Coming on top of a decade of austerity policies, the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has intensified the significant difficulties facing families, local authorities and the third sector alike. Pre-existing inequalities have been exacerbated and come into sharper focus as the realities of everyday life in different communities and localities have been exposed. As we face the future, it is obvious that business as usual is not an option and we need to devise fair, creative and inclusive ways forward.

The Child Welfare Inequalities Project and Research in Practice are holding a series of open access events to discuss how we might move forward together. These will involve researchers, families experiencing services, managers and practitioners in discussing some of the following questions and issues:

• How can policy and practice keep children safe and families together?
• What do we know about what is needed to reduce inequalities?
• How can we work together to make the changes that are so badly needed?

This second session on the 28 January will focus on Taking forward an inequalities and intersectionalities perspective: housing and children’s social care. Directors and Assistant Directors are encouraged to share this event with their housing lead and to encourage them to book. Speakers include:

• June Thoburn: Social work and housing from Cathy Come Home to the present day.
• Phil Brown, Huddersfield University: The social policy context for current housing crisis.
• Shared Health, Manchester: Unsafe, insecure and unaffordable housing: the impact on children and families.
• Charlotte Ramsden, Vice President, ADCS strategic perspective on housing and homelessness.

These events are open access, interactive virtual forums. We invite participation from a broad range of roles: Chief Executives, Directors and Assistant Directors in public and third sector organisations; practitioners and front line managers; social work educators and researchers. 

Upcoming events

• Session three – Context, complexity and change – where next? – 4 February

Related resources

• Child Welfare Inequalities Project App
• Child Welfare Inequalities Project Final Report and Executive Summary
• Neglect in the context of poverty and austerity: Frontline Briefing
• Poverty-aware practice with children and families: Podcast
• Poverty, inequality and neglect: building strategic thinking – views