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Child Poverty Strategy - 'Eight Tests'

As you will know, the Government are due to publish an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy in Spring 2025. Earlier this week, as part of the End Child Poverty Coalition, we published a briefing setting out eight key areas which we will test the strategy against when it is published.

While all the tests are vitally important, as a regional anti-poverty network we are especially pleased that test 5 recognises that the strategy must be able to operate both regionally and locally to ensure specific local needs can be met. We will continue to work with the other members of the Coalition, over the coming months, to hold Government to account against these tests. 

4in10 Conference: “Make Childcare Make Sense” How can we make childcare and early education more accessible and affordable for low-income families in London?

On Tuesday 21 January 2025 we are holding a half-day conference on childcare at City Hall hosted by Marina Ahmad AM to hear about the experiences of families living on low incomes when it comes to childcare and early education and discuss the actions that are needed to make these services more accessible and affordable for them.

Over the past year, a number of key reports have been published looking at these issues. These include the London Assembly Economy Committee’s Early years childcare in London report, Business LDN’s No Kidding, How transforming childcare can boost the economy report and 4in10’s own ‘Make Childcare Make Sense for families on low incomes in London’ report. We now want to reflect on their collective findings and look at how their recommendations can now be actioned and implemented.

The event will take place from 10:00 – 13:00 at City Hall, Kamal Chunchie Way, London, E16 1ZE. Places are free and we expect the event to be popular so snap your place up TODAY. More details and booking here.

The Big Give Christmas Challenge

A number of 4in10 members are taking in part in this year's 'Big Give Christmas Challenge' a seven-day online match funding campaign to raise vital funds for the truly amazing work that they do. We urge all our newsletter readers to share this link far and wide, if they are able, to spread the word that any donations given in this week will be matched.

Quaker Social Action, the charity which hosts 4in10, is also taking part and hoping to raise money to support its life-changing services which include; Turn a Corner, a mobile library van for people affected by homelessness; Down to Earth, the only comprehensive support service for people facing funeral poverty in the UK; and Cook Up, a community kitchen that allows people who are homeless to cook their own meal and to choose what they eat. For anyone able to support, QSA's Big Give page is here. 

Good luck everybody, fingers crossed lots of funds are raised!

Calls To Action

• In Kind Direct are running a campaign to encourage more people to join them. Complete their survey to see if you are eligible
• London Funders are asking  organisations working on issues relating to equity and justice, to fill in this survey.  
• HandsOn London are running WrapUp London where they collected donated coats. They are looking for individual and family volunteers to help sort the coats into sizes, genders, and styles. Sorting sessions will provisionally start from the 13th November and continue until mid-December. if you want to get involved please email wulvolunteers@handsonlondon.org.uk. In addition they are looking for beneficiaries who are looking to receive coat donations. If you are interested please email inquiry to wrapuplondon@handsonlondon.org.uk. 

12th December 2024, 1:00pm-3:00pm

In Person - free

4 in10 is hosting an in-person two-hour event for current or prospective members of London’s Child Poverty Network.

The purpose of this event will be to provide local organisations and residents across Westminster with up to date information on the context of child poverty across the borough. 

Last one in series: Using Nomis-10th December, 10.00-12.00

Online- Free

Feminist Initiatives Need Data (FIND) – Using data in your reports and press releases is an important way to show evidence and strengthen your case. Data is produced and published all the time, but the hard part is to know where to find the data that you want and how to use it to achieve your research, campaigning and advocacy goals. This training is an introduction to how to access and use data to become an equalities data champion. It is designed to help 4in10 members learn simple, accessible ways to use data in their frontline and campaigning work and demonstrate to funders and political leaders the need and value of your work.

Training and Events

• Voluntary Action Islington have the latest of their regular Local Wellbeing Networks Meetings. For this meeting all three regions are meeting together at 200a Pentonville Road, N1 9JP on Wed 11 Dec 202410:00 AM - 1:00 PM. In addition they are also hosting an additional Local Wellbeing Networks Webinar iMax and IslingtonShine Tue 10 Dec 2024 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM GMT
• St Lukes Community Centre are hosting their annual Christmas fayre 7th December 11:00-15:00. They also hold regular coffee mornings every Monday for parents and carers or children with SEND
• Clean Slate Ltd have rolled out their Money Guidance drop-ins across more of London (Haggerston, Leyton, Lambeth, Croydon). The full timetable can be accessed here
• The Abbey Centre are starting their regular Men’s Shed for Refugees and Asylum Seekers on Fridays 2pm – 4pm, starting 3rd January 2025

Reports, Data and Resources

• Education Policy Institute have released a report called 'How can we reduce food poverty for under-fives?' 
• Gingerbread have:
  • produced a video on 'becoming a single parent' 
  • produced a report called 'Fix the CMS' which summarises the findings from research funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, which explored separated parents’ experiences of child maintenance and the Child Maintenance Service (CMS)
• Trust for London have produced an analysis asking the question 'Do different ways of measuring poverty paint the same picture of what's happening in London?' 
• CPAG and Impact of Urban Health have produced a report called 'More than a meal - An independent evaluation of universal primary free school meals for children in London'
• Unicef have produced a new report called 'Opening Doors: Access to early childhood services for families impacted by poverty in the UK'

Jobs and Trustee Vacancies

Funding Opportunities

• Foundation for Future London's Year 5 Community Grant Scheme fund aims to support local diverse-led organisations and individuals to create new jobs, learning, skills, training, and educational programme through the means of arts, culture, innovation, public realm and creative placemaking.
• Go London have a fund for not-for-profit organisations that run sports and physical activity programmes for children and young people in London

You are welcome to pass this newsletter onto your networks. We welcome new members and although much of what we do is available to members and non-members, members are the first to know and get first chance to book training and so on.

As well as your reports, news and data, please send us information about small local grant givers, discounts and vouchers available, new support services, in fact anything that might help alleviate the impact of poverty in small ways and support other organisations to do their work. We will continue to demand systemic change but hope that these tips will be of immediate use. Anything you can share send it our way!

Check your entry on the 4in10 database of all voluntary organisations changing and challenging the impact of poverty on London’s children and their families. Let us know of any errors or changes you would like and please tell us about any organisations we may have missed.

With very best wishes

Maddie, Katherine & Emily

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