F. Dowds NIAPN MSI Prague 2004 Email: [email protected] 1 Northern Ireland Anti-Poverty Network Participation Subgroup MSI Project

F. Dowds NIAPN MSI Prague 2004 Email: [email protected]

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Northern Ireland Anti-Poverty Network

Participation SubgroupMSI Project


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Political & Policy development process Belfast/Good Friday Agreement 1998 Programme for Government (PFG) Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) Equality Commission-Section 75 Duty Civic Forum (currently suspended) ‘Partners for Change’ Compact Govt & V&C

sectors New Targeting Social Need (NEW TSN) and

Promoting Social Inclusion (PSI)


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A Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland

The NIHRC was set up to advise Sec of State on Bill of Rights for NI.

The NGO sector have been working hard to ensure a Rights Based approach to tackling P & SE, possibly through the inclusion of Socio-economic Rights within a BOR for NI.

Nothing delivered on this so far, work of NIHR Commission continues with mixed attitudes from the public toward their work to date.


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Northern Ireland Act Mainstreaming is meant to operate in NI via Section

75 of the NI Act, known as Section 75 Duty. The Equality Commission was established to oversee

and advise on this policy area. Section 75 requires all public authorities in NI to

promote Equality of Opportunity between persons of different religious belief, political opinion, racial group, age, marital status or sexual orientation, between men and women generally, between persons with a disability and persons without and between persons with dependents and persons without.


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Section 75 Duty All public authorities are required to Equality Impact

Assess their policies in order to establish if any Section 75 groups are being adversely impacted upon. Where ‘adverse impacts’ are identified, the relevant public authority is required to examine alternative ways in which the policy can be delivered.

This applies to nearly all public authorities in NI and covers all their areas of work from health to education, housing, training & employment, transport etc

However poverty & class are not included as categories in Section 75 Duty. For many people in NI the main form of discrimination they feel is not based on their religion, gender or race but on their lack of income.


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The situation in NI – Section 75 Many groups in NI do not have equal access to public

goods and services and this is reflected in terms of poor health, low educational attainment, unemployment etc

This helps explain why the Traveller infant mortality rate for example is nine times that of the settled population. Equally, it is no coincidence that Travellers are among the poorest people in NI.

Under this policy, the responsibility is on public bodies in NI to ensure that consultation is effective, not on the affected groups to get themselves educated. It is the responsibility of the organisations distributing the consultation documents to take groups as they are and ensure that there is adequate consultation with them.


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Devolution & suspension Under Devolution NI citizens had for the first

time access to political mechanisms for lobbying and commenting on ‘some’ NI policy: 11 Govt departments, a legislative Assembly and a consultative Civic Forum.

However, even with Devolution the majority of economic decision making (Taxation, social welfare and Nat Min Wage) remained a reserved matter essentially under control of the Treasury at Westminster.


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Now With the Assembly suspended due to the current

political impasse in NI, the opportunities to lobby and influence policy have been further reduced. Ironically accessing political representatives has become easier but their ability to influence policy development is likewise diminished. Except for those elected as Members of Parliament at Westminster.

This has become a time for relationship building between NGO’s and political representatives. It is to be hoped this will impact on policy developments once the NI Assembly is again up and running.


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NEW Targeting Social Need – and Promoting Social Inclusion (PSI)

NEW TSN aims to tackle social need and social exclusion by targeting efforts and available resources within existing departmental programmes towards people, groups and areas in greatest social need.

Importantly, it is not a programme with its own budget, which means Departments must reassess their budgets in order to ‘skew’ resources and efforts towards targeting social need.


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NEW TSN- as it was It has 3 complimentary elements: Focus on tackling problems of unemployment and

employability Tackle inequalities in areas such as health, education

and the problems of disadvantaged areas Promoting Social Inclusion (PSI) which is a sub theme

running through NEW TSN which will attempt to tackle factors which can contribute to social exclusion and to undertake positive initiatives to improve and enhance the life and circumstances of the most deprived and marginalised people.

Key matters that remain with Westminster are: Social Welfare Benefits, Nat Min Wage and taxation.


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Evaluation of NEW TSN 2002 & the Way Forward document 2004

This major policy was evaluated in 2002 and a new strategy entitled, an Anti-Poverty Strategy for NI (within the Way Forward document) is currently being consulted on within Northern Ireland.


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Promoting Social Inclusion (PSI )

Purpose to investigate and understand more fully the socially excluded. Working groups and a number of studies on disadvantaged groups have been produced, with varying degrees of support from the NGO sector.

The common criticism is that these studies are not acted upon. They seem to have no impact on policy development.


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Consultation Consultation is structural in terms of statutory

requirements but it is also informal. Many NGO’s work at a local level with their members to ensure they are informed and able to comment on policy as it is developed.

It has to be said across NI that there is a gap between policy and consultation and people living with poverty and social exclusion.

Many do not see the purpose in taking part in such consultations as there is a widespread sense of disbelief that their recommendations will have any impact on policy development. E.g. Peace II


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Timescales & information

There is a healthy cynicism within the NGO sector and the public at large when it comes to consultation time scales and information provision.

The summer holiday months of July and August are potentially volatile across NI. Unfortunately many policies that may be seen to be unpopular are often presented for a 12 week consultation period over this time frame. Effectively this reduces the potential involvement of key stake holders and undermines the process that consultation is meant to enhance – participative democracy.

Information is not always as accessible as the Network would like it to be, particularly research findings but generally we are happy with the efforts made by Government departments with regard to ‘plain English’ where possible.


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Stages of policy development-design or implementation? This is a key issue. Again there is healthy cynicism across the NGO

sector over what ‘impact’ consultation recommendations will have on a policy document. It is often see as a ‘done deal’.

By its very nature policy work is extremely slow and achievements made are not always recognised.

The challenge for Govt and the NGO sector is to have a transparent process supporting the consultation mechanism where feedback on recommendations that are to be adopted can be made public. Importantly where recommendations are not to be incorporated there should also be a public response indicating why.

I will deal with the remaining headings under policy within the following case study dealing with the current consultation on the Way Forward document, proposing an Anti-Poverty Strategy for NI.


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Are there formal structures or mechanisms in place to ensure the effective participation of interested and relevant groups/individuals?

As detailed above all public authorities are required to Equality Impact Assess their policies in order to establish if any Section 75 groups are being adversely impacted upon. However poverty & class are not included as categories in Section 75 Duty.

The majority of real proactive inclusive work is carried out within NGOs in receipt of project based grant support, which is limited to 1, 2 or 3 years maximum. Unfortunately the issue of resources arises at every point for this type of consultative/participative work. Very few organisations or Networks in the NGO sector enjoy sustained or reliable funding. This insecurity has a very negative effect on the work they do with and for their members.


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Resources Some times Government will work through an NGO with a specific remit

for a particular disadvantaged group, e.g. NI Council for Ethnic Minorities and more recently, the NI Anti-Poverty Network. This is a cost effective and useful way of accessing the particularly disadvantaged group that a policy may be aimed at.

In NI there is another consultation under way with Government over the future of funding for the NGO sector; Pathways for Change. It is widely acknowledged that those groups working on the ground are best placed to deliver on many govt targets and objectives especially in relation to tackling poverty and social exclusion.

Many groups work with their members to enable them to comment on Govt policy but their continued insecurity with regard to grants severely limits their ability to deliver, their capacity to grow, and importantly to reach others who are particularly disadvantaged and isolated.


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Resources This work needs to be resourced over a

longer time frame than 1, 2 or 3 years to ensure that real participative democracy can be built with those who are currently unrepresented. To enable groups to work to build confidence and self esteem, to develop and sustain strong grass roots and to deliver in terms of impacting on policy.


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If such structures exist, how inclusive are they and do they ensure ALL relevant and interested individuals/organisations participate?

Generally there are a variety of approaches to ensuring the effective participation of relevant groups. The most successful are those facilitated by an NGO. There is no common agreed approach or format across Govt with relation to consultation. There is the potential here to identify a best practice model that will deliver for all involved. See diagram attached.

There will always be issues in relation to inclusion. The majority of those particularly disadvantaged groups (those not involved in any community, group or church activity) still remain uninvolved in commenting on policies aimed at tackling poverty and social exclusion.

Lack of resources and limited timescales (usually 12 weeks) for attending events and submitting responses again have a major impact here. If Anti-Poverty groups were resourced to exist at a local level then they could work to ensure targeting and support measures for those who are particularly disadvantaged to get actively involved in such activities.


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If such structures exist, how inclusive are they and do they ensure ALL relevant and interested individuals/organisations participate?

There is a serious need to change public attitude to ‘decisions all ready made’ approach to NI policy. E.g. Reform of the Water and Sewerage system in NI

Many see policy as having no direct relationship to their lives, never mind the fact that it determines and impacts on all areas of an individuals and a communities life.


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Mechanisms of participation NIAPN NIAPN use consultative events, with guest speakers charged with a duty to

present the policy in ‘bite size chunks’. This is followed by participative workshops where there is an opportunity to make comments, ask questions and then to address the open questions identified within each specific workshop.

We also use working groups made up of NIAPN board members and people with expertise and a commitment to Anti-Poverty work, to produce informed background papers on policy proposals.

We also work through our local member groups to reach their members and ensure their participation at our consultative events.

Findings from events are written up as accurately as possible, where time allows findings are sent to attendees for comment or change. Such changes are then made and a formal submission is made to the relevant Government department. A request for a response to our submission is made and this we in turn disseminate to our members.


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Case Study The Way Forward document

The Northern Ireland Anti Poverty Network worked with the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister, Anti-Poverty Unit to ensure this process was more than just an information based exercise. With this in mind time was built in to allow for facilitators to comment on workshop findings, for rappoteurs to provide independent notes based on comments at these events and for the dissemination of workshop findings to be sent to workshop participants.

The intention was to allow for additional comments to be incorporated into the final submission which was made to the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister, Anti-Poverty Unit in August 2004.


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4 Response from OFMDFM, Anti Poverty Unit to NIAPN submission on the

proposed strategy.Response disseminated to

NIAPN members, workshop participants and public.

1 6 public and member based information

seminars with participative workshops across Northern Ireland

3 Additional comments from workshop participants to be included in final submission to OFMDFM Anti Poverty Unit

New TSN -Way Forward document

proposals on an Anti-Poverty Strategy for

Northern Ireland

2 Dissemination of local findings from events to workshop participants

THE CONSULTATION PROCESS


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NORTHERN IRELAND ANTI-POVERTY NETWORKSummary Position Paper on the Way Forward document

If this consultation is to be meaningful to people living in poverty, there is a serious need for the political will within Government to listen to what has been said and to take it on board.

It must take account of and be influenced by the social, economic and structural circumstances that all our citizens live within.

It must have a definition of poverty, social exclusion and social inclusion.

The strategic aim of an Anti- Poverty Strategy must be to eradicate poverty and social exclusion.

There must be SMART objectives, actions, quantified targets and indicators detailed against a realistic and ambitious timescale andbudget.

Qualitative indicators.

The Strategy must continue to carry out analysis to develop solutions and on provide new analysis rather than simply listing existing policies.


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NIAPN Summary Position Paper

The role of an Anti-Poverty Strategy and its impact on and relationship with other strategies and policies needs to be defined and explained.

The different nature of rural poverty, particularly lack of access to services, must also be taken account of within a proposed Anti-Poverty Strategy.

It must have cross-border dimensions.

It must be Rights and Equality based with a gender dimension that must be actioned. It needs to tackle structural inequality, benefit levels, housing and income differentials.

An Anti-Poverty Strategy must address how it will protect the interests of people living in poverty and those at risk of poverty from policy proposals such as the proposed introduction of Water Charges. This particularly regressive tax must be urgently addressed.


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Introduce a further category under Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act, low income, or poverty and social exclusion.

The issues of regionality, rurality and poverty need to be addressed in a way that enable and ensure participation, especially of socially excluded groups at a variety of levels, up to and including the Ministerial Forum.

The next stage of consultation on the development of a strategy must address the mechanisms and structures of the proposed Forum.

The Northern Ireland bloc grant should be top sliced to ensure Poverty and social exclusion targets direct and inform the setting of overall budget priorities.

Local groups addressing poverty must have access to resources, NIAPN call for a minimum ‘3% budget-line’ for anti-poverty initiatives within each Government department and at a local council level.


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There must be SMART objectives relating to people with disabilities and carers who cannot take up paid employment in the Anti-Poverty Strategy.

The structural and social barriers that prevent people moving out of poverty need to be identified and addressed.

The social protection system needs to develop mechanisms to ensure that accepting work is always financially worthwhile.

There is a serious need for awareness raising on the European Union policy, National Action Plans for Social Inclusion, and its implications for Northern Ireland. The degree of ‘fit’ between this policy and future proposals within an Anti-Poverty Strategy for Northern Ireland must also be addressed in the next stage of this consultation.

At its heart an Anti-Poverty Strategy must enable people experiencing poverty and civil society to inform and direct its preparation, implementation and monitoring. (NIAPN Oct 2004)

Documents

F. Dowds NIAPN MSI Prague 2004 Email: [email protected] 1 Northern Ireland Anti-Poverty Network Participation Subgroup MSI Project