This lovely mother-daughter run animal sanctuary needs help to secure permanent premises. They do such wonderful work. Please donate and share if you can!

Mini Motley Sanctuary@minisanctuary.bsky.social · 2w ago

We have news. Our sanctuary is on rented land and we live in constant fear of eviction. The perfect premises has come up in our postcode but we need help funding a permanent, forever premises. Please could you help our sanctuary? PLEASE SHARE to help us find help 💚 #animalsanctuary #rescueanimals

@changingrealities.bsky.social at a select committee in Westminster this morning:

Changing Realities@changingrealities.bsky.social · last mo.

Tune in now for our take over of the @houseofcommons.parliament.uk Work & Pensions & Education Select Committee. Seven parents sharing experiences & expertise about what needs to change if we are to make a real dent in child poverty [ w/ @cpaguk.bsky.social ] www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/...

More than a million young people are now out of work, educating and training. It's the highest level in 12 years. Here's how we got to this point.

Why are there so many NEET young people in the UK?

bigissue.com

One of our projects, @changingrealities.bsky.social is hosting an online event on Thurs 4 June to celebrate the launch of their Zine, highlighting the importance of creative methods in amplifying the lived experience of participants. Book your place 👉 tinyurl.com/379573fa

Changing Realities participants have been using their lived expertise to engage with the Schools White Paper and SEND reform. Nik writes about her experiences of parenting a SEND child while living in poverty, and a roundtable with Sec. of State 4 Education: www.changingrealities.org/blog/jugglin...

I have just returned home to Cornwall from London. Not on a trip to see the Queen as the rhyme goes but to see the Secretary of State. I was part of a crew of people who presented their lived experience of juggling poverty and being a parent of a child or children with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND) in response to the recent White Paper on SEND reforms.

changingrealities.org

Catherine writes a moving letter to her child with SEN (special educational needs), relaying the struggles and determination to keep fighting to meet her son's needs, despite the many hudles: www.changingrealities.org/blog/where-t...

I am writing this letter to apologise for failing you as a parent.

changingrealities.org

Private firms providing services to NHS made £1.6bn profit in two years, research finds

Private firms providing services to NHS made £1.6bn profit in two years, research finds

Exclusive: MPs say profit-making levels in England are ‘scandalous’ and call for cap on amount private companies can make from NHS Private firms providing services to the NHS including healthcare and consultancy have made £1.6bn in profits over the last two years, research reveals. The findings – on the basis of contracts worth £12bn – have prompted claims of “scandalous” profiteering, concern that the health service is being “taken for a ride” and calls for ministers to impose a cap on maximum profit levels. £2bn of the £12bn of contracts went to firms with owners based outside the UK. £533m of that £2bn went to companies owned by people living in tax havens such as Jersey and the Cayman Islands. Firms, especially those owned by private equity outfits, used £353m of their £12bn NHS income to pay interest on debts. Continue reading...

theguardian.com

'Changing childhoods and protecting parents' - our priorities for Scotland's new government after the May elections. 🆕 📣 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 New Changing Realities briefing: 📣 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 ⬇️ www.changingrealities.org/writings/our...

The Scottish parliament election takes place on the 7th May this year.

changingrealities.org

Did you watch Dirty Business? I can't believe how much water companies have gotten away with. They're putting profit before public health - it’s a scandal and the Government MUST take action! Sick of sewage? Add your name to the petition today: you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/en...

End the sewage pollution scandal

We're sick of it. Sick of the lies, sick of the greed, and sick of a system rigged against us. This is a scandal and this dirty business must end. For more than 30 years water companies have put corpo...

you.38degrees.org.uk

"I am desperate to find the positives here. Yes, I want my child educated in a mainstream school. I also want to be able to choose which school that is. A right I will lose under the new system." New blog out 'SEND reform: putting my child last' by Helen: www.changingrealities.org/blog/send-re...

I've avoided all forms of media so that I could sit down and (skim) read through the two documents published by the Department of Education today and form my own opinions of the contents.

changingrealities.org

Ella writes about the Schools White paper on SEND: "The fractured relationships between parents and schools are at an all time high; how can we tangibly see and trust that what is being offered will be upheld?" New lived expertise blog post out now: www.changingrealities.org/blog/send-re...

As an SEN parent, it can often feel as though the whole world is against you. Exhaustion and overwhelm are embedded deeply in daily life, and the navigation through school support is dark, fruitless and treacherous to say the least. The glimmering hope of light at the end of the tunnel started with the publication of the SEND White Paper a few days ago.

changingrealities.org

Incredible to see @changingrealities.bsky.social named as one of the @bigissue.com Change Makers. So much more change to be made & no one better to do it with than the over 200 parents we work with and @cpaguk.bsky.social & @lshtm.bsky.social @glasgow.ac.uk

Changing Realities@changingrealities.bsky.social · 6mo ago

🎉 Changing Realities has been celebrated as a 2026 @bigissue.com changemaker for our work in the politics and activism category 🎉 @uofgussp.bsky.social @glasgow.ac.uk www.bigissue.com/news/activis...

Congratulations to @changingrealities.bsky.social for being named as a @bigissue.com Changemaker - a wonderful recognition of hard work by parents and carers who've been lobbying politicians to eradicate child poverty in the UK.

University of Glasgow@glasgow.ac.uk · 6mo ago

"Changing Realities has shown me I am valuable and my voice can drive change" Child poverty action group @changingrealities.bsky.social has been named as a Big Issue Change Maker for 2026, under the Politics and Activism category. More: gla.ac/4alIOj2

'Principles for the Schools White Paper' published today - from parents who know exactly what change is needed and why: www.changingrealities.org/writings/pri...

The Schools White Paper is a vital opportunity to reform school support so that it works for all children. Changing Realities parents, who are all raising children on a low income, have set out what they would like to see in the White Paper on SEND reforms, parental engagement, and on the government’s approach to enrichment. Parents want to work directly with government to deliver the ambitious changes needed. While we may not agree on everything, one thing on which we all – and we believe government too – do agree is that the current system of SEND support is completely broken, and requires urgent and radical reform.

changingrealities.org

End of working week but this article from @madeleinepower.bsky.socialn is a must-read. A plethora of names to describe 'food aid' conceals the reality they're all experienced as food banks, with the key fault line not *type* of provision but *demographic* factors www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

"As a mother, my heart swelled with pride. But as an advocate, I felt something even deeper: a reassuring reminder that this country still has space for compassion..." Why we [continue to] do this work, a blog by Beauty reflecting on a visit to No.10: www.changingrealities.org/blog/hope-at...

On December 18, 2025, I stepped through the iconic black door of No. 10 Downing Street, carrying more than just a diary appointment. I brought with me hope, memories, and the quiet weight of every family whose story has intertwined with the mission we pursue at Changing Realities.

changingrealities.org

It should be the British public that decide the future of the BBC, not presidents or politicians. Agree? Add your name to the #APeoplesBBC campaign. party.coop/campaign/bbc...

It’s time for A People’s BBC

The BBC belongs to the British public, not to the Government. Licence payers, not Ministers, should determine it's future.

party.coop

'I will never be sorry for standing my ground and standing up for what I believe is right.' Vital, if hard to read, words from Stacey @changingrealities.bsky.social about why she won't be stopped from speaking out about poverty by trolls www.changingrealities.org/blog/why-i-w...

It was a lot. I didn’t realise I’d be placed all over social media. I thought it would be just a couple of pictures for something, but it is what it is now. I have thought about it a lot this morning and I had to put my thoughts down on paper.

changingrealities.org

A year ago today I joined some of the incredible @changingrealities.bsky.social parents at Downing Street who shared what changes are needed to end child poverty - incl why the two-child limit must be scrapped. It’s brilliant to see yesterday’s announcement after so much hard work from so many.

"The removal of the two-child limit brings my family a deep sense of relief. Without the cap hanging over me, I finally feel less weighed down by constant financial worry and more able to make choices that genuinely reflect what each of my boys’ need." (Kim, CR parent) #2CL #Budget 🧵1/3

The two-child limit will go. @nuffieldfoundation.org research by the fab team below showed the limit & the benefit cap didn't meet their behavioural aims & harmed families. Huge thanks to the team & to the families who shared their experiences. Evidence matters: today it seems it was heard.

Prof Ruth Patrick@ruthpatrick0.bsky.social · 8mo ago

Over the last five years @nuffieldfoundation.org funded @kittyjstewart.bsky.social @aaronreeves.bsky.social @katejandersen.bsky.social @jdportes.bsky.social @katejandersen.bsky.social and I to research the impact of the two-child limit & the benefit cap largerfamilies.study

Sam, a mother of one child, coherently explains why the two child benefit cap must be lifted as part of the upcoming child poverty strategy. Read her opinion piece @bigissue.com @uofgussp.bsky.social www.bigissue.com/opinion/two-...

The two-child benefit cap inflicts suffering on the UK's children. Labour must scrap it

Sam Richards, a mother and participant of the Changing Realities project, writes about why the two-child limit on benefits should be dropped.

bigissue.com

Only 3% of the UK is common land, compared to 50% four centuries ago. How can we get back our right to roam?

Here's why we need to fight for Britain's right to roam

bigissue.com

"Children are our future and will help this country thrive and grow, but to do this they must have the best possible start in life that they can have." Read our wonderful blog from Brian on his experience at the House of Lords Child Poverty roundtable 👉 changingrealities.org/blog/hope-on...

This morning, I was invited to a meeting in The House of Lords, along with Changing Realities, two other participants and members from other organisations. The roundtable – chaired by Baroness Ruth Lister and Professor Ruth Patrick – was also attended by other Lords, senior civil servants and Changing Realities funders. We discussed the government’s Child Poverty Strategy, which will hopefully be announced shortly after the budget in November.

changingrealities.org

Parents and carers of @changingrealities.bsky.social are doing essential work to bring child poverty issues to the public eye as the govt prepare to publish their Child Poverty Strategy. Powerful words from @ruthpatrick0.bsky.social on scrapping the two child limit in this popular substack.

UofG School of Social & Political Sciences@uofgsps.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Excellent piece by @ruthpatrick0.bsky.social on government discussions about binning the two child limit, which is driving more families into poverty. Ruth leads @changingrealities.bsky.social - a collaboration between over UK parents and carers on a low-income. samf.substack.com/p/the-worst-...

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. ✊

Our participant James has written an excellent piece for @scotsman.com. ✏️ "The fight for true social justice is long and arduous. But for that hour or so, in that grand room, we were not just the ‘marginalised’ or ‘the beneficiaries’, we were the experts." Read: www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

Inside the Bute House talks fighting for social justice with John Swinney

Talks over the battle to alleviate child poverty took place with John Swinney inside the walls of Bute House

scotsman.com

UofG School of Social & Political Sciences@uofgsps.bsky.social · 10mo ago

“We were given the space to speak our truth to power” What happened when parents & carers met @johnswinney.bsky.social to discuss child poverty? Single parent James of @changingrealities.bsky.social reflects on a 'remarkable' meeting in @scotsman.com www.scotsman.com/news/politic...

A couple of weeks ago, CR participant Brian spoke to @newstatesman1913.bsky.social about the continuation of the cost-of-living crisis, which he feels politicians have "completely pushed to one side." Read more: www.newstatesman.com/politics/eco... @uofglasgow.bsky.social @uofgussp.bsky.social

Energy bills rise while Westminster talks immigration

Why have our politicians forgotten about the cost-of-living crisis?

newstatesman.com

Looking forward to discussing the vital need for improved support for children and young people with send with @theifs.bsky.social @helenmiller.bsky.social & colleagues, drawing on our own recent @changingrealities.bsky.social briefing changingrealities.org/writings/wha...

On Thursday 18th September, parents and carers from Changing Realities met with the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Philipson to discuss the forthcoming Schools White Paper. There was a focus on planned reforms to SEND,and parents and carers shared their hopes and fears for the White Paper. Parents also shared reflections on their recent experiences of SEND systems, and the ramifications of these everyday experiences for planned reforms. In this short policy note, we summarise reflections and priorities for change in this arena, including points raised by those at the meeting and by others who were unable to attend.

changingrealities.org

The Institute for Fiscal Studies@theifs.bsky.social · 10mo ago

Tomorrow at 10am we present new research on the rapid rise in the share of children with health needs with a response from @ruthpatrick0.bsky.social, part of our IFS Green Budget 2025 funded by @nuffieldfoundation.org. 📅 Sign up for an event reminder here: ifs.org.uk/events/why-d...

Fantastic to see the @changingrealities.bsky.social work led by our own @ruthpatrick0.bsky.social cited in this piece 💪

UofG School of Social & Political Sciences@uofgsps.bsky.social · 10mo ago

“Westminster needs to wake up.” More coverage in @newstatesman1913.bsky.social of the vital work that @changingrealities.bsky.social – led by @ruthpatrick0.bsky.social - is doing to help UK parents and carers struggling with the rising cost of living. bit.ly/42G4HFq