A week of debate on poverty in the media

Last week Martin Johnstone (Secretary for The Poverty Truth Commisison) was invited to contribute a post on a blog looking at how poverty is portrayed in the media which has been organised by Community Link.

He comments:

"Virtually every day of my life I am fortunate to meet some absolutely incredible people. Folks like Jessie, Jean, Blair, Donna, Ghazala, Marie, Carol and countless others.
These are people who despite the poverty that they have to struggle against - the rotten housing, the appalling benefits, the regular threat of violence - are resilient, resourceful and determined that things will be better both for those they love and also for those they don’t know but who share their predicament.
I am sad that other people are less fortunate than I am - that they don’t have the privilege of those conversations, meetings and life-changing encounters. I am particularly sad that their view of people living in poverty is shaped by journalists who, on the whole, don’t have the time (or inclination) to find out what is real.
I don’t want to tar all media with the same brush - just as I don’t want them to pretend that all people living in poverty are bad folk, just because a few of them are. I want to congratulate, for example, Glasgow’s Evening Times for the stories it prints around the city’s community champions.
And I want to encourage some journalists to come and spend some time with the awesome, spectacular and incredible people that I know - and then to tell their readers and viewers about what they have encountered."

You can view his entry on the blog and see the many contributions made from a wide range of people, from award-winning bloggers to young people from Newham.

http://www.community-links.org/linksuk/?p=1410

About Jesus Christ who walked
around a lot and listened
carefully

Jesus walked around a lot
where people
were

and listened
carefully

to everything they said
because

he thought
they had a lot to say

and so they DID.

They said
There wasn’t any food.

They said
Their kids was sick a lot.

They said
they needed help

and Jesus listened
carefully.

And after he had listened
carefully
He said: if peoples
got together
it wouldn’t be
so hard.

He said
that maybe they could

change the
world

so children wouldn’t starve.

And after
he had finished saying that

he got some food
so they could eat

and then
he walked on down the road

to where
some other peoples lived

and stayed with them
and listened very carefully
again.

That
is what he did.

He told the truth
about the rich

and listened
to the poor.

And then
the people

who ran the country
killed him.

It happens
all the time

--Jane Stembridge, age 19, Mississippi, 1964

VIOLENCE REDUCTION WORK GROUP.

Drawing from his own experience of alienation and homelessness, Darren ‘Loki’ McGarvey recently reported on Volition, a project that he is initiating together with a group of Scottish youth with whom he has been working for the past several years.

Volition engages 14 to 25 year old youth, many of whom are victims of a society that provides limited opportunities for young people. Meaningful jobs are scarce. Families are often in disarray. Drugs and alcohol are everywhere. Where do young people turn? Where do they release their anger and find new meaning for their lives?

While some young people at risk find diversion in football and other sports, significant numbers of youth are still adrift. Loki has found that engaging with hip hop can give new meaning to their lives. When it was first introduced, rap, a form of hip hop, was often violent and homophobic, but it has since changed and has become a universal language among young people.

In Volition youth find an environment where they can freely explore their ideas and express their opinions in a context where others understand. The medium, as well as other forms of hip hop, draw on the creativity of youth, which often has few other outlets. Writing, recording and performing rap enables the participants in Volition to express their anger, their outrage and then move on from there. Hearing and critique one another’s works they find release from their own pent-up anger and can reflect on their own lives and how they can find a place in this world. The participants in Volition are encouraged to aspire and gain a sense of achievement and identity. In community with others, they can develop their literary skills using figurative language and multi syllabic rhyme structure.

Furthermore, Volition is organized in a totally democratic way giving all participants a real sense of ownership. Members are currently engaged in the process of writing the organization’s constitution, coming to understand the importance of clear goals and aims, as well as an effective structure

Volition is in the process of equipping a work space where participants can listen to and assess each other’s work as well as compile CD’s and plan for performances.

The testimony of the participants speaks volumes.

Jamie writes: Before hip hop music was introduced to me, I was into the usual crap music, but I never really felt as though I had a connection with any genre. When I heard hip hop I instantly felt a strong bond with both the lyrics and the beats.

Alie writes: Hip hop to me personally is a way to chill out and listen to other people’s life stories.

Doug writes: I believe that Hip Hop has changed me personally for the better; in a way I have grown up with it; it has kept me from using my spare time from vandalising, etc. Instead I devote most of my spare time to writing for collaboration with others who have the same interests.

Janet writes: The feeling of belonging is something that hip hop has given me, where family and career have failed. Without Hip Hop in my life I would be a lost soul with no aims or direction.

David writes: It’s time to say that hip hop has always received bad press and that is unfair as true hip hop is all about peace, love and unity.

John writes: Hip hop has given me a way to express my feelings; it gives me a chance to give my opinions on different subjects and helps me understand other people’s situations and feelings. I realize now that Hip Hop is a musician’s equivalent of a painting a picture. It is just a different form of art and I am disappointed by the negativity which often surrounds it.

Andrew writes: Writing is a way of expressing feelings that I would not usually talk about with other people, helping me open up to what is really going on in my mind. It helps me understand other people’s; views as well. Putting my anger on paper helps me deal with it. I realize now that words are a more effective release then acting out.

Calum writes: Hip hop has had a massive affect on my life. I started listening when I was 15 and at 16 I started writing. I enjoy this because I am a creative person and use writing as a way to reflect on something. It is also a good way to release stress without being aggressive.

Angela writes: I was bullied as a youth and as a result have confidence issues and social contacts are a struggle for me. But Hip hop has given me an outlet and has upped my confidence. It has also given me an opportunity to meet people who have become good friends. It has helped me in more ways than I can even describe.

Violence Work Group

The first meeting of the work group on violence met on 19 October. (Sadly the first meeting that was scheduled earlier had to be cancelled because of the memorial service for Daniel Boyle, one of the young men from Ruchazie who had prepared to be a testifier at the Poverty Truth Commission. He died a violent death at the age of 18.)

John Carnochan who is the Detective Chief Superintendent of the Violence Reduction Unit of the Strathclyde Police and a Poverty Truth Commissioner, hosted the meeting. John launched the meeting by describing the work of the Violence Reduction Unit, which is considering the basic causes of the considerable violence in Scottish Society and developing programs that intervene at appropriate points within the life of the society and individuals.

Violence is identified as a public health problem and John used the metaphor of Tuberculosis to explain the practical meaning of this designation. In former days when someone was diagnosed with TB they were sent away to a sanatorium until they healed. Today, there is early intervention that seeks to prevent the onset of TB. Likewise, if the society waits for a violent crime to occur and then sends the perpetrator away to prison, very little is accomplished. Far better to intervene at the earliest possible point in the life of the child to reduce the possibility that violence will mark the life of this child.

This requires examining the entire environment in which the child is nurtured. Violence in the home, in the neighbourhood and in the media can serve to program a child to do violence. Early intervention (parenting classes, alcohol awareness training, diversionary activities, preparation for positive employment) can help prevent a life of violence.

Such preventative measures do not substitute for strict law enforcement today, but are actions to reduce violence in the future.

It is hoped that the testifiers can draw on their own personal experience as victims of violence and as the work group continues to meet to examine ways in which violence can be reduced.

On 21 March at the meeting in City Chambers, one former gang member told the story of the useless and tragic murder of a beloved member of the gang. After the murder the entire neighbourhood sought to understand the causes of this tragedy and is taking steps that would prevent further such violence. The question that is asked is what can be done, street by street to change the culture in which such violence occurs.

Violence affects everyone and everyone needs to be recognize the changes that will lead to its reduction. This includes recognizing that every individual in creation is made in the image of God and society must maximize the opportunities for every person to grow to their full stature and potential and to realize their own role in the continuing creation of the world.. This is a task that requires the efforts of all of us.

Latest Updates

On 21st March the members of the Poverty Truth Commission came together at City Chambers for the first time. Fourteen “Commissioners”, leaders from Parliament, academia, the religious community and the media came together to hear the stories of a dozen people (“Testifiers”) from some of the poorest communities in Glasgow. These were more than stories of the struggle to survive. Using dance, drama, poetry, rap, dialogue and monologue, the Testifiers demonstrated their creativity and insights and advocated for change that would greatly improve their lives and their communities. Many of the audience of 400 were deeply moved by the testimonies – perhaps the majority having shared some of the same struggles themselves.

After conferring together the Commissioners proposed that the group keep meeting in the days ahead. “We would want a number of testifiers to join us ...as together we tackle the issues which [the testifiers] have so wonderfully and eloquently raised.”

Since that time the whole Commission has met twice with plans to continue meeting for 18 months and to then report back to the public on the progress that has been made. The Commission is co-chaired by Tricia McConalogue (Bridging the Gap, Gorbals) and Jim Wallace (Former Depute First Minister of Scotland).

The commissioners have divided into work groups that meet regularly around the following issues:

KINSHIP CARERS
When the parents are unable to care for their children (because of addiction or disease) a social worker often asks a grandparent to raise the children. But there are no benefits available to help. What can be done so that grandparents caring for their grandchildren receive benefits similar to what foster parents receive?

Caring and supporting children is a heavy burden for grandparents many of whom are themselves struggling to survive. In many cases the children have been traumatized (some are methadone babies) and need counselling. These are children who deserve the best. What can be done so that grandparents caring for their grandchildren receive benefits similar to what foster parents receive?

Reaching a solution is a complex challenge requiring action by the UK, Scottish and Local Governments. The working group on Kinship Carers is striving to cut through the red tape to assure that the grandparents receive adequate financial assistance and children receive the support they require.

YOUTH VIOLENCE
On 21st March, William, Nicola, Loki and Carol all spoke about violence – violence in the home and violence on the streets. A work group is meeting to consider what can be done.

The root causes of violence run deep. These include: an education system that does not adequately equip youth for productive lives; an economy that provides fewer and fewer employment opportunities for young people; and broken and violent homes.

This violence work group, including Detective John Carnochan who leads the Violence Reduction Unit of Strathclyde Police, is looking for fundamental ways to free the neighbourhoods, especially in the poorest places, from the grip of violence.

THE MEDIA
The mass media seems to thrive on stories of failure and violence. Poor neighbourhoods are often described in negative terms. The courage, originality, resilience and generosity of people struggling with poverty doesn’t often make the news, yet there is so much that is positive in these communities.

The Church of Scotland speaks of these neighbourhoods as ‘good places to be.’ What can be done to assure that the media adopts a more balanced approach to its reporting – recognising the quiet heroes and heroic acts that occur on a daily basis in often forgotten neighbourhoods. This is the task of the media working group.

In introducing the Testifiers on 21st March, the Chair of the Poverty Truth Commission, Tricia McConalogue, compared those who know about poverty because they observe it from afar with the real experts who live in it day in and day out.

Despite their expertise, the voices of poverty have often not been heard where policies affecting life in poor communities are made. If no one is going to listen, then those who have a lot to say are not motivated to speak and soon lose their confidence. When we are overlooked and ignored we begin to feel like objects rather than subjects. The Poverty Truth Commission is dedicated to changing this. “Nothing about us without us is for us.”

Kinship Carers

Over the last few days it has been great to see articles in the Herald (Glasgow-based Scottish newspaper) about kinship carers. Check them out at http://www.theherald.co.uk/. On Monday this included a major interview with Jessie Harvey, one of our Comissioners and a Kinship Carer.
And in today's paper (8th July) we have a letter from Jim Wallace (Lord Wallace of Tankerness) and Tricia McConalogue, the Commission Co-Chairs calling on the government at local, Scottish and UK levels to get together to address the problems. You can read it at: http://www.theherald.co.uk/display.var.2518688.0.0.php?utag=137191.

I'm Tommy and a Kinship Carer

I’M Tommy and a Kinship Carer

Esteemed friends, guests and fellow kinship carers, can I thank you for the opportunity to address you as to the scandal of children in kinship care.

Can I first of all say that I do not intend to exaggerate, even in the slightest way, do not have to, every kinship carer here and beyond will confirm and testify to what I say nor would I disrespect you by misleading you.

Children in kinship care, or should I call it, “relative foster care” are unique. It is different from all other forms of caring because in the vast majority of cases, the state or local authority have legally intervened and removed the child or children from the family home for reasons of neglect, abuse, bereavement or the child is deemed to be at risk.

Once the local authority has applied to the court for custody, a Children’s Panel is convened and they then apply for a supervision order, Section 10 Children’s Act, they then assume corporate parenthood, they have a responsibility for these children, they cannot wash their hands of them.

Yet for children in kinship care, that’s exactly what they do. There are a number of options they can pursue when a supervision order is granted:
1. Age appropriate, they can place the child in residential care at a cost of £1,000 to £3,000 per week.
2. They can place the child in foster care which can also be expensive with some fees as much as £300 per week plus generous allowances for the needs of the child.
3. Then there is kinship care which has been demonstrated historically through extensive research is the best option. A more loving environment, stability in their lives (as opposed to foster caring where in many cases they are continually being moved on), children in kinship care are healthier, do better at school and their life’s prospect is enhanced. These are the facts

When a child is placed in residential care, he or she has their needs met, no overcrowding, their own room, pocket money, speedy access to special services and as we say in Glasgow “make sure they are well turned out”

Similarly when a child is placed in stranger foster care, every effort is made to ensure they have their own room. There is a start up process where beds, clothes, toys, home and car adaptions are made available. There are weekly allowances to meet thei r needs, currently at £119 to £198 per week. There is extra financial support for birthdays, Christmas and holidays and again fast track access to essential services such as counselling, psychologists etc and rightly so, they are looked after vulnerable children.

But what happens to children in kinship care? The same looked after children with the same legal status.

Can I focus on what is often referred to as Scotland’s greatest city, big hearted Glasgow, my own local authority and to how they treat children in kinship care:
My own experience – not a brown penny in eight years
Moira’s experience – non drinker, non smoker, church goer

This is innocent children we are talking about. Children who have witnessed and experienced things no child should be subjected to. The indifference and discrimination against these children is breath-taking and every kinship carer here can tell their own story.

For years kinship carers across Scotland have campaigned to end this disgrace, to end this discrimination. We have leafleted, lobbied, we have formed numerous support groups across the length and breadth of Scotland, driven by anger as to how we are treated. We have now set up the Scottish Kinship Carers Network – all voluntary. We have also gathered many friends on the way.

It appeared that our efforts had been successful when Adam Ingram, Minister for Children on 5 December 2007 announced to the Scottish media that kinship care children would receive allowances, equivalent to children in foster care at the rate of £119 to £198 per week, age related. There would also be parity of esteem and parity of support to services, an admission you may think, there was previously none. Grandparents and carers were understandably elated, over the moon.

And when the proposals were put to the Scottish Parliament, there was an unprecedented show of unity in support of them, total agreement amongst all parties.

Payments would begin on 1 April 2008, money was being made available to local authorities to introduce them, all kinship children would qualify, the postcode lottery would end. Then fine details were published and it slowly began to unravel – yes the allowances would commence on 1 April 2008 but only for children in foster care. For children in kinship care, they would be phased in over the next three years – it gets worse – only children on a “looked after” supervision order or subject to a new order called “permanence” would qualify.

Excluded would be hundreds, possibly thousands of previously “looked after children” whose grans had gone to courts and taken out “residence orders” often with the encouragement of social workers and often at great expense to themselves.

Also excluded were the many children who had previously been “looked after” but the supervision order was removed because they were thriving with Gran and Grandad. The proposals that were made to Parliament in December 2007 have been so diluted that they are almost meaningless for kinship carers.

There was understandable anger in Parliament with MPs stating that this is not what they voted for and claims that parliament had been misled. Robert Brown MSP with his keen analytical lawyer’s intellect summed it up perfectly when he stated that this was a “cruel deception” that was being perpetrated on Scotland’s most vulnerable children and the elderly carers who look after them.

After intense campaigning by kinship carers, a motion condemning the Government was moved by Rhona Brankin MSP in December 2008 for failing in their promises to kinship children. It was passed overwhelmingly but sadly nothing has changed. It was also pointed out that kinship carers save Scotland in excess of £200 million every year.

It then gets even more insidious. Early this year a new regulation was introduced, it was called a “permanency order” but lo and behold it only applies to foster carers. It was devised on the premise that permanency will offer “looked after children” more stability in life and avoid the trauma of regular children’s hearings. Allowances would continue to be paid under permanency order to foster carers and foster children.
But if kinship carers want the same stability in their children’s life, we have to apply for residence orders and are disqualified for allowances. Kinship carers cannot apply for permanency, you couldn’t make it up if you tried.

This whole legislation has been crafted and designed exclusively for foster carers (the composition of the consultation committee)

Everywhere we turn we are faced with indifference and discrimination, every level we encounter it, we can smell it, it comes wrapped up in patronization and condescension. It is cultural. You know what I mean but nobody says it. THEY ARE JUNKIE’S CHILDREN and yet these are innocent children who have done nothing wrong.

They are stereotyped, this is our experience but wrongly stereotyped.

I am aware of what I am about to say may surprise some of you but the situation facing these children is almost comparable to apartheid
· “apartness”
· They are treated differently
· They are treated inferiorly
· They are grossly discriminated against
· This is Scotland’s real shame

How can we be serious and sincere about eradicating child poverty when we are treating our most vulnerable children like this. You couldn’t treat a prisoner like this they’d sue you. The campaign for justice will continue. We are preparing to challenge the government and local authorities through the courts under the European Convention of Human Rights Article 8 & 14.

It is equally important that we win the support of bodies such as the Commission, we need you to speak out on our behalf.

Can I once again thank you for the opportunity to address you. I am sure you will be listening to some interesting stories from our kinship carers.

Thank you