The letter was developed following a civil society workshop hosted by NIAPN at NICVA on Thursday 26 June, where sector representatives discussed their collective response to the draft strategy.
The letter highlights that the draft strategy does not align with the standards outlined by oversight bodies such as the Northern Ireland Audit Office and the Public Accounts Committee.
The Northern Ireland Audit Office report on Child Poverty in Northern Ireland emphasised the need for “an integrated cross-departmental anti-poverty strategy” with “properly defined and more specific actions,” including “an action plan containing clearly defined indicators and targets aimed at quantifying and reducing poverty.”
Similarly, the Public Accounts Committee Report on Child Poverty in Northern Ireland stressed the importance of “quantitative, qualitative and time-bound targets and outcomes” to measure performance and demonstrate impact. It also noted that “a strategy which does not have specific resources devoted to it is never going to be as effective as it could be.”
The letter draws attention to several critical shortcomings in the draft strategy:
- Absence of measurable and time-bound targets
- Lack of commitment to substantive new actions, with a reliance on existing initiatives
- No dedicated or ring-fenced resources
It urges Ministers to engage meaningfully with the extensive evidence and recommendations produced by civil society and academic experts, including:
- The Independent Expert Advisory Panel (2020)
- The Anti-Poverty Strategy Co-Design Group (2022)
- The Welfare Reform Mitigation Review (2021)
- The Discretionary Support Review (2022)
The letter outlines that civil society is committed to working alongside the Executive to eradicate poverty in Northern Ireland, but urges Ministers to “withdraw their support of the draft Anti-Poverty Strategy, on the basis that it is more harmful to have a strategy that will not address poverty, than no strategy at all.”
NI Anti-Poverty Strategy Group Response
The letter was also signed by the NI Anti-Poverty Strategy Group, of which NICVA is a member. This group comprises former members of the Anti-Poverty Co-Design Group, originally convened to support the Department for Communities in developing a comprehensive strategy.
The group has issued its own response to the draft strategy, available here: Launch of Anti-Poverty Strategy for NI.
In the coming weeks, the group will publish an updated version of its previous Recommendations Report, aimed at reinforcing the essential components of a meaningful Anti-Poverty Strategy for Northern Ireland.
NICVA will publish a copy of this report as soon as available.
You can read more about the Anti Poverty Strategy for NI consultation here: Launch of Anti Poverty Strategy for NI | NICVA
