| A
Foreword by the Secretary of State |
| "Too
many Scots are excluded, by virtue of unemployment, low
skill levels, poverty, bad health, poor housing or other
factors, from full participation in society. Those of us
who benefit from the opportunities of life in modern
Scotland have a duty to seek to extend similar
opportunities to those who do not. Social exclusion is
unacceptable in human terms; it is also wasteful, costly
and carries risks in the long term for our social
cohesion and well-being. This Government is determined to
take action to tackle exclusion, and to develop policies
which will promote a more inclusive, cohesive and
ultimately sustainable society. |
| In December
I announced the arrangements I have set in place to
develop the social exclusion agenda in Scotland. I have
established a Network of senior officials within The
Scottish Office bringing together interests from housing,
area regeneration, health, crime, education and social
work services to co-ordinate Government responses to the
problems of social exclusion within Scotland.
Representatives of the Employment Service and the
Benefits Agency are also participating in the Network. |
| I have asked
John Sewel to steer the work of the Network, and to take
the lead on social exclusion issues within the Scottish
Office Ministerial team, reporting directly and regularly
to me. This is a key area of his Ministerial portfolio. |
| I also
announced in December that we would be issuing a short
consultation paper on social exclusion in Scotland. I am
pleased to publish this paper so quickly, and I am keen
to encourage a wide-ranging response from interested
groups, individuals and organisations across Scotland.
The consultation period will be followed by a 'summit' in
the late spring, and the conclusions will subsequently be
incorporated into our developing policy response to
social exclusion. |
| A
cornerstone of the Government's policy to tackle social
exclusion, the New Deal, is already under way in Tayside,
and the rest of Scotland will come on stream shortly. The
New Deal will offer new opportunities for training and
employment, and will offer the long-term unemployed a
bridge back into the world of work. The creation of new
opportunities must lie at the heart of our effort to
tackle social exclusion. |
| The scale of
the problem is such that it cannot be tackled by central
government alone. There are contributions to be made by
local government, the NHS, Scottish Homes, housing
associations, enterprise companies, the voluntary sector,
the private sector and communities in the effort to
combat social exclusion. I hope that this consultation
paper will stimulate discussion and debate about the
nature of the problem and the action required to tackle
it, and I look forward to hearing your views. I also see
this debate as a fore-runner to the mobilisation of
effort among all these groups and organisations to join
us in future action to promote a more socially cohesive
Scotland." |
 |
| |
| The
Consultation Exercise |
| 1. Views on
how best to tackle social exclusion in Scotland are
welcomed from interested organisations, groups and
individuals. The Government is particularly keen to hear
the views of groups or individuals with direct experience
of the problem, or who have worked with those at risk of
social exclusion. The voluntary sector clearly has a
significant role to play within the total effort to
combat social exclusion, and groups large and small in
the voluntary sector are encouraged to contribute. |
2. This
paper describes the problem of social exclusion in
Scotland, and highlights policy initiatives which are
already underway to combat the problem. The paper
concludes with a series of questions which form the
essence of the consultation exercise. The key themes
running through the paper are:
- the need for
increased co-ordination of
effort
- the need to identify
interventions which can prevent
social exclusion
- the need to develop
(or expand) innovative
approaches to the problem.
|
| 3. The
Government has stated its commitment to remaining within
overall spending limits. Any policy initiatives to tackle
social exclusion must therefore be deliverable within
existing resources, and indeed the emphasis should be
upon making best use of existing resources through
increased partnership working and client based
approaches. Suggestions would however be welcomed on the
re-allocation of resources, particularly in terms of
shifting resources to the prevention of social exclusion. |
| |
| The
Organisational Framework |
| 4. On 8
December, the Prime Minister announced the establishment
of the Social Exclusion Unit within the Cabinet Office.
The Unit will report directly to the Prime Minister. The
remit of the Unit is to help co-ordinate action across
Government, to shift the focus of action towards
preventing social exclusion rather than just mopping up
after the damage is done, and to find new and more
integrated ways of tackling the worst problems. The
Unit's remit does not cover Scotland, but it will
maintain close contact with The Scottish Office so that
thinking is shared and good practice is identified on
both sides of the Border. |
| 5. The Secretary of State
attaches high priority to tackling social exclusion in
Scotland. This needs to reflect Scottish circumstances,
and the organisational, social and cultural framework of
Scotland. There is also a need to look forward to the
advent of the Scottish Parliament, and to begin the
process of policy formulation which will be further
developed by the Parliament. The Secretary of State is
keen to develop an inclusive approach to the development
of the social exclusion agenda in Scotland; he would
welcome contributions to analysis and thinking from all
those with a contribution to make. |
| 6. The Secretary of State
has asked Lord Sewel to take the lead on social exclusion
issues at Ministerial level. Within the Scottish Office a
Social Exclusion Network consisting of senior officials
from the various Departments has been established. Senior
representatives of the Employment Service and the
Benefits Agency have also joined the Network in the light
of their significant responsibilities for service
delivery to socially excluded groups. The work of the
Network will be steered and supervised by Lord Sewel. |
| 7. The organisational
arrangements in place to progress work on social
exclusion will be kept under review. The key to their
success will be effective co-ordination, and partnership
working within and outwith Government. |
| |
| Social Exclusion
in Scotland: Defining the Problem |
| 8. Social exclusion is a
shorthand label for what can happen when individuals or
areas suffer from a combination of linked problems such
as unemployment, poor skills, low incomes, poor housing,
high crime environments, bad health and family breakdown.
Different people will take the term to mean different
things - many see it is as another term for multiple
deprivation, social disadvantage, or poverty. Others
prefer to talk about the need positively to promote
social inclusion. In broad terms however social exclusion
is taken to mean more than material lack of income. The
Prime Minister has described social exclusion as 'broadly
covering those people who do not have the means, material
and otherwise, to participate in social, economic,
political and cultural life'. |
9. Many of the specific
factors which indicate or contribute to social exclusion
- homelessness, long term unemployment, low educational
standards - are measurable:-
- As at December 1997,
139,000 people were registered unemployed in
Scotland, of whom 18,801 had been unemployed for
more than 2 years.
- Over 4,000 children
left school with no qualifications in 1995-96,
representing 7.2% of the total school leavers in
that year.
- In 1995/96, 40,900
households applied to local authorities under the
homelessness legislation, and 16,700 were
assessed as priority homeless or potentially
homeless.
|
| 10. An overall estimate
of the extent of social exclusion in Scotland is more
difficult. However, analysis of the 1991 Census
identified an estimated 190,920 households as 'multiply
deprived', and 15,370 households as 'seriously deprived'
(9.6% and 0.8% of the total number of households
respectively). Of these households:- |
| (i) 77% of multiply
deprived households were located in predominantly urban
areas (localities with over 10,000 residents) and 7% in
localities of less than 1,000 residents. |
| (ii) 74% of multiply
deprived households and 80% of severely deprived
households rented their homes from local authorities or
other public sector landlords. |
| (iii) Single adult and
children households made up 20% of multiply deprived
households compared with only 5% of households overall. |
| 11. Social exclusion is
not confined to urban areas. The Government is aware of
the problem of social exclusion in rural and island
communities, and of the barriers to inclusion which
individuals may face within these communities, including
transport difficulties, and distance from jobs and
services. |
| |
| Action Already
Under Way |
| 12. The Government has
already put in place a number of key policy initiatives
which will target many of the aspects of social
exclusion. |
| |
| The New Deal |
| The New Deal will create
new opportunities for the unemployed and those currently
dependent on welfare to move back into the world of work.
The programme promotes a policy of employability. Young
people aged 18-24 who are unemployed for six months or
more will be offered a chance of four options - a private
sector job, work with a non-profit voluntary sector
employer, full-time study or work with the environment
task force. The New Deal will be taken forward under the
leadership of the Employment Service working through
strategic partnerships based on each Local Enterprise
Company (LEC) area. For those aged 25 or over and
unemployed for two years or more, the New Deal will
provide subsidised employment and an education and
training option. Lone parents will also be assisted to
take up work through help and advice on jobs, benefits,
training and childcare. Innovative schemes to test ways
to help people with a disability or long term illness
move into work or remain in work will also be introduced. |
| |
| Programme for
Partnership |
| The Government is
committed to a comprehensive approach to area
regeneration in Scotland, to improve the life chances of
people living in some of its most deprived urban
communities. 23 regeneration partnerships have been
established across Scotland to develop and implement
ambitious long-term plans for the renewal of these areas.
The policy is based upon the New Life for Urban Scotland
partnerships which have effectively tackled many of the
problems of social exclusion by adopting a holistic
multi-agency approach. |
| |
| Inequalities in
Health |
| Social exclusion can
contribute to a state of poor health. Poor health can
also further exacerbate the problem of social exclusion,
by lowering educational attainment and employment
opportunities. The Government has stated its commitment
to tackling inequalities in health - which are
particularly prominent in Scotland - and will be
publishing a Green Paper on inequalities in health,
"Working Together for a Healthier Scotland". |
| |
| Tackling
Exclusion from Education |
| A high quality education
system is vital to securing the best possible levels of
achievement for individual young people and to reducing
the problems which can lead to disaffection from the
education system and subsequent problems of social
exclusion. The provision of a pre-school year for all
children is an important foundation for subsequent
educational achievement. The Early Intervention
Initiative provides funding to local authorities to
strengthen the development of literacy skills in the
early years of education, including pre-school, creating
a ladder into future educational experiences and
opportunities, and reducing the chances of subsequent
emotional and behavioural difficulties. |
| For those who do still
cause trouble within school, the Alternatives to
Exclusion grants scheme provides funding to a number of
local authorities to pilot in-school alternatives to the
exclusion of pupils from school. School attendance is
also vital for educational achievement. Too many pupils
play truant, but it is also important to reduce absence
which is condoned by parents. Non-attendance and
underachievement at school can lead to other problems
such as crime and drug abuse. The Government has set in
train a number of policy initiatives to tackle truanting;
good practice Guidance on Attendance was published last
December. The Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Office
Social Exclusion Unit to look as an early priority at
truancy and school exclusion. The Scottish Office will
keep in close touch with this work. The positive emphasis
on maximising achievement at school will develop
confidence in young people, and increase their
preparedness for the labour market. The Government has
launched a policy designed to emphasise the importance of
Education for Work. |
| The Government also
recently announced a new UK-wide programme on out of
school hours learning activities as part of the social
exclusion initiative. Relevant projects help to improve
pupils' self-confidence, motivation and achievement,
often aiding disaffected pupils to view education more
positively. The money will come from the proposed Lottery
New Opportunities Fund, and the aim is to establish
regular out of hours learning activities in half of all
secondary schools and a quarter of all primary schools by
2001. |
| |
| Community Safety |
| Crime, or the fear of
crime, can exclude people from leading normal lives. The
Government, along with local authorities, the police and
the voluntary sector, is promoting ways of reducing crime
in communities. An example, included in the Crime and
Disorder Bill currently before Parliament, is the
Anti-Social Behaviour Order - a civil order granted by
the sheriff court on application from a local authority,
which will have the effect of making it a criminal
offence for the person named to continue with or repeat
the form of anti-social action specified in the order. |
| |
| Scotland's
Housing |
| Decent housing should be
the prerogative of all. Too many people still live in
inadequate housing and run-down neighbourhoods. Some
people face the acute problem of homelessness or having
to sleep rough. |
| The homes in which people
live can have an impact on their health, education and
employment prospects, and improvements in housing can
give people increased pride in their local communities.
These wider linkages are clearly recognised in the
recently published Scottish Homes Strategy for the period
up to the year 2000. |
| The Government has
allocated additional resources for housing in Scotland,
including £35M for New Housing Partnerships in 1998/99.
The aim of this policy is to secure much needed
investment for housing, based on a collaborative approach
between councils, tenants, the private sector, and
housing associations. This policy will support action
already underway across Scotland to improve the housing
stock, through the efforts of local authorities, Scottish
Homes, and local housing associations, often within the
context of area-based regeneration partnerships. |
| Homelessness - and
particularly rough sleeping - are manifestations of
social exclusion and themselves contribute to exclusion.
Frequently they reflect family breakdown or other social
problems. Under the Rough Sleepers Initiative, the
Government has allocated resources to local authorities
across Scotland to provide support for projects which
will make significant improvements in the lives of many
who for one reason or another find themselves sleeping
rough. The new Code of Practice on Homelessness
encourages local authorities and other service providers
to develop long term, strategic, and preventive
approaches to the problem of homelessness within their
areas. The Prime Minister has asked the Cabinet Office
Social Exclusion Unit to look at how to reduce the
numbers sleeping rough as an early priority. The Scottish
Office will keep in close touch with this work. |
| |
| Childcare
Strategy |
| Good quality childcare
and pre-school education can contribute to tackling
social exclusion in a number of ways. Research indicates
that, in the longer term, they can contribute to
individuals' educational and social development, with
particular benefit to those from a deprived background.
More immediately they can help (particularly lone)
parents to enter or re-enter the labour market. The
Government has already stated its commitment to the
development of a national childcare strategy. Early
efforts in the development of the strategy are
concentrating on pre-school education, and a major
consultation paper on pre-school education was issued in
November. The Government aims to provide by the winter of
1998 a free part-time pre-school education place for
every child in their pre-school year whose parents wish
this. |
| |
| Integrated
Transport Policy |
| The Government recognises
that reducing social exclusion must involve taking
account of the basic accessibility needs of all sectors
of society and this year will publish a White Paper which
will demonstrate how transport policy will play its part
in the overall effort. |
| |
| Other
Contributions |
| Many other organisations
and sectors are also developing policies and programmes
to tackle social exclusion, and the Government is aware
of the significant contribution which is already being
made by local government, Scottish Homes, the NHS, the
enterprise network, and the voluntary sector, both
individually and as part of a multi-agency partnership
approach. |
| |
| The Challenge of
Social Exclusion |
| 13. The Government wishes
to consult widely about what further action will be the
most effective way of achieving an inclusive society.
Much will depend on the responses to this paper; how the
people of Scotland define the problem; and what ideas
come forward for addressing it. But the nature of
exclusion provides a number of possible pointers to the
most promising approaches. |
| 14. A combination of
factors contribute to exclusion, in particular poor
housing, low incomes, lack of work experience in the
family, low educational attainment, ill health, family
stress and the impact of drugs misuse and crime. The path
out of exclusion, for individuals or communities, is not
therefore straightforward. Single interventions may be
insufficient to break the cycle - although it will be
important to identify where and when interventions can be
most effective - and stand-alone policies may be
insufficient in themselves to end exclusion. The
Government wants to see greater co-ordination of effort
on policies to tackle exclusion. This will require
co-ordination across central Government and its agencies,
co-ordination between central and local government,
involvement of the voluntary and private sectors, and a
partnership approach at the local level which brings in
all the key partners including the community and socially
excluded groups and individuals. |
| 15. There is increasing
evidence that, to make a difference, intervention must be
as early as possible, at the point before long term
exclusion has been developed. The Government would
particularly welcome ideas for effective action to
prevent exclusion developing. |
| 16. Most people are well
able to take advantage of the opportunities available in
the housing and labour markets, and to engage with the
mainstream service provided by public and private
agencies. Socially excluded people may not have the same
ability or opportunity to benefit from these policies and
programmes, and Government programmes have not been as
good as they might be at helping people or areas which
have a range of linked problems. The Government would
particularly welcome innovative ideas on how policies can
be developed which focus more on the needs of excluded
individuals and families; and which take a holistic
approach to their problems. |
| 17. The Government is
committed to an area based approach to the regeneration
of our most deprived urban communities. The problem of
social exclusion is not however confined to these
deprived urban areas, and a complementary approach may be
required to reach socially excluded individuals and
families in other areas. A targeted, client based
approach may need to be considered as part of the
strategic response to social exclusion. |
| 18. A number of services
exist to deal with the problems created by social
exclusion. But many of these services, while necessary,
are essentially treating the symptoms of the problem,
rather than tackling the causes. This approach on its own
is both expensive and of limited effect, in that it fails
to ensure opportunities for people to rejoin society. The
Government is committed to providing such opportunities
through, for example, the New Deal programme. In addition
it aims to develop programmes which seek to take forward
the prevention of social exclusion. |
| 19. It is clear that no
single agency or organisation at central or local level
can tackle social exclusion in isolation from others.
Co-ordination of effort will be required to ensure that
effort and resources are not wasted, but are targeted
most effectively at the areas of greatest need. There are
many existing examples of partnership working, some of
which have been very successful. These must be built on -
but there is a need for more and better co-ordination
at all levels, from central government down to local
communities. Much innovative work is already underway in
Scotland. The Government is determined to encourage innovation,
and to stimulate the development of new ideas. |
| 20. The challenge now is
to identify successful policy initiatives, to carry them
forward, and ensure their continuing success. These
policy initiatives must as far as is possible be taken
forward within a single, holistic strategy. This is
ambitious but the Government believes it is - and must be
- achievable if this important initiative is to succeed. |
| |
| Questions for
Consultation |
| 21. The Government is
keen to hear views and comments on the following
questions in particular, but views on any
aspect of social exclusion would be welcomed. |
| 22. Social exclusion can
be defined and described in different ways. It may
however be helpful in the development of policy and the
overarching structure mentioned above to agree priorities
within the broad definition of social exclusion. What
should be the priorities for tackling social exclusion in
Scotland? |
| 23. The development of
policies on social exclusion will require a long-term,
strategic approach. There may however be groups among the
socially excluded which either give particular cause for
concern, or whose problems could be tackled quickly or
effectively by immediate policy initiatives. What
(if any) should be the target groups for fast-track
action? |
| 24. The key themes in the
Government's approach to social exclusion are co-ordination,
innovation, and prevention.
There are already many examples of good practice in the
fields of housing, community development, area
regeneration, social work, employment and training,
education, crime prevention and health. Examples of good
practice should be disseminated widely, and can be used
to inform future policy development. Please
include any appropriate examples of good practice with
your response to the consultation paper. |
| 25. One of the challenges
of social exclusion is the development of an over-arching
strategy, which brings together national and local action
in a coherent framework. How should this
strategy be developed? |
| 26. Many examples of good
practice are based on existing national or local
policies. Some policies might be explicitly targeted at
deprivation or exclusion, others may be focused on other
policy areas such as housing or health. What policies or
practices should be developed or extended? What
policies or practices need to be changed, adapted or
improved? Are there policies or practices which you
believe are not effective? Are there any policies or
practices which directly increase the likelihood of
social exclusion? |
| 27. There is a great deal
of work under way, through services delivered by the
statutory and voluntary sector, to cope with the problems
of social exclusion. Much of this work will focus on the
symptoms, not the causes of social exclusion. What
policies are required to prevent
social exclusion in the future? |
| 28. Social exclusion is
not confined to peripheral estates. It also exists in
rural areas, towns dependent on traditional industries
which have run down, and inner-city areas. Are
different policies required to deal with the variable
faces of social exclusion in these different areas? |
| 29. There is a case to be
made for developing policies which positively promote
social inclusion. This may be particularly important in
the promotion of self-esteem within individuals and
communities, and the creation of a stake-holder society.
Examples of policy initiatives might include support for
the voluntary sector, promoting participation in sport,
or community participation in urban regeneration
partnerships. What level of priority should
be given to policies which promote inclusion? Which
policies in particular should be developed or
strengthened? |
| 30. There are clear links
between social exclusion and broad areas of policy
development such as tackling inequalities in health, the
development of an integrated transport policy, improving
the housing stock, promoting sustainable development,
crime prevention, or raising educational standards. General
views are welcomed on the links between social exclusion
and other broad policy issues. |
| 31. Paragraph 6 describes
the organisational arrangements which have already been
put in place. Suggestions would be welcomed
on ways of co-ordinating government action more
effectively. |
| 32. Are there
additional arrangements which should be put in place to
strengthen partnership with other governmental and
non-governmental bodies, the voluntary sector and private
sector? |
| 33. It will be important
to involve socially excluded groups, families and
individuals in the process of developing ways of
overcoming the barriers they face. Views
would be welcomed on ways of involving the socially
excluded in the development of a strategic response to
social exclusion, at all policy levels. |
| 34. Social exclusion will
not be tackled by government action alone. Contributions
will be required from all sectors of Scottish society,
including local government, the enterprise network, the
NHS, Scottish Homes, housing associations, regeneration
partnerships, the private sector, the voluntary sector,
and local community organisations. Academic bodies will
also have a role to play in the analysis of social
exclusion, and the evaluation of measures taken to tackle
the problem. |
| 35. We would
welcome views on the contribution which can or should be
made by these sectors and organisations, within current
expenditure limits. Organisations may also wish to set
out the contribution they believe they can make,
including current or planned work programmes on social
exclusion. |
| |
| Responses |
| 36. In order to help
inform debate on the questions covered by this
consultation document on Social Exclusion in Scotland,
The Scottish Office intends to follow its normal practice
of making available to the public, on request, copies of
the responses received. The Scottish Office will assume
therefore that responses can be made publicly available
in this way. If respondents indicate that they wish all,
or part, of their reply excluded from this arrangement, its
confidentiality will be strictly respected. |
| 37. Comments and
contributions on any of the above should be submitted to
Dylais Mattison, Area Regeneration Division, The Scottish
Office, 2-G, Victoria Quay, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6QQ by
Friday 27 March 1998. Contributions can also be e-mailed
to our address at: social.exclusion@so060.scotoff.gov.uk |
