A report said that 17 per cent of the European Union population in 2008 – 81 million people – had disposable income that was below their national 'at-risk-of-poverty' threshold.
Source: Anthony Atkinson and Eric Marlier (eds.), Income and Living Conditions in Europe, Eurostat/European Commission
Links: Report | Eurostat press release
Date: 2010-Dec
An annual report examined the state of poverty and social exclusion using a set of 50 indicators covering low income, worklessness, debt, ill-health, poor education, and problems in communities. By 2008-09, 13 million people were in poverty: of these, 5.8 million (44 per cent) were in 'deep poverty' (with household income at least one-third below the poverty line) – the highest proportion on record. Despite the economic recession, the number of children in poverty in workless families fell in 2008-09, to 1.6 million, the lowest since 1984: but those in working families rose slightly to 2.1 million, the highest on record.
Source: Anushree Parekh, Tom MacInnes and Peter Kenway, Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion 2010, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Links: Report | Findings | JRF press release | NPI press release | Daycare Trust press release | TUC press release | Working Families press release | Morning Star report | BBC report | Guardian report
Date: 2010-Dec
A report said that the fundamental elements of a 'good life' – relationships, purpose, and community – were denied to many millions of people, especially those vulnerable and marginalized individuals and groups who were excluded from the society in which they lived. It said that the existing policy focus on delivering services to marginalized groups should be reframed to one of facilitating a life of participation and contribution, a key element of which was being able to belong.
Source: Diane Diacon and Jim Vine, Living a Good Life: Bringing relationships, community and purpose to the lives of marginalised people, Building and Social Housing Foundation
Date: 2010-Dec
A think-tank report said that it was not enough to measure income poverty by itself: there was also a need for an annual, multi-dimensional analysis of poverty and social exclusion. This measure would track annually the depth of deprivation at a household level, and the overlap and interaction between different dimensions of disadvantage. The report set out a detailed methodology as to how that measure would work.
Source: Sonia Sodha and William Bradley, 3D Poverty, Demos
Date: 2010-Dec
It was reported that the Social Exclusion Taskforce, a Cabinet Office unit that co-ordinated policy work across government departments to help the most disadvantaged members of society, had been abolished.
Source: Regeneration and Renewal, 9 November 2010
Links: News report
Date: 2010-Nov
An article examined the impact of the European Union's 'open method of co-ordination' on employment and social inclusion policies at sub-state level in the United Kingdom.
Source: Eilidh MacPhail, 'Examining the impact of the open method of coordination on sub-state employment and social inclusion policies: evidence from the UK', Journal of European Social Policy, Volume 20 Number 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2010-Oct
An audit report reviewed the data systems used to support delivery of the Labour government's public service agreement 16 – to 'increase the proportion of socially excluded adults in settled accommodation and employment, education or training' – over the period from 2008.
Source: Review of the Data Systems for Public Service Agreement 16, National Audit Office
Links: Report
Date: 2010-Jun
A think-tank pamphlet examined the record of the Labour government since 1997 on social exclusion; and what campaigners needed to do to raise the political profile of the issue.
Source: David Blunkett MP and Kate Green, What Worked: Labour's track record on social exclusion and the challenges for the next government, Fabian Society
Links: Pamphlet
Date: 2010-Apr
A think-tank report examined policies to improve the lives of people who experienced a combination of problems – including homelessness, substance misuse, and mental ill-health – and who were often serving short-term prison sentences. More than two-thirds of people surveyed said that they were personally concerned with the problems of people with multiple needs and exclusions.
Source: Tom Hampson (ed.), Hardest to Reach? The politics of multiple needs and exclusions, Fabian Society
Links: Summary
Date: 2010-Apr
A government programme designed to improve support for adults suffering from 'chronic social exclusion' – with multiple needs and 'chaotic' lifestyles – was found to be producing 'promising' early results. There had been improvements in clients' physical and mental health, benefit take-up, and relationships with friends and family after 4-6 months' engagement with the pilot programmes.
Source: Jack Cattell, Tom Hitchins and Alan Mackie, ACE Evaluation: Interim Report, Cabinet Office
Links: Report | Community Care report
Date: 2010-Feb
A study examined three pilot programme initiatives aimed at people facing serious social exclusion and receiving some support from the Department for Work and Pensions (Next Steps Test Bed Regional Pilots, Exit to Work, and ACE Pilots). The target groups faced constraints on their employment chances such as: lifestyle issues (notably behaviour), low employability (lacking skills, qualifications, work experience), and low appeal to employers. A period of stabilization was generally needed for around two years, in order to allow employment interventions to be introduced to a more stable platform. This was mainly achieved through caseworker support at a fairly intensive level. The size and short duration of the pilots had severely limited their ability to achieve measurable outcomes of impacts.
Source: John Atkinson, Anne Bellis and Rachel Marangozov, Joint Pilots Baseline Research, Research Report 605, Department for Work and Pensions
Links: Report | Summary | DWP press release | IES press release
Date: 2010-Jan