The Glasgow Child Poverty 23 Ward Report serves as the foundational document that spearheaded Glasgow’s efforts to address child poverty through a meticulous data-driven approach. Recognizing the critical need for an accurate understanding of the scope of child poverty within the city, this report lays the groundwork for informed interventions and solutions.
Child Poverty in Glasgow 23 Wards
Date
30 June 2022
My Role
Designer
Client
Project Type
Print Design, Design Research.
23 Wards of Glasgow data on Child Poverty
The problem
Glasgow faced the challenge of lacking an accurate portrayal of child poverty, hindering the city’s ability to initiate effective solutions. To address this, a collaborative effort ensued, bringing together cross-functional departments, data scientists, researchers, and stakeholders to delve into the core issues surrounding child poverty.
What I did
- Ran cross-functional collaboration involving data scientists, researchers, and stakeholders to meticulously analyse the multifaceted issues of child poverty in Glasgow.
- Synthesized comprehensive data with the data scientists, extracting key insights to formulate a report tailored for seamless distribution within the financial inclusion team.
- Spearheaded the visualization of over 300 values, meticulously categorizing and analysing diverse funding streams for Glasgow families. Delved into various themes, including the utilization of universal credit and additional support, providing a nuanced understanding of the financial landscape for families in need.
- Facilitated design workshops in partnership with the client financial inclusion team, aiming to comprehend, at a human level, the lived experiences of individuals facing poverty.
- Transformed statistical narratives into poignant depictions of real people’s lives, emphasizing the human impact beyond numerical representation.
- Consolidated raw data and insights gathered from interviews with individuals experiencing poverty.
- Designed a comprehensive Ward report spanning 200 pages, elucidating the profound and widespread impact of poverty across Glasgow’s 23 wards, particularly affecting the most vulnerable populations.
- Applied art direction to ensure visual coherence and impact in conveying critical insights – Designed a 200-page report, meticulously presenting information and insights on the state of child poverty in Glasgow from 2019 to 2022.
Research and insights
- As a team we began with research to understand the subject – through desk research, client interviews and workshops we gained the knowledge we required to start understanding the questions the Financial Inclusion team wanted us to answer with data,
- 26% of children in the city are living in relative poverty,
- Average households with children experiencing relative poverty are living £115 per week below the poverty line,
- We understand that almost 2/3 of children experiencing relative poverty in Glasgow come from a single parent household,
- These statistics show that there is a lot of work to do in order to achieve the Scottish government’s targets and the CCI are looking to co-design solutions in response.
The impact
- The report stands as a ground-breaking achievement, meticulously presenting accurate and insightful data for all 23 wards in Glasgow.
- It serves as a critical tool, emphasizing the urgent need for intervention and assistance in addressing child poverty, both pre and post-COVID-19.
- The findings bring to the forefront a heightened awareness of the child poverty issue, particularly its impact on the most vulnerable members of society.
- Recognition of the imperative to secure funding to alleviate the daily struggles faced by individuals living in poverty.
- The report’s design transcends mere numerical representation, aiming to elevate awareness by portraying the lived experiences of individuals.
- It emphasizes that behind the statistics lie real lives, reinforcing the call to intervene and provide meaningful support.
- Distinguished as the first-of-its-kind in Scotland and the UK, the 23 wards report on child poverty sets a new standard for impactful reporting.
- Pioneering an approach that can be replicated across multiple local authorities, the report provides a clear before-and-after perspective on child poverty trends from 2019 to 2022.
Lessons learned
- Emphasizing the importance of adopting a comprehensive viewpoint, it is imperative to consistently assess the broader picture while aligning with organizational vision and values.
My Approach - Design-Led Problem Solving
Discover
Understanding the ask, building an knowledge library around what we already know.
Define
Doing research and identify opportunities.
Ideate and Test
Develop and design new ideas to solutions.
Develop and Deliver
Share the outcomes and results of the new outcome.