Customer Insight Case Study Tackling Child Poverty in North

overview In February 2009, North Warwickshire Borough Council was awarded £170,000 from the DCSF to develop an innovative project to help address child poverty. Working in conjunction with the County Council, CAB, Credit Union and other agencies, the initiative would purchase and equip a vehicle (BOB, the Branch Out Bus) to visit communities and provide advice and signposting on debt, benefits and financial literacy amongst other things.

the challenge Although the partners responsible for delivering the outreach service already knew where some of their more deprived communities existed, the project needed to identify the specific neighbourhoods that would benefit most from this particular initiative, namely those areas at greatest risk of suffering child poverty. The Warwickshire target Observatory was asked to support the project team by communities offering proposals for priority locations; this would enable the outreach service to work in those communities where the greatest impact could be made, based on a robust evidence base. Part of this challenge involved trying to identify very localised pockets of need that get masked by the solution traditional geographies such as wards or Super Output A combination of County Council, Borough Areas, particularly when dispersed across a predminantly Council and Mosaic data was used to identify rural Borough such as North Warwickshire.. neighbourhoods with the highest likelihood ! ! ! ! ! !! !!! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! of containing 'target households'. The ! !! ! ! ! !! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! Borough Council provided data on households ! ! ! !! ! ! ! !! !!! ! !!! ! !!! ! !! ! !! !! claiming Council Tax Benefit or Housing !! !! !! ! ! ! ! !! Benefit that also contained children, while the ! ! !! !! ! !! !! !!! !!! ! County Council provided information on Free !!! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !!!!! !!! !! !! !! !! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! !! !! ! !! ! !!!!!!!! !! ! ! School Meal claimants. The Mosaic dataset ! !!! ! !! ! !! !!!! !! ! ! ! ! !! !! ! ! ! ! !!!!!! ! ! !!! ! ! !!!!!!! ! !!!! ! !!!!!!! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! !!! ! ! was examined to identify a small number of !! ! !!!!! !!!!!! ! !!!! ! !! !! ! !!! !! ! ! !!! ! !! !!! ! !! !! ! ! !!! !! !! ! !!!!!!! ! !!! !!! !! !!!!! ! !!! !! ! !! !!!!!! !!!!! !!!!!!! !!!! ! !! ! ! ! !!! !! ! !!!!!!! !!!!! !! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!! !! ! !!!! ! ! ! !! ! ! !!! specific household types that were most likely ! !! !! !!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! !!!! ! ! !!! ! ! !! !! !! ! !! ! !!!!! ! ! ! !!! ! ! !!! ! !!! ! ! ! !!! !!! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! !!! !!!! ! !! ! ! ! !! !!!! !! ! ! !! !! ! ! to have a number of the criteria needed for ! !! !!!! !!! ! ! ! !!!!! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !! !! !! !! ! !! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! !! !! !! ! ! ! !! !! !! !! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! !! !! ! ! !! the outreach service (for example, young !! ! ! !! !! !! ! ! ! !! ! !!! ! ! ! !! !!! ! ! ! ! !! !! ! !! !! ! ! ! !! !! ! !! ! !! !! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! !! !! !!!! !!! ! !! !! !! !!! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!! !!!!! !!!! !! ! !! !! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! ! !!!!! !! !!!! ! !! ! ! !!! !! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! !! !! ! !!! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! !! ! ! ! !!!! !! !!!!!! ! ! !!!! !! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! !!! ! families living in deprived areas, with low !!!!! !!! ! !!!!!!!! ! !! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! !!! !! !!! !!!!!! !!!!!!! !!!! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! ! !! ! !!!!!!! ! ! ! ! !! !!!! ! ! ! ! !! !! !! !!!! ! ! !!!! !!! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! !! ! !! !!!! ! ! ! ! !!! ! ! ! !!! !!! !!!!! !! ! !! !!!!!! ! ! ! !!! ! !!!! !! ! !! ! ! !! !! !!! !!!!!! !!!!!!!!!! !!! ! !! !!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!! !! ! household income levels and/or claiming !!!!! !!!!!!!! !!!! !!!! !! ! !! ! !!!!!!!! !! !! !! !!! ! !!!! !!!! ! ! ! ! !!! !!!! !!!!! ! !! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! !!! ! !!!!!!! !! ! !! ! ! !!!! ! !! !!! !!!! ! ! ! ! !!!!!! !!!! ! ! ! ! !! ! !! ! !! benefits). These datasets were mapped !! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! !! ! ! !! !! !!!! ! ! !!!! ! ! ! !! !!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !!!! !! !! !!!!!! !!!! ! ! !!!!! ! !! ! !! ! !! !! !!!!! ! ! ! ! !!!! ! !!! !! !! ! !!!!!! ! ! ! ! !!!!! ! !!! !!! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !! !! ! !! !! using the Observatory's Geographic !!!!!!!!!!! ! ! !!! !! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! !! !! !! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !! !! !! ! !! ! ! ! !! ! ! ! !!! ! !! ! !!! !!! ! ! ! ! ! !! !! !! !! ! ! ! !! !! !! ! !! !! !! !!! ! Information System and areas of overlap !!! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!! ! !! ! ! ! ! !! ! ! !! ! !! !! !! !! !! !! !! ! ! ! !!! !! !! ! !! across the datasets were highlighted. !! ! !! !!!! !! !! ! example of proposed priority neighbourhoods

Warwickshire 01926 412469 Observatory [email protected] Customer Insight Case Study Tackling Child Poverty in North Warwickshire the results Key Mosaic Types D24 F37 G41 G42 H44 H46 H47 A total of 19 streets or neighbourhood areas were proposed as priority locations for the outreach service. Although this appears to be a small number, these communities actually covered two thirds of the Borough's target Mosaic households, half of the households claiming Council Tax or Housing Benefits and nearly 60% of households claiming Free School Meals. The P^_olesworth Mosaic dataset also provided an insight into the most appropriate ^_ communication channels to apply to the target areas. ^_ Kingsbury implementation and outcomes

In the first six months since its launch, the BOB vehicle ^_ ^_^_ delivered a weekly service in , Dordon, Baddesley, Ansley Common, Harsthill, Chapel End, Old and New Arley ^_ based on the information from the Warwickshire Observatory Coleshill New Arley ^_ and thereafter staff using local knowledge to identify good locations in the areas identified.

Between June and November 2009, staff have helped more than 500 suggested priorities customers. Some of the help has been at a low level but increasingly ^_ actual initial sites this assistance has resolved more complex enquiries needing a number of financial inclusion partners to assist. In general the type of services delivered have focused on benefit checks, benefit uptake, debt advice, and legal matters around redundancy, or around the opening of basic bank accounts and identifying affordable loans. In addition, the services offered on the bus continue to grow as new partners want to promote what they are doing having seen the success of the pilot to date.

The project has achieved a 97% customer satisfaction rate so far, and another key success of the project is that 88% of the customers helped have said "that they wouldn't have telephoned or visited the Council or CAB offices" meaning the project is hitting the specific 'hard to reach' groups it set out to help. The brand is now firmly established and recognised for delivering real financial inclusion results in partnership further information

For more details on the Child Poverty project, contact Bob Trahern at North Warwickshire Borough Council, 01827 719378 or [email protected]

For further information on the Observatory's customer insight research and the Mosaic dataset, use the contact details below.

Warwickshire 01926 412469 Observatory [email protected]