8:45  Registration and refreshments

9:30  Welcome and setting the scene by the Chair
Keith Aitken, Broadcaster and Journalist

Session 1: Eradicating Child Poverty by 2020?
This session will hear from both Scottish and UK Government representatives to discuss the root causes of poverty and what actions can be taken at all levels of Government to combat child poverty and to meet the ambitious 2020 target for the eradication of child poverty.

09:40  The Scottish Government perspective
Nicola Sturgeon MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, The Scottish Government

10:00  The UK Government perspective
Rt. Hon. Stephen Timms MP, Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform, The UK Government

10:20  Questions and discussion

10:40  Refreshments

Session 2: Prevention and Routes Out of Poverty
This session will consider how Governments, businesses, communities and individuals can work together to support sustainable routes out of poverty and prevent more families from falling into poverty. It will hear from a range of academic experts and those working on the ground to highlight examples of best practice.

11:00  Reducing barriers to sustained employment: the Youthbuild model
Colin Hood, Chief Operating Officer, Scottish and Southern Energy

11:20  Tackling in work poverty
Dr Peter Kenway, Director, New Policy Institute

11:40  Preventing child poverty in an unequal society
Adrian Sinfield, Professor Emeritus, Social Policy, The University of Edinburgh

12:00  Questions and discussion

12:20  Lunch

13:20  Session 3: Workshops – Strategic Policy Approaches
This first session of workshops will examine the broader strategic approaches which needs to be taken to child poverty including examining the legislative framework for poverty policies, areas of multiple deprivation, and the role of gender in tackling child poverty. All workshops will run concurrently. Please register for workshops online and rank workshop preference as appropriate.

• Workshop A: A gendered approach to anti-poverty policies
• Workshop B: The particular challenges of rural child poverty
• Workshop C: People versus places: where should we focus our resources
  • Tam Baillie, Director of Policy, Barnardo's Scotland
  • Jim Gray, Operations Manager, Glasgow Community Planning Limited
• Workshop D: One parent families: caught in the cross-fire between Westminster and Holyrood
  • Marion Davis, Policy Development and Training Manager, One Parent Families Scotland
• Workshop E: Tackling child poverty: the local authority role, measuring progress and SOAs
  • John Dickie, Head of Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland
  • George Black, Chief Executive, Glasgow City Council

14:10  Refreshments


14:30  Session 4: Workshops – Key Policy Areas
This session will look at key policy areas including education, fuel poverty, childcare provision and employment legislation as well as rights and benefits awareness, and their significant contribution to reducing levels of child poverty and preventing poverty developing in the next generation. All workshops will run concurrently. Please register for workshops online and rank workshop preference as appropriate.
    

• Workshop A: The role of education in eradicating child poverty
  •    Representative, Save the Children
• Workshop B: Rights and benefits awareness
• Workshop C: Eradicating fuel poverty by 2016
  •    Norman Kerr, Director, Energy Action Scotland
• Workshop D: Family friendly workplaces: child care and employment
• Workshop E: Tackling child poverty: the local authority role, measuring progress and SOAs
  •    John Dickie, Head of Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland
  •    George Black, Chief Executive, Glasgow City Council

15:20  Move back to main hall (no refreshments)

15:30  Closing keynote including questions and discussion

15:55  Closing statements by chair

16:00  Close of conference

Attend this one day event and consider how we can embed the child poverty agenda in Single Outcome Agreements (SOAs) and improve the take up of tax credits and benefits. Examine how best those in Government in Scotland can work with policymakers in London to make use of all economic levers available to us to eradicate child poverty by 2020.

  Alongside the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing and the Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform, delegates will also hear from academic and business leaders who will offer their expertise and case study examples to consider how best to tackle in-work poverty, create sustainable jobs with access to career development opportunities, and how business, individuals and the Government can work together to reduce the barriers to employment for parents across the country.

This event will give delegates the opportunity to learn about the Government’s anti-poverty framework, and feed into the ongoing inquiry into child poverty being undertaken by the Local Government and Communities Committee at the Scottish Parliament.

  Please click the image above to download the PDF brochure for this conference.

"Most modern politics is about managing expectations, rather than outcomes. The 1998 governmental pledge to eradicate child poverty was a rare exception: a firm promise that came with a firm number and a firm timetable attached to it. It was widely seen as an honourable ambition, but recent figures suggest it is being honoured mostly in the breach, and that the objective of ending child poverty by 2020 is looking increasingly unrealistic. There are those who now say that it was wrong from the outset to make vulnerable people a promise that might not be capable of delivery; whereas, others would say that real progress has been made which would never have been achieved without the stimulus of a bold and specific target.

"This conference will look at the way the child poverty agenda has been defined and addressed. But, more importantly, it will look ahead to see what sort of practical steps can and should be taken to get the project back on track. We will be joined by the key Ministers responsible for delivering the pledge, by a wealth of experienced practitioners and by a diversity of experts, reflecting the multi-faceted complexity of the policies required to make a real and lasting impact on endemic deprivation. The blight of children born into unremitting poverty is one that touches everybody in Scotland. Every one of us will have something to learn from, and contribute to, this important and authoritative conference."

Keith Aitken, Broadcaster and Journalist

The key issues the conference will consider include:

• Embedding the child poverty agenda in the Single Outcome Agreements (SOAs)
• Identifying and overcoming barriers to sustained employment
• Improving the take up of tax credits and benefits
• How Holyrood and Westminster can work together to achieve the eradication of child poverty
• Areas of multiple deprivation and rural poverty
• The role of gender in child poverty
• Poverty in the school holidays
• Fuel poverty for children and families

Full Rate £249 + VAT (£292.58)
(Commercial organisations, central government departments, agencies and other national public bodies)

Discounted Rate £149 + VAT (£175.08)
(Charitable organisations with income of less that £1,000,000 - limited places)

Reduced Rate £199 + VAT (£233.83)
(Local authorities, NHS, Police, trade unions, professional associations, and charitable organisations)

Supported Rate £99 + VAT (£116.33)
(Students, community councils and community action groups)

Book before 5pm on Friday 26th September 08 to take advantage of our Early Bird rate (10% off)

What is included
All fees include lunch, refreshments and conference papers if applicable. Fees do not include travel costs.

Promotion and Exhibition Opportunities
If you are interested in details of promotional opportunities, including exhibition stands and delegate pack inserts, please email Sales or call on 0131 272 2176.

Payment
You will be asked to complete a method of payment option whilst completing the registration form. Delegates must ensure that payment is received before the date of the conference or payment may be required on the day. Payments made by cheque should be made payable to Holyrood Communications Ltd.

Terms and Conditions:

The registration form constitutes a legally binding agreement. Cancellations confirmed in writing 7 days prior to the event will be refunded minus an administration charge of 15%. We regret that no refund can be made after that date, for whatever reason, although substitutions will be accepted if notified in writing before the event. Bookings made less than 7 days prior to an event are non-refundable.

Discount Rate Cancellations
Partial cancellations of discounted multiple bookings that revert to a single place will attract the full rate.

Data Protection
The personal information provided by you will be held on a database by Holyrood Events and may be shared with companies in the Holyrood Communications Ltd. Sometimes your details may be made available to external companies for marketing purposes. If you do not wish your details to be used for this purpose, please write to Holyrood Events, 21-23 Slater's Steps Holyrood Road, Edinburgh, EH8 8PB, SCOTLAND

Radisson SAS
301 Argyle Street,
Glasgow,
G2 8DL

0141 204 3333

Please click here for a downloadable PDF location map

or 

Click here for a google map