requirement to pay
higher prices.
The relatively good access to pharmacists suggest that the possibility of
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locating further essential services at the same site should be explored since it
could be helpful to the clients. It is important to note the need to make more
than one transport connection to access a service since women with young
children and persons with disabilities may be disadvantaged in these
circumstances. Equally the requirement for two connections in an urban area
such as North Belfast, caused by the existence of differentiated living zones,
indicates how spatial separation entails costs (human and financial) in respect
to the provision of services. The rural areas requiring two connections may
require clients to make journeys of long duration and may disincline clients
from accessing services.
Housing and the social environment
The results suggest that persons who are already experiencing considerable
disadvantage, those who are transgenerational, are single parents and have
house repair problems are the most likely to experience crimes such as
assault or burglary. Since fuel poverty is also a pressing problem, the potential
for stress on families is apparent. It is not clear why there should be a
relationship between ‘waiting for a repair’ and experiencing crime but one
explanation may be that disrepair reduces the security of homes. Since most
of the respondents were female, it is important to consider how such a social
environment would impact on their welfare given that many have caring
responsibilities.
The high level of concern relating to speeding traffic and the safety of children
suggests that this is foremost in the minds of parents and there may be
implications in terms of the restrictions placed on the movement of children
and the stress experienced by parents. This data should be considered in
conjunction with the data presented on health which illustrates that the high
level of mental health problems and the nature of the social environment may
be a central factor in relation to the pressure experienced by female parents.
Since social isolation has been cited by respondents as a major problem, it
may be that the perceived dangers of the immediate social environment leads
to a loosening of social bonds and results in individuals being confined within
their homes.
Health
The clients have reported problems relating to persistent and enduring ill
health, both physical and mental. The reported family histories of health
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difficulties suggest that addressing health will require responses that recognise
the deep-rooted and historical nature of these problems. The depth and
breadth of the problems is indicative of a range of factors that are impacting on
the clients, including environmental, educational and familial factors.
Regarding the extent and duration of illness and the use of medication, it is
important to consider the need to assist clients to progress, where feasible, to
a position where they may realistically begin to have greater control over their
health. The presence of OCD may suggest that many clients feel themselves
to be controlled by conditions that restrict their capacity for personal autonomy.
Respondents were concerned about the effects of alcohol abuse in their lives,
often on the part of their partners, and this may be an important contributory
factor to the development of stress and depression. This may be an issue to
be addressed through community health programmes but there are also
environmental and planning issues related to the existence of alcohol outlets
across the communities.
The large numbers of respondents receiving incapacity and severe
disablement allowances (31.1%) points to a context where respondents may
have difficulties regarding mobility and the consequent need for support in
becoming more independent.
Since the service most commonly accessed was a health service, it would
appear that health professionals are in a key position to assist clients who, in
many cases, may have little social contact apart from visits from the SVP. The
information on social support suggests that the need for this form of support is
crucial. Given the complex links between self esteem, social contact, poverty
and physical isolation, there may be scope for the health service to consider
the extent to which the service is able to promote and encourage social
networking for clients. Currently, statutory and voluntary bodies promote
networking and support for clients through day centres though this is usually
restricted to certain priority categories of client. It is suggested that the scope
of health service provision be broadened to include consideration of social
support for wider groups of clients. This activity would probably be most
effectively achieved through interdepartmental collaboration, working across
departments such as DE, DEL and DSD.
For example, further education colleges, through adult education provision
could provide venues for an interdepartmental facility, or in other areas,
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schools, while DSD could consider the provision of advice on housing and
benefits issues. It should be noted that the information in most of the sections
has the potential to provide insights into the development of stress and
depression. Fear of crime can restrict the physical movement of clients and
consequently close down opportunities for social networking; transport
difficulties can, likewise, enforce isolation while also inhibiting access to
services. The isolation that can develop may have a negative impact on the
physical and mental health of respondents and initiate a cycle of ‘learned
helplessness’ where respondents feel themselves to be trapped and incapable
of planning improvement to their lives.
The relatively good access to pharmacists suggest that the possibility of
locating further essential services at the same site could be helpful to the
clients. There has been experimentation with the delivery of diagnostic
services through communication systems, and pending the outcomes of the
evaluations of these initiatives, there may be potential for delivery of some
services through this modality.
The potential for collaboration between health bodies and schools has been
recognised through the establishment of the ‘health promoting schools’
initiative. Since the respondents tend to have relatively good access to
schools, the possibilities of locating services in schools should be further
explored, particularly where there is potential for providing health information to
parents targeted at their specific problems.
The results from the GHQ12 have demonstrated that addressing issues such
as depression and related mental health problems should be a priority,
especially in relation to lone parents who are coping with multiple deprivation.
The finding that employed respondents may have better mental health and
better perception of self efficacy than those who are unemployed suggests that
it is important that this issue is further investigated. It may be that respondents
are able to become employed because they are less disadvantaged in some
way or it may be that employment confers some advantages in terms of mental
well-being. It is possible for both of these propositions to be true insofar as
those who are able to obtain employment have better mental health and this
further improved by being employed. The finding has to be noted in the light of
the relative modest earnings of the employed which is suggestive of an
interpretation that additional income is minimal. It may be that employment
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confers a sense of self worth or connects respondents to social networks that
reduce the possibility of isolation.
Education
Education is perceived by the younger clients as being essential for
progression to the workforce and the findings suggest that educational
underachievement, for the younger members of this population, means
exclusion from the workforce. Attention should be paid to the finding that
incapacitated persons did not rate education highly and this may suggest a
degree of alienation from the education and employment systems. In the light
of the needs of these respondents and the recent legislative framework relating
to the human rights of people with disabilities, this issue should be noted.
It is clear that education is important for single female parents who wish to be
employed and it may be, therefore, that ‘education poverty’ should be
recognised as a crucial deficit that may disable single parent families from
participating in society. The possession of qualifications gained at school, at
any level, is related to progression to further education which, in turn,
enhances opportunities for employment. It is important, therefore, that
attention is directed towards ensuring that no one leaves school without any
qualifications, even if the award is at minimal level. Given other findings
relating to the possible isolation of respondents owing to lack of access to
services, bullying/harassment, crime and poor health, it is important to
consider how the education system can assist in helping to retain pupils within
social networks. This may entail a broader conception of the aims of
education; but as the notion of the ‘health promoting school’ initiative is
supplementing the more formalised health education curriculum, through the
involvement of communities, it is necessary to consider a broader role for
schools.
Clients, particularly younger clients, with dependants hold a more positive view
of education than other clients and the high overall recognition of the
importance of education suggests that clients will respond to initiatives
designed to improve educational achievement.
In relation to absence from school, habitual patterns of intermittent absence
have been identified. While the small number of school exclusions is to be
noted it may be that educational authorities are more likely to be aware of
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these pupils rather than those who are absent on an intermittent but persistent
basis. The pattern of absence indicates that these pupils are likely to be in
single parent households where there is FSM entitlement and the custodial
parent is likely to be unemployed or incapacitated. The fact that respondents
reported the information indicates that they are aware of the situation and,
given the relatively positive view of education, suggests that further
investigation concerning why the pupils are not attending should be initiated.
It has been noted that there is a trend for absentee girls to be more likely to
have parents with qualifications (the opposite being the case for boys). This
raises a concern that girls are being disadvantaged as their potential is not
being reached owing to the value placed on their right to education.
The characteristics of the families of absentee children should be considered in
relation to the kinds of measures that might be taken to improve attendance.
The sporadic nature of the absenteeism is such that such children may be
overlooked, which would be unfortunate as they may eventually reach a stage
where they become excluded from school. The current focus on excluded
children should, then, be extended to include consideration of sporadic but
persistent absentees. Since 76.9% of families can be considered as income
deprived, generally, have FSM entitlement, and have limited access to a range
of services and suffer from fuel poverty and housing difficulties, proposals that
have been mooted regarding the imposition of financial penalties on parents of
absentee children would be counterproductive.
There are a wide range of options open to educational authorities in relation to
assisting children who are absent or underachieving in these family
circumstances. Since the families have FSM entitlement, there could be
crossdepartmental action to ensure that the families are aware of their
entitlement since the provision of adequate nutrition should be a priority.
Equally the current diverse range of initiatives (originating from a range of
bodies, including local councils and health agencies) targeted at ensuring that
schools provide access to fresh food should be the subject of central policy
decisions.
It is important to recognise that poverty can create barriers to school
attendance and participation in learning. In the case of intermittent absentees
or excluded children, there should be a review of the reasons why the children
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do not attend. It should be noted that family financial problems may affect
school attendance; since SVP is frequently required to provide assistance to
enable parents to purchase school uniform and other items (PE clothing,
sports equipment, school visit costs, books, everyday clothing such as shoes).
The issue of the cost of schooling requires consideration and the authorities
should review what appears to be the increasing costs faced by parents.
It is important that educationalists review the pattern of absence relating to
girls which may give rise to the concern that girls are being held back from
attendance for reasons that are not entirely clear. If it is the case that girls are
providing assistance to their families or earning additional income on the ‘black
economy’ this matter should be pursued since parents may be directing girls
into caring roles that interfere with their education and may be prematurely
closing off possible future employment options.
Aspirations
It is clear that clients have reflected on their position and those who perceive
the possibility of improving their lives have considered the levers available to
them and their dependants. It is recognised that secure employment is central
to a better future and that this is dependant on either a return to education for
the client or full participation in education for dependants. There is an
aspiration for higher education for children but the recognition of barriers may
suggest that clients are pessimistic in their assessment of the opportunities for
their children.
Policy development should take account of the positive nature of the
aspirations raised by the respondents. It is apparent that respondents have a
relatively strategic view of the steps required if their situation is to be improved.
This points to a consideration of how statutory and voluntary bodies can,
jointly, develop responses to poverty that enable families to breach
transgenerational barriers. For the respondents there is a recognised need to
live in a safe environment and participate in secure employment and, equally
respondents know that there are barriers to full participation in the education
system. Given the restricted mobility of many respondents, the potential for
utilising resources in the communities should be closely examined.
The possibilities of setting up centres for community health and education,
homework study and internet access should be considered. The centres could
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be located in schools where appropriate, or in Housing Executive properties. It
is important, therefore, that there is further investigation of the perceptions of
the clients to determine to what extent the perceived barriers exist and what
can be done to assist the transition of the children to higher education. Recent
government policies on higher education, the consequent public debate and
the opinions of young people who may have recently experienced financial
difficulties may have enhanced a feeling of powerlessness regarding this issue.
In relation to health, the positive aspirations of the clients suggest that they
would respond to support which is designed to improve their overall health.
Conclusion
The study has shown that, in order to address transgenerational poverty, it is
necessary to commence by seeking the views of the poor and those who are
close to them. There have been improvements over the years in the lives of
the respondents and their families in terms of educational achievement and the
potential for accessing health services. It has been claimed (National
Children’s Bureau, 2003:1) that "Poor education is the key vehicle through
which poverty is passed on from one generation to another – and good
education can be the most effective means of helping to counteract the
damaging effects of poverty". The respondents are aware of the mechanisms
for improving their lives and aspire to better education for themselves and their
children and to improved health and better accommodation. The barriers they
face are debt, social isolation, lack of access to services and poor health, in
particular depression and mental health problems. The relatively long term
use of medication, while reducing stress, may inhibit possibilities for growth
and development for individuals and their families and may encourage
transgenerational use of such medication.
There is strong potential for statutory bodies to engage with voluntary
organisations such as SVP to work collaboratively in addressing poverty. It
has to be borne in mind, however, that voluntary organisations may have built
credibility across communities by ensuring that requests are dealt with in a
confidential manner; equally the independence of voluntary organisations from
government control has enabled entry to areas where it may be difficult for
government representatives to receive full co-operation from inhabitants.
Collaborative approaches would need to be carefully constructed and
managed if the potential for synergy in addressing poverty is to be realised. It
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is crucial, however, that there is close collaboration with voluntary
organisations working face-to-face with people in communities who are aware
of needs at first hand. Indeed it may be worth considering whether
government bodies should undertake a radical review of current collaboration
with voluntary bodies in order to identify which bodies have close contact with
communities and which bodies have a large proportion of voluntary to salaried
members. The voluntary/salaried ratio could provide policy-makers with an
important source of information on voluntary organisations. It is also important
that government explores methodologies for the identification of information on
poverty that derives data directly from persons living in poverty. For example,
the recent report, A Regional Strategy for Social Inclusion (Civic Forum, 2002)
appears to have drawn data mainly from a range of organisations and a
number of government and university staff with inputs from a small number of
focus groups.
5.1
Key Challenges
Respondents were predominantly female and this indicates that efforts to deal
with poverty are being managed by women, many of whom are lone parents.
These women face a range of barriers, the most important of which are the
need for additional income, child care and personal support.
Benefits – the benefits received by respondents are diminished by the burden
of Social Fund Loans and catalogue loans which add to the difficulties faced by
those living on benefits. Since the respondents live in areas where Credit
Unions have a strong profile, consideration should be given to offering
guarantees to Credit Unions so that respondents may have alternatives
sources of credit and can be assisted with financial management.
Health – the issues of mental health and depression need to be addressed as
systemic problems rather than discrete medical problems. This will require
considerable collaboration among government departments and between the
statutory and voluntary sectors.
The negative influence of alcohol abuse is noted by respondents as a factor
which has caused health problems and contributed towards financial
difficulties. There would appear to be need for a programme of support to be
offered to persons who are abusing alcohol and their families.
Page 86
Social isolation has arisen as an issue which is central to the health of the
respondents and also to their participation in communities. Policies designed
to improve services should be shaped within an understanding that connecting
the poor to one another and to other members of their communities should be
pursued as a central pillar of policy.
Social exclusion – the socially excluded have valuable insights into methods
for improving their situation, however their isolation means they are probably
the least likely group to be in a position to make their views heard. As a result,
their opinions are often overlooked and there is a strong case for Departments
and Agencies to engage more with the disadvantaged and their advocates, to
ensure they are given the opportunity to contribute to policy development.
Education – a very positive aspect of the report is the finding that many young
people perceive education as being essential for progression to the workforce.
Single female parents also recognise that education is an important step on
the road to employment. Departments should therefore recognise ‘Education
Poverty’ as one of the factors which may prevent single parent families from
participating in society and attention should be directed towards ensuring that
no one leaves school without any qualifications even if the award is at a
minimum level.
The focus on inclusion in education should be extended beyond the concern
with the pupils who have been formally excluded to those who are intermittent
attenders, since these pupils may either escape the attention of schools or
may become at a later stage, formally excluded. Particular attention should be
paid to girls from lesser disadvantaged backgrounds who may be engaged in
waged or unwaged labour within families or communities and who may, as a
consequence, underachieve or be prematurely directed towards gendered, low
wage, forms of employment.
The families have shown a recognition of the need for education for children
and parents and this understanding provides a strong platform for the
introduction of measures designed to improve the level of education across
communities. The adults will require flexible forms of education, ease of
access both from the point of view of physical access and educational access.
This may mean that the initial stages of entering education could be through
local programmes that attract adults through the provision of child care and the
Page 87
prospect of fulfilling social interaction. Since primary schools may be a
possible focus for such programmes, given their level of accessibility, the
option is opened up for parents to develop a greater understanding of the
education their children are receiving and a better knowledge of how to
support their children. This is unlikely to happen if the adult provision in the
school is severed completely from the management of the school, a possible
outcome at the moment given the separation of responsibilities between DE
and DEL.
Transition from access level to formal training should be carefully managed
with the recognition that parents and mothers in particular, will require strong
support in progressing to a training organisation environment. This would
require a reconsideration of the funding formulas currently used to determine
the resource allocation at such organisations.
There should be an examination of the financial implications of school policies,
particularly in relation to clothing, sports equipment and other items that may
involve expense for parents. While schools often do not require that pupils
participate in external activities (eg. visits) that involve costs for parents, there
is a risk that the self esteem of pupils will suffer as a result of being perceived
as different by other pupils. The National Children’s Bureau (2003: 3) has
noted that "Poor children can be denied access to school trips; they can face
problems in affording school uniform; they can suffer stigma from insensitive
approaches to school meals; they can feel socially excluded".
Bullying and harassment is a serious problem for the respondents and lone
parent families may be particularly vulnerable in this respect. The origins of
the problem need to be further explored but there is a need for schools to
ensure that poverty does not become a reason for being bullied.
Transport and access to services – there are a number of barriers which
prevent services being accessed by the public. In rural areas these include
the lack of (or infrequent) public transport, while in urban areas access may be
restrained by perceived sectarian boundaries and interfaces. Departments
should consider the feasibility of providing a number of essential services on
the same site, which could benefit women with young children and people with
disabilities.
Page 88
Disabilities – while the positive attitude of many young people towards
education is encouraging, Departments should be concerned with the fact that
many incapacitated persons did not rate education highly, which may suggest
some alienation from the education and employment systems. Further
research into this issue should be considered.
Public safety – concern about the perceived high level of crime suggest that
the fears of the respondents needs to be addressed through an investigation
into the reasons for this perception. It may be that the official reporting
categories need to be reconsidered since problems involving harassment may
not be fully reflected as respondents may not be aware of the legal status of
the events. Fear can restrict movement and can contribute to social isolation
and lack of confidence and it may be as important to examine the expressed
fears as the actual reported incidences of alleged offences.
Statutory-voluntary policy – the scope for collaboration between the
statutory and voluntary sectors should be investigated in order to enhance the
delivery of services and assist access to services. Collaboration should be
targeted to reflect the need to support voluntary organisations that are actively
and intimately involved with people in communities in areas where there is
acute poverty. It will be important that co-operative methods of working are
carefully developed to take account of possible community suspicions
regarding statutory intervention and to preserve the confidentiality that is so
closely safeguarded by bodies that are working at the cutting edge of poverty.
Page 89
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Rethinking the relationship, Local Government Studies, 24, 2, 1-18.
Levitt, I. (1988). Government and Social Conditions in Scotland 1845-1919, in
Colquhoun, A., Lyon, P., Alexander, E., Feeding Minds and Bodies: the
Edwardian Context of School Meals, Journal of Nuitrition and Food Science,
31, 3, 117-124.
Lucifora, C. (1999). Wage Inequalities and Low Pay: the Role of Institutions in
the Labour Market, in Gregory, M., Salverda, W., Bazen, S., (Eds), Labour
Market Inequalities: Problems and Policies toward Low Wage Employment an
International Perspective, Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Lunt, P. (1996). Introduction: Social Aspects of Young People’s understanding
of the economy, in Shropshire J, and Middleton S, 1999, Small expectations:
Learning to be Poor?, York, Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
McIntyre, S., Ellaway, A., Der, G., Graeme, F. and Hunt, K. (1998). Do
housing tenure and car access predict health because they are simply markers
of income of self esteem? A Scottish study, Journal Of Epidemiology and
Community Health 52, 10, 657-664
McMahon, W. and Marsh, T. (1999). Filling the Gap: Free School Meals,
Nutrition and Poverty, Child Poverty Action Group, London.
Middleton, S., Ashworth, K. and Braithwaite, I., (1997). Small Fortunes:
Spending on Children, Childhood Poverty and Parental Sacrifice, York, Joseph
Rowntree Foundation.
Middleton, S., Ashworth, K. and Walker, R., (1994). Family Fortunes:
Pressures on Parents and Children in the 1990s, London, CPAG.
Milligan, C. (1998). The impact of health and social care restructuring – the
voluntary experience, Social Science & Medicine, 1998, 46, No.6, pp.743-753
Page 93
National Children’s Bureau (2003). Child Poverty and Education, Briefing
Paper. London, End Child Poverty
National Council for One Parent Families (2001). Lone Parents and
Employment, London, NCOPF.
NCH and The Countryside Agency, (2001). State of the Countryside Report
2001, updated to take account of the Foot and Mouth Outbreak, Countryside
Agency Website, 2002.
Nickell, S. and Bell, B. (1995). The Collapse in the Demand for the Unskilled
and Unemployment across the OECD, Oxford Review of Economic Policy,
Spring.
NISRA (2001). Census of population in Northern Ireland, Belfast, McAuley
House.
NISRA (2001). Labour Force Survey, Belfast, McAuley House.
NISRA (2001). Northern Ireland Family Expenditure Survey, Belfast, McAuley
House.
NISRA (2001). Northern Ireland Health and Social Wellbeing Survey, Belfast,
McAuley House.
Noble (2001). Northern Ireland Multiple Measures of Disadvantage, Belfast,
McAuley House.
Nolan, B. (2001). Moving Targets: Measuring and Targeting Child Poverty, the
Economic and Social Research Institute, Dublin, in New Economy, IPPR, 2001,
Measuring Child Poverty, DWP, The Stationery Office, 2002.
Northern Ireland Economic Council (2000). Economic Outlook. Belfast: NI.
O’Boyle, E.J. (1996). Transitions in to and out of Poverty, International Journal
of Social Economics, 25, 9, 1411-1424.
OECD (1996). International Adult Literacy Survey, UK, OECD.
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OFMDFM (2001). Co-operatives and Disadvantage (2001), Belfast, OFMDFM
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http://www.research.ofmdfmni.gov.uk/povertysummary/index.htm
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ONS, (2002). Trends in Life Expectancy by Social Class 1979-1999, ONS
Website.
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19-40.
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Ireland, Belfast, Community Relations Council for NI. (Issue 2, June).
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mobility of minority families, American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 55, 4, 591602.
Perkins, D. D. (1995). Speaking truth to power: empowerment ideology as
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Civic Traditions in Modern Italy, Politische Vierteljahresschrift, May 1994,
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Democratic Dialogue.
The NI Skills Monitoring Survey 2002.
http://www.delni.gov.uk/docs/pdf/skillssurvey2002.pdf
Page 96
The Society Of St. Vincent De Paul (1998). Response To the Green paper On
The Community And Voluntary Sector And Its Relationship With The State,
Belfast, St. Vincent de Paul.
Whyte, J. (1992). Disadvantage and unemployment: a longitudinal study of
psychosocial variables, Irish Journal of Psychology, 13, 2,, 193-209.
Whyte, J. (1993). Longitudinal correlates and outcomes of initial reading
progress for a sample of Belfast boys, European Journal of Psychology of
Education, 8, 3, 325-340.
Williamson, A., Scott, D. and Halfpenny, P. (2000). Rebuilding civil society in
Northern Ireland: the community and voluntary sector’s contribution to the
European Union’s Peace and Reconciliation District Partnership Programme,
Policy and Politics, 28, 1, 49-66.
Wood, A. (1994). North-South Trade: Employment and Inequality, Oxford,
Oxford University press.
Page 97
Printed by Central Print Unit
Page 98
APPENDIX
1. Personal interview questionnaire
2. Interview schedule
Page 99
Page 100
St. Vincent de Paul
“The Millennium Project”
STRICTLY
CONFIDENTIAL
The St Vincent de Paul Society are undertaking a research project aimed at
developing policies and interventions which will help the Society to meet the
needs of their clients, by providing effective support at a number of levels, while
promoting individuals’ sense of independence. Your responses will form an
important part of the project and will increase the Society’s understanding of
their clients’ needs.
We would be grateful if you could take the time to go through the questionnaire
and complete the questionnaire as fully as possible. We would like you to know
that your responses will be treated with the strictest confidence and will not be
seen by anyone other than the researchers involved in the project.
© St. Vincent de Paul
Page 101
Page 102
Section 1: Background details
Q1
Name and address
County
Q2
Postcode
Age
Under 18
51-60
Male
❑
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❑
❑
❑
18-21
61-70
70+
Sex
Q4
Current status (may tick more than one)
Divorced
Q5
Female
Co-habiting
Single parent
❑
❑
❑
41-50
❑
Single
❑
❑
Widowed
❑
Separated
❑
Other
Please specify
Ethnic Origin
White
Bangladeshi
Mixed ethnic group
Q6
❑
❑
31-40
❑
Q3
Married
❑
❑
22-30
❑
❑
❑
Chinese
Black Caribbean
Irish Traveller
❑
❑
❑
Black African
Black Other
❑
❑
❑
Pakistani
Indian
❑
❑
Other
Please specify
Community affiliation:
Protestant
❑
Roman Catholic
❑
Mixed
❑
None
❑
No
❑
Other
❑
Please specify
Yes
Q7
Do you have any dependants?
Q8
How many dependants do you have?
Q8a
Relationship
Age
Who they live with
D1
D2
D3
D4
D5
D6
D7
Page 103
❑
What they do mainly
If NO fi Q10
fi FT or PT
Q9
Have any of your children been in, or are they currently in foster care?
Yes
Insert Dependant
From Date
❑
No
To Date
fi
fi
fi
Q10
Do you have caring responsibilities for others?
Yes
❑
No
❑
Yes
❑
No
❑
Yes
❑
No
❑
Q10a Do you receive Invalid Care Allowance for your
caring responsibilities?
Q10b If no, do you think you should be entitled to
Invalid Care Allowance?
Q10c Who do or did you care for?
From Date
To Date
fi
fi
fi
Q11
Do any other immediate family members have
caring responsibilities for others?
Yes
❑
No
❑
Yes
❑
No
❑
Yes
❑
No
❑
Q11a To the best of your knowledge, do they receive
Invalid Care Allowance?
Q11b If no, do you think they should be entitled
to Invalid Care Allowance?
Q11c Who is the Carer?
Who do they care for?
From Date
To Date
fi
fi
fi
Page 104
❑
Q12a Accommodation type
Detached house
Semi detached house
Terraced house
Flat
Multi-storey Flat (Over two stories)
Maisonette
Bungalow
Bed sit
Hostel
Sheltered dwelling
Dwelling adapted for a disability
Sub tenant in furnished accommodation
Sub tenant in unfurnished accommodation
Lodger
Living in a caravan
Owner
Executive
Private
Housing
occupied
rented
rented
association
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Q12b Please tick which accommodation type applies
Sharing NIHE accommodation
Sharing with an owner occupier
Living in B&B or private hotel
Living in residential accommodation
Care home for children
A prison
A hospital
A traveller’s halting
No fixed abode
Other, please specify:
Page 105
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❑
❑
Q13
Accommodation aspects
How many bedrooms are there in your home?
How many storeys does your home have?
Does your home have central heating?
Yes
Is your home insulated?
Yes
Does your home have a garden?
Yes
❑
❑
❑
Q14
If rented accommodation, how long is the lease for?
Q15
If rented accommodation, are you waiting
for repairs to be carried out?
Yes
If yes, how long are you waiting for the work
to be carried out?
❑
Years
No
No
No
❑
❑
❑
Years
No
Months
❑
Months
Brief details of repairs requested:
Q16
Do you have a driving license?
Yes
❑
No
❑
Do you have access to a car?
Yes
❑
No
❑
Yes
❑
No
❑
Who owns the car?
Are you part of the Motability Scheme?
Q17
How would you rate the availability of the public transport options in your area?
Transport options
Q18
Very
Poor
Poor
Neither
Good
Very
Good
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
How frequently would you use the following forms of transport?
Bus
Train
Voluntary bus service
Assisted transport
Lift given by someone else
Family car
Motor cycle or scooter
Bicycle
On foot
Taxi
‘Black taxi’
Almost
Daily
A few
times a
Week
A few
times a
Fortnight
A few
times a
Month
A few
times a
Year
Never
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Page 106
Q19
For the PUBLIC TRANSPORT you use most frequently, how poor or good are
these aspects?
Frequency of service
Convenience of service
Cost of service
Access for the disabled
Personal safety
Very
Poor
Poor
Neither
Good
Very
Good
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Other
Page 107
Section 2: Employment details
Q1
Employment status
Please state YOUR current job or jobs and contract-type and the hours worked LAST
week
JOB 1
Permanent full-time
Permanent part-time
Temporary full-time
Temporary part-time
Training/New Deal
Supported Employment
Work Track
Voluntary unpaid
Incapacitated
Retired
Unemployed
Q2
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
JOB 2
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
JOB 3
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Other
Please state your PARTNER’S current job or jobs and contract type and the
hours worked LAST week
JOB 1
Permanent full-time
Permanent part-time
Temporary full-time
Temporary part-time
Training/New Deal
Supported Employment
Work Track
Voluntary unpaid
Incapacitated
Retired
Unemployed
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
JOB 2
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
JOB 3
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Other
If both you and your partner are unemployed fi Section 3, Q1
Page 108
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Hours
Q3
How long have you and your partner been in your current employment?
Yourself
Q4
Years
Months
Your partner £
Jobs
Jobs
YOUR PARTNER
Job title
Duration of job
Years
Months
Duration of job
Years
Months
How far approximately do you and your partner have to travel to get to work?
Yourself
Q8
Your partner
Please state what these jobs have been and how long each lasted:
YOURSELF
Job title
Q7
Months
How many jobs have you and your partner had in the last five years?
Yourself
Q6
Years
Approximately, what is the salary/wage of your current job and your partner’s
current job (net PER WEEK)?
Yourself £
Q5
Your partner
Miles
Your partner
Miles
How often do YOU use the following means to travel to work?
Bus
Train
‘Black taxi’
Private mini bus or van
On foot
Own car
Life in someone else’s car
Bicycle
Taxi
Work mainly at home
Almost
Daily
A few
times a
Week
A few
times a
Fortnight
A few
times a
Month
A few
times a
Year
Never
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❑
❑
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❑
Other
Page 109
Q8a
How often does your PARTNER use the following means to travel to work?
Bus
Train
‘Black taxi’
Private mini bus or van
On foot
Own car
Life in someone else’s car
Bicycle
Taxi
Work mainly at home
Almost
Daily
A few
times a
Week
A few
times a
Fortnight
A few
times a
Month
A few
times a
Year
Never
❑
❑
❑
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❑
Other
Q9
On average, how long does it take to get to work?
Yourself
Minutes
Your partner
Please move to Section 4: Income and expenditure details
Page 110
Minutes
Section 3: Unemployment details
Q1
How long have you and your partner been unemployed?
Yourself
Q2
Years
Months
Your partner
What was your and your partner’s last job?
Yourself
Q3
Years
Your partner
What were the reasons for your and for your partner’s last job ending?
Yourself
Your partner
Page 111
Months
Section 4: Income and expenditure details
Q1
What benefits are you and your partner in receipt of?
Tick if
YES
1. Attendance Allowance
2. Child Benefit
3. Disability Living Allowance
4. Disability Working Allowance
5. Guardian’s Allowance
6. Hospital Personal Allowance
7. Housing Benefit
8. Incapacity Benefit
9. Income Support
10. Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
11. Invalid Care Allowance
12. Jobseeker’s Allowance
13. Maternity Allowance
14. Pneumoconiosis, Byssinosis and
Miscellaneous diseases Benefits Scheme
15. Retirement Pension
16. Severe Disablement Allowance
17. Social Fund
18. Statutory Maternity Pay
19. Statutory Sick Pay
20. War Pensions
21. Widowed persons allowance
22. Widowed pension
23. Widowed mothers allowance
24. Workmen’s compensation supplementation
25. Other, please specify below:
Yourself
Your partner
Amount and length of
time receiving benefit
Amount and length of
time receiving benefit
Amount
received
Mths/
Yrs
Tick if
YES
❑
❑
❑
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Page 112
Amount
received
Mths/
Yrs
Q2
What other sources of income do you and your partner have (e.g. personal
pensions)?
Yourself
Your partner
Q3
Do you receive working families tax credit?
Q4
Family outgoings PER WEEK
❑
Yes
No
❑
Rent
£
Sky/Cable
£
Fines
£
Mortgage
£
Ground rent
£
Pocket money
£
Electricity
£
Travel (own car)
£
House insurance
£
Gas
£
‘Public’ transport
£
Life insurance
£
Coal
£
School meals
£
Holidays
£
Oil
£
Other school costs
£
Laundry
£
Other fuel
£
Clothing
£
Prescriptions
£
Housekeeping £
Personal expenditure
£
Telephone
£
Rates
Other, please specify: £
£
£
Q5
Credit/debt commitments
Tick if
YES
Credit Card One
Credit Card Two
Credit Card Three
Store Card One
Store Card Two
Store Card Three
Catalogue One
Catalogue Two
Catalogue Three
Hamper Catalogue One
Hamper Catalogue Two
Hamper Catalogue Three
Rent arrears
Mortgage arrears
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
Page 113
Amount paid
per week
Amount
outstanding
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
Tick if
YES
Rates arrears
Fines arrears
Maintenance arrears
Electricity
Oil
Coal
Gas
Other
Funeral directors
Hire purchase payments
Loan cheques
Social fund loans
Money lenders loan
Credit Unions
Clubs in shops
Bank loans
Other loans, please specify:
Other debt/credit commitments
(please specify:)
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
Page 114
Amount paid
per week
Amount
outstanding
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
£
Section 5: Health
We should like to know if you have had any medical complaints and how your health
has been in general over the PAST FEW WEEKS. Please answer ALL the questions and
choose an answer which you think most nearly applies to you. Remember that we want
to know about present and recent complaints, not those you had in the past. PLEASE
CIRCLE THE RESPONSE.
Have you recently…..
Been able to concentrate on
whatever you’re doing?
Better than
usual
Same as
usual
Worse than
usual
Much worse
than usual
Lost much sleep over worry?
Not at
all
No more
than usual
Rather more
than usual
Much more
than usual
Felt that you are playing a
useful part in things?
More so
than usual
Same as
usual
Less useful
than usual
Much less
useful
Felt capable of making
decisions about things?
More so
than usual
Same as
usual
Less useful
than usual
Much less
useful
Felt constantly under strain?
Not at
all
No more
than usual
Rather more
than usual
Much more
than usual
Felt you couldn’t overcome
your difficulties?
Not at
all
No more
than usual
Rather more
than usual
Much more
than usual
Been able to enjoy your
normal day-to-day activities?
More so
than usual
Same as
usual
Less useful
than usual
Much less
useful
Been able to face up to your
problems?
More so
than usual
Same as
usual
Less useful
than usual
Much less
useful
Been feeling unhappy and
depressed?
Not at
all
No more
than usual
Rather more
than usual
Much more
than usual
Been losing confidence
in yourself?
Not at
all
No more
than usual
Rather more
than usual
Much more
than usual
Been thinking of yourself
as a worthless person?
Not at
all
No more
than usual
Rather more
than usual
Much more
than usual
More so
than usual
Same as
usual
Less useful
than usual
Much less
useful
Been feeling reasonably happy,
all things considered?
Page 115
Q1
Have you or your family (your mother/father, your partner’s mother/father and
your offspring) had any serious illness(s) in the past 5 years?
Yes
No
Please provide details:
❑
Q2
Is there a history of specific illness(s) in your family?
No
❑
Do you or any member of your family presently have any physical or mental
health problems?
Yes
No
❑
Are you or have you been attending a doctor, hospital, clinic or alternative
medicine therapist for any reason?
Yes
No
❑
Are you or have you been taking medicines, inhalers, tablets, ointments or
injections?
Yes
No
Current medication
❑
Yes
❑
❑
Q3
❑
Q4
❑
Q5
❑
What type of medication is it?
How long have you been taking
this medication?
Years
Months
Weeks
For how long did you take this
medication?
Years
Months
Weeks
How long ago did you stop taking this?
Years
Months
Weeks
Previous medication
What type of medication is it?
Page 116
Yes
Q6
Are you and your family registered with a dentist?
Q1
Which VOLUNTARY services do you or your family use?
Section 6: Access to services
Type of Service
Q2
Weekly Fortnightly
Monthly
No
❑
Duration (for how long
was the support
provided? Months/Years)
Frequency of support
Daily
❑
Other
Which STATUTORY services do you or your family use?
Type of Service
Duration (for how long
was the support
provided? Months/Years)
Frequency of support
Daily
Weekly Fortnightly
Carer
Community psychiatric
nurse
Day centre
District nurse
Employment Scheme (via
Disablement Employment
Advisor)
Foster care
GP
Health visitor
Holiday/short term care
Home help
Incontinence advisor
Laundry service
Meals on wheels
Occupational therapist
Physiotherapist
Rehabilitation service
Residential care
Paediatric services
Respite care
Sitting service
Sleeping in service
Social worker
Podiatry/Chiropody
Dietician
Speech & lanuage therapist
Other:
Page 117
Monthly
Other
Q3
Generally, how do you access the statutory services you mentioned?
Home visit
By foot
By car
Lift with someone
Q4
❑
❑
❑
❑
By public transport (1 connection)
By public transport (2-3 connections)
By transport (4+ connections)
❑
❑
❑
❑
What services do you presently not access but feel you or your family need
support from?
Page 118
Section 7: Environment
Q1
Using the scale provided, please rate the following in your area?
CIRCLE YOUR RESPONSE
Very
poor
Poor
Child care service
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Pre school education
Accessibility of pre school education
facilities
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Children’s play space
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Street lighting
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Street cleaning
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Access to parks
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Community centre
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Health centre
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Day centre service
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Church
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Sports, games facilities
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Primary school
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Access to public phones
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Access a post office
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Access to a GP surgery
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Access to an Accident and Emergency
hospital
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Access to a dentist
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Access to an optician
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Access to a pharmacist
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Access to a library
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Access to a museum
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Access to a Social Security Office or
Training and Employment Agency
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Respite care in emergencies
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Zebra crossings
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Traffic calming
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Pedestrian crossings
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Bank/Building Society
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Credit Union
1
2
3
4
5
[ ]
Page 119
Don’t
know Good
Very
Not
good available
Other, please specify
Q2
Q3
1
2
3
4
[ ]
Using the scale provided, to what extent would you be concerned about the
following in your immediate area of residence?
CIRCLE THE RESPONSE.
Very
concerned
Concerned
Neutral
Not
concerned
Not at all
concerned
Child safety
1
2
3
4
5
Crime against the individual
1
2
3
4
5
Pavement safety
1
2
3
4
5
Absence of pavements
1
2
3
4
5
Litter/rubbish/dumping
1
2
3
4
5
Vandalism
1
2
3
4
5
Graffiti
1
2
3
4
5
Scruffy/neglected buildings
1
2
3
4
5
Scruffy gardens/landscaping
1
2
3
4
5
Speeding traffic
1
2
3
4
5
Bullying/harassment
1
2
3
4
5
1
2
3
4
5
Have you or your partner ever personally experienced any of the following?
Yourself
Yes
No
Burglary in a dwelling
Violence against the person (excluding assault)
Common assaults
Serious assaults
Theft of a vehicle
Theft from a vehicle
Criminal damage
Burglary in a building other than a dwelling
Q4
5
How do or would you feel about supported housing in your area?
Page 120
Your partner
Yes
No
Section 8: Education
Q1
Q2
What educational qualifications have you and your partner obtained?
Yourself
Your partner
CSE
CSE
‘O’ Level
‘O’ Level
City & Guilds
City& Guilds
Technical qualifications
GCSE
GCSE
‘A’ Level
‘A’ Level
‘As’ Level
‘As’ Level
BTEC
BTEC
GNVQ
GNVQ
NVQ
NVQ
Degree
Degree
Masters
Masters
None
None
Other
Other
What educational qualifications have other members of your family obtained
(your mother/father, your partner’s mother/father and your offspring)?
Please specify family member:
CSE
CSE
‘O’ Level
‘O’ Level
City & Guilds
City& Guilds
GCSE
GCSE
‘A’ Level
‘A’ Level
‘As’ Level
‘As’ Level
BTEC
BTEC
GNVQ
GNVQ
NVQ
NVQ
Degree
Degree
Masters
Masters
None
None
Other
Other
Page 121
Q2a
Q3
Q4
Q5
Continue for other family members if necessary.
CSE
CSE
‘O’ Level
‘O’ Level
City & Guilds
City& Guilds
GCSE
GCSE
‘A’ Level
‘A’ Level
‘As’ Level
‘As’ Level
BTEC
BTEC
GNVQ
GNVQ
NVQ
NVQ
Degree
Degree
Masters
Masters
None
None
Other
Other
How important is education to you and your family?
Very
important
Quite
important
Neutral
Not very
important
Not at all
important
Don’t
know
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
How valuable do you believe education is for your family’s employment?
Very
important
Quite
important
Neutral
Not very
important
Not at all
important
Don’t
know
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
After leaving school did:
You
Go straight to work
Your partner
Go straight to work
Your mother
Go straight to work
Your father
Go straight to work
Your partner’s mother Go straight to work
Your partner’s father
Go straight to work
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
Further Education ❑
Further Education
Become unemployed
Become unemployed
Become unemployed
Become unemployed
Become unemployed
Become unemployed
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
LIST SONS/DAUGHTERS
Go straight to work
Go straight to work
Go straight to work
❑
❑
❑
❑
Further Education
Page 122
Become unemployed
Become unemployed
Become unemployed
❑
❑
❑
Go straight to work
Q6
❑
Further Education
❑
Become unemployed
❑
Have you or your children passed the transfer test?
Yourself
Your partner
Your mother
Your father
Your partner’s mother
Your partner’s father
Yes
No
Did not sit the test
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
LIST SONS/DAUGHTERS
If you or your family did not sit the test, please give details:
Q7
How often have your children had days off from school last year (excluding
school holidays)?
Son 1
Son 2
Son 3
Daughter 1
Daughter 2
Daughter 3
Almost
Daily
A few
times a
Week
A few
times a
Fortnight
A few
times a
Month
A few
times a
Year
Never
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
Page 123
Q8
Are any of your children currently excluded from school?
Yes
❑
No
❑
How long has the exclusion lasted?
Reason(s) given by the school:
Reason(s) as you understand it:
Son 1
Son 2
Son 3
Daughter 1
Daughter 2
Daughter 3
Page 124
Q8a
Have any of your children been excluded from school in the past two years?
Yes
❑
No
❑
Number of exclusions:
How long the exclusion lasted?
Reason(s) given by the school:
Reason(s) as you understand it:
Son 1
Son 2
Son 3
Daughter 1
Daughter 2
Daughter 3
Page 125
Section 9: Aspirations
Q1
What do you hope for in respect of yourself?
Q2
What do you hope for in respect of your work or career?
Q3
What do you hope for in respect of your children?
Q4
What do you hope for in respect of your partner?
Page 126
Section 10: Self-esteem, coping and social isolation
Several statements which people have used to describe themselves are given below.
Read each one carefully and decide the extent to which the statement applies to you.
There are no right or wrong answers. For each statement, encircle the rating which
best describes how you think/feel MOST OF THE TIME. Work quickly through the items
and ensure you respond to each of the items. PLEASE CIRCLE THE RESPONSE.
On the whole I am satisfied with myself.
Strongly
Agree
At times I think I am no good at all.
people.
I certainly feel useless at times.
on an equal plane with others.
I wish I could have more respect for myself.
Agree
Agree
Uncertain
Disagree
Disagree
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Uncertain
Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Uncertain
Disagree
Disagree
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Uncertain
Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Uncertain
Disagree
Disagree
Strongly
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Strongly
Agree
Uncertain
Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Uncertain
Disagree
Disagree
Strongly
Agree
I take a positive attitude toward myself.
Disagree
Strongly
Agree
I feel that I am a person of worth, at least
Disagree
Strongly
Agree
I am able to do things as well as most other
Uncertain
Strongly
Agree
I feel I do not have much to be proud of.
Agree
Strongly
Agree
I feel that I have a number of good qualities.
Strongly
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Strongly
Agree
Uncertain
Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Uncertain
Disagree
Disagree
All in all, I am inclined to feel that I am a failure. Strongly
Agree
Page 127
Strongly
Please respond to each of the following items by circling; Strongly Agree, Agree,
Neutral, Disagree, Strongly Disagree. There are no right or wrong answers. Try to avoid
neutral if possible. PLEASE CIRCLE THE RESPONSE.
If something looks too complicated I will
Strongly
not even bother to try it.
Agree
I avoid trying to learn new things when they
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Strongly
look too difficult.
Agree
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Disagree
When trying to learn something new I soon give Strongly
up if I am not initially successful.
Agree
Strongly
When I make plans I am certain that I can make Strongly
them work.
Agree
If I can’t do a job the first time, I keep trying
Agree
When I have something unpleasant to do,
Agree
When I decide to do something, I go right
Agree
Failure just makes me try harder.
When I set important goals for myself, I rarely
When unexpected problems occur, I don’t
handle them very well.
I feel insecure about my ability to do things.
Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Disagree
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Disagree
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
problems that come up in my life.
Neutral
Strongly
to work on it.
I do not seem capable of dealing with most
Agree
Strongly
I stick at it until I finish it.
achieve them.
Strongly
Strongly
until I can.
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Disagree
Strongly
Agree
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Disagree
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Disagree
Strongly
Agree
Strongly
Strongly
Agree
Page 128
Disagree
Strongly
Agree
Neutral
Disagree
Disagree
Section 11: Details of St Vincent de Paul’s support
Q1
How long have you been accessing St. Vincent de Paul’s support?
Approximately:
Q2
Years
Months
Weeks
How did you find out that St Vincent de Paul could provide help or support?
Advertisement
Member of my family
T.V. and radio
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
❑
Through a friend
Through my church
Other
Please specify:
Q3
Initially, how did you or your family contact St Vincent de Paul?
I phoned the head office
They contacted me
❑
❑
I phoned my local representative
Through a friend
Other
❑
❑
❑
Please specify:
Q4
What was the initial reason for being in contact with the St. Vincent de Paul
Society?
Q5
In what areas or in regards to what issues do St. Vincent de Paul’s provide
support to your or your family?
Marriage breakdown
Help with applications/form-filling
Alcohol and substance abuse related problems
❑
❑
❑
Financial problems
Bereavement
Friendship or support
Advocacy
Page 129
❑
❑
❑
❑
Q6
Has your mother or father or other family members accessed support from
St. Vincent de Paul in the past?
Yes
❑
No
❑
If yes, which members of your family accessed support? (please specify:)
Family member
Q7
Type of support
Duration of support (months/years)
Have you had reason to have an emergency visit from SVP?
Yes
How long ago was this?
Years
OR
Months
Is this the emergency visit
What was the main reason for the emergency visit?
Page 130
❑
No
Weeks
❑
❑
Interview schedule
We have recently finished completing questionnaires with SVP clients from across the
Northern Region. As I said on my visit with the questionnaire you may be asked if you are
willing to take part in another stage of the study to help the society understand more fully the
needs of their clients. We are very pleased that you are willing to talk some more about
different issues in your life. There are questions about a number of different things and we
hope we can give you an opportunity to talk to us about these issues.
I will ask the question and a tape recorder will be used to record what you are saying solely for
the purpose of making sure we have taken on board everything you have said. This will be
used only for the research study and no other purpose. You will never be identified by name in
any way and the tape will be destroyed after dictation. It will be absolutely confidential in the
same way the questionnaire was confidential.
We are very pleased that you are taking part in this so that your response and the responses
of others can be heard by the society so that the society is fully aware and understands the
needs of their clients.
I am going to begin and go through the different questions. This should take no longer than
one hour.
Theme: Social Exclusion
•
Due to your circumstances, do you feel you are missing out on anything? We are
thinking about things like: (Prompts)
– Holidays
– Short breaks
– School trips
– Social activities – night out; going to cinema; leisure centres
– Having a computer or internet access
– Respite care
Theme: Current situation
•
Do you find yourself struggling on day-to-day basis to make ends meet?
•
How do you cope on a day-to-day basis?
Theme: Aspirations/Future
•
Do you think you current situation or circumstances will continue? (If yes, ask client in
what way is their current situation going to improve?, if no, follow with next question)
•
What do you think needs to happen for your situation to improve?
Page 131
Theme: Physical Health
•
Do you feel that your physical health suffers due to your current situation?
– What kind of symptoms would you have?
– Do you or your family have any recurrent medical problems?
– Would you visit the GP/Hospital frequently in relation to this problem?
•
Visit Dentist
NB:
Family refers to mother, father, partner’s mother, father and offspring.
Theme: Stress
•
Do you feel stressed due to your current situation?
– In what ways do you feel stressed?
– Would you visit the GP/Hospital frequently in relation to feeling stressed?
– What might help you feel less stressed?
Theme: Perceived cause underlying current circumstances
•
What do you think are the major causes of your situation?
Theme: Barriers
•
What do you think are the major obstacles stopping you from getting out of your current
situation?
Theme: Sources of ‘Help’ you would welcome
•
What sources of help do you think you need to enable you to improve your current
situation? (e.g., from DHSS, local council, local clergy)
Theme: SVP support: We would like your view of the society
•
What do you think of the support you currently receive from your local SVP members?
•
Would you like to make any suggestions that you feel would improve the support you
are receiving from the society?
This is the end of the meeting. Can I thank-you again for taking part and giving us so much of
your time. Just to say that I am going to seal this tape and put a number on it so that your
name will not be known or ever used in any reports. It will only be heard by the member of the
research team who dealt with the questionnaires. after the tape has been dictated it will be
destroyed.
The tape should then be sealed in a enveloped in front of the person and returned to SVP
Head Office.
Page 132

Addressing policy implications of transgenerational poverty

Transcription

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