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The Fabian Society/NPI conference Building Partnerships for Social Inclusion: Next Steps for the National Anti-Poverty Strategy 15th January 2002, 10-5pm, London John Prescott, Gordon Brown with major speakers from the academic, voluntary and business communities. Tackling poverty and social exclusion has been central to Labour’s programme. A series of major policy initiatives, some backed by serious money, now comprise the national anti-poverty strategy: the New Deal, the New Commitment to Neighbourhood Renewal, Sure Start, the Working Families Tax Credit and, of course, the National Minimum Wage are all significant steps forward towards the goal of eradicating child poverty. For the most part, however, the strategy has been devised and delivered by Government alone. Producing the National Action Plan on social inclusion has involved some steps towards wider involvement by other stakeholders. But it is now time to develop a truly broad-based coalition for the anti- poverty strategy, actively involving all sectors of society. To do this, Government needs to provide a clear lead to other institutions and sectors, using its powers and resources to mobilise the commitment of others, winning the widest possible support for the strategy. This one-day conference will provide a platform from which that coalition can be built. The event will bring together policy makers and practitioners from the public, private and voluntary sectors to explore ways in which this partnership approach might be developed in practical terms. Conference highlights include:  Keynote addresses from the Deputy Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, setting out the Government’s plans.  Responses to from leading figures in the different sectors.  Workshops will consider policy and practice across a range of themes raised by the research, each featuring two speakers and opportunity for more active involvement on the part of participants.  A panel discussion comprising speakers from the UK government, the Irish government, and the European Commission to discuss lessons from the international experience of developing anti-poverty strategies. The conference will be of interest to policy makers and practitioners in local government, health authorities, housing associations, business, trade unions, regeneration partnerships, and voluntary and community organisations. Conference content and format The conference will begin and end with plenary sessions, featuring keynote speakers and a panel debate. In the morning the conference will break down into parallel sessions, each involving representatives from each of the different sectors.  The morning plenary sessions will comprise a ministerial keynote speech, setting out the Government’s plans, and the presentation of key themes from the report; there will then be responses from individuals in the different sectors.  The paralell sessions will consider policy and practice across a range of themes raised by the Fabian/NPI research report, each featuring two speakers and opportunity for more active involvement on the part of participants.  The afternoon closing plenary will bring together the themes of the day and signpost ways in which the strategy develops from here. This will include a speaker from the UK Government, as well as from the European Commission and from the Irish Government, to identify lessons from the international experience of anti-poverty strategies. Contacts For a full programme please contact 020 7227 4911 ; events@fabian- society.org.uk