research report

Roma inclusion: a progressive and rights-based approach (General Policy Paper No. 7)

This seventh General Policy Paper by the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) is the product of ongoing concern and reflection regarding the development of progressive integration and social inclusion policies as a tool to combat racism.

It comes shortly after the EU designed and adopted a European Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies, an important step in acknowledging politically the need to improve Roma inclusion initiatives and policies and to combat segregation.

Disability costs and equivalence scales in the older population

Research study that uses the dual indices of individuals’ standard of living and degree of disability, using UK survey data covering over 8,000 people who are over state pension age. The indices are used to estimate the additional income that each disabled person would need in order to reach the same standard of living as he or she would enjoy without any disability.

There may be 'trouble' ahead: what we know about those 120,000 'troubled' families

The Poverty and Social Exclusion in the UK Project is funded by the Economic, Science and Research Council (ESRC). The Project is a collaboration between the University of Bristol, University of Glasgow, Heriot Watt University, Open University, Queen’s University (Belfast), University of York, the National Centre for Social Research and the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. The project commenced in April 2010 and will run for three-and-a-half years.

Access all areas: action for all government departments to support young people's journey from care to adulthood

Report that starts dialogue with central government by suggesting particular areas and issues that should be addressed in four government depar tments: Communities and Local Government; Department for Work and Pensions; Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and Department of Health. In addition it proposes that that the Department for Education, which has primary responsibility for care leavers, joins with the Cabinet Office to lead a cross government approach to improving journeys from care to adulthood.

Making it matter: improving the health of young homeless people

Key findings of research that was carried out between May and October 2011 and in which more than 380 young people (16 – 25) participated. A health questionnaire was completed by about 130 young people from Depaul UK services, and by a control group of 200 young people from around the UK.

Four focus groups and 26 individual interviews with young people also took place. A group of young homeless people were trained in research skills and carried out research with their peers.

Fair and square: free school meals for all children in poverty

In England, 1.2 million school children in poverty do not get free school meals. 700,000 of them – often from poor, working families – aren’t even entitled to this key support. The remaining 500,000 are put off claiming both by systems that clearly single out those receiving free meals, which can lead to teasing and bullying, and by the poor quality of some of the food on offer. This report shows that giving children in poverty a free school meal makes sense on every level.

Personalisation: lessons from social care

Paper that shows how the personalisation agenda encourages innovation, offering the potential to create new markets around localised and individual needs, to focus fiscal resources directly and discretely, and to enable small groups of individuals to ‘positively disrupt’ a complex and opaque system.

It begins with a potted history of personalisation, and ends with five recommendations for the implementation of personalisation, whatever the sector, in a way that increases the availability and use of new, community­based approaches to support and inclusion.