Blog Post Tackling Inequalities Social care workforce crisis in Wales: what is causing it and what is being done to fix it? The consistent message in recent submissions to the Senedd enquiry on the Health and Social Care workforce strategy was that the social care workforce is in ‘crisis’. Services are struggling to find or retain staff. And, of course, the provision of high quality care is dependent upon the social care professionals who have the skills, […] Read more Topics: Employment Health inequalities work and skills October 11, 2022
Blog Post Research and Impact Taking stock of our Research Apprentice scheme The Wales Centre for Public Policy (WCPP) introduced the Research Apprenticeship scheme in 2017. The scheme aims to build the capacity of early-career researchers to engage with policymakers and public services to respond to key challenges in Wales. It has attracted hundreds of applications annually from excellent candidates who wish to gain first-hand experience of […] Read more Research and Impact: Methods and approaches PhD interns October 6, 2022
Blog Post Tackling Inequalities Evidence and An Anti-Racist Wales On 7 June, the Welsh Government launched its new Action Plan to forge An Anti-Racist Wales by 2030. The work will involve identifying and eradicating the systems, structures and processes that contribute to unequal outcomes for people from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities. The launch was described by the Minister for Social Justice, Jane […] Read more Topics: Diversity and inclusion October 4, 2022
Blog Post Tackling Inequalities Promoting pathways out of poverty – and preventing the pitfalls of poverty entry Enabling ‘pathways’ out of poverty must be a fundamental goal of any anti-poverty strategy. But how should such a strategy seek to achieve this? And how can we ensure that these ‘pathways’ translate into meaningful reductions in levels of poverty across Wales? Across European nations, the promotion of paid work has become central to anti-poverty […] Read more Topics: Employment Poverty and social exclusion work and skills September 30, 2022
Blog Post Tackling Inequalities Being poor in Wales – why where you live matters Several of the challenges faced by people living in poverty or social exclusion in Wales relate to where they live. Local costs of living, affordability of good quality housing, levels of crime, adequate infrastructure, and access to services, green spaces, quality employment, education and training, all affect people’s quality of life, can entrench social exclusion […] Read more Topics: Housing and homes Poverty and social exclusion September 29, 2022
Blog Post Tackling Inequalities Running on empty: why we need reform in the cost-of-living crisis During the initial months of the pandemic, when various protections were in place – such as the £20 per week uplift to Universal Credit – the number of people who sought help from Citizens Advice on debt problems dropped significantly. Since October 2021, however, when many of these protections came to an end and energy […] Read more Topics: Economy Poverty and social exclusion September 27, 2022
Blog Post Tackling Inequalities Research and Impact A matter of costs For decades, poverty has been measured by a household’s income relative to that of others. Although adjustments are made for housing costs and household size, the key metric is the amount of cash coming into a household. Public policy on poverty has followed this focus on household incomes. At UK level, the key levers for […] Read more Topics: Economy Research and Impact: Methods and approaches September 27, 2022
Blog Post Tackling Inequalities Research and Impact What makes for an effective anti-poverty strategy? The lack of an anti-poverty strategy did not stop the Welsh Government from taking action during the pandemic to address poverty in Wales. From the provision of money, vouchers or packed lunches during the school holidays to children entitled to free school meals, to allowing eligible families to claim a pupil development grant every year […] Read more Topics: Poverty and social exclusion Research and Impact: Methods and approaches September 26, 2022
Blog Post Research and Impact Has devolution delivered? The last 25 years have seen a significant and sustained increase in public support for devolution in Wales. The 1997 referendum produced only a wafer thin majority in favour of creating a Welsh Assembly. Now fewer than 1 in 5 of the adult population say that they would vote to reverse that decision, whilst a […] Read more Topics: Local government Research and Impact: Impact September 23, 2022
Blog Post Community Wellbeing ‘Blending’ online and offline provision in community wellbeing services: what does it mean and why does it matter? Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, public and third sector organisations supporting community wellbeing have relied on a mixture of remote and face-to-face methods for delivering services and engaging with the people they support. These have been delivered in different combinations at different times, in response to a rapidly shifting landscape of restrictions on physical contact and […] Read more Topics: Community collaboration Local government August 30, 2022
