In-depth assessment delivers the verdict on the Government�۪s promise of a more equal society

An independent and detailed expert analysis of a decade of reforms (published 25 February) takes up the challenge made by Peter Mandelson in 1997 to “judge us after ten years of success in office. For one of the fruits of that success will be that Britain has become a more equal society.����”Commissioned by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, the study, by a team led by LSE’s Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion, shows sharp contrasts between different policy areas. Notable success stories include reductions in child and pensioner poverty, improved education outcomes for the poorest children and schools, and narrowing economic and other divides between deprived and other areas.But health inequalities continued to widen, gaps in incomes between the very top and very bottom grew, and poverty increased for working-age people without children.����In several policy areas there was a marked contrast between the first half of the New Labour period and the second half, when progress has slowed or even stalled.John Hills, one of the leaders of study, said, “Whether Britain has moved towards becoming a ‘more equal society’ depends on what you look at, and when. Where clear initiatives were taken, results followed. But as the growth of living standards slowed, even well before the recession, and public finances tightened, momentum seems to have been lost in several key areas.”Kitty Stewart added, “The government can take heart from achievements such as the reduction in child poverty up to 2004.����Recent data show that by then, child well-being in the UK had begun to move up the European league table from its dismal showing at the start of the decade that formed the basis of UNICEF’s damning 2007 report. But even with improved figures, Britain was still left with one of the highest rates of child poverty out of the 15 original EU members, and the latest figures show it had increased again by 2006/7.”����The study concludes that the decade from 1997 was favourable to an egalitarian agenda in several ways: the economy grew continuously; the government had large majorities and aspired to create more equality; and public attitudes surveys suggested pent-up demand for more public expenditure. But that environment now looks very uncertain, not just in the near future, but also in the longer term.����Fiscal pressures from an ageing society could further constrain resources available for redistribution, and public attitudes towards the benefit system have hardened while support for redistribution has declined.Hills added, “The 1980s and 1990s showed that hoping that rapid growth in living standards at the top would ‘trickle down’ to those at the bottom did not work.����The period since 1997 has shown that gains are possible through determined interventions, but they require intensive and continuous effort to be sustained.”JRF Chief Executive Julia Unwin added, “We know the potential impact the deepening recession will have on those already living in poverty. This book provides an important, timely and comprehensive assessment of where we are and what remains to be done.&rdquo

Young people and housing in 2020: identifying key drivers for change

This paper identifies seven key drivers likely to influence the housing options of young people in the next ten years, collates and presents key data relevant to the housing options of young people and also lays foundations for the next stage of research, which will develop scenarios of the housing circumstances of young people in 2020

Housing options and solutions for young people in 2020

Recent economic, social and political change has resulted in a lot of uncertainty regarding the housing options for young people in the UK. This report aims to inform the development of housing policy and practice by identifying the key challenges likely to face young people who will be aged 18–30 in 2020

‘It’s all considered to be unacceptable behaviour’: Criminal justice practitioners’ experience of statutory housing duty for (ex)offenders

Despite a growing recognition of the intersectional relationship between homelessness and incarceration, we have a limited knowledge about housing policy and practice for people leaving custody and (ex)offender groups in the community. Addressing these gaps, this paper provides an overview of the main local housing authority statutory duties in the provision of housing support for prison leavers and (ex)offenders in England and Wales, and situates the issues with accessing accommodation within the wider context of austerity. The paper presents a case study that explores criminal justice practitioners’ experiences of working with local authority housing agencies. Stemming from 25 interviews with housing practitioners and criminal justice practitioners, the paper outlines the main challenges facing criminal justice agencies as they try to secure accommodation for homeless (ex)offenders and resettle them in the community. Finally, the paper concludes by raising critical questions about the housing options for this population, now and in the future

‘Their defining moments’: Identifying critical influences that prompted progression into post compulsory education in the arts

This chapter presents a study that focuses on prevalent inequalities of access into post compulsory education in England. It draws attention to how individuals, who may be experiencing multiple factors of disadvantage or under representation, might surmount barriers that limit their upward social mobility. While it is widely accepted that access to and successful participation in education can lead to progression into employment and improved economic and social status, it is argued that this assumption is overly simplistic. The home context of an individual, the health, welfare, financial security and the geographic location of their family home continue to be strong influencing factors in the prospects of individuals in the family. These factors play an influential role in decision making on educational pathways and whether to enter post compulsory education. The scale of the problem is highlighted by empirical surveys that highlight the challenge that Widening Participation (WP) practitioners face in targeting interventions. Evident by the under representation of particular groups of students, in terms of their gender, age, ethnicity, disability or socio economic status in post compulsory education, there exists an inequity of access in post compulsory education prevalent for many across the subject sectors. Influences, external to the education institution, that are occurring within the home and community context, have the potential to stifle attaining upward socio-mobility that can enable a secure, economically stable, life for a household. Progression into Further and Higher education, to achieve attainment through qualifications, has to surmount the pervading effect of these hurdles. The question is can education or WP achieve it alone, as an endeavour, in isolation to other support and welfare agencies, in society? In order to address the inequalities of access, WP practitioners are tasked to deliver interventions with individuals, schools, colleges and community groups, at all stages of education, to encourage progression in education. This is to enable individuals to participate beyond Level 3 National qualifications, which are seen as a solution. This is an interpretivist narrative enquiry which examines critical incidents, that respondents recall having assisted them in undertaking their journey into studying the Arts. The ‘student voices’ gathered through their personal stories provides valuable insights into their critical incidents, epiphany, influential agents, experiences, artefacts or places that informed their choices

The long road to universalism?: recent developments in the financing of long-term care in England

Following more than a decade of intense debate, the long-term care system in England may be on the verge of major change. We argue that the current system can be characterized as a residual system where care is free only to those who cannot afford to pay for themselves, with access heavily targeted to those with the highest levels of needs and with no informal care, and with substantial local variation in access and means-testing for home care. It is also characterized by a mixed economy of supply of care and a mixed economy of finance. The government Green Paper has proposed a major shift from diverse local systems to a new National Care Service, with a national entitlement to some public support for all those who are assessed as needing it. The government has also recently announced that it will make personal care at home free to those with the highest needs. If implemented, the proposals included in the Green Paper would, at minimum, introduce a 'quasi-universal' system, in which some level of assistance is provided to all those with eligible social care need