Important work from @local.gov.uk on integrated early years services and child development. Research across children and family policy consistently highlights the importance of joined-up support across health, education and family services.

Much of our research focuses on how policy shapes the lives of children and families.

What if leave wasn’t just time away from work, but time to care? This week’s TCRU seminar explores the future of care leave and how welfare states might rethink support. 12 Mar, 12–1pm, Gordon Sq. #SocialPolicy #CareEconomy bit.ly/40ollrB @sriucl.bsky.social @ioe.bsky.social

🌍 How does space shape inequalities & how can global strategies work locally? Join Lauren Andres (PVP Inequalities theme) & experts discussing links between climate, migration, urban marginalisation & gendered vulnerabilities. 📆 18 March, 17:30–20:30 👉https://bit.ly/4roHykx

Research on children & families highlights how complex everyday life can be. Policies are designed around systems & services. But families experience them through housing, childcare, migration status, income & relationships – all at once. Research helps bring that reality into policy thinking.

These themes cut across our work on early years, migration, inequality and public services. Connecting evidence to lived experience leads to better decisions.

Policy & practice on donor conception in the UK have shifted dramatically. How do these changes shape identity, belonging & lived experience? Join us for the TCRU/Coram Annual Lecture with Dr Sophie Zadeh & panellists. Register: bit.ly/47lBG42 #FamilyPolicy #DonorConception @uclpolicylab.bsky.social

Are large families being overlooked in today’s social policy debates? This Thursday's seminar explores why families with three or more children still matter, and how welfare systems shape their lives. 12-1pm bit.ly/4l6Y9aS #SocialPolicy #FamilyCommunitiesSociety @sriucl.bsky.social @ioe.bsky.social

Important framing from @centreformh.bsky.social on prevention and early support for families. Evidence from early years and family wellbeing research consistently shows that early investment can reduce longer-term pressures on services and support better outcomes.

How do faith and sexuality shape asylum journeys? Our seminar this week explores the experiences of LGBTIQ+ people seeking asylum in the UK and examines how religious belief can both complicate claims and provide strength and community. #LGBTQResearch #Asylum bit.ly/4rXDdFi @ioe.bsky.social

We’re the Thomas Coram Research Unit. Our work focuses on children, families and the social changes shaping their lives. We connect high-quality evidence to policy and practice. Over the coming weeks, we’ll share how our work supports decision-making across key policy areas.

Whose stories remain unheard? Join TCRU's Bianca Parry this week where she'll look at women’s experiences in South African communities and what feminist research can teach us about listening, ethics and power. #SocialResearch #GenderAndSociety bit.ly/4ttqhbO @sriucl.bsky.social @ioe.bsky.social

Thursday’s seminar asks why caregiving is central to understanding empire & today’s world. New research traces how paid & unpaid care shaped labour, migration & political change across South Asia & beyond. 5 Feb, 12–1pm, Gordon Sq #SocialResearch #socialInclusion bit.ly/3ZH6AQe @ioe.bsky.social

How can arts-based participation reshape research, and its impact? This week’s TCRU seminar explores creative, participatory methods in projects on health inequalities in Tower Hamlets. 29 Jan, 12–1pm, Gordon Sq bit.ly/3YUCqIX #ArtsInResearch #SocialResearch @sriucl.bsky.social @ioe.bsky.social

What does volunteering really mean for young people in the Global South? Dr Chris Millora looks beyond familiar narratives of volunteering & explores how youth social action can both challenge & reinforce inequality 12:00-13:00, Gordon Sq bit.ly/3LC0T2M #SocialResearch #Inequalities @ioe.bsky.social

In the Telegraph, @ktwamley.bsky.social reflects on how Covid lockdowns disrupted young people’s transition into intimacy - with anxiety and missed social experiences shaping longer-term changes in relationships. bit.ly/3ZcVh1Q #intimacyAndCare @sriucl.bsky.social @ioe.bsky.social

We’re starting 2026 with a big question: why has truth lost its grip? Our first seminar (15 Jan) explores how finance shapes misinformation, credibility, political narratives & democratic life. 12:00-13:00, Gordon Sq. bit.ly/4qPmsf6 #Sociology #SocialResearch @sriucl.bsky.social @ioe.bsky.social

And that’s a wrap! This terms Seminar Series closed with Prof. Eva Lloyd - a brilliant session. We've an exciting line-up for next term, including sessions on truth & finance, youth volunteering, arts-based research, caregiving & expert witness practice. More details in Jan! #ResearchThatMatters

Great to see TCRU colleagues featured in UCL’s Grand Challenge of Justice & Equality Impact Report! @ktwamley.bsky.social, Prof Ann Phoenix, Mette Berg & Eve Dickson contributed to key case studies tackling inequality and justice. #TCRUResearch bit.ly/3XD8IaR bit.ly/4pTLhWL bit.ly/4amr9Iv

🎙️ New ep: Asylum, Housing & Community Host Ethne James Souch talks with Mette Louise Berg, Judith Spirig, Faith Nyamakanga & Nelson Gomez about asylum housing in the UK—how policy, privatised systems & ideas of “deservingness” shape everyday lives. 🎧 https://bit.ly/4p2aIFA

Working with creative or participatory methods? If you use creative, community-led or participatory methods, our toolkit offers methods, case studies & tips for work with migrants & underserved communities. Featured as a @ucl-global.bsky.social case study. tinyurl.com/2p9kd5rf tinyurl.com/2r6aufrj

TCRU's joint Healthier Wealthier Families in East London project was recently nominated for @events.hsj.co.uk Reducing inequalities & improving outcomes for children & young people Award. Fantastic recognition of work with partners across East London. Congrats to the whole team! tinyurl.com/stw95bvb

Ahead of the UK budget announcement @tcru-ucl.bsky.social research is illuminating children’s lived experiences of poverty to better inform policy and practice. "By listening to children and families... we can help shape fairer, more supportive environments" blogs.ucl.ac.uk/ioe/2025/11/...

For many Bangladeshi asylum seekers, the UK system makes proving credibility difficult - creating long-term uncertainty that infiltrates every aspect of daily life. Hear Ashraf Hoque discuss this on 27 Nov. tinyurl.com/2f2b96wb #BelongingAndIdentity #Asylum @sriucl.bsky.social @ioe.bsky.social

What does it mean to raise a mixed-heritage family? Join Professor Miri Song on 20 Nov, 12–1pm, as she explores racial identity, partner choice and childrearing across generations. bit.ly/3JTrlnp #BelongingAndIdentity #ResearchThatMatters @sriucl.bsky.social @ioe.bsky.social

TCRU's Charlotte Faircloth’s point @bbc5live.bsky.social : gentle parenting isn’t breaking marriages - it’s the shift to recognising children’s emotional needs & modern parental pressure. And, yes we’re animals, but copying primates is maybe… methodologically unsound. 38mins in tinyurl.com/2zrwnnwc

Great to see TCRU’s @susiebowerbrown.bsky.social work highlighted for #TransAwarenessWeek. Her research is making a real difference to understanding the experiences of trans and non-binary parents across the UK. #LGBTQResearch #GenderDiversity @sriucl.bsky.social

New @ucl-global.bsky.social case study highlights arts-based research by @humeraiqbal.bsky.social & Monica Lakhanpaul with Wits University, coinciding with tonight’s Visualising Migration panel. Exploring creativity, belonging & resilience. bit.ly/47APYP2 bit.ly/479Qe6d #Migration @ioe.bsky.social

The Fair Food Futures UK exhibition moves this week! Created with families in Tower Hamlets & Bradford, it shares powerful photos & stories of food, dignity & belonging. Now showing at Whitechapel Town Hall from 11 Nov. bit.ly/47xTo53 #FairFoodFutures #FoodInsecurity

TCRU’s Katie Gaddini in the spotlight! @drkatiegaddini.bsky.social explores the lives and politics of right-wing Christian women in America – bringing a global, human lens to women’s roles in society. Book due 2026! bit.ly/3Lqhd6k #Sociology #GenderPolitics @ucl.ac.uk @ioe.bsky.social

1 in 3 people giving birth in the UK was born abroad. Join @drkstevenson.bsky.social on 13 Nov, as she shares findings from the UK Migration & Maternal Health Study – supporting fairer, more inclusive maternity care. bit.ly/47ncF9i #UCL #MaternityCare #Migration @sriucl.bsky.social @ioe.bsky.social

Join us for an exciting panel event - Visualising Migration: Art, Resistance & Wellbeing 📅 Tuesday 11th November, 4.30–6.30pm 📍 Leolin Price Lecture Theatre, 30 Guilford Street, UCL GOSICH Book your spot now: 👉 www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/visualisin... @tcru-ucl.bsky.social @uclhealthpublic.bsky.social

New open-access paper for @youthstudies.bsky.social from my @leverhulme.ac.uk lme.ac.uk project It explores how place influences working-class young people's transitions out of education in London, Rochdale & Morecambe www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.... @tcru-ucl.bsky.social @sriucl.bsky.social

Can education shape how we see ourselves as British? Join @aksoyundan.bsky.social & @buraksonmez.bsky.social on 30 Oct, 12-1pm, as they explore how the FBV policy has shaped national identity & democratic values. tinyurl.com/3ynfw3hw #SRI #Education #belonging @sriucl.bsky.social @ioe.bsky.social

What happens when national migration policies grow harsher – but local people still care? New research from Mette Berg & Eve Dickson shows how local advocates & welfare workers quietly build solidarity and challenge hostile systems. #MigrationPolicy #Asylum @ioe.bsky.social tinyurl.com/mynxynxn

Understanding ‘Gender Equality’ Earlier this year, @ktwamley.bsky.social & Charlotte Faircloth were nominated for the BSA & SAGE Prize for Innovation/Excellence. Their work reshapes thinking around caring responsibilities, work & equality post-parenthood. tinyurl.com/mpddkevn tinyurl.com/4hf5xkry

Research in action! @ktwamley.bsky.social, @clarestovell.bsky.social, Peter Moss & Alison Koslowski recently attended the APPG for Fatherhood with @katedeardenmp.bsky.social to discuss extending paternity leave – a vital step for gender equality & family wellbeing. dadshift.org.uk

The walls speak for themselves Join TCRU's Amena Amer on 23 Oct, 12:00–13:00, where she'll explore the lived realities of Muslim women in London’s universities, through the contexts of safety, identity and belonging. bit.ly/4hdWkad #UCL #MuslimWomen #Diversity @sriucl.bsky.social @ioe.bsky.social

TCRU's Ashraf Hoque features on The Migration Menu podcast! bit.ly/435tsLB He discusses Brick Lane’s Bengali heritage, migration, and the stories behind London’s South Asian food culture. A rich listen on identity, history & taste. #MigrationStudies #Diaspora #SouthAsianStudies tinyurl.com/yeyvvnsv

How can art and storytelling help us make sense of migration, displacement & belonging? Join panellists @ismaileinashe.bsky.social, Manal Massalha, Christie Swallow & Jessie Sullivan on 11 Nov, 4.30pm, for Visualising Migration: Art, Resistance & Wellbeing. bit.ly/479Qe6d #Migration #Art #Wellbeing

How is citizenship negotiated in “sanctuary cities”? Join Dr Rachel Humphris on 16 Oct, 12:00-13:00, to explore migration, governance & belonging across San Francisco, Sheffield & Toronto. Open to all. bit.ly/42wd1HI #UCL #Migration #Citizenship #UrbanStudies @sriucl.bsky.social @ioe.bsky.social

Is modern motherhood under surveillance? Join Dr Helen Simmons on 9 Oct, 12:00-13:00, as she explores pressures, parenting courses & the ‘Best Start for Life’ strategy. For researchers, policymakers & students. bit.ly/4mJzxnC #UCL #Motherhood #PolicyResearch @sriucl.bsky.social @ioe.bsky.social

Prof Claire Cameron's piece on BBC Radio 4’s Three Ages of Child about her PUSH project in Tower Hamlets, is available to download now. Tackling child obesity & supporting wellbeing, she highlights the impact of community, schools & policy on healthier childhoods. tinyurl.com/4yxwb9k7 #EarlyYears

UPDATE: The first TCRU seminar this Thurs 2 Oct has been CANCELLED. Our Autumn Series will now start on 9 Oct. Join us for talks on migration, childhood, motherhood, and more: tinyurl.com/33putb5f @sriucl.bsky.social @ioe.bsky.social

Our Seminar Series runs 2 Oct – 11 Dec From migration & citizenship to early childhood, motherhood, sanctuary cities, Muslim women’s belonging, mixed-heritage families & more. Explore new work across TCRU’s themes. A space to share ideas & build connections across disciplines. tinyurl.com/33putb5f

UCL has been rated as a leading university for knowledge exchange for the fifth year in a row in Research England’s Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF). Read the news story: bit.ly/46tDarL #KEF5 @uclenterprise.bsky.social

And that wraps up our summer Meet the Researcher series! In case you missed it we introduced some of our brilliant colleagues and the projects they’re passionate about. Stay tuned for more stories from TCRU this autumn! @sriucl.bsky.social @ioe.bsky.social

It’s a very pleasant experience to work with Marie von Mallinckrodt and her team from ARD Germany on this mini-documentary project: In love with an AI 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳! Plz check it out here: www.ardmediathek.de/video/weltsp...

This week in our Meet the Researcher series, we’re introducing Susie Bower-Brown. Susie’s research explores LGBTQ+ identities and family life. profiles.ucl.ac.uk/91721-susie-... @sriucl.bsky.social @ioe.bsky.social

A recent @theguardian.com article highlights important research, co-authored by TCRU’s Claire Cameron, on how housing pressures & fragmented policy are limiting children’s access to outdoor play. tinyurl.com/4rc4hjvz @ioe.bsky.social @sriucl.bsky.social