The Government would like to get more people who are currently on disability benefits back to work. But Catherine Hale argues that the labour market in its current state is not fit to accommodate disa...

Trust is a central consideration when understanding the administration of social security benefits and interactions between the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and claimants, which is increa...

South Cambridgeshire Council votes to make four-day work week with full pay a permanent policy.

This autumn will see the publication of the first UK child poverty strategy in many years. It is a time-limited and vital opportunity to make real and lasting difference to the lives of the 4.5 million children currently living in poverty. In this new report, co-produced with IPPR, we set out a realistic and targeted agenda for change. Now is the time to take sustainable and effective action on child poverty, working with the everyday experiences of families who know what would make a difference to them and their lives.

Instead of old-fashioned rhetoric about costs to the state, the government should tell a better story about welfare

Labour government policies have led to losses of more than £1bn from the higher education sector since it came to power, new analysis suggests.

28/05/2025

This briefing note, part of the Safety Nets project, assesses how the Household Support Fund could be improved in a longer-term settlement, through analysis of administrative data and interviews with ...

Looking after children is important and vital work; and it’s imperative that parents and carers have access to high quality and affordable childcare, both in order to support their children’s development and also to support them in their other forms of work: be it education, training, caring, or participation in the formal labour market. Recent years have seen a growing focus on the importance of improving the UK’s childcare offer, and we have seen a range of policy changes to try and improve what is provided and on what basis. This briefing sets out the experiences of parents and carers on a low income, and makes clear the distance that still needs to be travelled if we are to move to a situation in which all parents can access affordable and decent childcare provision. We share evidence of parents’ experiences and challenges around finding childcare that fits with working hours; systemic issues with affordability; and the pressing need to improve support for childcare through Universal Credit. There is also a need to improve childcare for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), and to rethink how childcare support is made available during school holidays.