Children North East celebrates 10 Years of Poverty Proofing© with landmark conference
The 10 Years of Poverty Proofing© Conference, held this month at Newcastle’s iconic Discovery Museum was a resounding success, bringing together over 160 policy-makers, researchers and practitioners from across the UK to share learnings from the last decade.
Organised by Children North East, which launched the project in 2024, the event featured an inspiring lineup of speakers, engaging panel discussions and case studies.
Poverty Proofing supports organisations to understand how those living in poverty may struggle to participate in key life experiences, such as education, healthcare and cultural experiences. The event was made possible thanks to funding from Kavli Trust, which has been a significant supporter of Poverty Proofing.
Attendees enjoyed thought-provoking sessions led by prominent figures, including Former Children’s Commissioner for England Anne Longfield, who provided a passionate keynote speech on how we all had a role to play as “warriors for the kids” and asked the audience to help shape a generation that has equal opportunities, no matter their financial background.
Leigh Elliott, Chief Executive at Children North East shared the photographs of poverty taken by children that built the foundations for this now nationally recognised project, explaining “the images along with the stories started to build up a picture of what poverty really meant for these young people, feelings of loneliness, isolation – not a place you would thrive in”.
From that origin story, the conference went on to offer diverse and expert perspectives on how unintentional financial barriers can and have been successfully removed. Examples of success stories include making recycled diabetes technology available to patients and changing how homework is set so pupils without internet access can still participate.
Across 14 speeches and breakout sessions, 27 presenters shared their work in this space including representatives of many organisations, including the National Trust, North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board, Stockport Council and Partnerieath.
Panel discussions featured lively debate about how different groups could collaborate to achieve lasting change in the fight against poverty, with experts such as John Beeley from Tees Valley Museums and Amanda Bailey from North East Child Poverty Commission sharing their experiences. The interactive workshops allowed participants to delve deeper into their own organisation’s practices, gaining practical skills and insights they can apply in their work.
A highlight of the event was a presentation from a group of Young Ambassadors for Poverty Proofing, who presented a new children’s book they have written called ‘Blue’s Sad Day’, sharing stories of what it is like to be poor at school. One guest shared the moment with a tweet reading “Wonderful to hear from children and young people. A hard listen at times, but one which creatively captured the lived reality for far too many children at this time.”
Feedback from guests included: “I can’t deny the atmosphere of hope, confidence and collaboration was so enjoyable to be in the midst of”, that they enjoyed the “friendly open atmosphere from knowledgeable, empathic people” and that there was a “great mix of plenary and more intimate sessions” with “some inspirational discussions”.
As the conference concluded, plans to revisit the impact of the event next year were already underway, promising to capture the ripple effect of learnings and continue to build on the movement Poverty Proofing has created.
