Tim Stone - Salvation Army

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ePolitix.com speaks to Tim Stone of the Salvation Army about social exclusion and the upcoming Salvation Army 'Seeds of Social Exclusion' symposium in October.

Question: What is 'social exclusion' and which groups are most likely to be affected by it?

Tim Stone: The Salvation Army works with a very broad definition of this term – where we see need, we seek to meet that need and remove the causes of that need. We call this 'social justice'.

In terms of social exclusion, there are many groups of people for the Salvation Army to help. Many of the people whom the Salvation Army comes into contact with feel they have no place in our society. Poverty, family breakdown, homelessness, drug abuse and even old age can set people apart and leave them feeling marginalised.

Question: Why is the Salvation Army interested in social exclusion?

Tim Stone: The Salvation Army believes that people's lives can be changed for the better, no matter how big their problems appear. William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army was passionate about this issue.

"While women weep as they do now, I'll fight. While little children go hungry as they do now, I'll fight. While men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I'll fight. "

That is why today we offer practical help and support including residential centres for families at risk, homeless people, people struggling with addictions, older people, as well as a huge variety of family and community programmes.

Question: You recently published a report entitled 'Seeds of Exclusion' which explored the reasons for social exclusion and the challenges it presents to government and society. How will the Salvation Army respond in tackling the root causes of social exclusion?

Tim Stone: The Salvation Army has considered this issue very carefully. There are many issues to address and it is difficult to ensure the right issues are prioritised.

One of the aims of the report is to gain feedback on our approach and ensure we have focused on the real issues.

That said we have prioritised the following activities:

• Supporting and sustaining children and families

• Supporting people in transition

• Supporting vulnerable people

• Speaking out for marginalised people

• Further research into the complex needs of the most vulnerable

More detail on the Salvation Army's response is provided in the Seeds of Exclusion report at www.salvationarmy.org.uk/seeds

Since the report was published, we have appointed a senior officer at Territorial Headquarters (Major Ivor Telfer) to be responsible and accountable for delivering this work.

Question: How are children affected by social exclusion?

Tim Stone: Our findings reveal that when a child has a poor relationship with their mother and father they are more likely to experience homelessness before the age of 18. This suggests good relationships with parents may be crucial to preventing homelessness at a young age. The good relationships with parents become even more important when considering the evidence that those who were homeless as a child are significantly less likely to have close friends as adults.

Furthermore, 15 per cent of respondents indicated they did not have enough to eat. This indicates poor nutrition or, at best, poorly developed eating behaviours whilst growing up.

If the seeds of social exclusion have been sown in the childhood experiences of this generation of homeless people, the concern from the study findings is that these seeds will be further propagated in their next generation.

Of those interviewed, more than half of the women and slightly less than half of the men have children. However, of those with children, 38 per cent of the women and 42 per cent of the men have no contact with their children currently.

Question: What is the connection between mental health, substance abuse, and social exclusion?

Tim Stone: When personal difficulties arise in children and young adults who have little or no immediate family support, they can become vulnerable to a range of problems. These may be exacerbated by high levels of exposure to alcohol and other drugs. Another predisposing factor to vulnerability is when close family members also have mental health problems.

This leads to a critical question relating to the family: how do you support vulnerable young people when they experience issues such as this within the family unit?

Question: Is the Salvation Army advocating any policies aimed at tackling social exclusion?

Tim Stone: Our research findings lead to a well-argued range of recommendations, which are best analysed under the following headings:

• Relationships

o Support services need to be developed which facilitate the nurturing of good quality relationships between children and their parent or parents.

o We need to engage families who may be at risk of social exclusion with services that reach the wider community with the emphasis on building social networks and consequent social capital. Faith-based organisations are well-placed to do this as they already have a function in creating networks within communities. Indeed, the role of these organisations in community development generally should not be underestimated.

o In view of the problems of engaging vulnerable people with statutory services, there is a clear need to use government funding to increase the capacity of the third sector to work in the community to connect with people at risk of social exclusion. The development of partnerships with other non-statutory and statutory agencies will help to fill in the gap in this support in a non-threatening way.

• Wellbeing

o Within homeless support services there needs to be a much better understanding of what it means to have 'mental health needs' as these often involve a complex interaction of issues including childhood experiences. There needs to be appropriately researched interventions if these individuals are to be supported back into successful community.

o There needs to be a greater understanding of the link between personality disorder and socially inappropriate behaviour which is often criminalised, and the way to best manage this.

o Innovative approaches to supporting individuals with enduring mental health issues, both within the community and semi-structured units, are needed. A better understanding of how these individuals can 'maximise' their potential and be supported to lead meaningful lives needs to be reviewed in the light of good quality evidence.

• Support for vulnerable people

o More consistent and integrated personal support is needed for people leaving controlled environments, particularly for those individuals who have no significant social networks, have substance misuse problems and mental health issues.

o Aftercare should be managed in a more seamless way in order to keep the vulnerable person engaged with appropriate services. This might be best undertaken by third sector organisations with good links both within controlled environments and with local communities.

• Social and healthcare support

o Appropriate surveys and studies using valid assessments are needed to understand the individual needs of socially excluded people with complex needs. This data should be used to inform social policy.

o Provision for marginalised people must take account of the range of needs and required 'holistic' support for people with multiple complex needs.

• The Role of the third sector

o Care and support for socially excluded people has been undertaken by the third sector for many years. The cost benefits of this provision need to be properly evaluated.

o A more equitable distribution of funding between statutory and third sector would address the severe under-provision of support for vulnerable people.

o Third sector providers are constantly having to adapt to changes in funding strategies and how their performance is managed via outcome monitoring, in order to maintain their funding streams. Long-term policies to foster the third sector should be encouraged rather than quick fixes.

o The current process of tendering for funds, based upon simplistic indicators, makes it harder to provide the holistic support required for people with complex needs. A new approach to increasing the capacity of the third sector is required.

Question: Can you tell me about your upcoming Seeds of Social Exclusion symposium in October? What are the main aims of this event?

Tim Stone: Our symposium has the following high-level aims:

• Raise awareness of the issues experienced by the socially excluded

• Explore the issues raised in the Seeds of Exclusion report

• Develop strategies informed by the research and discussion

Our symposium will be chaired by Libby Purves. Key speakers include Iain Duncan Smith MP (Chair of the Centre for Social Justice), Stephen Timms MP, Bob Reitemeier (Children's Society CEO) and academics from the universities of Kent and Cardiff.

Question: Do you have any final comments to ePolitix.com readers?

Time Stone: Social exclusion is everyone's issue. Contact Tim Stone to find out how you can help change society for the better.