We recently joined forces with Monmouthshire County Council (MCC), Gwent Association of Voluntary Organisations and Citizens Advice to run a series of ‘Child Poverty and Cost of Living Confidence’ (COLCS) sessions across Monmouthshire communities.
The ten, two and half hour sessions brought together a total of 93 compassionate ‘foundational economy’ workers from all walks of life including building societies, shop workers and hairdressers, to learn how to recognise the subtle signs of a client or customer who might be struggling and in need of support and where to signpost them.
Lisa Beard of Crossway Park Nursery, Caldicot took part in one of the sessions, and has already identified how she can help the families she supports.
The training was insightful and incredibly thought provoking, and it has made us reflect on the support we can offer our families. Promoting a culture of recycling old items such as toys, clothing, footwear etc, and normalising the gifting of these items is something we would very much like to encourage going forward.
It has also encouraged us to be much more mindful of our expectations of parents in terms of providing additional footwear/clothing for nursery use, such as indoor shoes/slippers and wellies for outdoor play and going forward we will source and store these items at our nurseries, so parents will not feel the pressure of having to purchase additional items for children.
With one in seven children in Monmouthshire living in poverty, exacerbated by the impending hike in 7 household bills this Spring, more and more families are struggling to afford basic needs like heating and food.
The impact of living in poverty not only has a far-reaching effect on parents but can have a longstanding impact on children, who often don’t have the foundations they need to develop and thrive, have minimal access to enriched curriculum activities and restricted social interactions, which ultimately can impact their health and wellbeing.
Fred West, Monmouthshire County Council’s Community Development Lead said:
A newly established community stakeholder group comprising Monmouthshire residents with lived in experience of poverty played a pivotal role in helping us create meaningful course content. We are extremely grateful for them taking time out of their day to work with us and felt it important to ensure they were all paid a ‘consultancy fee’ for taking part.
People threatened with poverty usually reach out at crisis point, but there is evidence that shows effective early intervention can substantially reduce the impact of poverty on children’s development when it reaches the families who need it the most.
David Evans, Monmouth’s Mayor attended the Rockfield Hotel session and felt the County in general tends to be thought of as “affluent” and people often forget or are unaware of the pockets of poverty and deprivation that co-exists in many Monmouthshire villages. With shops often pricing their goods targeted at the more affluent residents and not considering the disadvantaged residents often living alongside in the same village.
Rachel Knight, Engagement & Partnerships Manager, MHA said:
A wide range of participants intrinsic in delivering Monmouthshire’s foundational economy took part in the sessions and were paid for their time. We were blown away by the empathy and willingness shown to look out for, signpost and support our Monmouthshire communities in whatever way they can.
Stigma and embarrassment continue to be massive barriers to people speaking up and seeking support, so spotting the signals such as hungry children or children wearing clothes too small or missing school trips can often be a sign of something more serious.
Being kind and respectful and making the smallest of gestures can make a real difference.
The normalisation of ensuring, where possible, activities are accessible and as financially neutral as possible was agreed.
The training has also been rolled out to MHA’s own frontline staff, equipping them with the knowledge to spot the signs if any residents are secretly struggling and signpost them to support either within MHA or the relevant support agency.
All shop fronted participants in the training have been awarded a COLCS badge for displaying in their window to demonstrate their commitment to supporting their community.
The £25,000 training was funded by Welsh Government.
