Alt.Cardiff Magazine: The child poverty issue

alt.cardiff If it’s offbeat and in Cardiff, then it’s in here

The UK’s highest child poverty rate, can free school meals really be the answer?

December 2021 Issue 1

News

Two sugars and a dash of milk, stirred not shaken

South Wales Police invites the public to join them for a cuppa with a copper to report anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes

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outh Wales Police launch their Cuppa with a Copper campaign in LGBTQ+ spaces. The scheme aims to encourage people of the community to report hate crimes and incidents.

Cardiff ’s LGBTQ+ nightlife will host the sessions where police are inviting individuals to have conversations with officers on any issues and hate crimes that may have occurred. Mary’s, Pulse, The Kings, The Golden Cross, Main Stage and Eagle have all agreed to host the sessions. The police hope to promote a relaxed environment where people can feel comfortable discussing anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes and incidents.

This comes as the Welsh government aspires to make Wales the most LGBTQ+ friendly country in Europe. South Wales Police believe the sessions will not only encourage reporting but also lower the rate of offences and thoroughly investigate those that do take place.

A commission by Stonewall Cymru found

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4 in 5 anti-LGBTQ+ hate crimes within the UK go unreported. As a result of the sessions, Superintendent Jason Rees expects “an increase in the reporting of incidents.”

He believes this will demonstrate the scheme as a success. The inquiry also found that Trans people, in particular, are at risk of being misunderstood by police and call handlers.

South Wales Police hope the scheme will help build relationships within the community. As a result, encourage the reporting of hate crimes.

Cuppa with a Copper is piloting within Cardiff ’s LGBTQ+ night scene. If successful, South Wales Police will seek to roll out the campaign across other areas of the force. Rees, who is also the Operation Leader for hate crimes, believes Cardiff must set the standard for Wales and demonstrate different ways the police can support diverse communities.

South Wales Police will use their social media account to post information about the sessions, as well as the host venues accounts.

Swap booze for brews in the cuppa with a copper scheme.

Photo credit: Blathnaid Chennell

From butcher to plant-based baker

After winning Bake Off: The Professionals Thibault Courtoisier started his own plant-based patisserie during lockdown

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hile most of us were locked indoors watching hours of Netflix accompanied by a takeaway, for Bake Off champion Thibault Courtoisier the December lockdown was a chance to start his own plantbased patisserie. Set up by the pâtissier and his wife, Patisserie Verte specialises in cholesterol and cruelty-free macarons.

Although the product may be vegan, this isn’t their main tagline. “We want to show that our patisserie is as good as any other patisserie.” Laughing, he challenges anyone who can taste the difference between his macarons and traditional macarons.

Christmas light show promises to protect Bute park’s wildlife

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hristmas at Bute Park event organisers have assured attendees that precautions are in place to minimise environmental harm. The event includes a 1.4km light display, a feature created by leading fire art specialists, and local food and drinks stalls. However, there are growing concerns the event will cause disruption to the Cadw grade one listed park. As a result, Cardiff Council and independent ecology

specialists have partnered with the event’s management to avoid harm to the heritage site. Acer Ecology, one of the specialists, has stated that the lighting will not “significantly affect” wildlife in the area, providing the event follows its recommendations. Alongside this, Treecare Consulting suggested additional work on top of the council’s upkeep to protect Bute’s forestry and avoid harm to attendees. Any wood cut down will not go to waste and instead be used for natural habitats.

Caught in a flurry of fresh croissants

With over 14 years of experience, it was a trip to a bakery with his primary school in France that prompted his love of patisserie. Mimicking the waft of freshly baked goods with his hands, he said the smell of pastries and croissants blew him away: “I was just amazed by all the machinery, and I loved the idea of baking bread for people.”

Hospitality staffing crisis forces local businesses to close before christmas

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wner of the Ridiculously Rich franchise Alana Spencer has temporarily closed several branches and reduced the opening hours of the Cardiff Bay café due to the hospitality staffing crisis.

Charles Wakley, a former bar manager from Cathays, feels there has been a decrease in hospitality staff since the pandemic as lockdown

allowed people to think about what career they wanted to pursue.

Charles has worked in the food and drink industry for over 10 years but has recently decided to pursue a career in education.

Ridiculously Rich is not the only business in Cardiff to close due to a lack of employees.

Wally’s, the delicatessen, announced it too would close for the rest of 2021.

Interview

Patisserie Vert’s slogan “made for everyone” emphisises plant-based food is not just for vegans.

Photo credit: Blathnaid Chennell

Yet, being a plant-based business has its difficulties. The father of one said customers are often shocked to find out their products are vegan. At one of their first markets, customers who had bought their cakes without realising they were vegan replied, “Wow, that’s amazing.” However, they later admitted if they had known the patisserie was plant-based, they wouldn’t have bothered.

Pâtisserie Verte would continue to be a huge hit at outdoor food markets. Being one of few things open at the beginning of this year, Thibault said his macarons were their best seller: “We were almost selling between 1,500-2,000 macarons a week.”

Even with an abundance of experience and multiple competition titles, Thibault still finds adjusting traditional recipes plant-based challenging. “Choux pastry. I’m working on it,” he said.

On being a French vegan

Veganism was a big departure from his family roots, “I always said I would never date a vegetarian; my stepdad is a butcher, and my dad is a fishmonger”, he laughs.

Yet, after meeting his partner Cari, a pescatarian at the time, the couple took part in Veganuary, a challenge in January to encourage people to try the vegan lifestyle and ultimately led to them being entirely plant-based.

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Are free school meals enough to tackle the highest child povery rate in the UK? The Welsh Government has announced free school meals for all primary school children by 2023 but will this really help the 30 percent of children who live in poverty in Wales?

Feature

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fter his father was made redundant, Adam Johannes watched his mother count every penny as she wrote the shopping list to ensure they could afford it.“Sometimes, no matter what she crossed out, the sums wouldn’t add up. We’d just have to go without the essentials that week, and she would just burst into tears,” said the founder of Cardiff People’s Assembly Against Austerity.

This was almost 40 years ago and yet is the reality of more than 30 percent of children in Wales today, the highest child poverty rate of any UK nation according to children’s charity Save the Children.

Six years ago, the Welsh Government set out a mission to eradicate child poverty by 2020. Not only has this been unsuccessful but the number of children living in poverty is expected to increase. The Institute of Fiscal Studies predicts 40% of children in Wales will live in poverty by the end of this year.

On 22 November, Labour and Plaid Cymru announced a policy that would provide free school meals for all primary school children by 2023. Although many have welcomed the proposal, eradicating child poverty in Wales will take more than offering free school meals, argues Adam.

The issue of the two-child tax credit limit The Wales development manager of Child Poverty Action Group Ellie Harwood suggests abolishing the two-child tax credit limit. This policy restricts parents from claiming benefits for third or subsequent children who are born on or after 6 April 2017.

The two-child limit was introduced as a way to cut £1 billion a year from the welfare bill. It also aims to encourage families to consider their financial situation before having a child.

However, Ellie argues the number of children you have is not always an active choice and for many, conception is not always pre-planned. As well as this, the future is unpredictable. From relationship breakdowns to family sickness, many things can alter a person’s financial state.

“The two-child tax credit limit will put an additional 300,000 UK children into poverty” The pandemic alone saw the number of claimants for unemployment benefits more than double between March and May 2020, according to the UK government. This policy not only affects those who fall into poverty unexpectedly but it disproportionately affects families of faith. Many of whom value the creation of life and refrain from contraception and abortion.

The long-term effects of this policy will not be apparent for another 10 years. However, the Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates the two-child limit will put an additional 300,000 UK children into poverty.

In Wales, those affected by this policy receive £3,000 less a year than they would have got otherwise, according to the Welsh Government.

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Almost 1 in 3 children experience poverty in Wales, the highest rate in the UK. Photo credit: Unsplash

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The social impact of child poverty

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here is also the social detriment that comes with being in poverty.

Ellie argues these children are subject to “judgement, stigma and shame” for a situation entirely out of their hands.

Many schools in Wales use a cashless catering system with biometrics to reduce bullying.

Through this system, all students use the same method of paying, protecting those who get free school meals.

A teaching assistant from Cardiff said, “A pupil’s financial situation is something that should remain private. This system reduces the opportunity for bullying and singling children out.”

However, the issue goes beyond school meals. A teacher from South Wales said a pupil would borrow PE kits but have a new phone, which he thought was “nuts”. After speaking to the parents, he quickly discovered the family was not abusing school policy but instead choosing between necessities. The pupil’s group of friends started playing an online game and they asked

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why he wouldn’t join them.

He didn’t want to tell them it was because his phone was too old to download the app. His parents decided to buy a new phone rather than the PE kit, to avoid humiliation and social exclusion. The teacher said, “They didn’t want his friends realising they were poor, so the parents prioritised the money on that.”

The issue of digital accessibility for children in poverty For those living in poverty, choosing between necessities is a constant battle. Having fewer assets means they are more reliant on public services.

This goes beyond public transport and health services and includes public libraries, often used for internet access.

In 2016, the United Nations declared internet access a human right. This was made apparent during Covid-19, particularly for children as they were taken out of their classrooms and taught online during lockdowns.

According to Nesta, 15 percent of children in Wales experience data poverty.

This increases to 34 percent in households with three or more children. The Welsh Government administered 133,000 electronic devices to help children access education during the pandemic. However, Child Poverty Action Group found not all those who needed these devices received them.

Ellie explained that some schools and local authorities only offered those on free school meals the devices.

As less than half of children living in poverty are eligible for free school meals, this meant 75 percent of those who needed devices couldn’t get them.

So what can the Welsh Government do to ensure their mission is a success? “It’s perfectly possible to eliminate poverty,” says Ellie.

However, it’s unlikely that simply giving free school meals to all primary school children will do it. Through a mosaic of policies, including revision of welfare policies and increasing digital inclusion, Wales could significantly decrease its poverty rates. However, without these necessary changes, it seems too many children in Wales will continue to watch their parents counting every

Photo credit: Unsplash