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Life In Low Income Families In Scotland: Research Report

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION: LOW INCOME LIVING AND FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN IN SCOTLAND

BACKGROUND

1.1 Child poverty is at the heart of UK and Scottish Governments' agendas (Bradshaw 2001; Department of Health 1999). In 1999, Prime Minister Blair announced that it was to be the UK government's mission to eradicate child poverty by 2020, to half it by 2010 and to reduce it by one quarter by 2004. Thirteen Opportunities for All indicators were proposed to measure progress in the UK (including Scotland, Department for Social Security 1999), while 6 Social Justice Milestones were also proposed to monitor progress in Scotland (Scottish Executive 2000). Since 1997, a range of specific initiatives have been implemented to tackle child poverty and to overcome the social exclusion experienced within low income families; these include Social Inclusion Partnerships and Sure Start Scotland. More recently, the Department for Work and Pensions (2002) has undertaken an extensive consultation as part of the process of devising a robust means for measuring child poverty in the UK.

1.2 The political context of a devolved Scotland (in which responsibility for some poverty-related matters are devolved), the subtlety of variation in political priorities that results, such as the greater emphasis on social inclusion in Scotland (Scottish Executive 1999; The Scottish Parliament Information Centre 2000), and a quantitatively and qualitatively different experience of poverty in Scotland (Brown. et al. 2002), necessitate a Scottish-level analysis of poverty. Nevertheless, it should be acknowledged that responsibility for most of the economic factors which would tackle child poverty are reserved at Westminster.

1.3 This report is the second stage of a research project which explores the views and experiences of poverty amongst individuals and groups living within low income households with at least one child under the age of 18. The first stage comprised a literature review (McKendrick et al. 2003)

REPORT CONVENTIONS

1.4 For simplicity, low income households with at least one child under the age of 18 are referred to as low income family households throughout this report.

1.5 Details of organisations, places and individuals have been anonymised throughout. In the main body of the report, these are highlighted in italics; when used within quotations, these are presented in normal typeface.

1.6 The key points from interview extracts are presented in bold typeface.

AIMS

1.7 The report and the literature review which shaped its form (McKendrick et al. 2003) seek to inform the efforts of the Scottish Executive in working towards the prevention and elimination of child poverty within a generation through the implementation of effective policies.

1.8 The research on which this report is based had 3 primary aims:

• To explore the views and experiences of people living in poverty (adults, young people and children),
• To explore perceptions of the causes and effects of poverty and of changing poverty levels,
• To explore responses to poverty and approaches to managing poverty.

METHOD

1.9 Fieldwork comprised 18 focus group interviews with 99 individuals. The recruitment strategy was based on the need to explore diversity of experience. Breadth of experience was sought in 7 fields: experience of work (including carers, workless, single and dual income family households), demographic characteristics (a spread of experience by gender, age and family type), experience of poverty (by duration and intensity), minority status (ensuring participation of families with disabled persons and of minority ethnic groups), geographical location (rural, urban, Social Inclusion Partnership areas (SIPs), non-SIP, north, east and west of Scotland), family background (lone parent householders, lone parents living with extended family, and reconstituted families) and life stage (adults, young people and children).

1.10 The topic guides are presented in Annexes 4 and 5. These afforded the opportunity to explore participants' own definitions of poverty, accounts of their experience of living in poverty, perceptions and experience of inequality, and diversity within and between areas, households and social groups. Participants reflected on their experience and provided their views on government policy, wider issues of opportunities and social capital, and strategies for ameliorating the effects of poverty. However, the primary focus of the interview was the way in which people are experiencing poverty on a day to day basis. The topic guide for young people was similar to that for adults.

1.11 The research team from the Centre for Research on Families and Relationships (CRFR) used many existing community based contacts to recruit participants into the study. Considerable effort was invested in developing close working relationships with local key contacts prior to each focus group interview. Typically, this involved several telephone calls and at least one pre-focus group field visit. Information leaflets were made available for onward distribution to participants. CRFR worked to the ethical guidelines of the British Sociological Association and Barnardos (specifically in relation to research with children), with each participant giving informed consent.

1.12 Focus groups comprised, on average, of between 5 and 6 people. Discussions were tape-recorded (with consent) and were preceded by a brief summary of the scope of the research and the interview ( Annex 3). Interviews took place in a location convenient to participants, generally the regular meeting place for the group from which the participants had been drawn. Two members of the research team were present at all but one focus group, one acting as facilitator, the other as host, scribe and reviewer. At the end of each interview (and where time permitted) scribes provided a summary of the key findings to emerge over the course of the interview. Professional clerical assistants transcribed most interviews.

1.13 Focus group research provides an ideal tool to explore diversity of opinion and experience amongst different social groups. They also provide an excellent forum for generating discussion about public issues and policy. They can be used effectively with a range of social and age groups, as the core topic guide can be supplemented with specific techniques or probes for different needs. Importantly, they offer a means to investigate issues of both personal and public relevance and, when facilitated sensitively, can form an inclusive framework for further research and action. Comprehensive details and a critical appraisal of the focus group approach used by CRFR are provided in Annexes 1-5.

REPORT STRUCTURE

1.14 This report is structured into 2 substantive sections, followed by a conclusion.

• First, a picture is constructed of the life experiences of those living within a low income family household, Family Life on a Low Income in Scotland. This reviews the nature of low income living with respect to: shortage, management and stress; the primary importance accorded to meeting children's needs; changes in circumstance and status; and attempts to maintain a quality of life.
• Second, attention is given to Understanding Experiences of Low Income Families. Five substantive themes are explored: the nature of the low income family household; hidden costs and hidden support; debt; understanding the causes of poverty and thoughts on government; and service providers' work to alleviate poverty.
• The concluding chapter presents a summary of the main findings, a review of the key issues emerging for social inclusion research and implications for policy in Scotland.
• A Glossary has been included at the end because the verbatim extract from the focus group interviews contain local and regional expressions.

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