Tackling deep-seated social exclusion: Hilary Armstrong announces next steps and new arrangements in government
Social Exclusion Minister Hilary Armstrong today announced a new Taskforce that will put social exclusion at the heart of government.
Speaking after chairing the first cabinet committee for social exclusion today, she set out the next steps for the Government's drive to tackle deep-seated disadvantage.
Ms Armstrong's priority is to reach the one million people at risk of persistent social exclusion, who have not yet benefited from opportunities the majority of people can now take for granted.
The new Social Exclusion Taskforce will concentrate on identifying the most at-risk and focus on specific hard-to-reach groups including children in care, people with mental health problems and teenagers at risk of pregnancy.
The Taskforce draws together the expertise of some staff from the former Social Exclusion Unit in the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and policy specialists from the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit. It will be based in the Cabinet Office and report to Hilary Armstrong and Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Pat McFadden.
The Taskforce will continue to demonstrate the values that underpinned the success of the Social Exclusion Unit's work - including its commitment to evidence-based policy making, working with stakeholders and giving a voice to disadvantaged groups.
The Taskforce's work will complement the role of departments which will continue to have responsibility for delivering social exclusion policies on the ground.
Speaking after the first Cabinet Committee on Social Exclusion today, Hilary Armstrong said:
'This Government has always been committed to delivering social justice and tackling social exclusion, and has made excellent progress since 1997 in lifting many of people out of poverty. Against this backdrop of success, we see more starkly a small number continuing to experience multiple disadvantage.
'Bringing this agenda to the heart of government by creating the Social Exclusion Taskforce reflects our determination to tackle the most deeply entrenched problems. We will build on the good work done by the Social Exclusion Unit and support government departments in breaking the cycle of poverty and exclusion.'
The Prime Minister recently underlined his commitment to tackling the most deep-seated causes and symptoms of social exclusion and named it as one of the key over-arching challenges facing the whole of Government. In his letter of appointment to Hilary Armstrong he asked her to spearhead a renewed drive to address the most socially excluded in society.
Social exclusion issues always cross the boundaries of any individual department and the Prime Minister has also made clear that the whole of Government has a responsibility for delivering social justice. Hilary Armstrong will play a crucial strategic role in co-ordinating this agenda across Government and will work closely with other Ministers.
Next steps
The Action Plan, expected this autumn and setting out how the Government will reach the most excluded in society, will focus on key groups and issues including:
- improving the early identification of the most at-risk households, individuals and children so that interventions can be targeted more effectively at those most at risk - to themselves or to others
- raising the outcomes and aspirations of children in care
- accelerating current progress in reducing the rate of teenage pregnancies
- ensuring that people with mental health problems receive effective services, with a particular focus on making sure that the cross-cutting review on mental health finds new ways to allow people with mental health problems to find and retain work
- supporting ongoing work by the Respect Unit, with improved programmes to help prevent the problem families of tomorrow.
The Minister will also:
- chair the new Cabinet Committee on Social Exclusion
- take forward a Ten-Year Strategic Review of the long term trends and drivers of social exclusion and the systemic changes needed to address them
- work closely with the Treasury and other Departments to help secure the best possible outcomes for excluded people and groups in the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review
- begin a programme of visits to investigate examples of good practice around the country as part of her goal of ensuring an Action Plan on Social Exclusion leads to real change at the frontline.
Notes for editors
Background on taskforce
The Government created the Social Exclusion Unit in 1997 to reflect its determination to take a cross-government approach to improving the life chances of the most disadvantaged in our society.
Since then, the number of children living in poverty has fallen by 800,000, more people have been brought back into employment, the number of rough sleepers has fallen by three quarters, and teenage pregnancies are at their lowest level since the mid 1980s and the rate among under-16s has now fallen by more than 15 per cent.
For a full copy of the background explaining the changes, please go to www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk
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