Oxford Social Policy and Intervention
@dspi-oxford.bsky.social
We are the Department of Social Policy and Intervention at the University of Oxford. Our teaching and research aim is to contribute to social reform across the globe, reducing inequalities and bringing positive change to people’s lives.
🎉Congratulations 🎉 to Prof Daly on being awarded an Honorary Doctorate by Roskilde University, recognising her renowned research and significant contributions to contemporary social policy:
Professor Mary Daly awarded honorary doctorate by Roskilde University in Denmark
The honorary doctorate recognises Professor Daly’s internationally recognised research in the fields of care, family policy and welfare state research.
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🏠Research, co-authored by Dr Mark Fransham, explores barriers faced by families affected by the benefit cap: 🔗
An impossible move? Households’ experiences of trying to escape the UK’s benefit cap | Journal of Social Policy | Cambridge Core
An impossible move? Households’ experiences of trying to escape the UK’s benefit cap
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🌡️ What does extreme heat mean for menstrual health? Dr @chlobrim.bsky.social appeared on Channel 4 News to discuss the health impacts of a warming climate, particularly how high temperatures affect menstruation. ▶️ Watch the clip to learn more:
Enjoy the videos and music that you love, upload original content and share it all with friends, family and the world on YouTube.
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📣 Our seminar series kicks off next week! Join a talk exploring the ways we understand people and how this can shape social policy, asking if it's time to rethink governance 📅15 Oct 🕓 16:00–17:30 📍DSPI, Oxford + online 🔗https://f.mtr.cool/axzd39gwq6
📰In the news: @calderarocha.bsky.social was interviewed by @news.sky.com to contribute to the discussion around how women are intersecting with increasingly extreme ideas. See what Dr Calderaro had to say. Watch the full clip ▶️▶️▶️
Inside the online networks turning Gen Z women towards ethno-nationalism
Data and Forensics correspondent Tom Cheshire investigates the rise of female-led anti-immigration groups across the UK and Europe, meeting activists, influencers and campaigners shaping a new movement.
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🔒🔒🔒 Overhauling the triple lock misses the bigger problem: by still protecting pensioners when growth stalls, it leaves governments with little electoral reason to pursue growth - argues Professor Tim Vlandas, Professor of Comparative Political Economy and Social Policy. Read more ⤵️
University of Oxford@ox.ac.uk · last wk.The debate around the triple lock goes beyond cost 💷 Prof Tim Vlandas, from @dspi-oxford.bsky.social, examines what proposed pension reforms could mean for economic growth ⬇️ https://bit.ly/3W3AoI4
Prof Cluver is speaking at the Pre-Conference Technical Learning & Preparatory Dialogue(13 Oct) in preparations for the 2nd Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence against Children. Register:
REGISTRATION FORM
PRE-CONFERENCE TECHNICAL LEARNING & PREPARATORY DIALOGUE Building the evidence, partnerships and financing arguments needed to turn EVAC commitments into action 📅 Thursday, 13 October 2026 🕣 2 PM BST 📍 Microsoft Teams Hosted By: World Health Organisation, UNICEF, World Vision International, University of Oxford and Maestral International. In support of preparations for the 2nd Global Ministerial Conference on EVAC. As countries prepare for the Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children (EVAC) in Manila, this interactive dialogue will explore practical approaches to strengthening financing for EVAC and advancing more ambitious, evidence-based commitments. The session will bring together development partners, civil society organisations, researchers and advocates to share lessons, identify challenges, and discuss strategies for building a stronger investment case for ending violence against children. Insights from this discussion will directly inform the financing sessions at the Global Ministerial Conference in Manila. Why Attend? Explore how stronger financing commitments can accelerate progress on EVAC Learn from emerging evidence on the human capital, social and fiscal benefits of investing in EVAC. Understand the cost of inaction and how this can strengthen advocacy and budget arguments. Exchange experiences and challenges with peers through interactive breakout discussions. Gain insights to inform commitments and action leading up to the Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children in Manila. 📩 Contact for inquiries: Carol_Mweemba@wvi.org or sabinev@who.int
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📣 Team led by Dr Bridget Steele, Dr Amiya Bhatia & Safe Futures Hub launch first living dashboard on solutions to prevent childhood sexual violence:
DSPI and Safe Futures Hub launch first living dashboard on solutions to prevent childhood sexual violence
The global review evaluates interventions, laws and policies aimed at preventing childhood sexual violence victimisation and perpetration.
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Dr @bridgetsteele.bsky.social is taking part in the Westminster Higher Education Forum policy conference 'Tackling sexual harassment in higher education - policy, prevention and reporting'. 📆 16 Oct - register now:
Sexual Harassment 26
Tackling sexual harassment in higher education - policy, prevention and reporting
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ICYMI 🌡️How does heat affect menstrual health and mental health? As temperatures rise due to climate change, understanding the wider health impacts of heat is becoming increasingly important.
📢 New research from @elifcan.bsky.social examining the gender, race and wage dynamics on care platforms in Turkey has been published in The Journal of Social Policy.
📣 Vacancy alert: Part-time Postdoctoral Research Assistant We're recruiting a part-time Postdoctoral Research Assistant to join an exciting 18-month mixed-methods study on developmental trauma in infants entering care.
🧸 Two very simple and effective parenting tips, based on many years of international research, can make a huge difference! 🎥 Watch our two new 90-sec films produced in partnership with BBC Ideas, and find out more about the @dspi-oxford.bsky.social research that underpins them!
Evidence-based advice for better parenting in new BBC Ideas short films
socsci.site.ox.ac.uk
NEW research: Support groups for parents halved violence against children in wartime Ukraine Study led by @dspi-oxford.bsky.social student Sydney Tucker with World Relief and World Without Orphans. Findings come from trial of 510 parents and caregivers taking part in the Hope Groups programme.
How can ageing electorates reshape economic priorities – and contribute to economic stagnation? DSPI's Tim Vlandas' research on political and economic consequences of population ageing has recently been cited in articles in France’s Libération and Canada’s Toronto Star.
📽️Watch a new video 'A Simple way to parent like a pro (and stay calm!)', a collaboration between BBC Ideas and @socsci.ox.ac.uk giving practical advice for parents. Find out from DSPI's Dr Isang Awah about the importance of 'taking a pause':
The 5-min-a-day parenting tool that really works
Here's a surprisingly simple tool that's proven to improve your parenting.
bbc.co.uk
🎥BBC Ideas & @socsci.ox.ac.uk collaboration video showcases new '1-on-1 time', a 5-min-a-day parenting tool. DSPI's @jamielachman.bsky.social explains how 1-on-1 time is a game-changer for strengthening parent/child relationships. 🔗
The 5-min-a-day parenting tool that really works
Here's a surprisingly simple tool that's proven to improve your parenting.
bbc.co.uk
Are asylum-seeking children really responsible for the rise in the number of children entering care in England? New research led by DSPI’s Dr Michelle Degli Esposti challenges this assumption, revealing a complex picture of how and why children have entered care in England over the past 5 decades.
🧑🎓 Hear from leading researchers from across the University of Oxford and around the world as they share their research and latest thinking on some of today’s most pressing social policy issues as part of DSPI's seminar series.
Are we in a new chapter for #SocialCare reform in England? Prof Mary Daly writes for the BMJ about 5 interconnected problems that need resolution: - The substance of the free care offer - Funding - Provision - Commissioning & regulation - The relationship with the #NHS www.bmj.com/content/394/...
New chapter for social care reform in England?
Free offer, funding, provision, commissioning, and NHS links must be considered together Reform of social care in England faces a multitude of problems: nearly two million people report unmet care ne...
bmj.com
📅 Save the date: What is violence? How should it be measured? What are the implications for policy to halve violence against women and girls in ten years? Join us at DSPI's Sidney Ball Memorial Lecture with guest speaker Professor Sylvia Walby, Professor of Sociology at @royalholloway.bsky.social
“Sluggish economies [are] geared toward the interests of older people” Great to see a recent article in De Groene Amsterdammer drawing on two pieces of research by Tim Vlandas, Professor of Comparative Political Economy and Social Policy at DSPI.
ICYMI | How can we give babies a voice before they can speak? 👶 New research from DSPI’s Professor Jane Barlow and the @ihealthvisiting.bsky.social suggests that an innovative observational tool could help health visitors identify signs of psychological distress in babies earlier.
👆 Article in Journal of Social Policy is co-authored with a dream team of Maddy Power @lshtm.bsky.social , @kittyjstewart.bsky.social @aaronreeves.bsky.social @katejandersen.bsky.social Mark Fransham @dspi-oxford.bsky.social & wider @nuffieldfoundation.org research included @cpaguk.bsky.social
Late to share (cos life) We need to talk more about fact UK still has a Benefit Cap, & one that causes real, lasting harm, while ascribing the thousands of families affected with a power they do not have. 📖 New article on @nuffieldfoundation.org funded research www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
An impossible move? Households’ experiences of trying to escape the UK’s benefit cap | Journal of Social Policy | Cambridge Core
An impossible move? Households’ experiences of trying to escape the UK’s benefit cap
cambridge.org
From flash droughts to heatwaves, the UK’s increasingly extreme weather is creating what scientists call “climate whiplash”. In her article for @uk.theconversation.com, DSPI’s @chlobrim.bsky.socialexplores the different types of drought and examines opportunities for change.
What makes parenting support programmes effective, and how can successful approaches be scaled to reach more families? In this article for @uk.theconversation.com, DSPI’s Inge Vallance and Genevieve Haupt Ronnie (University of Cape Town) examine programmes implemented across 8 African countries.
Congratulations to Prof Zachary Parolin on receiving two prestigious international early-career honours for his contributions to the understanding of poverty, inequality and social mobility: 🙌 The 2026 William Julius Wilson Early Career Award 🙌 Honorable Mention for the 2026 Henrik Enderlein Prize
Are asylum-seeking children to blame for England's children's social care crisis? In a new Expert Comment for @oxforduni.bsky.social , Dr Michelle Degli Esposti, Associate Professor at DSPI, examines this claim using five decades of data and reveals the factors behind the crisis.
