Public agencies and charities are often the first point of contact for people experiencing financial hardship.
The way you deliver services makes a big difference to whether people can engage with them and get the support they need to survive a crisis and move out of poverty.
We are encouraging local organisations to implement the pledge by taking actions that demonstrate a commitment to working towards a poverty-free Surrey. We suggest that organisations choose at least ONE action in each of the key themes
Leadership: Providing strong and visible organisational leadership to improve the lives of people in financial hardship and support efforts to reduce poverty across Surrey
Culture: Raising awareness and understanding of poverty within your organisation, so that people in financial hardship are treated with dignity and compassion
Accountability: Monitoring the impact of your services on those experiencing financial hardship and sharing good practice with other local organisations.
The number of people coming to us for help is growing rapidly, but food banks are not a long-term solution to poverty. We can only end poverty by tackling its root causes. Together we can make a difference, if enough of us commit to doing what we can to reduce the stigma of poverty and improve the lives of those who are experiencing financial hardship.
No, this is not a fundraising campaign. We want you to focus on what actions you can take, as an individual or organisation, to reduce the stigma of poverty and improve the lives of those who experiencing financial hardship.
There are lots of ideas on the website, starting with listening to people’s stories and gaining a better understanding of the issues. We recommend that you start small, and build up from there. Even small changes can make a big difference if enough people join in. Please get in touch with us if you are a local organisation and would like to discuss this further.
No, it is up to you if you want to tell us what actions you are taking to help tackle poverty. But, if you are willing, we would like to share what you are doing, to inspire and encourage others to sign the End Poverty Pledge.
We won’t be checking whether people fulfil their pledges – that is completely up to you. We only ask that you take the End Poverty Pledge seriously and that you do your best to make a difference, as an individual or as an organisation. We cannot change the world alone. But if everyone does something, then together we can make a difference to this community.
Please use social media and any other networks that you are part of to tell others about the End Poverty Pledge and encourage them to join in.
When you sign the pledge, we will send you occasional updates on the campaign, including sharing what other local individuals and organisations are doing to tackle poverty in our community. You can unsubscribe at any time if you wish.
Basic Needs and Access:
Food
Access
Accessibility – GOV.UK Design System (design-system.service.gov.uk)
Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Digital skills and inclusion – giving everyone access to the digital skills they need – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Digital inclusion – Citizens Online
What we mean by digital inclusion – NHS England Digital
The role of councils in tackling digital exclusion | Local Government Association
Warmth
Warm Welcome Venues in Surrey – Surrey County Council (surreycc.gov.uk)
SCC Energy advice digital tool
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Equality Act 2010: guidance – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
RaceAndEthnicityTerminologyGuideJune2021.pdf (centreformentalhealth.org.uk)
Housing
A Housing Strategy for Surrey.pdf (surreysays.co.uk)
People at the Heart of Care: adult social care reform (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Overview | Integrated health and social care for people experiencing homelessness | Guidance | NICE
Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) delivery: guidance for local authorities in England – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)The impact of homelessness on health: a guide for local authorities | Local Government Association
Income/Benefits/Employment
UK Poverty 2023: The essential guide to understanding poverty in the UK | JRF / Destitution in the UK 2023 | JRF – see recommendations
Home – Youth Futures Foundation.
Business Fights Poverty – Collaborations for Social Impact – Business Fights Poverty
Money/Energy Advice
Boom Community Bank | Home (boomcb.org.uk)
Lifelong Learning / Economy
National school breakfast club programme – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Free school meals: guidance for schools and local authorities – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Experiences of poverty and educational disadvantage (summary) (jrf.org.uk)
Environment
What are Green Skills? – Business Fights Poverty
PovertyAndClimateChange_72dpi_k.PDF (oecd.org)
Communities and Lived Experience
Turnaround: Learning from 60 years of Regeneration Policy
Part 1: introducing recovery, peer support and lived experience initiatives – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Lived-experience-policy-22-1.pdf (mind.org.uk)
General
Framing toolkit: Talking about poverty | Joseph Rowntree Foundation (jrf.org.uk)
PSC-Framework-Report-230831-Web.pdf (povertystrategycommission.org.uk)
MEASURING-POVERTY-SUMMARY-REPORT.pdf (socialmetricscommission.org.uk)
Destitution in the UK 2023 | JRF
Equality Act 2010 – implementation of section 1, the socio-economic duty
SED-findings-briefing-FINAL-DRAFT-002.pdf (gmpovertyACTION.org)
Socioeconomic Duty Toolkit – Revolving Doors (revolving-doors.org.uk) – for Police and Crime Commissioners
Implementing the Socio-economic Duty: learning from experience | WCPP
Supporting documents – Fairer Scotland Duty: guidance for public bodies – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
Anchor Institutions
Anchor Institutions And How They Can Affect People’s Health | The King’s Fund (kingsfund.org.uk)
Anchor_institutions_and_small_firms.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)
London Anchor Institutions’ Network (anchors.london)
The NHS as an anchor institution (health.org.uk)
NHS England » Anchors and social value
Social Value
Social Value Act: information and resources – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
What is Social Value? Social value definition and meanings (socialvalueuk.org)
Social value: Achieving community benefits | Local Government Association
Our mission is to see a community free from poverty, where everyone can afford life’s essentials.