CHEAP alcohol, poor regulation of housing standards and decreasing financial resources in the Isle of Man are all contributing to poverty in the Isle of Man.
That was the view of delegates at a conference called Is There Poverty and Neglect in the Isle of Man? The conference was held at the Sefton Hotel, Douglas, and attracted 160 people, including charity workers, social workers, Isle of Man College students and other child and adult welfare organisations.
It was organised by The Children’s Centre (CC) and saw opening addresses being given by President of Tynwald Clare Christian MLC and John Knight, CC chief executive. There were also speeches by Jo Thomas, head of safeguarding for the Isle of Man Government, motivational speaker Richard McCann, and children’s welfare lecturer and author Patrick Ayre.
Mrs Thomas gave a Manx perspective on how poverty and neglect affected children in care and reminded the audience the two social issues are not necessarily linked. Mr Ayre focused on the causal factors of neglect in families. He challenged the audience to retain their focus on the child’s perspective rather than simply the mechanics of social work referral processes. Mr McCann spoke about growing up in poverty and neglect, telling the moving story of his mother’s murder and the subsequent years of abuse he suffered within and outside of his family.
The audience was invited to question the speakers and a panel of experts including Stephen Carse, government’s economic adviser, Jed Bibby and Phil Drowley from the police and the Reverend Bill Platt from Broadway Baptist Church. Mrs Christian chaired the debate.
Mr Knight said several key areas of concern emerged: ‘The availability and pricing of alcohol was viewed by many delegates as a major contributor to poverty in the island, and perhaps neglect. Housing standards, and particularly the lack of enforcement around minimum standards and control among private sector landlords, was also cited as a major causal factor.
‘The debate also raised concerns about the need to retain focus and funding for early intervention with vulnerable children and families. Several delegates took the view that this is being damaged by decreasing resources in the current financial climate. Linked to this was the view that short-term planning is a concern as government is pressured to look at and manage the here and now rather than invest in preventative action which has the potential to save funding and prevent social hardship.’
Mr Knight said the view emerged that relatively low-level investment now could save the island future expenditure and support the most vulnerable members of the community.