So grateful to Ed for his leadership on care. We need more politicians speaking out about the personal experiences they have of caring - making the private public is the first step to making care a policy priority.

Britain’s care system is running on unpaid labour — and most of it falls on women. Read the report by @jrf-uk.bsky.social's @abbyabhaya.bsky.social here: www.ippr.org/articles/who...

Excited to share a new report I've written for @ippr.org's Decade of National Renewal project. We are all living longer but policy isn't meeting the scale of the current - or future - challenge. Progressives have a generational opportunity to shape the future of a vital public service. (1/

Interesting new report out from @thefabians.bsky.social today on why the UK needs to extend sick pay protections to the self-employed 👇

From today, a *lot* more childcare is going to be paid for by govt, which will definitely help families. Childcare looks increasingly like a public service - a good thing. But long-running issues like the govt underfunding of nurseries delivering that care remain. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

It is insane to me that the richest man in the world is using his global megaphone to call for millions of British people to be rounded up and deported (including my family) and somehow this isn’t even news.

The radical right in Britain increasingly claims to represent "Christian values" & "Christian civilisation" - though its leaders rarely go to church or pretend to believe anything. It's especially important that Christian leaders speak out against this, as it's their tradition that's being claimed.

god I hate this I hate this I hate it I hate it, I hate that the mainstream right has gone this mad and racist and radicalised, I hate that no one seems to know how to stop it from getting worse, it worries me so much and I hate it all

Childcare costs are still high despite significant govt funding. That's because we give families 'free hours' which max out rather than charge people based on their income. Very excited that this piece from NEF in partnership with JRF explores what a means tested childcare system would look like >

New YouGov polling. A monumental failure of our political class to educate, a monumental failure of our media to report fairly, for a generation

In ‘headlines I would have balked at 5 years ago but now just double take and then move on’ latest

'If there is a thread connecting the high-octane events of late July and the slow local politics of the pier, it is the loss of physical spaces where we might come together & the radicalisation of the digital spaces that have replaced them.' Love this from the brilliant @sachahilhorst.bsky.social

And that's a wrap! Watch back our event How disabilities and caring responsibilities impact the lives of lower-income Britain with @mikebrewerecon.bsky.social @hannahslaughter.bsky.social @abbyabhaya.bsky.social David Goodhart & Emily Holzhausen www.resolutionfoundation.org/events/from-...

We need better and cheaper paid care services AND better support to help unpaid carers through work and the benefits system. Care needs are lawless. Systems aren’t catching up.

This is exciting! Come along.

This was fun!

There’s lots to be happy about in the Govt’s new Best Start in Life Strategy, including some things JRF has been calling for: - Stronger focus on monitoring the finances of nurseries - More support to help local authorities shape good childcare markets - Integrating childcare with other support

‘The diaries read like broken records – endless arranging and rearranging of appointments, prescriptions and finances, automated phone services that lead to dead ends. ‘I wish that we did not move in circles,’ wrote Philippa, 86.’ www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Who runs childcare settings matters. Nonprofits are declining and private equity backed providers are less likely to open in deprived areas. Govt needs to get a grip of the market and make sure it’s working for families.

So glad to have funded this work as the Casey Commission begins to grapple with the big question of how to build a better social care system. This paper is right to say that we need to start with the politics.

Not now deathly pulse from earth's molten core!

Govt is pushing through significant cuts to disability benefits to get people into work. But are there appropriate, or even enough, good jobs for disabled people to move into? New JRF analysis finds evidence that there aren't, meaning even more hardship for disabled people.

This was a lively discussion, and included a good question from an audience member on hidden traps in public policy, which I used to talk about how desperately we need to fix local government finance!

Powerful message to Government from the Women and Equalities Committee in their new report on parental leave published today – paternity leave in the UK is outdated and unequal. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

A strong first step. Will make a sizeable difference for families in hardship. Looking forward to seeing the full strategy - good foundations to build on.

Great to support this important work setting out what the child poverty strategy needs to include - and the important of social security to improve the lives of the worst off families.

What are the key policies and strategies that can bring a society free from poverty into reality? Join @abbyabhaya.bsky.social ‬ Abigail McKnight, @tcstephens.bsky.social ‬& Tania Burchardt as they envisage a future free from poverty at this #LSEFestival event. 📅 16 June buff.ly/z683QwO

Remember this next time someone says Britons don't support a strong welfare safety net. Labour voters do, and non-Labour voters can be persuaded if you frame it right. www.moreincommon.org.uk/blog/britons...

More detail on our new analysis out today. The Casey Commission's recommendations could be delayed by a decade. Without action, the care expectation gap will only grow.

NEW analysis from me & @datataha.bsky.social showing a 'care expectation gap' on the front page of the @yorkshirepost.co.uk today Only 1 in 5 know the real cost of home care & most underestimate their own likelihood of caring With no plans to fix the system the gap will widen - govt needs to act

What the child poverty strategy is is much more important than when it is. 1 million children are in destitution and pulling them out of poverty requires serious action on social security. Hope govt can see that. www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

The government says its cuts to disability benefits are part of a “moral mission” to get more people working. But analysis shows fewer than 100,00 are expected to start work by the end of the parliament. Meanwhile around 3m will have disability & health related benefits cut. 1/4

💼 Too many people in the UK struggle to make ends meet, despite being in work. In a new Comment piece, @abbyabhaya.bsky.social and @morganbestwick.bsky.social explore how the Employment Rights Bill can and must fix insecure work, improve sick pay and boost flexible jobs. Read more: bit.ly/3SHzfRH

We’ve been working with @moreincommonuk.bsky.social to see how fixed views on the 2 child limit are. Turns out good messaging can really change minds.

Work is no longer the best route out of poverty. This is despite hourly pay growing - as millions can’t work the hours they need to stay afloat. The Employment Rights Bill is the first major attempt to address that & must not be watered down. www.jrf.org.uk/work/how-the...

Think this holds up fairly well so far... www.lrb.co.uk/the-paper/v4...

There are real recruitment issues in the care sector which migration addresses. You’ll need to fix low pay & poor conditions - & below that, a broken funding model - if you want to really tackle the problem. But that’s been delayed again by up to 10 years. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cx...

'Taxpayers are currently paying £32 billion a year for a broken system.' We count too often the cost of acting rather than the cost of not acting. This is good from DHSC committee. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Yesterday, the Government’s launched the #PathwaystoWork green paper. It plans to create a “clearer youth phase” by changing benefit rules for young people to support its new Youth Guarantee. Key takeaways 🧵1/7

UK’s paternity leave entitlement is worst in Europe – just 2 weeks on low pay A more generous offer will support families financially and help them make more equal choices around who cares For the first time @centrepropolicy.bsky.social modelling for JRF establishes the economic benefits too 🔽 1/2

NEW analysis from @jrf-uk.bsky.social & @centrepropolicy.bsky.social shows how improving paternity leave can boost UK growth Data from countries with more generous leave shows it tackles gender norms & helps women into work, with an economy-wide benefit of £2.8bn www.ft.com/content/5c4a...

This job is closing tomorrow - apply apply!

We're hiring a Policy Adviser! You'll work across policy areas (work, care, housing and more) to generate ideas that address the challenges underpinning poverty in the UK. 📍 Hybrid (York/London) Salary: £37,546.60 (+ LDN weighting) 9 Months FTC Find out more and apply now: bit.ly/4jdaWGn

Heart full to be at the launch of @carefull.bsky.social with kindred souls to think about care and a better future. @emilykenway.bsky.social @autonomy-institute.bsky.social

Frustrating that actual measures to support people into work haven't been included in the sums to assess the labour market impact of govt's welfare reform package. Which effectively means only cutting people's benefits has been deemed a good policy to get people into work... [from OBR forecast]

New analysis from JRF shows if you’re a carer your household could lose a staggering amount as a result of disability benefits cuts. This is because you’ll no longer be entitled to Carers Allowance. A huge hit to families already struggling.

New Policy Adviser job 📢 You will: - Deliver projects that generate policies and ideas to address the social and economic challenges that underpin poverty in the UK - Connect with people or orgs developing new ideas that contribute to our mission - Shape the national conversation 1/2

I'm hiring! Looking for a smart policy and/or influencing person for a 9 month post, working across a number of our policy areas incl work & housing. It's a pivotal time to be working on social policy! Come join us - applications close on 10th April. www.jrf.org.uk/careers

In case anyone was wondering, this is what it looks like visually.

There are genuinely helpful measures in today’s package to help disabled people into work & a new contributory benefit so our system looks more like social insurance. But as this headline shows - it’s the huge cuts that will overshadow today’s announcement.. www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/c0...