Are you a family member, partner or spouse of someone who served in the UK Armed Forces? Have you interacted with MoD welfare services for veterans? Please give your views in our new survey: salfordshs.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

🚨Applications close this week🚨 We're recruiting for three exciting permanent roles within our Research and Policy team, at different levels of experience. Find our more and apply now ➡️ buff.ly/N4Xuj8b

🚨 We're hiring!🚨 📈 We're looking for a thoughtful and committed Principal Economist/Policy Analyst with a specific focus on economic growth and productivity.📈 Find out more ➡️ buff.ly/N4Xuj8b

Many young people are struggling to gain a foothold in the labour market. Among young people who are currently not in education, employment or training (NEET) 60% have never worked. Entering adulthood without work experience limits opportunities to build skills, confidence & earnings potential.

🚨We're hiring🚨 We're recruiting for three exciting permanent roles within our Research and Policy team, at different levels of experience. Find our more and apply now ➡️ buff.ly/N4Xuj8b

The Social Policy Association Employment Policy Group held a book panel event this week hosted by the Resolution Foundation and chaired by Nye Cominetti. The panel was composed of authors of several new books on employment and welfare policy in the UK and internationally.

What could plausibly explain some of the rise in the NEET rate since the pandemic? Employment has fallen in low-paying, youth-heavy sectors which saw relatively large labour cost increases last year. Read our latest report examining the UK's rising NEET rate➡️ buff.ly/gABGpwv

📣 Last chance to book 📣 This free event about the latest research on employment policy in Britiain and beyond is happening in London tomorrow! ⬇️

‘It’s a big loss’: what happens when a beautiful village loses its bus route?

Next Wednesday 29 April in London I'm discussing my new book on youth unemployment and devolution along with six other authors. The event is free, hosted at the Resolution Foundation and is organised by the SPA Employment Policy Group. Sign-up here: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/work-and-w...

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐟𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭: 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐝? SPA Employment Policy Group Resolution Foundation Office, London Wednesday, 29 April, 2:30pm-5pm Attendance free: register via Eventbrite: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/work-and-w...

Meet our expert panel: @sionedps.bsky.social, Lecturer in Social Policy at @cusocsci.bsky.social, completes our panel who will discuss what the 4 nations can learn from each other after 27 years of different approaches to issues around child poverty in our webinar. acss.civiplus.net/civicrm/even...

Meet our expert panel: @ruthpatrick0.bsky.social, Professor in Social and Public Policy (Urban Studies & Social Policy) at @glasgow.ac.uk, will also share her insights into how the 4 UK nations have dealt with the policy challenges of child poverty. Register➡️ acss.civiplus.net/civicrm/even...

Meet our expert panel: Dr Jed Meers, Senior Lecturer at York Law School @york.ac.uk, will also be joining our expert panel to discuss different approaches to social security for parents with dependent children, asking what the four nations can learn from each other. acss.civiplus.net/civicrm/even...

Meet our expert panel: Dr Ciara Fitzpatrick, Senior Lecturer at @ulsteruni.bsky.social and the Social Justice Institute, will also be joining our webinar on 28 April which has been organised with the @safetynetujc.bsky.social funded by @nuffieldfoundation.org. ➡️ acss.civiplus.net/civicrm/even...

Meet our panel: @haylesben.bsky.social, Senior Lecturer in Social Policy & Co-Director of the Centre on Constitutional Change at Uni of Edinburgh, will be joining our webinar exploring how the 4 UK nations have dealt with the policy challenges of child poverty. ➡️ acss.civiplus.net/civicrm/even...

📣The Social Policy Association’s Opportunity Grants programme for Spring 2026 is now open for applications! 💷Grants <£1K and £5K available to suppport social policy events and initiatives. 📅Deadline: Monday, 4th May 2026. social-policy.org.uk/opportunity-...

The establishment of the Fair Work Agency is an important step towards better enforcement of employment rights. How can the Government ensure its success? ⤵️

Even as employment rights are becoming stronger, non-compliance with existing rights remains a concern. Hundreds of thousands of workers do not benefit from the basic rights they are owed. Read more about how the new Fair Work Agency can address this➡️ buff.ly/2cPqeAG

Creating the Fair Work Agency is a welcome milestone; but other enforcement challenges remain. There will be no change to the scale of financial penalties, which are currently too low to be an effective deterrent. In fact, almost half of minimum wage cases are self-corrected so incur no penalty.

Join the @spaemploysocsec.bsky.social for a Book Panel in London this month (29th April) at @resolutionfoundation.org In-person and free to attend, details and registration are here: social-policy.org.uk/events/event... It would be lovely to see you there.

Glad this is getting some real research behind it. Anecdotally I've noticed that outlets are a little better at adding 'in England' in print but remain awful in formats where it's harder to call them out. www.theguardian.com/media/2026/a...

⭐New webinar⭐ As part of the Campaign for Social Science’s 2026 series on devolution our expert panel will explore how the UK nations’ four governments have dealt with the policy challenges of child poverty: Register now➡️ lnkd.in/epKZeEKr

Delighted to be hosting the #FoundationalEconomy Alliance Cymru Annual Conference 2026 here in #sbarclspark today. Starting us off are Derek Walker @futuregencymru.bsky.social, Neil James from Deep End Cymru and Cleide Correia from Merthyr Cynon Foodbank discussing #foodinsecurity #MakeADifference

SPA Chair, Prof Ann Marie Gray is taking part in this event on how the four UK nations are approaching health policy:

Great to see this published: a truly insightful article on Labour’s employment policies since July 2024. Make sure to keep an eye out for more policy areas from this special issue on Labour and social policy.

Some of us in the @spaemploysocsec.bsky.social have written an article on Labour's employment and social security policies post 2024 for a Special Issue. Open Access here: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Applications for our Research Training Programme 2026 are now open. Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic graduates are invited to apply for a 12-week training programme based in our Westminster office and paid at the London Living Wage. Details here 👉 buff.ly/nHoxxJM

The scrapping of the two-child limit is a much-needed change to turn the tide on child poverty. It is also the most cost-effective way of lifting children out of poverty.

Some reflections from me on today's Autumn Budget statement open.substack.com/pub/rodhick/...

Looking forward to speaking here on Wednesday: www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/spa-worksh...

The Renters' Rights Bill is set to receive royal assent and become law. Generation Rent's Dan Wilson Craw explains how it happened.

Today, we attended a roundtable at the HoL hosted by Baroness Ruth Lister on the subject of the Child Poverty Strategy. CR participants, inc. Jo & Brian, delivered powerful testimonies, using the space to push for an ambitious Strategy that genuinely confronts the root causes of child poverty. ✊

Now available: www.e-elgar.com/shop/gbp/res... co-edited by policy group member Elke Heins, with contributions from policy group members: @haylesben.bsky.social, @chrisgrover.bsky.social @heejungchung.bsky.social @katyjones.bsky.social

Wrote this on yesterday’s inflation figures and why universal credit should be based on the amount we actually need to get by ⬇️

With Charlie Mayfield’s Get Britain Working Review imminent, all eyes are on the UK's working-age health challenge.  In this blog, Jes Phillips explores how policy can be improved through understanding real life experiences of work and health ⬇️ https://bit.ly/4oCgwFf

While the Safety Nets team continue to unpick the importance of devolution for social security and the lives of people across the UK, our latest blog discusses devolved processes as more than economic strategies and the potential risk of tying devolution to economic growth:

Gloria Odhi, a participant of Changing Realities, shared her story with the Scottish first minister with the hope of inspiring change.

Citizens Advice Caerphilly Blaenau Gwent’s (CACBG) Research and Campaigns team have published a report which looks at the impact sanctions to welfare benefits have on people and families. Find out more here citizensadvicecbg.org.uk/news/report-....

Have you read our report on the impact sanctions have on welfare benefit recipients? Our Research and Campaigns team have published a report which looks at the direct impact sanctions to welfare benefits have on people and families. You can read both reports here ow.ly/vu0C50V2BAy

Are out-of-work benefit claims at a record high? My new post open.substack.com/pub/inequali... , and also my take on More or Less this morning at www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

Gall #datganoli a #chymdeithassifil helpu i greu gwrth-naratif ar gyfer #ceiswyr lloches – Blogbost newydd WISERD gan @sionedps.bsky.social a Nivedita Narayan @prifysgolcdydd.bsky.social ➡️ bit.ly/3K2hxrd

#Devolution and #civilsociety could help to create a counter-narrative for #sanctuaryseekers – A new WISERD blog post by @sionedps.bsky.social and Nivedita Narayan @cardiffuni.bsky.social ➡️ bit.ly/3VXvpW8

The committee recommends extending the period people are given to look for work from four weeks to three months.. to take a trauma informed and person centred approach amongst other things….

This week is a 5 day strike at University of Edinburgh in response to management decisions and practices around £120m cuts & UCU’s concerns around workloads, teaching, and research quality.

New blog from @ilonapin.bsky.social shares how government proposals and reforms to immigration policy mean we’re likely to see a growth, in poverty for children in immigrant families blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...

📰What are the 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗲𝘀 in federalism, regionalism and territorial governance? 📌Don’t miss our editorial note 👉https://doi.org/10.1080/13597566.2025.2518752 @davidevampa.bsky.social @filippoboni.bsky.social @assefafy.bsky.social @merylkenny.bsky.social @marielylopezs.bsky.social & M.Zulianello

Thank you so much @haylesben.bsky.social :)

Back from annual leave to great news: our project on the rise of Reform UK in Scotland - co-led with A. Convery (and in collaboration with F. McMillan) has been awarded RSE funding. Starting Oct 2025, it explores Reform's breakthrough in Scotland in comparative perspective rse.org.uk/rse-awards-o...

In this blog we outline how UK government changes to Jobcentre Plus might play out in Scotland where skills, careers, health, are devolved responsibilities. We also ask whether it's an opportunity for a more radical rethinking of what a job centre is for.